Anyone who’s in business or been in business these days knows this:
Everything but death and taxes is negotiable.
I’m not saying you’ll always get what you want at the price you want it but you can surely negotiate and in a lot of cases you should. There’s a little preparation required and a few strategies you can apply when negotiating with someone so I have put together four simple lines to use when approaching a potential negotiation.
‘I’m definitely not prepared to buy at that price.’ That’s a clear sign to the salesperson that you’re ready to leave unless you can find common ground.
‘I need you to help me here. I want to do this deal, but there’s no way I can at this price.’
‘Let’s talk about how to make this more affordable.’ Follow up by saying, ‘I really like what you have, but …’
‘I’d love to do business with you.’ Follow this one up by explaining that you’re serious about making the purchase, but you need the figures to work.
As I said, try and find the common ground, you need to negotiate in such a way that it becomes a win – win situation. You’ll be surprised at what you can negotiate on. Anything from buying jewelry to legal advice and car insurance. If you’re uncomfortable with negotiating you need to get over that, you don’t have to enjoy it, your not doing any wrong or hurting anyone. You’re simply playing the game that the system is designed for.
I live in South Africa and years ago my Dad came out from the UK for a holiday, we had a great time. He thought because this was Africa that he could negotiate and bargain with everyone and as I believe you can, I encouraged him. It was just really embarrassing when we were holding up the queue at a large supermarket chain store while he was trying his negotiating skills with the girl at the till for our groceries. 😯
Get Educated.
Do some homework and make sure you know what you’re talking about before you get there so you can make informed decisions. Surf the Internet and do some research. Do some comparative shopping. Never say ‘I haven’t got time for that.’ It takes 10 or 20 minutes.
Never take it personally.
Buying a car is much different than looking for a date. When the transaction is over, the salesperson moves on to the next customer. You don’t have to be concerned about whether they think you’re sweet, cheeky or funny. Also, don’t think there’s something wrong with yourself if the salesperson doesn’t budge or give you what you want. People don’t just give stuff away.