How To Negotiate Anything
Play It Cool
Step one: Don’t walk into the situation looking for a fight. The key thing is to approach the salesperson at any store in a friendly, cooperative, congenial manner with a low-key pose of calculated incompetence.
If you show up dressed for success, they get defensive. In negotiation, dumb is better than smart, and inarticulate is better than articulate. Act a little slow, make them feel superior to give them a sense of control. Say, ‘I don’t know, I don’t understand’ and they will help you with the transaction. The longer you linger with a salesperson, he adds, the more invested he or she is in closing the sale — and the greater the motivation to give you a deal.
Being Nice Pays Off
Step two: Negotiate with the decision-maker. Always ask for the manager when you get a no.
Childlike Clarity
People who are uncomfortable going up the chain of command should take a lesson from kids. Children are wonderful negotiators; they are people without authority and power and yet they get what they want. Kids are persistent, they wear you down. If an adult does those things they would also be very successful. Step three: Be crystal clear on the result you want when the deal is done. Nothing is more important than walking in with a goal and a limit, and stating it clearly.
Eager to Bargain
Always ask, ‘Can you do better? Did you just have a sale, or are you having a sale in the future? Department stores always have coupons around, but if you don’t ask they don’t tell you about it.
It’s a Game
Step four: Know what your time is worth. Save your firepower for big-ticket items like automobiles and furniture.
