Elessar78 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 It can be for work (sales, purchasers, or lawyers), buying stuff, or you know Professional Sport collective bargaining agreements? I think it's a lost art and very few people are good at it. I think I'm decent but don't get enough opportunities to do it. Anyone got any good negotiation tips or stories? My tip is to not make the first move, first offer, or give a dollar amount. It boxes you in. Even in a situation where the price is listed, say a new car, I'd always ask if they can do better than MSRP. A good salesman will probably just sit quietly until you throw him a number, though. But you can't move first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Anyone got any good negotiation tips or stories? My tip is to not make the first move, first offer, or give a dollar amount. It boxes you in. Even in a situation where the price is listed, say a new car, I'd always ask if they can do better than MSRP. A good salesman will probably just sit quietly until you throw him a number, though. But you can't move first. Thats the whole key, being silent. When I do estimates for painting I write down the number and shut my mouth and wait for the customer to make the first move. My record is sitting there for 6 minutes in silence until the customer finally said something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskinss Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 i always find bringing up past bargaining triumphs works pretty well. like when i buy a car i dont try to get a thousand off, i go during a time when i know they want to sell a car badly and mention discounts ive gotten in the past like 5 or 6 thousand off sticker. its absolutely amazing how far they will come down if your persistent and get the right salesman. my record is 8000 off sticker price on a dodge ram i bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 I've been involved in long silent staring contests in this situation before. I've never clocked it and it's hard to judge how much time had actually passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 6 minutes is an eternity! Definitely the golden rule of sales is to know when to shut up. Silence makes most people VERY uncomfortable. 30 seconds seems like forever, , the fact your prospect sat for six minutes shows he's pretty damned strong in his own right. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 i always find bringing up past bargaining triumphs works pretty well. like when i buy a car i dont try to get a thousand off, i go during a time when i know they want to sell a car badly and mention discounts ive gotten in the past like 5 or 6 thousand off sticker. its absolutely amazing how far they will come down if your persistent and get the right salesman. my record is 8000 off sticker price on a dodge ram i bought. I've always wanted to go to a car showroom right after a big snowfall, with the cars still covered in snow or just freshly cleared off. I wonder how much they're willing to play ball. Esp. if I come late in the day and towards the end of the month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 The best tip I can give is practice all the time, every where you go, negotiate the prices of stuff. Every time you buy something try to get the price reduced. Also, go and "pretend" to want to buy a car from a dealer. See if you can get it for a lower price. You dont have to actually sign for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Always deal from a position of strength I hate haggling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 6 minutes is an eternity!Definitely the golden rule of sales is to know when to shut up. Silence makes most people VERY uncomfortable. 30 seconds seems like forever, , the fact your prospect sat for six minutes shows he's pretty damned strong in his own right. ~Bang Yes it was ridiculous! The only reason I "clocked it" was because he had a huge clock in the kitchen which caught my eye. Wrote the price down, looked up and saw 10:24, when he finally broke the silence it was damn well 10:30! I have actually stopped doing this now as customers prefer an email'd estimate where they can sit down and read it at their own leisure and email me back questions. I have found this to work much better in 2011 as more people have smart phones, etc, they don't want some guy writing down the estimate and just sitting there with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskinss Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 The best tip I can give is practice all the time, every where you go, negotiate the prices of stuff. Every time you buy something try to get the price reduced. Also, go and "pretend" to want to buy a car from a dealer. See if you can get it for a lower price. You dont have to actually sign for it. end of the month is good especially february because its a ahort month and they dont have as much time to get there bonuses. i bought my last car on february 28th and got 7 grand off sticker but it took a lot of tough negotiating. i even had the owner come over to me after and told me i was a hell of a negotiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 end of the month is good especially february because its a ahort month and they dont have as much time to get there bonuses. i bought my last car on february 28th and got 7 grand off sticker but it took a lot of tough negotiating. i even had the owner come over to me after and told me i was a hell of a negotiator This is true, also go near the end of the day and in bad weather if at all possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskinss Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 This is true, also go near the end of the day and in bad weather if at all possible. that is exactly true. i had them call me at home with the final offer 15 minutes before they closed because he wanted his bonus so bad. it was night and day better than the offer they made me in the showroom. ---------- Post added February-17th-2011 at 09:50 AM ---------- another thing is to throw the embarassment of rejection out the door. if your afraid of getting your offer rejected or being laughed at your not going to get the best deal possible. it is absolutely amazing what you can negotiate on if your willing to. I had a friend who was a manager at sherwin williams and he used to have people haggling with him all the time on gallons of paint and most people dont even think to negotiate they just figure in a retail stor the price is the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Yes it was ridiculous!The only reason I "clocked it" was because he had a huge clock in the kitchen which caught my eye. Wrote the price down, looked up and saw 10:24, when he finally broke the silence it was damn well 10:30! I have actually stopped doing this now as customers prefer an email'd estimate where they can sit down and read it at their own leisure and email me back questions. I have found this to work much better in 2011 as more people have smart phones, etc, they don't want some guy writing down the estimate and just sitting there with them You're hired no matter what I'm doing. If you ever need a sales job, man, you can work with me anytime. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 i despise the whole game, its a complete dead-weight loss. just give me a damn price, and give me my time back. When I lived in beijing I HATED haveing to haggle over every single damn thing in the universe. haggling over a car is pain in the arse... haggling over toothpaste make me want to murder somebody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 i despise the whole game, its a complete dead-weight loss.just give me a damn price, and give me my time back. When I lived in beijing I HATED haveing to haggle over every single damn thing in the universe. haggling over a car is pain in the arse... haggling over toothpaste make me want to murder somebody. Its not for everyone, thats for sure. I bet I save an average of 10 - 15 % on alot face to face purchases because I ask every time. But if you want to gain the skills of negotiating, you have to practice at it all the time. Just my 2 cents of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmySmith Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I know this much about buying cars, if you did not have a face to face with the general manager, you probably did not get the best deal possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 of course you can. but that also means that: 1) you had to waste your time and the person on the other side of the table's time asymptotically getting to a final "actual" price and 2) much more importantly, the "sticker price" has to be upped, and no longer has nearly as much informational content as it potentially could've had, and as a result economic decisions are constantly made with incomplete information. It gunks up the machinery with sand and market lenses with vasoline, and when added all up amounts to a huge loss in economic effficiency. If you look at the places where "haggling is a real art", business climates suck. just give me a damn price, and let me make a rational decision whether that clear and available price is a better or worse use for my constrained funds than equally clearly priced options B, C, or D, and let us finish our transaction and get back to the important business of surfing for porn (or whatever other valuable use of time has been stolen away by haggling) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pick6 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Two years ago I was renting a 3 bedroom apartment in Crystal City. When our 12 month lease was up I negotiated with the leasing office to reduced our rent by $300 to get us to re-sign the lease. It is better for them to get people to resign then it is find a new tenant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madison Redskin Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I have two basic rules of thumb when it comes to negotiations: (1) Always Be Prepared. Do your due diligence. If I know what I’m talking about and the other guy doesn’t, I’m usually going to do well in the negotiations. If I can anticipate the other party's position and come up with convincing arguments or creative solutions to address the other party's position/issues, I'm usually going to kick ass. (2) Make Defensible Claims. Some people think that, if you make outlandish claims, you will help your position in the negotiations. I have never found that to be the case; people who make outlandish claims tend to lose credibility during negotiations and, oftentimes, piss off the other party. Effective negotiators only make reasonable demands that they can defend with a straight face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 of course you can. but that also means that: 1) you had to waste your time and the person on the other side of the table's time asymptotically getting to a final "actual" price and 2) much more importantly, the "sticker price" has to be upped, and no longer has nearly as much informational content as it potentially could've had, and as a result economic decisions are constantly made with incomplete information. It gunks up the machinery with sand and market lenses with vasoline, and when added all up amounts to a huge loss in economic effficiency. If you look at the places where "haggling is a real art", business climates suck. just give me a damn price, and let me make a rational decision whether that clear and available price is a better or worse use for my constrained funds than equally clearly priced options B, C, or D, and let us finish our transaction and get back to the important business of surfing for porn (or whatever other valuable use of time has been stolen away by haggling) But see, even at Best Buy the price of that TV isn't really the price of that TV. What's the harm in talking to a sales guy and manager and asking for $100 off? You say that it's horribly inefficient, but what about the time you spend running from Best Buy to Wal Mart to TV City looking for the best deal. But an abstract threat of going to a competitor can save you the time and hassle of driving all over the DC area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I have actually stopped doing this now as customers prefer an email'd estimate where they can sit down and read it at their own leisure and email me back questions. I have found this to work much better in 2011 as more people have smart phones, etc, they don't want some guy writing down the estimate and just sitting there with them As a customer that's me, I've got the job if you want it then make an offer, if not I'm not going to play games, I'll just find someone else who wants the job, and in this economy that's not hard to find especially with contract bids. We do this in the church all the time, you submit a bid to us, you're auditioning for our job not the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 For a TV or a car or any big ticket item that isn't a bad idea. For a tube of toothpaste, I'm with mcsluggo. Who has time for all of that? ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 But if you want to gain the skills of negotiating, you have to practice at it all the time. Just my 2 cents of course. 2 cents? I'll give you a penny and half, tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 For a TV or a car or any big ticket item that isn't a bad idea.For a tube of toothpaste, I'm with mcsluggo. Who has time for all of that? ~Bang well it depends, normally, I would waste my time. But just like with coupons, those small savings really can add up and impact your whole budget. Last year, when I thought I would be unemployed, we really went out of our way to stock up on items like toothpaste when we had the opportunity. Many store staffers wont fight too much on a 20% discount for smaller items because it doesnt register as a big deal on their books. It also give them a chance to negotiate larger volume purchases with you too, (if you want a 20% discount on this toothpaste, then you will have to buy 20 tubes.) Its often win/win. ---------- Post added February-17th-2011 at 10:48 AM ---------- 2 cents? I'll give you a penny and half, tops. LMAO!! Perfect!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 But see, even at Best Buy the price of that TV isn't really the price of that TV. What's the harm in talking to a sales guy and manager and asking for $100 off? You say that it's horribly inefficient, but what about the time you spend running from Best Buy to Wal Mart to TV City looking for the best deal. But an abstract threat of going to a competitor can save you the time and hassle of driving all over the DC area? you totally, completely 100% missed the point there. completely. you have to drive all over town BECAUSE the damn price isn't there, you have to go to each of those places to dig and scratch and cajole, and fluff each other. JUST TO GET THE ACTUAL PRICE. total and absolute bullspit. just fire 90% of your sales staff, POST the stupid price, and let me decide if i want it or not. have guys there that can show you features of the product, and point out differences, but to HELL with commisions based on how much they are able to squeeze out of every single customer. it wastes EVERYBODY's time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.