Re:Tell HN: Four (hopefully) unique and useful start-up tips
by SwellJoe on Tuesday November 24, 2009 @08:38PM
(#960409)
It seems like it's too easy to just object "sorry, that's the price" to "is there room on the price"
Sure, some places and people just won't negotiate. But, I think you'd be surprised by how rarely this doesn't work.
And, worst case, if you really need the item, you pay full price and you're no worse off than if you didn't ask for a better deal. They aren't going to raise the price.
The best response to any kind of "no" is to walk away. You can say, "Oh, that's a shame. I sure wish I could afford it. Maybe another time. Thanks." if you want to be nice about it, and give them one more chance to think of some way to give you a better deal.
But, as with talking to girls, the first thing you say to open the negotiation is not really all that important, it's just indicating interest without committing to anything. It's where you go from there and how you react as the negotiation proceeds that determines how things end up.
And, yes, mattress salesmen are among the worst people I've ever met in my life, with regard to lack of honesty, predatory sales tactics, etc. Being largely immune to said tactics, I infuriated a couple of mattress sales guys on my last mattress shopping adventure by turning things around and not being at all fazed by their aggressive techniques. They're at least as bad as used car salesmen. I've been surprised to note that the RV sales people I've been dealing with are almost universally low pressure, easy going, forthright, and decent folks. It seems strange that such closely related industries would have such vastly different people gravitating to them.
Sure, some places and people just won't negotiate. But, I think you'd be surprised by how rarely this doesn't work.
And, worst case, if you really need the item, you pay full price and you're no worse off than if you didn't ask for a better deal. They aren't going to raise the price.
The best response to any kind of "no" is to walk away. You can say, "Oh, that's a shame. I sure wish I could afford it. Maybe another time. Thanks." if you want to be nice about it, and give them one more chance to think of some way to give you a better deal.
But, as with talking to girls, the first thing you say to open the negotiation is not really all that important, it's just indicating interest without committing to anything. It's where you go from there and how you react as the negotiation proceeds that determines how things end up.
And, yes, mattress salesmen are among the worst people I've ever met in my life, with regard to lack of honesty, predatory sales tactics, etc. Being largely immune to said tactics, I infuriated a couple of mattress sales guys on my last mattress shopping adventure by turning things around and not being at all fazed by their aggressive techniques. They're at least as bad as used car salesmen. I've been surprised to note that the RV sales people I've been dealing with are almost universally low pressure, easy going, forthright, and decent folks. It seems strange that such closely related industries would have such vastly different people gravitating to them.