3 ms·
To negotiate successfully: a) you have to know what you want b) you have to ask for what you want c) you have to be willing to walk away if you don't get it. N
by solatic 5y ago
To negotiate successfully: a) you have to know what you want b) you have to ask for what you want c) you have to be willing to walk away if you don't get it.
None of that is as simple as it sounds. "I want the best price" is not knowing what you want, it's requesting a 5% discount that patronizes you. Asking for what you want doesn't mean "give me X for $Y", it means building a rapport with the seller first, and usually negotiating over multiple items to get a positive-sum result. And being willing to walk away is really hard if you don't research, build up alternate options, and are genuinely OK with throwing what may be hours, days, weeks on the negotiation in favor of your alternative.
If someone gives you a huge discount just because you strolled up and immediately asked for it, honestly, it's not that you're a good negotiator, it's more likely that they're a bad negotiator, and by sheer virtue of even trying, you have exposed their lack of skill. You shouldn't consider that to be typical.
- nicolas_t 5y ago> c) you have to be willing to walk away if you don't get it. I don't fully agree with you, I've gotten good discounts on things that I was not willing to walk away if I didn't get it. I just bluffed and pretended that I did, but I knew that in the end, I'd still buy it at the original price. It weakens the negotiation leverage, but it's still worth trying to get a discount even if you know that ultimately if it fails you'll buy it a the stated price
- ls15 5y ago> To negotiate successfully: a) you have to know what you want b) you have to ask for what you want c) you have to be willing to walk away if you don't get it. It is probably part of "know what you want", but to state it explicitly, I think that having an idea of the actual value is also necessary. How else do you know what is a good price? You could negotiate a 50% discount and still pay too much.
- andi999 5y agoHappened to a collegue, going to an art market. They: how much? Seller: 1000 USD They: I give you 10 USD Seller: Sold Since there was no counter offer, the 10 was still way too high.
- dotancohen 5y agoI once bought a car this way. Guy pulls up to buy wipers for an '83 T-top 280ZX Turbo six-speed. Tells me I can buy it for $1000. I open my wallet and told him that I have $350. Deal done, for one of the best cars I've ever owned.
- warrenm 5y agoAny time someone says "yes" that fast indicates you've "left money on the table"
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]