Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

[FBPirate95]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

By the way, did you go to a Karass (sp?) negotiating class? I did that many, many moons ago when I was first starting out in commodity sales (no longer in commodities; still in sales). It was a good class. I still see their course offered in airline magazines. I can only imagine what they pay for those 2-3 page spreads.

I recall two things from their course:

1) when you figure out what your "hourly rate" is for successful negotiating you quickly realize you're making the kind of money a good attorney or doctor makes (of course, you'd probably go broke "saving" all that money if you had to buy that much to equal in savings w/the good doc is making per year); but the point wasn't lost on me. If you could save $500 on a car in one hour of negotiating, it was worth your time and effort to at least ask.

2) usually the first person to start the negotiations "wins"; not necessarily the first person to offer a PRICE...but the first person to start the negotiation process. It's sort of a game of follow the leader. The leader sets the pace, and the follower...loses a little leverage. I've since been in other negotiating sessions and this almost always plays out in role-playing.

I guess I used to enjoy negotiating more. But at my almost-40 age I've come to realize that you generally get what you pay for. I try to buy quality stuff and pay a fair price for it so the other guy feels ok about the deal. This is particularly true if I need to ever see the seller again (like my local hardware store, or lawn mower shop).

Yes it was Karass that I went to. Personally it was an outstanding course. Very well put together, and the excercises were exactly what was needed to convey the points of the class.

Probably the best thing about it is that all of the points to negotiating they teach actually works. Not many classes you go to can say that.

 

[axeslinger1957]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

I can't stand negotiating. I'm just not wired that way. However, I have learned to put on an act when I go to buy a big-ticket item and give the impression that I'm a skilled negotiator. My pulse is probably 300 BPM when I do. I refuse to pay the posted price for music equipment without trying to knock it down first. This is why I generally buy used. The first thing I ask is if they will take X in cash for the item (if I have X available). If they don't and I can live without it, I walk. If I need it, I put it on layaway and ask for less of a knockoff.

I would like to think I drove a harder-than-average bargain when I bought my tow vehicle, although I probably didn't since I had to finance it. I told them I would pay X over Y years and I wanted to finance it. I then said if they can do that, we'll do business. The jerks attempted to sell me rustproofing and a bunch of other crap. I declined it all. The capper came when I was "invited" into the sales manager's office for the opportunity to get suckered into Credit Life! I made that mistake when I was young and I will NEVER fall for it again. I was P.O.'d! I looked at that idiot and I told him to get that paperwork out of my face or he could forget about selling the truck.

I guess they got the last laugh, though. It needed a lot of work. I won't be going back there.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

Yes it was Karass that I went to. Personally it was an outstanding course. Very well put together, and the excercises were exactly what was needed to convey the points of the class.

Probably the best thing about it is that all of the points to negotiating they teach actually works. Not many classes you go to can say that.

So did anyone from your company negotiate the cost of the course?
I would think that with multiple employees taking the course, there would be some room for the good Dr. Karass to work his pricing down slightly? lol...

I negotiate daily..to the tune of $6.5 million a year in sales for my company...
I have found that when my customers ask for a price discount..I say NOTHING for 30 seconds...You would be amazed at how agonizing those 30 seconds are..They want a quick YES answer and to know they have won...By not answering they become very uncomfortable and at times retract their request outright....

 

[lowkee]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

I say NOTHING for 30 seconds...You would be amazed at how agonizing those 30 seconds are.

That is awesome! I can hear them begin stuttering just thinking about it

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

I hate it but do it. If it?s an individual I always do it, I just figure they set the price a little higher to anticipate some negotiation.
I heard on the radio a few months back that 80% of customers who asked for a discount from the manager got it. They were including major department stores. I tried it twice and did not get it. I guess I?m in that 20%.

 

[PW2]

Re: Negotiating - Like it or Hate it?

You're always negotiating, whether you know it or not.

"I'll mow the grass when I get back from fishing"

"You'll what???" That's the start of a negotiation.

It all depends on the type of a relationship it is. If it is a one time encounter, haggling over a specific item, that is one thing.

If it is a long time relationship with a customer or such where ongoing negotiations are pretty much standard and expected, it is something else altogether.

The second type can be fun and rewarding--the first type is rarely so, no matter how it turns out.

A great book on negotiating is "Getting to Yes" (by Peter Drucker, i think)