Saving hundreds and even thousands of dollars on purchases can seem a bit challenging at first, especially if you’re shy and don’t portray yourself as a great negotiator. You don’t necessarily need professional negotiation skills to succeed though, you just need is to be friendly and sociable. Here are some great haggling tips that own make you feel cheap.
1. Prices on “big ticket” items are negotiable, find the right person who can do the deal for you and have the confidence to ask.
2. If you’ve made a fair offer, don’t be afraid of silence. Silence can generally work in your favor because it’s saying that “you’re on the fence” in your decision making process. Maybe the salesperson won’t budge on their counter offer but they’ll throw in an extra goodie to sweeten the deal.
3. Be personable, don’t be defensive. You must be able to put yourself in the salesperson’s shoes for a moment and think how you would want to be approached if someone where asking you to come down on price. Let the salesperson know how you feel as a consumer, your chances will be better if you don’t play the angry shopper card.
4. Most stores goals are to remain competitive within their industry, so if their competitors are flexible on pricing, they should be too. The more knowledgeable you are about the competition the better.
5. If a company or store breaches their contract, you have every right to expect something in return and be sure you know what you want (within reason) in advance.
Roger Fisher, Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project and Author of “Getting to Yes” says “people equate negotiation with arguing,” “but if you view it as a discussion of joint interests, you’ll be more likely to put fair terms on the table and find common ground.”‘
Easy haggling can begin anywhere from a tag sale to a thrift shop. If you’re simply out for the best deals, wait towards the end of the day of the tag sale and smart sellers will discount their items as much as 50% just to get rid of them. Also, when shopping at consignment stores or other businesses, try to visit towards the end of the month when they’re trying to reach their quotas, they may be more inclined to make a deal if they sense a sale with a reasonable discount.
Leave a Reply