Persistence Pays $75 This Month - 8 Tips on How I Negotiated With the Government and Won!
November 6th, 2008 |I was filing papers with a state on behalf of a corporation that would cost me $75. Fortunately, I had a credit of $125 from the prior year. As you can image, I was excited to not have to pay a dime and get $50 back, until I got a call yesterday. “Lee, I am sorry, but your credit of $125 had expired. If you would like to continue with your current paperwork, the fee would be $75.” I was livid. I already paid $125 of my money which was never used and now I am faced with an additional $75. Where did it go? Can I get my money back?
Apparently with this state, any monies with a credit are forfeited after 1 year to the general fund (beer party for all the government workers at the end of the year). Now the difficulty in dealing with state issues is all policies are set as statutes, so once they are made, there are no exceptions.
So I started thinking. I asked who I can talk to about this. They directed me to accounting. Luckily, the woman I got on the phone was willing to help. I explained my situation and we agreed that I would fax a letter explaining the issue. Once received, she would go to the director and explain the situation. Two hours later, she called me back with good news/bad news. She said the good news is that we could immediately put the form through on your behalf, which will save me the $75 filing fee. The bad news is you will not get your money back.
Result achieved
Sure it wasn’t the best situation but it was a good compromise. Here are some elements that helped made it happen
1) Never settle: I never settled for what was initially said. Be persistent. I often ask to speak to someone different. If you still get a barrier, hang up and try again later or ask to speak with a manager.
2) Be polite: I was polite and professional, which was really hard considering how angry I was. But it wouldn’t help my cause if I started yelling and screaming. Would you help me if I started yelling and screaming at you? In addition, a bit of small talk can go a long way to make both parties feel comfortable.
3) “We’re here to help”: Is the person on the other side trying to help or are they just watching the clock? You will certainty get further with someone who wants to help.
4) Mapping: Before you call, write down your objective and how you want to get there. By breaking down your problem, both you and the other party won’t see this as a big issue. In my case, I wrote down what transpired, so when the woman went to her boss, she had confirmation of what occurred. Producing a paper trail always provides greater substantiation.
5) Ace in the hole: It always helps to have an ace in the hole. A justification or more preferably a couple of points that you can relay to the other party so they can understand how you arrived at your predicament. The best situation is when you can effectively put the other person in your shoes, but don’t start crying or wining - remain professional.
6) Be creative about the solution: I offered a compromise. I realized that getting back my money was unlikely, but I knew that if I ask them to process the paperwork, it wouldn’t cost them a dime. If you can’t come up with a solution, maybe they can, if you ask.
7) Resource sharing: If you are out of ideas and they are out of ideas to help, ask them what outside resources may help to solve your problem. Everyone likes helping out and giving away their knowledge.
8) And finally, be gracious: Let them know you are grateful that they are there to help you out. This encourages them to be more proactive. It also makes them feel good.
I found that using most of these steps have been quite helpful in approaching people, garnering information I would never have had and ultimately saving me money. I realize every situation is different and some won’t work no matter what you do, but I found a good percentage of situations can be resolved when using these 8 steps.
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