Channeling the Good Stuff
February 8th, 2010 |
I have to admit that this article was a struggle for me; that’s why it took me so long to post. I apologize for that. I was going off on so many different tangents and losing my focus. I had so many comments going on in my head and wanted to write about them all. In the end, I finally streamlined my focus and stayed on track. I hope you agree. This segment of ABC’s of Haggling leads me to the letter “C” for which I had a hard time choosing the word I felt most important for haggling success. I finally chose the word COMMON.
COMMON is the perfect word. For successful and pleasurable haggling you will need: COMMON courtesy; COMMON sense; and COMMON ground.
COMMON courtesy is simple. For most people, anyway. Bottom line is just treat your opponent, aka merchant, the way that you would like to be treated. Keep that in mind and you should have no problem. Remember that being nice and courteous will actually aid you in your haggle endeavor. It’s much harder for the merchant to refuse someone who is being courteous and nice. In fact, sometimes just being courteous can help to soften an otherwise prickly merchant and maybe put you on the receiving end of a good deal. I love when I encounter a stiff, unsmiling store merchant and then work on trying to get them to crack a smile and softening them up a bit. But, that’s another post for another time. I’ll file that for later.
COMMON sense refers to the that little voice we all have in the back of our head that tells us when something is reasonable or not so reasonable. Most of us can tune in to that little voice which we can call the “voice of common sense”. When you are in the middle of a haggle, you need to listen to that voice and respond accordingly. Common sense must dictate here. It will not steer you wrong. For instance, if you find that the merchant is being unreasonable and not responding to your counter offers; you must decide if it is reasonable to continue, thereby taking the risk of ruining any chance of an advantage now or in the future. Or maybe, use your common sense and accept whatever deal you have already secured (and be happy with it) or just walk away from the deal and leave the door open for another day to come back and haggle. Who knows, maybe on another day, the merchant will be in a better mood, or perhaps someone else will be on duty that you can connect with and haggle an even better deal.
COMMON ground refers to the agreed space between you and a merchant. In other words, you are both starting off on the same foot, in a mutually agreed position to begin negotiations. The playing field is level and fertile for a win/win outcome. This is an important position to start from so that your haggling skills can be effectively applied and utilized.
Haggling is so commonplace nowadays that you shouldn’t feel awkward or ashamed that you want to pay less for an item. In fact, you should feel the opposite! It’s foolish NOT to ask for a better price or a better deal. Rest assured that merchants are becoming more and more accustomed to patrons asking for a bargain, either in the form of a better price or throwing in some freebies. There are so many creative options that you or the merchant can come up with to make both sides happy. If they can’t reduce the price, perhaps they can throw in some accessory, extra service, or coupon for the next visit. The options are endless. Try to think outside the box and come up with ways that will leave you feeling satisfied and that will allow the merchant to accommodate you, thus making the sale.
Most merchants really do want to make the sale! In this economy, most merchants realize that selling something for a little less is far better than maybe not selling it at all. Most businesses are not in business to gamble with their profits. You know where the next segment will take us so be on the look out for it in my next post. I promise to stay on track this time! Thanks for checking in and catching up with me. Have a great day.
Want to share some of your haggle stories here? Have a question about a haggle disaster or an upcoming haggle? I’d love to hear about it! Shoot me an e-mail at contact@mywherehaus.com and I’ll post your stories or questions here, if you like. Together we can hone your skills and come out winning!
Lynda Dmoch is a self starter and entrepreneur who learns by doing. She started an on-line garage sale website to bring the garage sale to you, into your home, 24/7. She applies her motto of “read, research and apply” to her website on a daily basis. And when she is not doing that, her favorite past time is practicing the art of the haggle and honing her skills. http://mywherehaus.com
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