A couple of months ago I wanted to buy a loft bed for my
daughter. The one where you sleep on the top and have space to play underneath.
I promised that I would get her one for her birthday.
I went to a few shops and found the one I wanted in a store
that was re-decorating their floor stock and changing the layout of the shop.
The loft bed that I wanted was surrounded by sofas and coffee tables; it looked
a bit out of place where it was. The loft bed was reduced, indicating that they
wanted to get rid of it. I went to a staff member and said that I would like to
buy the bed but for half of the advertised price. He said that he couldn’t go
that low, which indicated that he was willing to negotiate. I said to the person
that I will go and do some shopping in the centre and that I will be back in an
hour. I left it at that.
I went back an hour later and asked him what he thought of
my offer. He said that if I take the bed by tomorrow, I can have it for 50%
less. I said that that was possible, but they would need to dismantle the bed
for me to pick it up tomorrow.
They did that and I got a brand-new bed for my daughter for
a fraction of the original price.
The key lessons here are
1-
Look at the situation through the lenses of the
other party – they needed to get rid of the bed and I did them a favour by
taking it immediately
2-
Make an extreme offer – they can only say no or
make a counteroffer
3-
Never be afraid to ask
www.octalonegotiation.com
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