Maybe you’ve tried getting inside a store and found the item you were exactly searching for. Then, you realized that you couldn’t afford it, so you just walk away. In reality, you actually have a chance of walking away with the item you needed or wanted at your own budget. One of the Consumer Reports National Research Center’s survey showed that about 89% of individuals who knew how to bargain had at least one success.
The senior editor of Consumer Reports Magazine- Tod Marks believes that individuals are scared to bargain simply because they are afraid of rejection. According to him, there is no boundary when you try to negotiate with a price for something you want, even if it includes your visits to the doctor or your bills.
Here are tips from Mark that will help you improve your bargaining skills.
Be sensitive to your surroundings.
Don’t bargain when you know that a lot of people are surrounding you. Once they hear you trying to bargain, they will most likely follow what you do. For that reason, the salesperson will not take the risk of bargaining with you when he/she knows the price will be the same for the other shoppers who heard you negotiate with the price.
Be friendly in your tone of voice.
Sweetness will always have an effect on someone. A salesperson will positively respond to a friendly customer rather than a demanding one.
Give them a reason to bargain with you.
If you are planning to buy a car at a shop, tell the dealer who is entertaining you that you plan on taking your car there again for repairs. If you plan to buy at small stores that are usually run by the owners themselves, express to them that you do care for local businesses.
Ask questions that are open-ended.
Don’t give the sellers a bit of a chance to say no to you. For example, you are trying to purchase a laptop at a gadget store- Instead of saying, “Can I avail this with a 10% discount?”, you should say, “I think this laptop is the best I could ever have for my job, but I can’t afford it, is there any other possible way for me to get it?”. Give sellers the chance to explain and not to close their doors on you.
Show that you are knowledgeable.
If you are trying to bargain for books, tell them that you are a book lover. Express your knowledge of a particular item, so they would be convinced of your interest in that certain item.
Do price research.
It is wise to do some research about the price of the item you are planning to buy, so you’ll have knowledge of what price is fair when you are negotiating with a salesperson.
Take some time to be silent.
Though silence can be awkward sometimes, it can be a great tool to use when you are negotiating with someone. A salesperson might approve your negotiating efforts just to avoid silence.
Pay with cash.
In reality, business owners pay fees when their customers use debit or credit cards for payment. If you pay in cash, merchants won’t have to pay these fees anymore. So, try to ask if they’ll offer a discount when you choose to pay in cash.
Bargain during the year-end.
Almost every store seeks to clear off some old items during the year-end. This means that merchants are more open to bargaining with their customers, so they could sell these items at a more reasonable price.
In the end, “It’s all about leverage” as stated by Marks. Let the sellers know that there are still other stores where you can get an offer that is better.
