Don’t be Afraid to Negotiate
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But never fear to negotiate”
I went for my regular shopping exercise at the supermarket on this beautiful Saturday evening. As I put the things I needed in my shopping cart, I wondered why we never tried to bargain in supermarkets.
Growing up, I remember my trips to the market with my mother and how she never accepted the first price offered by the seller. She always treated it as though it was a suggestion and offered her own suggestion. They trade suggestions till they reach an agreement, popular called – last price.
Not every suggestion trade was successful, so, sometimes we had to walk away. The unsuccessful bargains did not deter us from bargaining with other market women. It was no surprise that I became a pro at bargaining in my teenage years.
However, as I grew older, technology, online shopping and millennial behaviors suppressed my bargaining talent. It became uncool to bargain except the site or supermarket decided to run a sale (auto-bargain).
As I shopped, I decided to test out my mother’s bargaining style and I smiled at the lady “I shop here all the time and you guys have never given me anything”
“Aunty, maybe next time”
“So the times I have been shopping here is not enough abi, don’t worry, I’ll find somewhere else”
“Aunty no vex abeg, and she picked up a pack of sweet (which I needed for my event) and added to my cart”
This was a good sign. An epiphany! The life cycle of my money will definitely extend for sure with this new discovery.
Even if I do not get a price decrease, I could get something else I need for free. I began to question things: why have I been so afraid to negotiate? The worst that can happen is – I’ll get a no for an answer but no one will kill me.
When you negotiate, it results in the following positives:
- Price cut
- Extra gift
- Make a friend in the seller
- Build rapport
- Learn a new way to negotiate
- Learn a new way not to negotiate.
In general, negotiation is about knowing what you want, going after it, and respecting the other person in the process. So the big question is “How can you negotiate for best results?”
Find out in the next article.
With Love,
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