If you are like one of my friends, who does not know how to negotiate at all, this is for you.
There are only three things you should do before you start negotiating:
- Do your research
- Be confident
- Negotiate as if you are getting what you want
Do your research: In buying a car recently, I realized how huge of an investment this was. Of course this is not new to me. However, doing it for the third time made me look like an expert. I’d tell you the first time I bought my car, I went to the dealership and just looked for what I thought was the best deal in town without shopping around. Big mistake.
Shop around – and more.
If you are like one of my friends, she takes car buying seriously that for on full week that is all she does on her computer – until she finds the best deal in town. And as expected, she gets the best price!
Be confident: Once you know the value of what you would like to get or buy, you are ready to fire. Being confident stems from doing your research and shopping around. You can not skip number one and think you are “confident”. A more informed consumer has the better chance of getting what she wants.
Ask like a winner: Negotiate as if you are getting what you want. Instead of saying, “Could you give me $50 discount on this?”, say, “I will buy this for $50 less.” If the seller does not budge, walk away. Be more aggressive. Say, “Here are the things I would like to include in the contract.”, rather than, “I think these are what I would like to see in the contract.” Do not be afraid to walk away. Remember, there are other deals out there that are better than this.
Good luck with your negotiation – and like anything else, it does take practice.
