There are powerful negotiation levers you can pull in your life. I pull them all the time in our business and I also pull them when I’m buying something off craigslist, ebay, or in a market / store where negotiation feels appropriate.
Lever One. Your wife / husband (imaginary or real). I discovered this lever right after I got married, buying a Toyota Prius off of Craigslist. The price on the ad seemed high (prices always seem high to me) and I said to the seller “I really want this car, but my wife will kill me if I pay $12,000 for it. Would you take $8,500?”
This phrase is a diamond hiding in plain sight. Right away the seller and I go from being on opposite teams to being on the same team. The team we are both on is called, “try to make this sale without making both of our wives (or husbands) angry that we bought (or sold) for too much (or too little).” Everyone who has been in a long term relationship can relate to this.
Lever Two. K.I.S.S. Bad negotiating will pit the buyer and the seller against each other. I don’t like that feeling. A phrase I use all the time is so straightforward and honest that the seller will never feel like you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Just say, “What’s the lowest price you’ll accept and still be happy with the sale?” This is my “go to” line for smaller purchases. I thought it might translate well to real estate negotiations, but it doesn’t. When negotiating on a very large purchase, you need to be artful. This phrase is not artful, it’s just simple and useful.
Lever Three. Nothing. The last lever is one that everyone knows but most people don’t use. I don’t know why they don’t use it! It’s the most fun and the most easy, because you don’t say anything… … … … Try this when a seller says a price that you think is too high. Don’t respond AT ALL. Most likely they know it’s too high also and will negotiate themselves down without you saying a single word. The great thing about this is that you don’t seem like a squeaky wheel and you get to save your squeaky negotiation tactic to use AFTER they negotiate themselves down to normal price. CAPICHE?