by Alain Burrese

Created on: August 29, 2008

I was watching "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch and one of his "S.W.A.T" team guests told an entrepreneur they were giving advice to that he smelled of insecurity. He told the young man that he needed to go into meetings with potential investors with confidence if he intended to succeed. He told him that the investors would sense his lack of confidence and go elsewhere.

The reminded me of being anxious or reluctant in the negotiation arena. When you are making major purchases, your comfort level will vary. Everyone has a level where they become a bit more reluctant to part with that hard earned cash. With some of what is going on in today's economy, this amount may be a bit lower than it once was.

Regardless of your comfort level when paying for something, as a negotiator, you would like to make the salesperson work a bit harder to sell you, and you would like the best deal you can get. Therefore, rather than appear anxious to buy, which the seller will recognize, you can present an appearance of reluctance which may lead to a better deal.

This technique or tactic can be extremely effective in places such as garage sales, flea markets, and clearance sales. Last weekend I stopped by at a friend's house who was getting rid of what he and his wife considered junk, but what many others believed to be treasures. At the end of the day, he was ready to give away things just to have them gone from his property. (This is why you can often get the best deals late in the day, however you also take the risk that the best stuff has already been purchased.) In these situations, reluctance at the price given will often lead into the seller lowering the price without you making any offer. Essentially they bid against themselves due to your reluctant and disinterested attitude. Alternatively, they ask what you will pay and you offer a lower price that makes the purchase worth it to you. Either way, you get the item for a lower price.

I'm not suggesting you try to take advantage of people. But aren't you actually a little reluctant to part with your cash these days? If they quickly drop the price, and then you accept, isn't it a win-win situation? You win by not having to pay as much, and they win because they obviously want to rid themselves of the item and are willing to do so with the price they accept. The next time you are at a flea market, rummage sale, garage sale, clearance sale, or going out of business sale, be reluctant when buying and see if you don't get a better deal. If you don't, you can determine if you really want it anyway.

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