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Negotiating to get the Best Bargain PC, Tips on Negotiating for Bargain Computers, How to Negotiate your way to Cheap Prices
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View full list of PCs and Prices Negotiation - The Secrets You are putty in the hands of a trained salesman. He knows exactly how to manipulate you, to entice you, to allay your fears and, most importantly, to close the deal. You have no training in being a customer. You haven't a clue. It's one of the most unfair conversations you are ever going to have. Your first step to successful negotiating is knowing how the sales person thinks, and in knowing how to manipulate that to your advantage. So we'll start with the principles that salespeople use.
Being a good salesman involves five basic skills:
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Step 1 You wouldn't be talking to him unless you had some need. Let's say you need a computer to run a small business. His first job is to fully understand what tasks you need the computer for. He'll ask questions to establish he's on the right track. He'll build a rapport. He's got to show you he's a nice guy. Step 2 His next job is to sell the benefits, to tell you how much faster you can do what you are doing now, how you can improve your productivity and save time/money if you use a computer. He recognises that you are not excited about RAM and hard disks. You are only interested in RAM and hard disks for what they can ultimately do to improve your efficiency and save you time. So it's not the product he's selling - it's what the product can do. Step 3 But you can get the product from a number of different places. Why buy from him? Once he knows what you need the product for and knows exactly what product you need he has to prove that it makes sense to buy it from him. He'll talk about satisfied customers, high quality, trouble free service. He'll talk about what makes his product different from the rest. He has to make a compelling case for you to want to buy the product from him. Step 4 Raising Objections - getting you to disclose your reservations/doubts: Unless he knows what they are he cannot allay your fears. There are several tricks to extract this information from you. Here's a conversation that was almost ended but the salesman turns it around. Note how he extracts the objection. Notice how he doesn't accept the first reason at face value.
Bingo! "But what's the real reason?" is a question that always works. Whatever the original response, if there's another reason lurking in the background, it will be exposed. Once he knows what the real obstacle is the salesman moves in to clear it away. The best way of changing someone's opinion to yours is to begin by agreeing with theirs.
The customer likes the products. The customer needs the product but the problem is cost. This is where the salesman tells John how payment can be spread over 24 easy installments. Step 5 People have a tendency to avoid decisions. So salesmen make it easy. They avoid giving you "yes or no" alternatives. They'd rather not ask you: So do you want to buy it now? Instead they'll use the more positive: Do you want to take it now or have it delivered? They'll steer you ever so helpfully. After John knows about spreading the payment...let's close the sale.
Negotiation is a process by which parties seek to resolve a conflict of interests. Both sides are attempting to sell their ideas to one another. They have to yield some points to gain some others. Knowing what's negotiable Timing your call Getting the right person How to structure a persuasive argument Six steps to successful negotiation Knowing what's negotiable
You need to identify what your opponent has to offer. Does he have some surplus stuff, stuff that just won't sell? Or maybe he has goods that are not currently being advertised, software that has been superseded by a newer version or stock that he has picked up cheap (like calculators, organisers, cameras etc) from an auction or bankruptcy sale. How do you identify this?
Tip: Call and speak to one salesman - ask questions that will
give you an idea of what bargaining points will be useful. You are now pre-armed. Call
later and speak to a different salesman who thinks it's your first call. You've got an
advantage. But what do you have to offer in negotiation for a computer? There are several things in fact. We have some suggestions. But you will have to do a bit of ground work to know which of these are going to be useable against your salesman.
These are just a few examples. Stay alert. Listen carefully for clues when talking with the firm. Ask questions. You'll probably find a lot more. Note them down. When a sales office is busy they are less inclined to be patient with time consuming calls. Fridays are not the best days and they are planning their weekends. Late in the afternoon is not a good time, they just want to go home. Also, people are generally less co-operative before lunch. The ideal time to
make your calls or to visit the store is when it isn't too busy and preferably early on a
Tuesday or Wednesday morning or just after lunch. Obviously the new boy at the sales office won't be in a position to negotiate anything. Try and speak to the supervisor, or the manager. Try and identify who'd know about surplus stock, stock they want to clear. Find out who you'd need to talk to about it. It may not necessarily be someone from the sales office. Whoever it is find out what stock they just can't wait to get rid of. Be polite. Sound like you want to help them. Call back if the right person is not free. Structuring
persuasive arguments
Six steps
to successful negotiation
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