I saw this and laughed for a while because it highlights how ridiculous negotiations are sometimes.  This clip brought to mind two things that I wanted to share.  The first is that we need to start being less apologetic in sales.  We are a very apologetic group in Sales.  When someone asks us for the pricing we rarely just tell them the price.  We usually Say something like “Well, it’s about $10k but we can work with some discounts depending on what you are looking for, etc.”  Think about what you do on a daily basis in your own life and what you buy for yourself.  Does the waitress every come to you and tell you they food you are about to east is expensive but there were options to help reduce the price?  When you get your hair done does the stylist automatically throw in extras without you paying for them?  We all need to be more direct and confident when it comes to dealing with clients.   Power buys from Power and confidence will get you pretty far.  Stop apologizing, wait for the objection and deal with it then.

On the other hand, the second thing this video brought to light is that you’d be surprised how many things are negotiable in this world.  Most people here in the US think that the price is usually the price and only when it is marked with a sale tag is when you can get it for less.  That isn’t true.  Stores are always over stocked, hotels are always under booked.  All you have to do is ask.  This give us a perfect opportunity to practice our craft.  I know everyone always says “ABC – Always Be Closing.”  I say ABS – Always Be Selling.  You should be practicing your craft of sales everywhere you go.  When you go to a hotel ask what their occupancy rate is and if it’s less than 75% ask for an upgrade.  When they tell you how much it is going to cost tell them you didn’t want to pay for it, you thought they would give it to you based on you being a valuable customer and the rooms being open.  The worst they can say is no.  But, what this does is it gets you used to asking for things and hones your negotiation skills so when it does matter and you are working with a client you are that much more confident in your abilities.  Give it a shot, its actually pretty fun.