A question that is frequently asked in my Winfluence session on negotiation is this: how do you negotiate with someone who knows his/her subject or product much better than you do, so that you do not get taken for a ride, say, with the price you pay?
The standard approach is to work down a price from what they quote, without any logic, other than to say, ‘We got another vendor offering this for 25% less.’ This is, frankly, rather silly because I need to pretend that I know something about the product and they need to pretend that I know and I need to pretend that they do not know that I do not know. You get the gist.
That brings me to the village house-painter, an unassuming fellow called Susairaj, whom I call Susai. He is excellent at his work, which means that demand exceeds supply, which means that, if you need him for a (relatively) small job, the odds are not (to put it mildly) stacked in your favour. The alternative option of a painter is so distressingly poor that I would rather use charcoal on the wall and ask a pan-masala consumer to have a go with his output.
I am glad to report though that
he does turn up to do the work at my village home (a month or two late, but
time has always been relative). To make
this sound suitably important, I shall state that I follow four rules of
engagement:
- - Recommend
him to others and let him know that I did so
- - Tell
him (more than once) that I am prepared to wait as long as it takes, but will
not give the work to anyone else (which is the Whole Truth and Nothing but the
Truth)
- - Tell
him (more than once) that I will not negotiate the price because I trust him
totally (which is Half Truth, but I console the brain by arguing that quality
has its price). The fact, incidentally,
is that his pricing isn’t absurd, it is a tad higher because he works slower
and pays attention to detail.
- - Offer
him and his crew tea and an above-ordinary snack when they show up.
The Principle of Liking. There is no better way to influence someone.
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