Sony Bravia LCD - Price Negotiation Or Just Plain Lying?

Here's the setup...

I'm selling a new in the box Sony Bravia 46" LCD with 1080P, 120Hz, drink holder, pistol-grip gearshist, etc. It retails, on Amazon.com for around $1200. The KDL-46V5100, refurbished, goes for around $900. So Craigslist codbags are pulling there usual "I'll give you $200 cash TODAY." offers (BTW - when did the US dollar become so valuable that I can take $700 less on a TV because someone's offering cash?)

Anyway, I get someone in the store that claims that my price is too high because he can get that exact model at Wal-Mart for around $700 and will I beat their price? As I've stated in past articles, I'm not all that bright but I know that even the mighty Wal-Mart can't get a 46" 1080P, 120Hz LCD in your hands for that kind of money. And a Sony Bravia to boot.

I get this a lot from customers and I've begun to wonder when lying became a negotiating tactic as opposed to just flat out lying. I actually get this from a lot of people that insist everyone know how Christian they are. Maybe Jesus would misquote a Wal-Mart price to get a great deal on a sweet LCD, I don't know. When a customer goes down this road, you're pretty much forced into the position of either giving them what they want or embarassing them by calling them out on their lie.

SOLUTION
Here's what I usually say... "That sounds pretty low to me but I'll tell you what, if they have it at that price, I'll beat it by 25% but if it's not available at that price will you buy mine at my price?"

What’s the lowest you’ll go on that LG Stainless Washing Machine?

This is a question I’ve gotten about kajillion times and most recently got yesterday about a really expensive brand new LG washing machine and an Xbox 360.

What is the lowest I’ll go on that LG Stainless Washing Machine and why, in the name of all that is holy, would I answer that question? Now, I’m not formally trained in the art of negotiation but I’ve dealt with many people who think they are channeling Donald Trump. I’m fairly certain you don’t want to just blurt out you’re lowest price and there’s more than one reason for it.

When you take that bait, you’re actually negotiating with yourself and giving up any leverage you might have. Here’s a short list of possible bad outcomes from giving in to this even one time

1. The price on every product you sell is now up for negotiation.
2. If they actually purchase that LG washing machine or LCD TV, they ask for further discounts when they also buy HDMI cables, Blu-Ray Players, etc because they are buying so much stuff.
3. The bottom price you just gave that customer to make the sale is now going to be the index for every other sale you make to that customer and anybody they know.
4. The customer may not even be buying at any price. Some people just enjoy seeing how much they can get you to lower your price. When they say “thanks” or “I’ll think about it” and walk out of your store, you will feel like a complete douche.

Here’s the simple way to counter this tactic. Instead of giving them a lower price, have the customer make an offer. It establishes that they are serious about buying and that they do have a price in mind that they are willing to pay.

It's true! The mildly popular Craigslist Hit Counter has received a facelift!

We here at Codbag.com have given birth to a brand new baby Craigslist hit counter! Actually, the stork brought it to us and frankly it was pretty freaky to have this big random bird just show up out of nowhere. I mean, are these things even able to live in our climate and what do they eat? I digress...

The point is that the mildly popular codbag.com free Craigslist hit counter is about 23% better than before if that's even possible. The important part is that it's still priced affordably(free) and you don't have to use it for Craigslist. You can use it anywhere you want a hit counter. All we ask is that you don't alter the code in any way.

But wait, there's more!
We are now working on a pro version of the hit counter that includes a lot more goodness. You'll get:

• By day hit counts
• By hour hit counts
• Charting
• Tracking by ad

What would you expect to pay for a tool like this? ones, tens, thousands!! Because we're not particularly bright here, we haven't figured out how to charge for these things so you'll get this one free too. Anyway, it's coming soon. Let us know what you think.