Part of the Total Film article I just wrote, wasn’t used. It’s an exercise really, to get us all used to negotiating more than we feel comfortably doing. This will give you an edge. So here is the text…
Everything is negotiable
To a film producer, every penny spent is a penny that could be potentially saved. This single lesson could transform your life and open up a new world of discounts, but it will take you getting out of your comfort zone. Here it is. Never pay the asking price. Never. Most of us wander through life paying the price that is on the tag, not even aware that we could barter. Maybe it’s the English reserve, but we just don’t like the confrontation. But, if you just try, you can save a huge amount of money and once you get good at it, you will never pay full price again.
So next time you need to buy something, you’re going to ask for a discount. Not at the market where you have a good reason to haggle, but in a retail store where people don’t ordinarily haggle. It might take ten attempts, with ten different strategies, but you will get there. You will need balls, charm and persistence to pull this off. Smile, ask sweetly, tell them this is all you can afford, you need them to help make this happen, you are making a movie, do they want to come to the premiere? Avoid closing the conversation until you have what you want. So try not to get to an ultimatum. And if you do get a ‘No’, keep going past the ‘No’ until you get a ‘Yes’.
We understand how insane this sounds, but ask yourself how do ugly men pickup beautiful women? They just don’t accept the no, and ask more women than most of us would in a lifetime. Balls. Charm. Persistence.
Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]
