I was able to negotiate my salary up $7,000 as a fresh out of college grad for an entry-level job. It’s possible, I swear.
When I was a little girl, my mother would take me to the local farmer’s market. Without fail, there was never a time when she didn’t try to negotiate the price of what she was buying. I remember being sorely embarrassed because there were prices written for the product she was trying to buy. Why was she trying to pay less?! It didn’t seem right. I’d leave by her side huffing and complaining and telling her to stop trying to pay less than what she asked. She always laughed it off.
Fast forward a couple of years and I realized my mother was wise beyond my years and had saved my family a lot of money solely through her negotiating skills. I learned a lot about being responsible for your money and taking charge of it from her. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I had learned these important life skills from her.
Important things my mother did that I have now caught on to:
- Always check my receipt after shopping to make sure I have not been overcharged
- Always check that the amount of money that has gone out of my checking account is the same amount on the bill
- Learn to sit for more than an hour on the phone to make sure I get my money back if I have been overcharged (and also learn how to squeeze out some benefits or a free product through this call)
- Negotiate a phone bill
- Negotiate rent
- Negotiate any price that is not held captive because it is a product of a large corporation
How to Negotiate
- Know when the situation is one where you indeed can negotiate
- if you’re buying from a garage sale or a farmer’s market you can negotiate. If you’re buying something from the mall chances are no matter how many times you try you’ll simply bewilder and frustrate that young teen who is trying to explain to you that they cannot change the price for you
- Be fair, know your prices
- Don’t negotiate ridiculous prices. Go into a negotiation knowing how much you are willing to pay and how much others are willing to pay as well. With this information, if the price is way higher than these average prices, negotiate your heart out
- Respect the person you are negotiating with
- Stay respectful but firm. Now, notice I’m not saying to smile through the entire negotiation and laugh and make a big joke out of it. There’s a time and place for that and many times during a negotiation is not one of them. But, do stay respectful.
