Olivia, if in fact someone did ask for a discount for a tenderlion because that is all they had....the store owner does not have to accept. I offered half price for a 15k dollar chandelier and a store owner accepted. He did not have to accept.Good post, WTF.
I do not understand your obsession with him asking. If you do not think being on his list is worth the discount some ladies give, that is a whole other thing. Of course you do not want people to come to you and ask for discounts but that is not real world. IMHO
fyi I don't ask for discounts probably because I do not want to pay 1-2k for some lady that isn't a household name. Maybe I'll change my tune when I'm 70! Originally Posted by WTF
I'm not completely sure why some providers go ballistic when the concept of negotiation is mentioned (even when they bring it up, LOL), but I have an idea.
For some providers, her hourly rate is tied to her self worth. If she charges more, she feels she's somehow "worth" more as a person. (In my opinion, nothing could be farther from the truth. I have friends who work $30K a year jobs who I consider to be much better folks that professionals I know pulling down over a million a year.)
So if a guy asks if there's a less expensive option, she's reading that as "He doesn't think I'm worth it! Some nerve he's got!" As opposed to "He likes me enough to want to schedule with me."
Everyone in business would prefer if no one questioned what they charge, and happily paid what they asked. But IMO this is naive - some customers care more about value. I deal with this on a regular basis in my business, as most other small businesses do, too.
It's up to each business person whether or not they're going to choose to discount, of course. (My personal choice is to try to find something I can offer to the customer that fits his budget. But I don't do $5000 worth of work for $2000.)
Work with a budget-conscious customer or not. That's a business decision. But there is no benefit whatsoever in trying to bash a customer who asks for a better deal. At least that's the way I see it.