Negotiating The Price

[Soh Tanaka]

I'm not a good negotiator. It's not what I do naturally. But I know that it's important. 

I had this wall mount range hood vent hole that needs to be moved. One contractor gave me a quote of $550. I just wanted to say, "OK, go ahead." But I decided to negotiate. He also quoted me for refinishing this floor. I told him, "I can understand the price for the floor. That sounds right. But I'm not sure about the hole relocation. $550 for just moving a hole? You really don't need any material. Work with me here. What can you do to lower the price?" I intentionally didn't ask yes or no question. He replied with, "Let me see what I can cut here. OK, what if I knock down $100?" I said, "OK." I didn't really care about the price. I think $450 may be still too much. But the point is I overcame my uncomfortableness and negotiated and won. Yes I know it's a small win, but I'm happy. I moved forward, just a little bit. That's what I want.

Thanks for reading.

Soh