The Fine Art of Negotiation

There are many lessons my father has tried to teach me over my forty years. Unfortunately, not all of them have stuck, including:

• Good driving habits
• Home improvements
• Reading a ruler
• Using less toilet paper
• Cleaning a paint brush
• Driving a stick shift
• General car maintenance

But recently I came to the realization that one of dad's lessons did pay off, namely, the fine art of negotiation. Now, negotiation is probably not the right word as it implies a back-and-forth meeting of the minds. What my dad does is not that amiable. He plays hardball. As a kid, the last place you wanted to be was with my dad when he was buying a car or disputing a bill.

I first discovered my "negotiation" skills a couple years ago in my job as marketing director for Judson Press. As a non-profit Christian publisher, money is always an issue and I wasn't lying when I had to tell magazine ad reps that I just couldn't afford their rates to promote our books. I became pretty darn good at crying poverty and tugging at heart strings to secure rock bottom rates. Those little victories would just make my day.

Another negotiation tactic I've employed requires using my "feminine wiles" to see if I can save a buck. Recently, in the parking lot at a Phils game, I batted my eyelashes when the attendant told me it was $15. I sweetly asked if he'd take $10. He actually agreed...as long as I'd give him a five dollar bill with it.  I may be about twenty years too late for this approach.

Just last week, I broke down and was forced to use the Walt approach to negotiation (Walt's my dad).Yes, I got ugly. Here's how it happened.

I was enjoying a perfectly lovely cleaning at the dentist. The hygienist was applauding my noticeably increased attention to flossing. She thought my x-rays looked good. Then the dentist came in for his two-minute review. And, you guessed it, he found something needing fixing that wasn't covered by insurance.When the receptionist gave me the $1170 quote, I started getting irritable. I made the follow-up appointment and left in a huff.

Then I talked to Dad. Turns out his dentist does the same procedure for $800. I made the appointment with his dentist and called mine to cancel and request copies of the x-rays. Receptionist told me there might be a fee for the x-rays. I went off, big time. Told her what I thought of their office and their money-making shake-down operation (they offer Botox, for cryin' out loud!). She said she'd call me back. Two days later, my procedure was down to $450.

I've come to the conclusion that nearly everything in life is negotiable. If you haven't already, I recommend calling Verizon or Comcast and threatening to cancel and switch to the competition. One little phone call saved me $30 a month. I think I'm starting to enjoy the art of negotiation...