Sysadmin Field Notes

July 19, 2004

I realized something yesterday. When I walk into a car dealership, I'm a tiger. Assuming that it's not a super-new, limited availability model I'm basically walking out of the dealership with it for $500 over the real invoice price. Sometimes I even enjoy the extended grind and the amusing things the salespeople do to try and deflect the inevitable. But at the end of the day if they won't do that price, then I'll go somewhere that will.

So why am I so iron-willed when it comes to car purchasing but all it takes from your average store clerk is "sorry we don't return items out of the package" and I back down? I thought about it and came up with:

• Car dealers tend to try some pretty slimy things, so I'm not worried about pissing them off or offending them.
  
• I know the invoice price of the car, and am familiar with the industry through friends and family, so I know what I'm asking for is fair and equitable for both sides
  
• If they don't give me what I want I'm sure I can go somehwere else and get it, so there's very little risk
  

I think I should learn some lessons from that and try to apply them elsewhere, namely:

• Be less giving; I'm trying to get something from someone for my (and possibly) mutual benefit, not make lifelong friends with them.
  
• Not worry so much about whether the arragment would be fair for both sides, just that it's fair to me. Let the other person worry about their side of the deal.
  
• Win some, lose some, either way life goes on. Very rarely is it the case that a negotiation is broken irrepererably by taking a well-argued position and sticking to it.