You have other options, and they pivot on the satisfaction of your needs, real or fictionalized. In a fundamental sense, every negotiation is for the satisfaction of needs. Sears presents you with a $489.95 asking price that meets its needs … but what about yours? After all, you’re the other party in the transaction. Ideally, both parties should win, or come out ahead, when a transaction is consummated.
There are several ways you can snap the Sears salesman into a keen awareness of your needs. You can ask, “What colors does this model come in?” If the salesman replies, “Thirty-two,” you say, “What are they?” When he finishes telling you, you exclaim, “That’s it? Those are the only colors you have?”
When he says, “Yes. Just what are you looking for?” you explain, “We have a psychedelic kitchen. These colors are much too square. They’d clash! I hope you’ll make some adjustment in the price.”
A second way to express your needs is to discuss the refrigerator’s icemaker. You comment, “I notice this model comes with a built-in icemaker.”
The salesman replies, “Yes, it does. It’ll make cubes for you twenty-four hours a day, for only two cents an hour!” (Note that he’s made a totally unwarranted assumption about your needs.)
You counter this false assumption by saying, “That presents a difficult problem. One of my kids has a chronic sore throat. The doctor says: ‘Never any ice! Never!’ Could you possibly remove the icemaker?”
He retorts, “But the icemaker’s the whole door!”
You say, “I know … but what if I promise not to use it? Shouldn’t that affect the price?”
A third way to express your needs—and your dissatisfaction with the refrigerator’s features—is to discuss its door. You can say, “This model swings open from the left. My family’s right-handed.” Comments like this indicate to the salesman that your needs aren’t being met fully. Therefore, his needs shouldn’t be totally satisfied.