Negotiation Tricks for Things You Didn’T Know You Could Negotiate
In life there are some things that you know you can negotiate and there are some things that you may not be aware are negotiable. For instance, we all know that when shopping for a new vehicle there should be a bit of give and take and oftentimes it can work in our favor within reason. Negotiating a pay raise is something that often comes to mind when you think of things to negotiate but did you know that there are other things in life that are worth fighting over a bit?
For instance, you can negotiate your cable and phone bills! That may come as a surprise for many individuals but the process is actually quite common and it doesn't require any bad negotiation tricks, but just a few minutes of your time and at the right time! Most of us have contracts with cable and phone providers so if your contract is nearing the end of its life then it's a perfect time to pounce! Your providers will be very willing to keep you around, after all most contracts are about two years in length and if they've been collecting your hard-earned money that long they will want to keep collecting it! Call them up and ask them if there's anything they can do to keep your current rates or to even lower them for being a valued customer. It may seem a bit strange to some of you but many of us have either already done it or have no problem doing it! Remember, it's your hard-earned money, don't you want to keep more of it? Typically at the end of a contract they raise your rates. They start you off with €introductory€ offers but after a period of time there's no more incentive for you to stay other than the fact that you're still locked into a contract or agreement and will be penalized if you leave. However, when your contract is reaching its end you can request money off your bill or you can threaten to find another provider!
While many of us don't really want to leave and sign another contract that's going to tie up another two years of our lives, oftentimes the utility companies fall for it. It's not necessarily that they fall for it, they're actually pretty smart and on to this concept, but they do know that if they lose your business then that's more money out of their pocket. You never know unless you try!
Another one that many of us overlook is medical bills! Imagine you don't have insurance and you just visited a doctor for whatever reason; perhaps it was a routine checkup or for something more serious. Sometimes if you pay in full at the time of the visit or if you pay in full within 30-days of the visit they will give you a discount of some kind. If you are in good with your doctor perhaps they will charge you for a less expensive visit even if that wasn't the type of visit that you had received that day. Even if you do have insurance you should be checking your explanation of benefits. Make sure that you are only being charged for the right things. If you have insurance make sure you're questioning why you have to pay anything at all especially if your insurance is supposed to cover the majority of all visits or co-pays or prescriptions.
Good luck!
Martin P Collins
Geneva Education
For instance, you can negotiate your cable and phone bills! That may come as a surprise for many individuals but the process is actually quite common and it doesn't require any bad negotiation tricks, but just a few minutes of your time and at the right time! Most of us have contracts with cable and phone providers so if your contract is nearing the end of its life then it's a perfect time to pounce! Your providers will be very willing to keep you around, after all most contracts are about two years in length and if they've been collecting your hard-earned money that long they will want to keep collecting it! Call them up and ask them if there's anything they can do to keep your current rates or to even lower them for being a valued customer. It may seem a bit strange to some of you but many of us have either already done it or have no problem doing it! Remember, it's your hard-earned money, don't you want to keep more of it? Typically at the end of a contract they raise your rates. They start you off with €introductory€ offers but after a period of time there's no more incentive for you to stay other than the fact that you're still locked into a contract or agreement and will be penalized if you leave. However, when your contract is reaching its end you can request money off your bill or you can threaten to find another provider!
While many of us don't really want to leave and sign another contract that's going to tie up another two years of our lives, oftentimes the utility companies fall for it. It's not necessarily that they fall for it, they're actually pretty smart and on to this concept, but they do know that if they lose your business then that's more money out of their pocket. You never know unless you try!
Another one that many of us overlook is medical bills! Imagine you don't have insurance and you just visited a doctor for whatever reason; perhaps it was a routine checkup or for something more serious. Sometimes if you pay in full at the time of the visit or if you pay in full within 30-days of the visit they will give you a discount of some kind. If you are in good with your doctor perhaps they will charge you for a less expensive visit even if that wasn't the type of visit that you had received that day. Even if you do have insurance you should be checking your explanation of benefits. Make sure that you are only being charged for the right things. If you have insurance make sure you're questioning why you have to pay anything at all especially if your insurance is supposed to cover the majority of all visits or co-pays or prescriptions.
Good luck!
Martin P Collins
Geneva Education