of me in line shouted at the desk clerk, Whaddaya mean, no room? Im
staying in this hotel tonight. If you dont have a room, Im sleeing right here
on the floor. His temper tantrum was not working.
And I warn you, he continued, I sleep in the nude! He got a room. These
crafty childish tactics are not recommended. Rather, I
suggest a more principled technique called Bluffing for Bargains. It was
born one afternoon sitting with an insurance broker Mr. Carson. He was
trying to sell me a homeowners policy. Of course I wanted the most
coverage for the least cash. Carson was a smooth operator and he was
patiently explaining to me in laymans terms the benefits of certain riders he
was pushing.
Just as he started discussing disasters like wars and hurricanes, his
phone rang. With apologies, he picked up the receiver. It was one of his
colleagues. Suddenly a metamorphosis took place before my eyes. The
sophisticated salesman became a palsy-walsy, reglar, down-home kinda guy
chatting it up with his old buddy about umbrellas. I thought they were
discussing the weather.
Then the conversation turned to floaters. I now assumed they were
talking about an eye problem. It took a while for me to reaize that umbrella
policies and floaters were part of the insurancese they were speaking.
A few minutes later, Carson said, Yeah, OK, so long, buddy, and put the
phone down. He cleared his throat and again tranmogrified back into the
formal sales agent patiently defining daages and deductibles to a na•ve
client.
Sitting there listening to bafflegab like subrogation and pro rata liability,
I began to ponder, If Carsons colleague who just called wanted to buy
insurance, he would have gotten a much better policy, much cheaper. In
practically every industry, vedors give two prices on goods or servicesone
to insiders and one to you and me.
How to Talk Them into Getting the Insiders Price 167
Before I let myself get angry about this, I thought it through. Is it
unfair? Not really. If the vendor doesnt have to spend time being salesman
or psychologist answering the endless stream of novice questions, he can
afford to give his best price. Carson wouldnt have had to take twenty
minutes explaining to his coleague (as he did to me) why, if a tornado takes
your house, its considered an act of God. Therefore, you lose. When know
edgeable associates buy products, the vendor is happily reduced to nothing
ooja
(Ooja)
#1