In order for a prospect to receive the maximum amount of
financial aid for athletic ability, he/she must be prepared to
negotiate for that maximum. If you have examined any col-
lege’s “sticker price,” you know the enormous cost, other than
most junior colleges, of a college education. The more you
attempt to reduce the cost of a college education from the
sticker price, the more you increase the pressure on the institu-
tion’s financial aid officer to resist further reductions. Because
of the flexibility of “professional judgment” by the financial
aid director, combined with the desire of an institution to
enroll a prospect, one rarely knows how much of a reduction
can be secured. The only strategy that delivers the reductions
you want and deserve is negotiation. If negotiating is a dia-
logue that makes you so tense that you choose not to do it, you
must be ready to accept the inevitable financial consequences.
Many uncomfortable, timid parents have left thousands of dol-
lars on the table because they failed to deal with their anxiety
about negotiations and potential confrontation. Don’t you be
one of those timid parents! The money you didn’t negotiate for
will go to someone who did. Practice using the following strat-
egies, tools, and devices, and you will dramatically increase the
chances of getting what you want and deserve.
chapter 17
Negotiating Guidelines