found that people getting concessions often feel better about
the bargaining process than those who are given a single
firm, “fair” offer. In fact, they feel better even when they
end up paying more—or receiving less—than they
otherwise might.
Finally, the power of nonround numbers bears
reiterating.
Back in Haiti, I used to use the Ackerman system
ferociously. Over eighteen months we got two or three
kidnappings a week, so from experience, we knew the
market prices were $15,000 to $75,000 per victim. Because
I was a hard-ass, I made it my goal to get in under $5,000 in
every kidnapping that I ran.
One really stands out, the first one I mentioned in this
book. I went through the Ackerman process, knocking them
off their game with an extreme anchor, hitting them with
calibrated questions, and slowly gave progressively smaller
concessions. Finally, I dropped the weird number that
closed the deal. I’ll never forget the head of the Miami FBI
office calling my colleague the next day and saying, “Voss
got this guy out for $4,751? How does $1 make a
difference?”
They were howling with laughter, and they had a point.
That $1 is ridiculous. But it works on our human nature.
Notice that you can’t buy anything for $2, but you can buy
a million things for $1.99. How does a cent change
anything? It doesn’t. But it makes a difference every time.
We just like $1.99 more than $2.00 even if we know it’s a
darren dugan
(Darren Dugan)
#1