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Financial Journey Practice Basic Communication Skills to Save
Money Want to know an old tried and true method for getting what you want, saving money, and creating
win/win situations? The simple art of listening to others with full intent, observing and learning from the masters, and engaging in conversation with respect, are often overlooked in our hurried world of running from one activity to the next.
More...
It’s easy to think “who has the time?” However, by not taking the time, you are missing out on many lost opportunities. Observe and learn from those who are masters in negotiating. If you want to learn great negotiating skills, take time to observe those who know how to create win/win situations when negotiating. Garage sales are breeding grounds for negotiators. Some buyers are very effective in negotiating, while others are downright clumsy or rude. By quietly observing others, you’ll learn first hand what techniques are effective, and which ones should never be attempted! Attend swap meets and observe the negotiating taking place. Listen and watch the buyers and the sellers. Find out what works and what offends sellers. What approaches seem to magically work and get the seller to smile and work with the buyer? These are the kind of win/win techniques you’ll want to learn and apply. There are many audio tape programs available in the library that teach effective negotiating and communication skills. Listen to the masters on tape in order to learn additional successful techniques. Start practicing every chance you get and you will soon find yourself more comfortable and proficient at conversing, engaging others, and bargaining. I’ve learned that if you don’t ask, the answer is always “no.” Here is a recent example. Some friends took us out to dinner to celebrate a birthday. I had two $5-off coupons to the restaurant, but only one was allowed per table. I asked with a cheerful smile if there was any way they could use both coupons since my friend was treating me to dinner. The server left to ask the manager, and the manager returned saying that they wouldn’t ordinarily accept both, but they would make an exception. Take time to give value to others. I believe that this is something we should do in our daily lives because it is the appropriate thing to do – treat others as special and important because this is how we want to be treated. I always try to compliment something about a person just to brighten their day. It could be a clever tie, a beautiful pair of earrings, or a cute child. You can turn someone’s frown to a smile in a split second. Since this approach comes naturally to me, it doesn’t feel like a game when it happens to net dividends. A recent example of this was on a vacation a few months ago. The manager of an inn wrote a certificate for a free night’s stay because we had bonded through a personal exchange. When we dine out, we engage in conversation with our server. Not only is it fun to learn something about another person, but the entire experience is heightened for having taken the time. This has often paid off in discounts and/or part of our meal free, or a certificate to return for a free meal. When vacationing, our servers are a fantastic resource to discover the best places to visit – many times avoiding tourist traps and truly discovering the local ambiance. Ask others where they find their best deals. The best way to learn about opportunities that aren’t readily apparent is to talk to others. You can utilize this technique when traveling, but even better, in your own hometown. Strike up conversations with neighbors, people you meet in a local restaurant, a server behind the counter. You get the idea. As you talk more and more to other people, your networking base will continue to grow. Whatever your interests, there is a wealth of information available by engaging in good old-fashioned conversation with new people. Identify and work with the right people. Observe different customer service representatives in a variety of businesses and you will quickly notice that some are more friendly and cooperative than others. I think this is some sort of Natural Law. Maybe it fits with the 80/20 rule. Twenty percent of your customer service representatives give eighty percent of the top notch customer service. You want to deal with that twenty percent that are personable and have good listening skills. They will want to make your experience a positive one. There are multiple places where this technique pays off. It can be as simple as returning or exchanging an item. The experience proves to be much smoother when working with a person with good people skills. Another good example where this has made a big difference in the value we receive for our money is at car rental agencies. We have walked away with double or triple upgrades by engaging in a friendly conversation and asking nicely what possibilities are available for an upgrade. If we spot a friendly rep, we will let others in line go ahead of us in order to ensure we can speak with a good customer service representative. In turn, we always ask for a supervisor’s name where we can send a letter to compliment the individual’s customer service. We follow up with a letter even after returning from our trip and having received the benefits from their great service. Take the time to listen carefully to others, give them personal value, engage in friendly conversation, and sometimes quietly observe the communication between others. Some basic rules of etiquette – respect, listening carefully, and consciously thinking before we speak. They didn’t teach these skills directly in school. We learned them through trial and error, usually when we violated the rules. But they are essential to getting what you want and to creating win/win situations where everybody feels they have benefited from an interchange. Practice these carefully during the next month and observe how many “wins” you score! You will find it coming more and more naturally as you work with people in the future.
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Copyright © 2004 by Karen Kuebler Want more money-saving tips? Get a FREE Subscription to our monthly newsletter!
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