I did a radio interview this week with Keith Lucas on Castles Team Radio.  The other guest was John Hamilton, who teaches people the finer points of negotiation.  His website is Keep Negotiating.com.  John is very smart and insightful: I know this because he enthusiastically agreed with all the points I made – and vice-versa.  Here are a few issues we discussed:

• A lot of people are embarrassed to question the price of something because they’re afraid of looking Cheap.  As I’ve said before, there’s a big difference between being Cheap and Frugal.  There’s nothing shameful in trying to get the best price for something, but it is evil to have your house guests turn blue because you refuse to turn up the thermostat.
• John correctly pointed out that negotiating is not only about the price of something.  There are often more personal elements that come into play.  My friend Laura was house-hunting and found the place of her dreams: a sprawling ‘60s home on a hill with a striking view.  The house was not in great condition, but Laura is passionate about mid-century architecture.  The competing buyers saw it as a teardown.  Laura was the only one who promised the elderly woman seller that she would respect the integrity of the design, and gradually restore it to its original glory.  She got the house even though the other offers were higher than hers.

I buy so much stuff that I’m forced to have a ginormous yard sale twice a year, with hundreds of tasty items. It’s a great opportunity to study people’s bargaining skills. Here are some approaches I do not recommend.

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