That time I stopped saying 'my rate is negotiable'

Honestly, I used to just tell people my rate and then immediately say 'but we can talk about it.' Then a buddy of mine who works as a plumber told me to just shut up after naming the price. I tried it with three different people last month and two of them agreed right then without any haggling. The third asked for a discount and I said no and they still booked me. Has anyone else noticed that just staying quiet after you name your price works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_laura1d ago

My dentist actually taught me this same trick with his pricing. He just sits there looking at his clipboard after he says the number and waits. The silence gets so awkward that I just blurt out "okay fine" before he even asks for a decision. It works way better than all that back and forth haggling I used to do (which honestly just made me look desperate).

kim_davis1d ago

Oh man, does that trick work or what? I had a guy selling me a used car do the exact same thing, just stared at me after the price and didn't say a word. I caved in like 10 seconds flat, even though I knew I could have talked him down. It's wild how much power a little quiet has over people, like your brain just needs to fill the silence with a yes. I've started using it myself when I'm selling stuff online and it's scary how often it works.