Tough Economic times II : Negotiation -the seller's point of view

Lwazi Cyril Dlamini (Boksville)

This is another (Cyrillic merchant Bank) CmB special. We all know how stressful it is to sell ANYTHING. Matter of fact, unless the particular item for sale is incredibly rare, the buyer usually has the advantage. So i will try and help Swaziland's (and Africa's) market makers..




Read on....



1) RULE #1

Oh my innocent seller. Rule #1 the seller never gives out the true price!!!!!!



2) DIFFERENTIATE YOUR PRODUCT [please spare me math students]

Well, a seller has the misfortune of selling a single item which has numerous similar products in the market! So the best effort u can do, is to "tweak" your product i.e. MAKE IT DIFFERENT. There are many ways in which one can tweak a product but ill focus on cost-effective ones. Let’s start outside as usual. Packaging is very crucial. Some items made to the household name tag only because of their impressive outlook. Good examples are brands like Topper Creams biscuits, UZZI jeans, etc these brands are not from reputable companies like the ‘Zing’ fruit juice, Benny chicken stock, squeezer and other cheap brands. What made Topper Creams shoot from 2.50SZL to 5.00SZL in 3 years is a factor of its packaging. Zing fruit juices, squeezer had impressive starts like Topper Creams and rest assure they also had fairly good quality. The only factor that made people attach bo-Zing with poor quality was their outlook and packaging quality. To compete with the best you have to bring out a good show to get maximum exposure. This enables people of high status to bluntly try out your product straight from the shelf without any referral.

Secondly also invest in good after service. Make sure the buyer doesn’t associate regret and your business. This is evident in the issue of cell phone resellers in Swaziland. Indians and the guys at the bus rank can offer great Smartphone at unbelievable prices, but people still buy at bo-MTN, JET, etc because of after service.





3) THE CSI AGENT [look for sub-conscious signs]

Scan sub-conscious signals! He/she may be wearing cheap clothes coz he/she is off for training or he is out for pizza. He maybe a construction contractor or a multi-million soccer player or someone who knows how to negotiate like people who read my blog. So using clothes as a measure? No go! So "scan" for things like clipped nails, lovely legs (esp. the cheesy ankles), respectful speech patterns, poor memory, lack of accessory, clean shoes, well managed (pouch/new face) medium level phone etc are the green lights to set ur negotiation price high. People with extra-clean teeth, not disrespectful, un-ironed expensive pants, dirty/old expensive shoes, new high end phones, too many accessories (tablet, watch, phone and diary), too much question showing intense research, clean cut new/trendy hairstyle, all expensive outfit and they are NOT females/image consultants/celebrities/multi-millionaires/top officials? They are the for serious negotiation, if u can’t reduce ur price? Don’t strain yourself they are basically window shopping

if they are there for the 1st time. Just maintain your price and provide serious! Very serious good customer service!!! So as soon as all their "debts" are cleared? All is well, they come thru. Window shoppers are good domestic scouts? A good customer service = high referral rate.



4) THE PICASSO OF MENTAL PICTURES


Paint the picture of him/her owning the item. This is done by explaining common situations where by if the customer had your product life would be easier. Be common as common [lol not the rapper] can be! This is done to avoid misinterpretation and giving out a scenario which maybe either distasteful or ethically wrong to the client. Make general statements such as, the sunroof is ideal for those sunny winter days where the aircon is a bit cold to use and sun is a bit hot to ignore. Instead of saying the sunroof is good for avoiding sleep when driving at night sleepy and/or drunk.



5) QUALITY LEMONADE HAS AN EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE "AFTER TASTE"!

Sell only quality products that you can fix up to at least 10% of its common problems. This is for portfolio building, increase of good word of mouth marketing. This is passive negotiation. When your product is good, the next client will come with the exact amount of money. This is good for financial projections and budget planning as the stock leaves your hands at a manageable price. That is why you always negotiate to the Indian selling import cars because you have strong points like “what if seyifa ke lemoto”



6) NEVER FORGET RULE #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Yours sincerely Lwazi Cyril Dlamini aka Boksville!



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TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES; PART 1: Negotiating a deal (buyer's guide)

What’s hood yall, this is a Cyrillic Merchant Bank Special. We give you tips to negotiate your price to any valuable you desire. With these tips you will be able to buy your favorite import car, get that flat land esicintsini, the hot 5L bucket of scones, second hand laptop at the price fit for your wallet.



RULE 1: DO NOT GET EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED!!!!!!!!!!
Always be prepared to conclude the deal WITHOUT obtaining the item. A successful reseller inserts a mental picture of you owning the item. So to be immune to this extortion always try to remember rule #1. to add to your advantage, know that the seller doesn’t have money, YOU pay the salaries if it’s a company and you get the food on the table if it’s a person. So if the salesman doesn’t announce a suitable price? Don't PAY HIS SALARY!!!!!!!!!!


RULE 2: KNOW WHAT YOU WANT but KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'RE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT
We all know Sony Bravia TV sets, Mercedes Benz E-class, Guess Jeans etc these are brand names and they are expensive. A decent Sony Bravia screen can set you back @ 6,000SZL and an entry level Merc Benz E-class can thin your wallet by half a million Emalngeni.. Does that mean you can’t have a TV if have less than 6,000SZL? Does it mean all the people not able to afford the 600SZL guess jeans walk around town anti-denim? All I am saying is, define your desire and have a price for it. For instance if you have 300SZL yet you want a stylish clean cut jean. Then ask the salesman @ Edgars, he will remove ur broke ass from the Levi's/Guess sector to the Stone Harbor/J-Ex section.

Same thing with land emakhaya, for 10 grand you won’t get the "prime land" that is flat and near the road, but you can get the sloppy land near the road and level it and make it "prime". Simply because you told yourself that you need a piece of land and your budget is 10k. not the chief dictating your future home budget.


RULE 3; DONT FORGET "RULE 1"!!!!!!!!!!
U may be already doing your math and find that u need to make a sacrifice. This is good sometimes, like when you’re buying a company like Google in 2001. Sacrifices are never good but they are almost always recoverable. So make Sacrifices for improving your financial life rather than just pure outlook.


RULE 4; YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPARE!!!!!!!!!!!
After hearing the offer, you have the right to say "wow" thank you, I am going to compare and also verify with my people. A good deal is good everywhere. You can also check out other offers and see how the other offers do in the market. If they are identical to your offer but selling like hot cakes from the other side? Research why? It maybe simple as "time based" i.e. your seller is from a new kid in the block. Or it may be crucial like discovering you seller is a con artist or not the authorized reseller thus leading to poor after service.


RULE 5: IF YOU ARE FINANCIALLY FORTUNATE ENOUGH, TAKE DEALS FROM TRIED AND TESTED BUSINESS'/LOCATIONS/SALESMEN ETC
We all know how depressing it is to buy something faulty nje. It is increasingly depressing to buy something from a company with poor after services. Always go for big brands and authorized dealers. Ask around before you buy….as for Swaziland ALWAYS ask around before you buy big products esp. piece of land.


RULE 6: DRESS LIKE A SLOB
It is tough economic times and people see "tenders" when you come to purchase a piece of land or an import car wearing an Armani Suit with Rolex providing the time. Wear as broke as your wardrobe can make you look. After all you don't need to impress, but only seeking someone to impress you enough to earn your money.


RULE 7: HAVE CONFIDENCE AND AIM HIGH!!!
You maybe dressed like a hobo but never have a salesman make you not to feel @ home at his premises. Carson Wheels showroom was constructed for you and me. They could slit their own throats if no one could march in for the whole month. Remember you're carrying the seller’s salary and the whole building was constructed for you to walk in. Always aim high!!!!!! If you don't, no one will do it for you. Come in @ first international and ask if you can buy the import Golf 4 @ E10,000 less the price. Even if u can take it @ E2,000 less. You have nothing to loose except your ego[which you lost @ the gate as F.I is not a VW dealer utsengana nema-Dzubhi]. Go bargain crazy if u have the cash @ hand

BOKSVILLE OUT