OK.
One of my customers always responds to a price quote by saying, "You'll have to do better than that!"
And you respond by lowering the price?
Right , but I always feel like I've lowered it too much.
That strategy is called "the vise." The best to handle it is to ask how much better you'll have to do. That way, you don't end up in the downward spiral of negotiating against yourself by offering lower prices than necessary.
I see. I also have a customer who always responds to my prices by claiming he doesn't have that much money.
Do you remember the game hot potato?
Sure. You have to pass the hot potato to someone else before time runs out, right?
Right. That's what your customer is trying to do to you. He's trying to manipulate you by passing his problems on you.
How can I prevent that?
Don't become hostile. Just pass one of your problems right back to the customer. Explain that you won't be able to complete the project for the money he's offering or that you need the money for your children's education.
That's great! Thanks, Uncle Bob.
Glad to help, Ben.
Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Are You Cheap or Frugal?
Cheap people and frugal people have one thing in common. They don't like to spend more money than they have to.
On the surface, these two adjectives appear interchangeable, but digging deeper, we find they're really quite different.
OK. First, we should know that when we describe a person as cheap, it's not really a complement.
No, cheap people are miserly and stingy. The thing they care about most is how much is it. Cheap people haggle, which comes across as being pushy and demanding.
In contrast, frugal people are concerned with price and quality. Frugal people bargain. If they don't get the price they want, they just won't buy the item.
Perhaps the biggest difference between cheap people and frugal people is how their desire to save money affects other people.
That's right. Cheap people usually influence those around them in a negative way. Their cheapness makes friends and family members feel annoyed, resentful, and embarrassed.
In contrast, frugal people put others above saving money. Many frugal people are actually frugal with themselves so that they have more opportunities to be generous with others.
So, what kind of person are you? Cheap or frugal?
cheap adj.
not willing to share or spend money
frugal adj.
/ˈfru:gəl/
careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to : using money or supplies in a very careful way
Grammar Gym
"That way, you don't end up in the downward spiral of negotiating against yourself by offering lower prices than necessary."
that way: Do I go this way or that way?
that way: if you follow what was just mentioned
- Pack your book bag before you sleep; that way, you will have one less thing to worry about in the morning.
- Always keep an extra umbrella at work; that way, you will be prepared in case it suddenly rains.
Language Lab
vice n. or (Brit) vise n.
/ˈvaɪs/
a bad habit
- Pride is one of his vices.
criminal activities that involve sex or drugs
- The police successfully smashed a large vice ring.
a bad or immoral quality in a person, or bad or immoral behaviour
- The reporter revealed the vice and corruption of the politician.
usually vise American English a tool that holds an object very firmly so that you can work on it
- He held my arm like a vise.
downward spiral
/ˈspaɪrəl/
a process, usually a harmful one, in which something gradually but continuously gets worse or better
a situation in which something continuously increases, decreases, or gets worse — usually singular
- Lack of funds and high interest rates pushed him into a downward financial spiral.
manipulate v.
/məˈnɪpjəˌleɪt/
to make someone think and behave exactly as you want them to, by skilfully deceiving or influencing them
- The movie star is good at manipulating the media to get the attention she wants.
to move or control (something) with your hands or by using a machine
- Pilots go through strict training in order to manipulate the controls on the panel in the cockpit.
hostile adj.
/ˈhɑ:stl̟, ˈhɑ:ˌstajəl/
angry and deliberately unfriendly towards someone and ready to argue with them
- The boy is so hostile because he was physically abused for years.
- The people in that town are pretty hostile to outsiders.
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