Ask for the Discount You Want.

You could walk into a furniture store, pay retail and be very happy. Or you could be like Marie, who walked into a furniture store, asked for a discount and went home very happy.

This story begins about a year ago when Marie went to the furniture store and purchased two end tables for her living room. Later on she purchased a few accent items. Recently, she wandered in again and was pleased to see the matching coffee table, an item that had not been in the store originally. It was $350.00. She asked the saleslady if she could take the table home for $250.00 out the door. This discount was more than the saleslady had authority to approve and said the decision would have to come from the owner.

Marie decided it would be worth trying and asked the saleslady to make the call. The owner remembered Marie and her purchases. The sale was approved and Marie forked over $250.00 cash.

Marie did several things right. She established herself as a valued customer through her prior purchases. She asked for the specific discount she wanted – a generous, but not unreasonable amount, and she didn’t take the first “no” as the final answer. Marie asked and got.

Author/speaker Janet F. Williams is a high-end sales professional, sales trainer and coach for personal and professional development. She speaks on topics contained in her award-winning book “You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get” to businesses, networking groups, non-profits, book clubs and more. For more information or to buy the book, please visit: www.JanetFWilliams.com and www.GoodDayMedia.com.