I once complained to my bank about the poor customer service they were given me. As I was complaining, I decided to push my luck. I said that for the amount of time they’d taken of mine they should pay me back. I made a mental calculation that the number of hours they took up would have been the equivalent of about £400 of paid work.
So so when they offered me compensation and asked me how much I’d like, my mind first thought £400. But then I thought that might be too much. So I decided to lower the figure to something more reasonable and suggested £200. And what did the customer service assistant say?
“Of course Sir, I will deposite £200 into your account immediately”.
What do you think my reaction was? Was it one of joy? Surprise? No, I mentally kicked myself for not asking for more!
As nice as it was of that customer service agent to give me £200, they shouldn’t have given it so easily. If they had put up a bit of a resistance before finally conceding and saying something like “OK, I just negotiated with my manager and he finally agreed to pay £200” then I would have felt like I had got a good deal. But by giving in so easily they made me feel like I could have asked for much more!
My wife frequently uses this tactic on her Taobao store. When customers ask for a discount, she never immediately says yes. She will say something like “I need to check with my boss first”. Then come back a few hours later and say something like “My boss can agree to the following discount…”.
This tactic leaves my wife’s customers feeling like they’ve got a good bargain, whilst it leaves my wife feeling happy that she made a good sale!
So the next time someone asks you for something, don’t say yes too easily. If you do, they might just ask you for more next time! Put up some resistance and make them feel they are getting a good deal.
