Coupons | Product Reviews | Contests | Articles | Forums | Search | Subscribe
Family Fun | Parenting Tips | Romance | Health & Fitness | Organic Living | Weight Loss | WAHMs
Welcome Momscapers!
Momscape.com is an award winning online magazine delivering
uplifting personal essays
from real parents - plus
practical guidance on parenting,
family fun,
romance,
travel,
health & fitness,
weight loss,
and more.
We invite you to share your
MamaWisdom and to help us
spotlight
products that make your life as a mom easier or better while you
enjoy our money-saving
online coupons and
family travel
discounts.
We want to help you enjoy the
simple (and fine) things life has to offer.
Subscribe to Momscape >
or
Get Our Daily Coupon Updates by Email
Bookmark and share Momscape with your friends:
Today:
Online Coupons
Today's
Favorite Coupons
All Online
Coupons by Store
All Online Coupons by
Category
Printable
Grocery Coupons
Product Reviews
Momscape's
Favorite Things (Blog)
Top-Rated
Mom Product Reviews
Family Fun
Activities & Crafts
Family Travel
Deals
Free Scrapbooking Ideas
Parenting Articles
Baby Tips
Toddler Tips
All Parenting Articles
Inspiration/Essays
Relationships
Marriage
Romance
Friendships
Health
and Fitness
Fitness Tips
Natural Living
Nurturing Your Spirit
Weight Loss
Professional
Family Manager Tips
Home-Based Business
Community
MamaWisdom Forums
About Momscape
Subscribe
Site Map
Links
Link to Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
About us
Contact Us
Debt Reduction Strategy
Just Ask!
by
Leo Quinn
Ask and you shall receive & knock and it shall be opened &send an email
and see what happens.
As a student of personal finance you are probably familiar with the
advice to negotiate with your credit card companies to get a lower
interest rate. Why stop there?
There is hardly anything that can't be gotten for less than what is
being asked if you are smart and creative about asking.
Since you are reading this on a computer, let's start there. Got
AOL?
I called AOL and they gave me two months of free service. Here is
how it went...
AOL: How can I make your online experience more enjoyable?
(I should have said give me 6 free months!)
ME: Well first, I was wondering how long I have been a member of
AOL.
AOL: April 1995
ME: That's a long time. What would happen if I got a new
computer and they offered me a free year of AOL.
AOL: Your account would be credited for that year.
ME: Well, since I've been a valued customer for such a long time could
you give me 3 or 4 free months?
AOL: I'd like to ...can you hold?
ME: Sure
AOL: My supervisor has authorized me to give you 2 free months. Is
that OK?
ME: Sure.
AOL: Leo, let me ask you... is the reason you called today to get some
free months?
ME: Well, I really wanted to find out how long I'd been a member
but YES, since I've been a loyal customer. Thanks!
You'll notice that FIRST, I established how long I had been a
member. Even if I knew the answer to the question I would still
have had him look it up so HE knew. Seven years as an AOL
member established that I was a VALUED (valuable) customer.
This is when I asked for the free months. If he had said "no" I
would have asked to speak to his supervisor but he did that for me.
I'm not sure who said it but I like the lesson &"never accept a NO from
someone not empowered to give you a YES!"
Got Road Runner? I got this idea from one of my subscribers.
Locally, Time Warner is offering new subscribers a special six month
rate of $29.95 instead of the normal $49.95.
She was already a Road Runner subscriber but she called and asked for
the $29.95 rate since she was a "valued customer". They said yes
and she saved $120 for a five-minute phone call.
Have you been with your Internet Service Provider for a while?
Call up and ask them for a few free months. If they are reluctant,
you might drop hints about trying another service.
In one of my seminars a student commented that she would be afraid
"they" would laugh at her if she called and asked for a discount.
1) They probably won't and 2) So what if they did? If they
are laughing, ask them if that was a yes or no and then ask to speak
with their supervisor &say you are upset about the laughing and as a
valued customer you'll get your discount! That or have one of your
teenage kids make the call &they don't take no for an answer do they?
If possible, before you are in a position to negotiate, review your
assets &what, if anything, can you offer to them?
Being a long time customer is an asset &.they don't want to lose you.
Have a friend who wants to buy the same thing? Bringing a company
two sales at one time is an asset. Having influence over a large
group who might want to buy what they are selling is a big asset.
Paying cash can be an asset.
At this writing I have 3156 subscribers to my e-zine. If I see a
product on the Internet that I think might be helpful to them I'll
contact the seller. I introduce myself and invite them to visit my
website to establish some credibility.
I'm writing to propose a joint venture that could benefit the merchant,
my subscribers and sometimes me. I explain that I would consider
endorsing their product or service to my list if it is as good as
advertised. If they believe in their product they usually will
offer me a FREE review copy of it.
In the last month I've gotten $1532 in value (products and services)
using the assets I've developed.
Can't come up with any assets right now? A former auto salesperson
told me his simple 8-word sentence for getting discounts &"Is that price
the best you can do?" Again, if you get a "no" from anyone other
than the owner or manager in the case of a mega-retailer ask, in the
nicest way possible, if they could check with the owner/manager to make
sure that is the best price.
In this live scenario it never hurts to be prepared to leave if they
won't deal. Mention you saw the same product somewhere else &imply
you are going to buy one today from someone.
My students have given me many examples of negotiating discounts at
places as big as Wal-Mart simply by asking the manager. The worst
they can say is no.
In my live seminars I recommend never buying a NordicTrac from
NordicTrac. You'll find lots of them in next to new condition in
the classified section of the newspaper. Make your calls and
be sure to mention that there are a lot of them for sale.
This raises strong doubt in their mind that they will be able to sell at
the price they want and makes them more receptive to a lower price.
Negotiating can be fun. It doesn't have to be nerve-wracking.
Merchants are used to it and you should get used to it too! Good
luck and let me know how it goes for you.
About the Author:
Leo J. Quinn, Jr. is a financial educator from the Albany, NY area. For
the last eight years he has been stunning audiences by showing them that
paying off their highest interest rates debts first and/or paying extra
on more than one debt is often the SLOWEST way to get rid of those
debts. He has a
special offer for Momscape readers here.
More Financial
Resources
American Express Credit Card Promotions
Subscribe to Momscape >
or
Get Our Daily Coupon Updates by Email
Moms are Raving About
> Tae Bo Kicks Billy Blanks Workout for Kids
> Collectopia Wacktivity and A Friendship Scraptacular
> Micro Spy Kit X2 Toy
> Bugaboo Chameleon Stroller
> Burt's Bees Baby Bee Skin reme
> Perego Primo Viaggio Infant Car Seat
> Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskins
> Rocket Spanish
> NordicTrack 740 Stepper
> More Product Reviews