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Natural Born Negotiators
Friday, June 24, 2005-1:25 AM
I have this theory that growing up in a country like China, where everything is negotiable, as opposed to growing up in a place like America, where most prices are fixed by the seller, has a fundamental effect on one's ability to strike a deal.
Chinese are better bargainers than Americans.
Except at supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, and, usually restaurants, I assume that prices are negotiable. I force myself to approach every financial transaction with a certain amount of caution, not only to save money, but also to save face.
But for me, this is very much a conscious effort. I'd just as soon pay the asking price and be on my way than negotiate for an hour and a half over a pack of gum or a deck of playing cards.
Recently, I've gathered some anecdotal evidence that suggests that the Chinese inclination to bargain represents a process occurring at a much deeper, subconscious level.
Americans bargain with the ego. Chinese bargain with the id.
Earlier today I gave an exam to a class of mine. The classroom had plenty of room for the students to spread out such that they could leave a couple of seats between themselves so that cheating would be more difficult.
The students, however, came into the classroom and sat like they always do, clumped in groups of three, four, or five students sitting side by side.
Naturally, I told them to spread apart, a perfectly reasonable request. When I asked them, they had an instantaneous and unanimous reaction like I had just asked them to write a 10,000 word essay on The Three Represents.
I've seen this kind of knee-jerk reaction before. Like the time a seller rejected my counter offer for a purchase with a sigh like the price I offered was absolutely off the radar.
But there was a small problem. The seller let out the sigh a split second before I had even made the counter offer.
Natasha recently used her voodoo negotiating skills against me. Typically on Thursday evenings there's a debate over what to watch on television. "60 Minutes" conflicts with a horrible Chinese program, "Tiao Zhan Zhu Chi Ren".
At the time, Natasha was half finished with an ice-cream I was eyeing. She wasn't going to be able to finish it. She knew I wanted to change the channel.
We made a deal. She gave me the ice-cream on the condition we finish her show. I hastily accepted the offer despite the fact Natasha wasn't really conceding anything.
Growing up in a place where the people around you bargain for everything from broccoli to books to tennis shoes must leave a deep impression on children.
Alan Dershowitz explained how he uses this strategy negotiating in court. You don't give anything away without getting something back.
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