LAST PRICE

I was on a store a few weeks to buy a new celfone case. The vendor was Indian and so I quickly without any thought converted to the Asian way of bargaining.

In Canada, it's uncouth to ask for a lower price or bargain from the stated product price on the label.

Back home and in many other parts of the Asia, it's the way of doing business. If you don't bargain or ask for a lower price, you are actually on the losing end.

One time, I was visiting Ho Chi Minh and went into this major shopping mall and I asked the lady vendor the price of that cute bag.

She told the price and I moved my head from side to side in disbelief.

She quickly retorted, "What do you want for a price?"

But then again, I didn't want to bargain at all. I said, "No thanks."

I was about to leave, when she turned and said, "Okay, give me your last good price." I tried a price off the top of my head but even that didn't make her agree.

I ended up leaving politely and saying thanks for trying. She had that annoyed look which indicated to me that I was just wasting her time.

But when I bought that celfone case, the vendor told me of the second tier of pricing and we agreed instantly.

A few years ago, I was having an initial conversation with an Executive Director of a local non-profit. He immediately asked for my price without establishing the appropriateness of the intervention, the objectives, measures of success, and parameters of engagement. In short, he was just price shopping! 

Both parties must be serious about the buying and selling business, otherwise goods or services wont move at all.

This boils down to the buyer's intention to buy and the willingness of the seller to meet that intention. 

Fishing for information is one thing. Committing to the sales process is a dead must.