The “Discount” Habit
Most people hesitate to ask for a discount because it’s uncomfortable; however, over the years, I’ve learned the following truth:
The more you ask, the more you might receive.
If someone replies with a “no”, well, that’s the same as not asking–so why not ask?! What do you really have to lose?
So today, I’d like you to start adopting the habit of asking for a discount whenever you buy from a store.
Let’s explore a few strategies that can increase your chances of getting a positive response.
Asking for a discount
There are two primary ways to ask for a discount: directly and indirectly. Each one can be effective, so you might want to try both and see which one you like better.
The direct way is very simple: whenever you are about to purchase a product or service, ask nicely: “Can I get a discount on that?”
Be assertive, but not demanding. In other words, don’t come across too strong. If you buy in a physical store, look in the person’s eyes and smile to communicate that you are friendly.
The indirect way needs a little bit more practice. The key thing here is first to express partial interest in the product/service and then to display your inner conflict out loud.
In other words, be more interactive. When you’re struggling to justify a purchase, just express your inner struggle, and see what happens.
Similarly to the direct way, try not to come from a place of entitlement, but rather from a place of vulnerability. Genuinely connect with the person in front of you.
In any case, whichever way you choose (direct or indirect), the important thing is to form the habit. Condition yourself to ask for a discount at every opportunity, as this will help you become more comfortable, confident, and eventually, successful. Remind yourself that there is no real downside to asking. So ask away!
The power of “Because”
A few years ago, Ellen Langer, a Harvard social psychologist, conducted a simple experiment.
She asked people queuing for a photocopier in the library one of three questions, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
60% of those asked let her skip ahead in front of them.
With other groups, she tried a different approach and used a second question, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”
This time, 94% let her skip ahead after she gave them a good reason.
But the really interesting thing happened when she used a third question, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?”
Wait for it… 93% agreed and let her pass…even though her reason was not really urgent or made any sense.
In other words, it’s not the actual reason that moved people to assent to her request; it was the fact that a reason was given at all.
The idea is simple. Whenever you ask anything, online or offline, supply a reason with your request. Any reason…
So in the context of saving money, simply use the word because when you ask for a discount, “Can I get a discount because….”
In fact, it could be as simple as “Can I get a discount because… I need to save money?”
Try it out and experiment with your results. As mentioned, you can use this strategy with any new request “I’m contacting you because…”, “I’d like to interview you because…”, “Can you include a link to my site because…”
When you get “No” for an answer
The last strategy is very straight forward: Whenever you get “No” for an answer, simply ask someone else.
You see, often times, customer service representatives (especially at large companies) are not in charge or authorized to make decisions that break the “rules” (e.g providing a discount or modifying terms of the deal). When that’s the case, try finding someone with more authority.
You’ll be surprised how many times you can get a ‘yes’ response by simply going to a different person. Moreover, there is no real downside to it – in the worst case you will just get another ‘no’…
Let me illustrate with an example from my own life.
There was this 3-day workshop I was interested in. The price was around $700 and it included the hotel on a fully inclusive basis. I thought it was a fair price but I still tried my luck and sent a discount request through their website’s contact form. Now, since the workshop was close to my parents house, I mentioned that I’ll be happy to sleep over at their place instead taking a room in the hotel.
The answer didn’t take long to come. It was a plain blunt “No”. Their reason? The price is final and all workshop participants must stay at the hotel.
So I tried again. This time I contacted the workshop leader directly (found his email online by doing a quick google search) and asked the exact same question.
His answer? You guessed right – a resounding “Yes”. I got a $300 discount in 10 minutes with one email. Not bad…
I hope my example illustrates the power of asking again. Remember, the fact that you got a negative response the first time does not mean you can’t try again. Just be creative and you may be rewarded for it!
*To obtain more inspiration and motivation to achieve your goals, you definitely want to check out my extensive list of growth goals. This page contains SMART goal ideas that can help you establish new aspirations and attain greater heights in your personal growth journey. I utilized this page myself to create my own list of 100 life goals, which I dedicated a decade to pursuing.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an impact-driven creator at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 life goals around the globe. Tal's journey and recent book, The Art of Fully Living, inspired him to found Elevate Society.
