September 2, 2025 • 22 mins
We all know we should haggle, and push for a better deal when buying a new TV, a new car, or any other big purchase. But for many of us it’s easier said than done, for most of us. Whether it’s a confidence thing, or just not knowing where to start - haggling is hard. But it’s so worthwhile. Join Canna Campbell - a financial planner for 20 years - and Fear & Greed's Michael Thompson as they take a masterclass in haggling for a good deal.
The information in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances, financial needs or objectives. Before acting on any information, you should consider the appropriateness of it and the relevant product having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. In particular, you should seek independent financial advice and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or other offer document prior to acquiring any financial product.
Canna Campbell is an Authorised Representative and Financial Adviser of Links Licensee Services Pty Ltd AFSL No. 700012 ABN 97 678 975 589.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to How Do They Afford That, The podcast that
peaks into the financial lives of everyday Australians. I'm Michael Thompson.
I'm an author and the co host of the podcast
Fear and Greed business news. As always, I'm with Canna Campbell,
financial planner and founder of Sugar Mama TV, the financial
literacy platform on YouTube, podcasts and Instagram, threads and TikTok
(00:21):
and keynote speeches and more.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello, Canna, good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
This is going to be terrifying this episode because I
fear you at the best of times, because your approach
to money is very very strong, very disciplined, and you
are going to teach me today to haggle.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I wouldn't. I mean, I'm respectful towards money.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So you're not denying that that you scare me or
any of those parts. Is just the respectful part. Look,
we know everybody knows that we should haggle, right that,
like you pushing for a better deal when you're buying
a new TV or if you're buying a new car
or any other big purchase of a house. Even Yeah,
but that's probably almost too big. But it's easier said
(01:11):
than done. For most of us, whether it's it's a
confidence thing or just perhaps not knowing kind of where
to start. Haggling is hard, yeah, right, but it is worthwhile, Definitely.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I think we get lazy and they go, oh, I
can't be bothered, or okay, so what am I get
twenty dollars off? Who cares?
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Like?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Not worth my time to haggle?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, and it's not worth the confrontation. I'm a non
confrontational kind of guy.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That kind of thing, well, I would say I'm a
non confrontational person.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah. Tell that to anyone that you've ever called up
at a call center to argue your bills. Yeah, exactly.
This is why I said, you scare me. All right,
So we are getting a masterclass and getting a good
deal from I was going to call you the Queen
of the haggle, but you're the queen of the hustle.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
You don't call me frugal.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
I'm not going to call you fruit. I've made that
mistake too many times. What are the kinds of things
that you can negotiate prices on. Is it just your
big ticket items.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Or is it Well, I think it really depends on
the situation, Like what you're buying and how much actually costs.
And yes, there are lots of things you can negotiate
a better deal on, but you've also got to make
sure like there's a bit of a social emotional like
que required here, but think about what's appropriate time and
place here. Okay, So, yes, you know big ticket items cars,
(02:33):
white goods, furniture, even some technology. Yes, you can ask
for a better deal, what's the best price they can do?
And often these items are actually priced to have that
sort of margin in mind, you know that they can
knock a bit off.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Well, I mean it was that was the entire premise
of like the good guys and the others that pay
cash and we slash the prices on whatever it was,
and they were encouraging you to i mean and ask
for the best deal. So to me it feels like
it is almost expected.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, like walking into a car dealership there, it can
expect you to haggle. I think they'd be shocked if
you if you didn't. So you've also got to think
about who you're dealing with and of course be respectful.
But yes, there's a lot of things that you can haggle,
But then you could think about like services like you
can't haggle your vet bills or if you're going to
(03:26):
see like a doctor or a specialist, their set fees.
You can't haggle there. So you need to understand where
it's appropriate and where it is a professional fee and
it is not to be negotiated with. Having said that, though,
if you're on a really tight budget, I think it's
okay to sort of say, look, do you have a
payment plan or before you evius engage in their services,
(03:48):
or is there a you know, do you have a
student rate or a pensioner rate before you engage as well?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, yeah, there's nothing wrong with also saying that you
are on a budget and that you might not be
able to afford to get everything done now. For instance,
exactly if you are seeing a dentist.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Exactly can we step it out or is it something
that bold build or you know, what are the other
options that we can do.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
What's most urgent for now and what can we delay?
All right, so we understand the basic kind of what
you can haggle on, what you can't haggle on. Is
it better to do this in person over the phone?
Could you do it online? Warrior? Okay, I have haggled
(04:27):
via email before.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I'm not surprised. Look, I think whatever makes you feel
the most confident and empowered. You know, obviously when you
online emails, you can actually be a lot more intentional
and strategic with what you say and how you say it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I've got floor mats for my new car via email.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Did you by haggling? Great? Oh my god, all the
things formats never ceased to surprise me.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Well, they weren't going to budge on the price. I
knew that because this was a new This was the
first time I had ever bought a new car, and
I had done so much research into this, and I
knew there was no room to move on the price
because it was the last one in the country of
this particular color and everything, the exact car that I wanted,
(05:17):
and so there was not much room to move. But
in taggle myself, some floor mats and floormats can be expensive.
That was probably an extra five hundred bucks.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Okay, all right, I take that back then, thank you.
But obviously, when you aren't hyping though you sometimes the
tone can be misread as well as You've got to
be careful. Oh yeah, I personally like in person where appropriate.
Obviously I can't turn up to Fox Tell or my
bank in person like to hag a little better deal.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
But without getting a reputation.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Oh god, my number has been blocked.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
She was in a reception. Again, who's going to go
and talk.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
About get security? But you know, in person or over
the phone, you know, you can actually have a conversation
human to human expo in your situation, and you know
sometimes they can get a better result. You can pull
a few favors. Someone can say a calling me speak
to my manager's who I can do where you can't
do that necessarily.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It does take more confidence. So let's say the gold
standards face to face right, where you can look someone
in the eye and have a personal conversation. Next best
is probably on the phone, right, But it does take
more confidence to do that to be able to talk
to someone, particularly in this day and age, it is
not the easiest thing to try and negotiate with someone
(06:29):
looking them in the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Eye, which is why I think it's important to always
smile okay, okay, and you can just simply say like
have this sort of you can just rattle this off,
you know, like is that the best price you can
do today? Or one of my friends. He says, is
there any wiggle room by any chance?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
I love that line.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wiggle like just the word wiggle sounds like fun. It's
very just diffuses any tension.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Okay, And so is that the best opening line? Is
that how you should do it? Kind of like with
a smile, with a smile, so.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
You're being polite, being respectful, being courteous. We might say,
are there any other special offers going at the moment
for discounts available right now? Because this shows that you
are genuinely engaged. You're not being a tie kicker, but
you're also just a normal human being trying to be savvy,
but not in a petulant, demanding manner.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I really like that, because asking that thing of is
there any room to move on the price that always
feels like it is a almost a slightly confrontational thing
and you're expecting to be rejected. It's a bit embarrassing.
But if you go with an alternative that says again
quite clearly that you are looking to negotiate here. Are
(07:41):
there any offers or discounts going at the moment, anything
that I can do that's going to my rewards programs
and things that you might be able to get ten
percent off and stuff. They will tell you exactly if
there is, and that's a good way to signal that, hey,
I'm here to negotiate.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
And I'm serious. I'm not going to waste your time.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
How do you deal and with that? No, No, because
there is this that is awkward when someone says, nay,
oh okay, here's my credit card.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
It doesn't need to be awkward, though. I think it's
normal in this day and age to ask if there
is is there a better deal? Are there any specials
on them? No, shame comes from that. If you don't ask,
you don't get. But you need to also remember if
you hear the word no, it's not personal. It's just business.
You haven't actually offended anyone, and you can just reply
back and say, look, thank you so much. I totally understand.
(08:32):
I just wanted to ask in case you know there
was some specials going on right now, Todavid, that's okay,
And then you never know what they might come back
with as an alternative. They might say, no, we can't
give you a disc and on that, but what we
can do is give you a free month subscription to
this or you know, what we can do instead is
actually throwing a free charge or so that we are
potentially a different freebie that gets thrown in.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
The old go to as the up cell and the
reduced price extended warranty exactly. But you know the other
thing that's good to do, though, is to when you
do your research heading in is ask them to price match.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yes, and that's very easy because you just show them
on your phone and there it is.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
That is very impersonal, just say, hey, look this place
has it for the same amount, same amount? Can you
can you beat that?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
And they don't need to be taking offense because it's
business for you, it's not personal and they deal with
this all the time. You can't work in sales and
not expect pushback.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Okay. The key to not coming across as rude or
different because you can clearly see what I'm what I'm
fixating here as the personal side of this, because.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I get shy as well.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, it is not a comfortable thing for and someone
listening to this, I don't know why you are talking
about this, because it's such an easy thing to do.
If you know someone like that, grab on to that
person and send them in to negotiate. On your behalf cool.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Me, I'll do it for you. Would you realize I
mean I'll always be respectful, sound like I'm shameless, Like
I'm like a like a bulldog in like a Harvey
Norman not But you know, I think also it's very
much about the tone and the timing.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So that's how you avoid coming across as rude or difficult.
It is the tone, it is the timing is making
sure that you are kind of picking the right environment
to be haggling.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, like being you know, having a friendly approach, acting
in a calm, polite manner. You know, smiling is huge.
That makes everybody feel relaxed and also showing genuine interest.
You know, if you turn up and you've done a
bit of research yourself, you know that that's the best
TV at the moment, or you know that this has
got this state of that technology. You know, that's why
it's quite popular right now. People like that. I feel
(10:40):
at ease with you knowing that, Okay, this person is serious.
This person we have a common bond here because we're
both talking about the same product or service, whatever it
may be. And you know, framing it in away that's
like a win win where you say, look, you know what,
I really love this this car, for example, but it's
just slightly out of my budget right now. You know,
is there anything you can do around the price for me?
(11:04):
And so that you know he's getting him or her,
he's getting their deal, they're getting their job done. But
also you're walking away with something that you're really interested in,
genuinely going to love values and appreciate. It's about, you know,
making helping make things happen in an enjoyable way.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
What is a polite way to walk away? Then? If
you can't get a deal, if you're not happy with
the price, how do you extract yourself from that? I'm
assuming violence is not an option.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
To my god, I don't even know what to say that,
but anyway, I would like to point out there is
absolutely nothing wrong with expressing your own financial limits. You
know those boundaries are important and therefore your protection. So
don't be embarrassed at all. So what I would say
in that situation is, look, thank you so much for
your time. I just need to have a bit of
(11:58):
a think about it and just weigh out my options.
And you're not slamming the door in their face. You're
actually keeping the door open, and sometimes that moment or
even the next day or the next week, you never
know what they may come back with. But also you're
giving yourself some breathing space to go all right, Maybe
I need to save up a bit more, or maybe
I need to do a bit more research, or maybe
(12:19):
I'm actually not ready for this big commitment yet.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yeah, Okay, We're going to take a quick break, and
I want you to think about this while we are
taking this break.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I still have visions of you, like throwing a brick
through a car dealership window right now and being arrested.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Like flipping the table as a diversion, and then while
they're dealing with the chaos, I'm running out the front door.
You really thought about this, It's my escape plan. You
have a smoke bomb to go, and then you're gone.
While we are taking a break, I just want you
to think about the best deal that you have ever
scored yourself through haggling, because I want to know just
(12:58):
how successful this can be. Can you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You putting me on the spot a bit, But okay, all.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Right, we'll take a quick break and come back with
your best deal. Can we are talking about haggling you
are teaching us how to negotiate the best deal possible.
What's the best deal that you have ever been able
(13:24):
to haggle? And to keep in mind, this has to
be somewhere north of getting four brand new car mats
included in the purchase price of your brand new car.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Dear beat that okay, an investment property.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You haggled on a property.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Haggled on an investment property.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
This is good.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
So this was a long time ago, so probably be
a lot more affordable. And I was about to sign
the Dottder line on investment property, but then I got
gasult last minute and anyway, very upset, very annoyed. Anyway,
that fell through, and then the realistic agent came crawling
(14:08):
back every time she called me. My offer went south,
and I got really aggressive with the haggling and bought
it at considerably less than my first Oh wow. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And so that's an example then of kind of adjusting
your strategy for the circumstances, right, because that was that's
a very unique set of circumstances whereby you you have
been kind of wronged in a way where someone's angry.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And I was, I was emotionalless because I had already
lost out on that property, so I kind of disconnected
with it. So I didn't I had nothing to lose.
And also it was a little bit if I can
like it's pissed off or swear word, it is, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
It's probably okay, okay, I mean you've said it now,
so it's too late.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So I kind of wanted a bit of revenge. And
she was horrified that I. Every time she called me,
I was just going My offers were getting Lawa and Laura,
and eventually I don't know how, but I think it
was approaching the end of the financial year. This person
needed to sell, and I there were no other buyers.
I think she must have done annoyed everyone else, and
(15:16):
I was the only one willing to come back to
negotiate again, and I bought really well well done.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
That's a that's one of those ones where the agent
may not have done the right thing by the by
their client. Yeah, that's that's a. That's a tough one.
So clearly haggling works right, and it can work from
everything from like an electrical appliance right through to property
and property. We haven't talked enough about that, but that
(15:44):
is a big area where there is really no fixed price.
That and a property negotiation that is one big haggle.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yeah, I mean that's a lot of my games and
reading people. It's like, you know, poker game almost just
don't really know what's how many other people are really involved.
It's it was very daunting at the time what I
was doing, and it was a big risk and it
could have backfired on me again. But anyway, not this time.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
When you're haggling, then if we take from that is
the key to it as well, being willing to walk
away if you don't if you don't get where you
need to be, that you are not so emotionally invested
in whatever the purchase is that you are willing to
walk away if you don't quite get what you need.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yes, as I said, those financial boundaries are there for
your protection. And it's like houses and partners, there's always
going to be another one out there for you.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Hang on, did you just put Tom on notice?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Here?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Tom?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
But you know what, there's plenty more fish lift in
the sea, is really what I'm going to say. No,
I am a very happy, stable relationship with the home.
Making him sound indispensable, but it's not the end of
the world, like there will be other opportunities you will
be able to find another with amazing formats like It's
(17:04):
you can get yourself into a bit of a bit
of a hole if you think like I'm never going
to get that opportunity ever again.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Yeah, no, that is a good point. Let's bring it
back down to and every day and every day No
like every day even cars aren't in every day purchase,
but yeah, everyday kind of thing. Can you negotiate on
things like your energy bill, your phone plan, your internet
those kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Hello, have you not been listening or ever doing frugal
February with me? Where every single year or the month
of February, I call everybody up. I even have their number,
not in speed dial, but I have their numbers programs
to my phone and a note against the phone number
of my account number. I call them every year and say,
do you have any better plans? I'm thinking of changing,
I'm thinking of leaving. You know, I'm going to tie
(17:47):
a budget, this other subscriptions will changes I can make
to my account. And I do this every single year,
and I think one year I saved over two hundred
dollars a month at least on my energy bill.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
My gas bill, just by calling up and asking.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
One phone call and they were very happy to give
me those savings. I didn't even have to haggle that hard. Yeah, Foxtel,
they see my number.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
February and know that you're about to threaten to leave.
But the things you have to be willing to go
through with it.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yes, and you know, out of the blue they pull
a rabbit out of the hat and oh look we'll
give you three three three months.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Okay, very quickly, because we are running out of time.
When we're dealing with retail things. Are there better times
a year or even times a day where you're more
likely to get a better deal? Kind of Is it
around the Black Friday sales that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Yes, like Black Friday, Boxing Day, in a Mother's day.
I mean there's there's a sale every three point two
five weeks. So literally, if you want something and you
can't haggle for it in a shop because it's not appropriate,
you just wait it will be on sale. And we've
done lots of episodes about you know, subscribing, getting you know,
ten percent of your first order, or free shipping. There's
lots of different things you can do so, you know,
(19:04):
you just sometimes yes, might be patient and need to
be a little bit more flexible. But all these savings
really do add up.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
One last one and this is probably the one where
you This has become a bigger category of haggling, I
would say, in recent years, buying secondhand, buying pre loved
things like Facebook Marketplace. How do you approach approach negotiating
the price without offending the seller? Because this is not
(19:33):
a professional salesperson who is expecting you to come in
and haggle on a car or a TV. This is
just like you or me selling something, And how do
you deal with that without getting offended or without being offensive?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well, I don't think you should assume, because you're not
a salesperson that someone's not going to haggle. Of course,
if you're selling something on Facebook, Marketplace or Gumtree or
eBay or deepop, I expect to be haggled. Yeah, I
think it's a sort of part and parcel.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
But fortunately it's all happening online, so it's slightly slightly impersonal.
You can actually just do it.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Via the app, so it's the same approach, you know, warm, polite, courteous,
So you know this looks absolutely fantastic. What sort of
condition is it in? And then you say to them, look,
would you consider this price if I can come and
collect today. Now that means you're being really respectful. It
shows that you are a serious buyer. You're being polite,
(20:29):
so you know they can say no, it's perfectly fine.
You've created that sort of space. You're not domineering. And
the benefit was when you say I'll come and grab
it today or I can pay for it today, I will.
I've sold lots of things online when someone says I'll
come and grab it today, even if I'm selling it
for a little bit less than what I would like
to great, get it out, get out of the help
(20:52):
me create the space, the order, the tidiness in my
home again, and I'm happy to let that go to
another home as well. But same rules apply. You can
you can haggle, and even if it's a look, there
are quite a few others online as well where I
can pick up across the other side of the suburb
of the same price or for a bit cheaper. But
I like the look of yours, or your color is
probably better for my home, you know, open up the conversation,
(21:15):
you never never know, and if you don't ask.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
You don't get great advice, terrifying advice for anyone who
doesn't like confrontation. This is a hard process, but as
you've said, it doesn't need to be confrontational. It is
just a conversation and a lot of the time it
is just it is just business.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Exactly, Okay. And if anyone would like to employ my services,
I just drop me a line. I consider you my
rate card negotiating including properties.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Can you imagine sending you in to negotiate? That would
be amazing?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I god, it was soone fun.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, a new revenue stream sight hustle.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
All right. If anybody wants to legitimately get more information
about anything that we've talked about, they find you on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Instagram at Canna Campbell Official or sugar Ma my TV.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
And you can hear me every day with Sean Aylmer
on Fear and Greed business News. You can use. Thank
you for listening to how do they afford that? Remember
to hit follow on the podcast. And the best thing
you can do is tell somebody else send them this
episode and help spread the word about how do they
afford that, thank you for your company, Join us again
next week.
Welcome to How Do They Afford That, The podcast that
peaks into the financial lives of everyday Australians. I'm Michael Thompson.
I'm an author and the co host of the podcast
Fear and Greed business news. As always, I'm with Canna Campbell,
financial planner and founder of Sugar Mama TV, the financial
literacy platform on YouTube, podcasts and Instagram, threads and TikTok
(00:21):
and keynote speeches and more.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello, Canna, good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
This is going to be terrifying this episode because I
fear you at the best of times, because your approach
to money is very very strong, very disciplined, and you
are going to teach me today to haggle.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I wouldn't. I mean, I'm respectful towards money.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So you're not denying that that you scare me or
any of those parts. Is just the respectful part. Look,
we know everybody knows that we should haggle, right that,
like you pushing for a better deal when you're buying
a new TV or if you're buying a new car
or any other big purchase of a house. Even Yeah,
but that's probably almost too big. But it's easier said
(01:11):
than done. For most of us, whether it's it's a
confidence thing or just perhaps not knowing kind of where
to start. Haggling is hard, yeah, right, but it is worthwhile, Definitely.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I think we get lazy and they go, oh, I
can't be bothered, or okay, so what am I get
twenty dollars off? Who cares?
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Like?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Not worth my time to haggle?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, and it's not worth the confrontation. I'm a non
confrontational kind of guy.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That kind of thing, well, I would say I'm a
non confrontational person.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah. Tell that to anyone that you've ever called up
at a call center to argue your bills. Yeah, exactly.
This is why I said, you scare me. All right,
So we are getting a masterclass and getting a good
deal from I was going to call you the Queen
of the haggle, but you're the queen of the hustle.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
You don't call me frugal.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
I'm not going to call you fruit. I've made that
mistake too many times. What are the kinds of things
that you can negotiate prices on. Is it just your
big ticket items.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Or is it Well, I think it really depends on
the situation, Like what you're buying and how much actually costs.
And yes, there are lots of things you can negotiate
a better deal on, but you've also got to make
sure like there's a bit of a social emotional like
que required here, but think about what's appropriate time and
place here. Okay, So, yes, you know big ticket items cars,
(02:33):
white goods, furniture, even some technology. Yes, you can ask
for a better deal, what's the best price they can do?
And often these items are actually priced to have that
sort of margin in mind, you know that they can
knock a bit off.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Well, I mean it was that was the entire premise
of like the good guys and the others that pay
cash and we slash the prices on whatever it was,
and they were encouraging you to i mean and ask
for the best deal. So to me it feels like
it is almost expected.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, like walking into a car dealership there, it can
expect you to haggle. I think they'd be shocked if
you if you didn't. So you've also got to think
about who you're dealing with and of course be respectful.
But yes, there's a lot of things that you can haggle,
But then you could think about like services like you
can't haggle your vet bills or if you're going to
(03:26):
see like a doctor or a specialist, their set fees.
You can't haggle there. So you need to understand where
it's appropriate and where it is a professional fee and
it is not to be negotiated with. Having said that, though,
if you're on a really tight budget, I think it's
okay to sort of say, look, do you have a
payment plan or before you evius engage in their services,
(03:48):
or is there a you know, do you have a
student rate or a pensioner rate before you engage as well?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, yeah, there's nothing wrong with also saying that you
are on a budget and that you might not be
able to afford to get everything done now. For instance,
exactly if you are seeing a dentist.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Exactly can we step it out or is it something
that bold build or you know, what are the other
options that we can do.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
What's most urgent for now and what can we delay?
All right, so we understand the basic kind of what
you can haggle on, what you can't haggle on. Is
it better to do this in person over the phone?
Could you do it online? Warrior? Okay, I have haggled
(04:27):
via email before.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I'm not surprised. Look, I think whatever makes you feel
the most confident and empowered. You know, obviously when you
online emails, you can actually be a lot more intentional
and strategic with what you say and how you say it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I've got floor mats for my new car via email.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Did you by haggling? Great? Oh my god, all the
things formats never ceased to surprise me.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Well, they weren't going to budge on the price. I
knew that because this was a new This was the
first time I had ever bought a new car, and
I had done so much research into this, and I
knew there was no room to move on the price
because it was the last one in the country of
this particular color and everything, the exact car that I wanted,
(05:17):
and so there was not much room to move. But
in taggle myself, some floor mats and floormats can be expensive.
That was probably an extra five hundred bucks.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Okay, all right, I take that back then, thank you.
But obviously, when you aren't hyping though you sometimes the
tone can be misread as well as You've got to
be careful. Oh yeah, I personally like in person where appropriate.
Obviously I can't turn up to Fox Tell or my
bank in person like to hag a little better deal.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
But without getting a reputation.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Oh god, my number has been blocked.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
She was in a reception. Again, who's going to go
and talk.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
About get security? But you know, in person or over
the phone, you know, you can actually have a conversation
human to human expo in your situation, and you know
sometimes they can get a better result. You can pull
a few favors. Someone can say a calling me speak
to my manager's who I can do where you can't
do that necessarily.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It does take more confidence. So let's say the gold
standards face to face right, where you can look someone
in the eye and have a personal conversation. Next best
is probably on the phone, right, But it does take
more confidence to do that to be able to talk
to someone, particularly in this day and age, it is
not the easiest thing to try and negotiate with someone
(06:29):
looking them in the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Eye, which is why I think it's important to always
smile okay, okay, and you can just simply say like
have this sort of you can just rattle this off,
you know, like is that the best price you can
do today? Or one of my friends. He says, is
there any wiggle room by any chance?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
I love that line.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wiggle like just the word wiggle sounds like fun. It's
very just diffuses any tension.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Okay, And so is that the best opening line? Is
that how you should do it? Kind of like with
a smile, with a smile, so.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
You're being polite, being respectful, being courteous. We might say,
are there any other special offers going at the moment
for discounts available right now? Because this shows that you
are genuinely engaged. You're not being a tie kicker, but
you're also just a normal human being trying to be savvy,
but not in a petulant, demanding manner.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I really like that, because asking that thing of is
there any room to move on the price that always
feels like it is a almost a slightly confrontational thing
and you're expecting to be rejected. It's a bit embarrassing.
But if you go with an alternative that says again
quite clearly that you are looking to negotiate here. Are
(07:41):
there any offers or discounts going at the moment, anything
that I can do that's going to my rewards programs
and things that you might be able to get ten
percent off and stuff. They will tell you exactly if
there is, and that's a good way to signal that, hey,
I'm here to negotiate.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
And I'm serious. I'm not going to waste your time.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
How do you deal and with that? No, No, because
there is this that is awkward when someone says, nay,
oh okay, here's my credit card.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
It doesn't need to be awkward, though. I think it's
normal in this day and age to ask if there
is is there a better deal? Are there any specials
on them? No, shame comes from that. If you don't ask,
you don't get. But you need to also remember if
you hear the word no, it's not personal. It's just business.
You haven't actually offended anyone, and you can just reply
back and say, look, thank you so much. I totally understand.
(08:32):
I just wanted to ask in case you know there
was some specials going on right now, Todavid, that's okay,
And then you never know what they might come back
with as an alternative. They might say, no, we can't
give you a disc and on that, but what we
can do is give you a free month subscription to
this or you know, what we can do instead is
actually throwing a free charge or so that we are
potentially a different freebie that gets thrown in.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
The old go to as the up cell and the
reduced price extended warranty exactly. But you know the other
thing that's good to do, though, is to when you
do your research heading in is ask them to price match.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yes, and that's very easy because you just show them
on your phone and there it is.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
That is very impersonal, just say, hey, look this place
has it for the same amount, same amount? Can you
can you beat that?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
And they don't need to be taking offense because it's
business for you, it's not personal and they deal with
this all the time. You can't work in sales and
not expect pushback.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Okay. The key to not coming across as rude or
different because you can clearly see what I'm what I'm
fixating here as the personal side of this, because.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I get shy as well.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, it is not a comfortable thing for and someone
listening to this, I don't know why you are talking
about this, because it's such an easy thing to do.
If you know someone like that, grab on to that
person and send them in to negotiate. On your behalf cool.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Me, I'll do it for you. Would you realize I
mean I'll always be respectful, sound like I'm shameless, Like
I'm like a like a bulldog in like a Harvey
Norman not But you know, I think also it's very
much about the tone and the timing.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So that's how you avoid coming across as rude or difficult.
It is the tone, it is the timing is making
sure that you are kind of picking the right environment
to be haggling.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, like being you know, having a friendly approach, acting
in a calm, polite manner. You know, smiling is huge.
That makes everybody feel relaxed and also showing genuine interest.
You know, if you turn up and you've done a
bit of research yourself, you know that that's the best
TV at the moment, or you know that this has
got this state of that technology. You know, that's why
it's quite popular right now. People like that. I feel
(10:40):
at ease with you knowing that, Okay, this person is serious.
This person we have a common bond here because we're
both talking about the same product or service, whatever it
may be. And you know, framing it in away that's
like a win win where you say, look, you know what,
I really love this this car, for example, but it's
just slightly out of my budget right now. You know,
is there anything you can do around the price for me?
(11:04):
And so that you know he's getting him or her,
he's getting their deal, they're getting their job done. But
also you're walking away with something that you're really interested in,
genuinely going to love values and appreciate. It's about, you know,
making helping make things happen in an enjoyable way.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
What is a polite way to walk away? Then? If
you can't get a deal, if you're not happy with
the price, how do you extract yourself from that? I'm
assuming violence is not an option.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
To my god, I don't even know what to say that,
but anyway, I would like to point out there is
absolutely nothing wrong with expressing your own financial limits. You
know those boundaries are important and therefore your protection. So
don't be embarrassed at all. So what I would say
in that situation is, look, thank you so much for
your time. I just need to have a bit of
(11:58):
a think about it and just weigh out my options.
And you're not slamming the door in their face. You're
actually keeping the door open, and sometimes that moment or
even the next day or the next week, you never
know what they may come back with. But also you're
giving yourself some breathing space to go all right, Maybe
I need to save up a bit more, or maybe
I need to do a bit more research, or maybe
(12:19):
I'm actually not ready for this big commitment yet.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yeah, Okay, We're going to take a quick break, and
I want you to think about this while we are
taking this break.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I still have visions of you, like throwing a brick
through a car dealership window right now and being arrested.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Like flipping the table as a diversion, and then while
they're dealing with the chaos, I'm running out the front door.
You really thought about this, It's my escape plan. You
have a smoke bomb to go, and then you're gone.
While we are taking a break, I just want you
to think about the best deal that you have ever
scored yourself through haggling, because I want to know just
(12:58):
how successful this can be. Can you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You putting me on the spot a bit, But okay, all.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Right, we'll take a quick break and come back with
your best deal. Can we are talking about haggling you
are teaching us how to negotiate the best deal possible.
What's the best deal that you have ever been able
(13:24):
to haggle? And to keep in mind, this has to
be somewhere north of getting four brand new car mats
included in the purchase price of your brand new car.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Dear beat that okay, an investment property.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You haggled on a property.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Haggled on an investment property.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
This is good.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
So this was a long time ago, so probably be
a lot more affordable. And I was about to sign
the Dottder line on investment property, but then I got
gasult last minute and anyway, very upset, very annoyed. Anyway,
that fell through, and then the realistic agent came crawling
(14:08):
back every time she called me. My offer went south,
and I got really aggressive with the haggling and bought
it at considerably less than my first Oh wow. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And so that's an example then of kind of adjusting
your strategy for the circumstances, right, because that was that's
a very unique set of circumstances whereby you you have
been kind of wronged in a way where someone's angry.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And I was, I was emotionalless because I had already
lost out on that property, so I kind of disconnected
with it. So I didn't I had nothing to lose.
And also it was a little bit if I can
like it's pissed off or swear word, it is, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
It's probably okay, okay, I mean you've said it now,
so it's too late.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So I kind of wanted a bit of revenge. And
she was horrified that I. Every time she called me,
I was just going My offers were getting Lawa and Laura,
and eventually I don't know how, but I think it
was approaching the end of the financial year. This person
needed to sell, and I there were no other buyers.
I think she must have done annoyed everyone else, and
(15:16):
I was the only one willing to come back to
negotiate again, and I bought really well well done.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
That's a that's one of those ones where the agent
may not have done the right thing by the by
their client. Yeah, that's that's a. That's a tough one.
So clearly haggling works right, and it can work from
everything from like an electrical appliance right through to property
and property. We haven't talked enough about that, but that
(15:44):
is a big area where there is really no fixed price.
That and a property negotiation that is one big haggle.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yeah, I mean that's a lot of my games and
reading people. It's like, you know, poker game almost just
don't really know what's how many other people are really involved.
It's it was very daunting at the time what I
was doing, and it was a big risk and it
could have backfired on me again. But anyway, not this time.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
When you're haggling, then if we take from that is
the key to it as well, being willing to walk
away if you don't if you don't get where you
need to be, that you are not so emotionally invested
in whatever the purchase is that you are willing to
walk away if you don't quite get what you need.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yes, as I said, those financial boundaries are there for
your protection. And it's like houses and partners, there's always
going to be another one out there for you.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Hang on, did you just put Tom on notice?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Here?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Tom?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
But you know what, there's plenty more fish lift in
the sea, is really what I'm going to say. No,
I am a very happy, stable relationship with the home.
Making him sound indispensable, but it's not the end of
the world, like there will be other opportunities you will
be able to find another with amazing formats like It's
(17:04):
you can get yourself into a bit of a bit
of a hole if you think like I'm never going
to get that opportunity ever again.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Yeah, no, that is a good point. Let's bring it
back down to and every day and every day No
like every day even cars aren't in every day purchase,
but yeah, everyday kind of thing. Can you negotiate on
things like your energy bill, your phone plan, your internet
those kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Hello, have you not been listening or ever doing frugal
February with me? Where every single year or the month
of February, I call everybody up. I even have their number,
not in speed dial, but I have their numbers programs
to my phone and a note against the phone number
of my account number. I call them every year and say,
do you have any better plans? I'm thinking of changing,
I'm thinking of leaving. You know, I'm going to tie
(17:47):
a budget, this other subscriptions will changes I can make
to my account. And I do this every single year,
and I think one year I saved over two hundred
dollars a month at least on my energy bill.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
My gas bill, just by calling up and asking.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
One phone call and they were very happy to give
me those savings. I didn't even have to haggle that hard. Yeah, Foxtel,
they see my number.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
February and know that you're about to threaten to leave.
But the things you have to be willing to go
through with it.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yes, and you know, out of the blue they pull
a rabbit out of the hat and oh look we'll
give you three three three months.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Okay, very quickly, because we are running out of time.
When we're dealing with retail things. Are there better times
a year or even times a day where you're more
likely to get a better deal? Kind of Is it
around the Black Friday sales that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Yes, like Black Friday, Boxing Day, in a Mother's day.
I mean there's there's a sale every three point two
five weeks. So literally, if you want something and you
can't haggle for it in a shop because it's not appropriate,
you just wait it will be on sale. And we've
done lots of episodes about you know, subscribing, getting you know,
ten percent of your first order, or free shipping. There's
lots of different things you can do so, you know,
(19:04):
you just sometimes yes, might be patient and need to
be a little bit more flexible. But all these savings
really do add up.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
One last one and this is probably the one where
you This has become a bigger category of haggling, I
would say, in recent years, buying secondhand, buying pre loved
things like Facebook Marketplace. How do you approach approach negotiating
the price without offending the seller? Because this is not
(19:33):
a professional salesperson who is expecting you to come in
and haggle on a car or a TV. This is
just like you or me selling something, And how do
you deal with that without getting offended or without being offensive?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well, I don't think you should assume, because you're not
a salesperson that someone's not going to haggle. Of course,
if you're selling something on Facebook, Marketplace or Gumtree or
eBay or deepop, I expect to be haggled. Yeah, I
think it's a sort of part and parcel.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
But fortunately it's all happening online, so it's slightly slightly impersonal.
You can actually just do it.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Via the app, so it's the same approach, you know, warm, polite, courteous,
So you know this looks absolutely fantastic. What sort of
condition is it in? And then you say to them, look,
would you consider this price if I can come and
collect today. Now that means you're being really respectful. It
shows that you are a serious buyer. You're being polite,
(20:29):
so you know they can say no, it's perfectly fine.
You've created that sort of space. You're not domineering. And
the benefit was when you say I'll come and grab
it today or I can pay for it today, I will.
I've sold lots of things online when someone says I'll
come and grab it today, even if I'm selling it
for a little bit less than what I would like
to great, get it out, get out of the help
(20:52):
me create the space, the order, the tidiness in my
home again, and I'm happy to let that go to
another home as well. But same rules apply. You can
you can haggle, and even if it's a look, there
are quite a few others online as well where I
can pick up across the other side of the suburb
of the same price or for a bit cheaper. But
I like the look of yours, or your color is
probably better for my home, you know, open up the conversation,
(21:15):
you never never know, and if you don't ask.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
You don't get great advice, terrifying advice for anyone who
doesn't like confrontation. This is a hard process, but as
you've said, it doesn't need to be confrontational. It is
just a conversation and a lot of the time it
is just it is just business.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Exactly, Okay. And if anyone would like to employ my services,
I just drop me a line. I consider you my
rate card negotiating including properties.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Can you imagine sending you in to negotiate? That would
be amazing?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I god, it was soone fun.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, a new revenue stream sight hustle.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
All right. If anybody wants to legitimately get more information
about anything that we've talked about, they find you on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Instagram at Canna Campbell Official or sugar Ma my TV.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
And you can hear me every day with Sean Aylmer
on Fear and Greed business News. You can use. Thank
you for listening to how do they afford that? Remember
to hit follow on the podcast. And the best thing
you can do is tell somebody else send them this
episode and help spread the word about how do they
afford that, thank you for your company, Join us again
next week.
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