Negotiation Process - Essay Example

I have always been interested in purchasing a play station all my life. However, my parents have never supported this idea and have always discouraged it since they believe it will affect my study habits. Two days ago I visited a shop in town so that I could know the price of the PlayStation. The amount of money I had was far much below the average cost of the PlayStation. However, I wanted to know the minimum price of the PlayStation and hence I had to bargain as if I was ready to purchase.

I visited a Chinese-owned shop in town that had one white and two Chinese attendants.Based on the studies in this course, I knew that the marked price on most items not always its fixed price. Therefore, I was ready to negotiate with the seller so that they could reduce the price. Moreover, I knew that there would be a certain price that the seller would not go below if the item has to remain profitable. I also understood that for the negotiation process to be successful I had to be flexible, and I had to communicate effectively so that at the end the price agreed would be a win-win situation.

Upon entering the shop, I was welcomed by the young white lady. She looked jovial, and she directed me to the counter selling PlayStation. The person in charge was a Chinese old man who looked very serious. He had a Chinese accent and struggled to speak English fluently. However, he was willing to explain the functionality of the PlayStation and the available different types. Due to his poor English, I did not understand all that he said. I immediately asked for the price. He stated the price and we began negotiation.

Due to his serious nature, he was not really interested in negotiating. His attitude put me off, and I called the young white lady. She explained to me again, and I even realized that the PlayStation we were negotiating on was not exactly what I wanted. She showed me another machine, and we began discussing the price. She was very flexible and convincing. She maintained her positive attitude. Being of the same age group we found it easy to agree on things. Although I did not purchase the item, we came to an agreement of a favorable price for both of us, and I promised to purchase the item once I have all the cash.

Initially, she had said that the price for the play station was 460 USD. However, after negotiating, the final price for the PlayStation was 380USD which is relatively much lower.I learnt that language and ease of communication was a very important factor while negotiating. Moreover maintaining a positive attitude all through the negotiation process helps in coming to a consensus (Churchman 45). I also realized that I failed to hide my extreme desire to purchase the item while negotiating with the Chinese man and he hence thought I was desperate for the item.

The seller should always be highly informed. Were it not for the lady, I probably would have purchased the wrong item. The seller and the buyer should be fully informed about the product in order to ease the negotiation process. I realized that I am strong negotiator since the price we agreed on was half the original price stated. However, I have a weakness of not hiding my strong desire to purchase an item. Showing high interest on a product creates an impression of desperation and it reduces the likelihood of the seller reducing their process further.

Probably had I not shown extreme interest the final price would have been maybe even lower.Works CitedChurchman, David. Negotiation: Process, Tactics, Theory. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1995. Print.