Why Do Some Cultures Have To Negotiate?

3rd Quarter 2007
By: Michael Soon Lee, MBA, CSP
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Did you ever notice that some cultures just seem to have to negotiate every transaction – big or small? You might even tell them that the price of your product or service isn’t negotiable and yet they still persist?

There are two types of countries in the world – negotiating and non-negotiating. The United States is a non-negotiating country where we only regularly bargain over the very largest purchases such as cars and houses because here money is relatively plentiful while time is a scarce commodity. In fact, we have a saying that "Time is money". We wouldn’t bother to haggle for an hour to save ten dollars because it just isn't worth our time.

Yes, most of the world is composed of negotiating countries where money is scarce but time is relatively plentiful. In places like Asia, India, Latin America, the Middle East and elsewhere saving ten dollars is significant because it can make the difference between a family eating well and starving so negotiating is not only important - it is essential.

When people from negotiating cultures come to America they bring a negotiating mindset with them and if we want their business we must learn to bargain more effectively. There are many ways to improve your negotiating skills such as taking a class or just going out and practicing. You can get started by going to garage sales and becoming comfortable with the process and then graduate to flea markets where the sellers are more experienced. Then haggle at establishments where prices are not commonly hard-and-fast like antique and collectable stores. The masters' course is going to places where prices are generally fixed and trying your negotiating skills. The doctoral level is bargaining over cars and houses where the stakes can be very high.

If you want to get as good at negotiating as an Asian or Hispanic you must get out into the real world and practice every day just like they do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Soon Lee, MBA, is the author of the new book, Black Belt Negotiating (AMACOM Books, 2007), a world class negotiator and martial artist. He has bargained on everything from major real estate purchases to discounts on gas for his car. Michael shows people how to use martial arts secrets to gain leverage in any bargaining situation.

Michael@EthnoConnect.com 
www.EthnoConnect.com  

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