When yes comes too fast, you start looking for the catch
When I bought my last truck, I thought I had a pretty solid plan. By using my negotiating system to manage my behavior, I’ve gotten pretty good at making car deals.
I’d done my research, looked at comps online, and had a number in mind. To try to get there, I needed to start lower, of course. Not so low they’d laugh me out, but low enough to trigger a counter. .
Some people say if you’re not at least a little embarrassed by your first offer, it isn’t low enough.
So I threw it out there.
He went to go “ask his manager.” Everyone has seen that part of the game, so I sat there waiting for them to come back and tell me how bad my offer was.
But what happened?
They said yes. And asked me to sign.
No pushback. No “let me check with my manager” round two. Not even a fake sigh.
Just yes.
Instead of feeling like I won, I immediately thought: I must’ve gone too high.
I even said to the guy, “You made that too easy. Now I’m not sure I didn’t mess up.”
He just laughed.
Looking back, I probably did okay. This was during the supply crunch, and this was one of the only trucks I could find with the equipment I wanted that wasn’t $80K or more. And I love the truck, might be my favorite yet.
But it didn’t feel like a win. It felt like I misplayed it.
That’s the thing about negotiation, it’s not just numbers. It’s psychology.
The funny part? If they’d pushed back a little, I would’ve come up some.
And felt better about the deal.
There’s a lesson in there.
If you want to learn how I approach deals, whether it’s land, trucks, or anything else, I’ll be sharing the books that helped shape my system soon. You’ll want to read them.
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