In my book The Ultimate Gentleman: The Handbook, I suggest 10 things every man should learn before he reaches 25 years old. Listed at No.5 is “How to Negotiate”. Negotiating is something that most people don't like to do. If you know how to negotiate you can save yourself a lot of money.
Your ability to negotiate is key to both your personal and business success. You can always get a better deal if you know how to improve your interpersonal skills. You never need to settle for less or feel dissatisfied with the result of any negotiation. The secret to negotiating is to understand that there is almost always a way to get better terms or prices, whether you are a buyer or seller. Your job is to find that way.
Part I: Negotiate with Landlords
Being a tenant is not always easy for everyone. It is a situation that you sometimes must deal with carefully. It is not always easy to get things done the way that you want them or to have them accomplished in a timely manner. It is necessary at times to compromise certain things and deal with them as they go. Negotiating is something that a tenant may have to do so that they get what they need.
Negotiating with a landlord about certain problems is going to be one goal that you must know about. Learning how to talk and how to get what you want is going to be important. Having the ability to learn and use your resources to get what you are looking for is something that you must be willing to do. Not all landlords are so eager to give in to certain things. This is the reason why it is important to negotiate in the right direction.
Problems can happen to any property at any time. It makes no difference if you rent or own. However, if you are renting you should not be expected to pay for certain problems that are not your fault. For example, if your heat goes out of if you have a constant leak in your roof, you need to call on the landlord to have these repairs fixed. However, if you are the cause of the problem such as breaking a window, you may be responsible for fixing the damage that you have caused.
Getting your landlord to fix your problems may not always be so easy. Of course, it is their job to fix any reported problems in a timely manner. If they do not you may have the right to turn them into the housing authority and they may face serious trouble if they do not comply with your requests. However, if the problems are minor, they may have more time to worry about getting them repaired.
Being nice to your landlord is one thing that you may want to consider. It is true that you can catch more flied with honey than vinegar. If you build up a good relationship with your landlord, you may find that when you do have a problem you are able to negotiate better and get the problem resolved faster than if you were to rant and rave about the issue.
Getting on your landlord’s good side is always a plus. Make sure that you are talking to them when necessary about problems and even when there is not a problem, you may want to simply converse with them about small talk. Ask them about their family and be sincere. If you are building up a good relationship with your landlord, you may just find that problems are not so hard to fix when they come about.
Remember it is always a good idea to stay current with your rent. Make sure that you are paying on time and if you are going to be late, you should discuss this with the landlord before the due date. This way you are not making it seem like you are trying to avoid them or paying the rent. Usually landlords are a little easier to get along with when you are up front and honest with them about your financial situation. Most of the time, they are understanding and will give you some slack on this issue. However, negotiating is going to be something that you must become good at and once you do you may find that it is easier to get things done and fixed faster and easier than ever before.
In part 2 of The Gentleman's Guide to Negotiating, we'll take a look at how to negotiate with your family members, and keep the peace.
Comments