In a past career, I learned about a thing called “be-backs.” A “be-back” is when you’re shopping for a product, often in a showroom environment with commissioned salespeople on the floor, and after having a look and thinking it over, you say, “I’ll be back.” Of course, you won’t. You just wanted to try the product out. You’ll either do without it or find a better deal elsewhere, but most of the time, you won’t be back—and the salespeople know it.
This is where high-pressure sales tactics come into play. A skilled salesman will try to offer you some kind of deal. It could be a price break, an extended warranty, or some other freebie. But here’s the catch: you can only get this deal if you say “yes” right now, before you have the chance to reconsider (or shop around). Whatever deal is offered will only be good for that moment in time. If you walk out that door, you’ll never get a deal that good again. In fact, they might even tell you that they won’t let you into that store again.
Don’t fall for it. When you’re in the middle of a high-pressure environment like that, being stared down by a seasoned salesman hungry for a commission, you’re in danger of walking out with an empty wallet, thinking, “But they made it sound so good!” Take the following oath and swear to uphold it, even when it sounds like you’re being offered the deal of a lifetime:
Whenever I’m told that I have to decide right now, the answer is always no.
Read that sentence again and memorize it. Swear to uphold it whenever you’re faced with this situation, and the decision will be easy: NO. The logic is simple when you think about it off the showroom floor. If a deal being offered to you were really that good, there would be no reason to offer it with that kind of pressure. There would be plenty of people willing to come snatch it up. The whole purpose of making you decide to buy on the spot is so you won’t shop around and find a better deal at the store across the street.
Have you ever found a really good, screaming deal? It was probably on the clearance rack, completely hidden from other shoppers, or sitting on Craigslist or at a garage sale, being sold by someone eager to get rid of it. Good deals are bought, not sold. People are always looking for good deals, and they don’t need extra pressure: the price and value alone are enough to draw attention. It’s the bad deals that require gimmicks and heavy pressure to get you to bite, and this applies to all kinds of products, from furniture to life insurance.
So the next time you buy, try to remember: let it be you who finds the item you want and brings it to the register. Don’t get cornered by a shark in a suit smelling the blood of someone who’s just not that sure right this minute.