It's all about timing
"It's all about timing..", we've heard of this a number of times from successful people. Either after closing a big deal, getting a promotion, getting a "yes" from a girl they have been pursuing for quite a while..so many achievements that people attribute it mostly on timing.
How true is this? I have been experimenting on this in a number of situations and it does prove some truth to people attributing their success and achievement from this. One is just very recent where I wanted to have someone do some landscaping at this new house that I bought. I got to bring a potential contractor to the house and discussed what we want, what he thinks would look good, etc. We parted ways with him coming back to us within the day on the quote for the work he will do in the house. Within the next 2.5hrs, he came back and quoted the landscaping work for P86k. I was shocked! So shocked that I was already leaning on dropping him and start looking for another contractor.
Then it hit me:
1. This guy has done this a number of times, so he is approaching this as a businessman and will start at a very high price (with the expectation that I will negotiate and ask for a discount);
2. He saw my car, so he knows my capacity to pay;
3. He saw the house (obviously), and I am sure he has seen different types of houses and more or less has an idea how much it would cost.
The good thing about the entire chat we had was he was already giving bits and pieces of the cost for each phase of the work he will be doing for us: the front portion of the house where we'll also put a grotto, the sides pocket garden and the one at the back. So if I do the math for each of those, and did the assumptions for each of the areas where he will put plants, etc which I have also asked his assistant for the price of each, P86k was extremely high!
So told him right away that I only have P40k as a budget for this. He replied almost immediately saying that that only covers half of what he will be doing, but he can lower down the price to P70k. It was still extremely high! But instead of replying as fast as he did when I told him my budget, I paused and informed him instead that my wife and I will talk about it first.
I took my time, collected my thoughts, gathering information where I can about this project. After 5hours, I told him that I can only spend P50k. This was around 930pm and our last chat was around 4pm. I am sure between 4pm to 930pm at one point or two, he was thinking about what my wife and I could be talking about. He was anticipating that I might say yes to the P70k and he could also be anticipating that I will ask for a further discount.
When I told him that I can only spend for P50k, he replied that he will bring the price down to P60k and that's the last reduction he can do. I didn't reply. I timed my response at 930pm just when (I think) he is about to sleep which will make him uneasy for sure. And furthermore, when I didn't reply to his P60k "final" offer I am sure this was making him crazy. I slept it off as well. I was leaning towards replying to this offer before I go to sleep so that he sees my message when he wakes up, but then again, what difference will that do to him in his decision in further down bringing down the price vs sending him a message early in the morning.
The following day, as soon as I woke up I sent him a message and told him that I can only do P50k and will bring the money that same day if he is ok with it. After about 3-4hrs (I was assuming he was busy with a current project he is working on), he replied agreeing to my amount and that we should talk about it at his place. I said OK..but I didn't go, yet. I wanted to make sure I make him feel even more uneasy on the work he will be doing for me.
However, I am also sensitive to the fact that as I bring down his rate more and more, he might start giving me bad products for my landscape...so I cannot let him wait and expect too long because he might start being 'creative' on the work he will do to me.