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Lesson learned.

June 7, 2011

My new car is great! I got all the little stuff fixed and I’m loving it! Especially the fact that it has a cassette deck! (I know, how 80’s!) But, the fact that I probably did pay too much for it was rolling around in my head for days. Then I finally figured out why. I have mostly been someone who shies away from confrontation. I was raised in a family that didn’t do conflict so I simply never learned how to navigate it. When it comes to business, I always equated negotiation with confrontation. It feels like me coming up against someone else and they always have the power position because they have something I want. I am aware of the irony that I also have something they want (my money), but I never looked at it like that until now. It seems like both situations would be full of emotional stuff flying back and forth. But what if I could look at negotiation as an emotionally neutral transaction? Then it’s not me against them, it’s simply two people who both have something to gain from trying to figure out a win/win solution. Now that sounds more like cooperation than confrontation!

I feel sorry for the next guy I buy a car from!