Negotiation Tips For Your
Cheap Wedding
Being British, we don’t really have a culture of negotiating, but if you want a cheap wedding you’ve got to be prepared to do a bit of bartering.
As a nation, we don’t like to make too much of a fuss, so we tend to accept what we’re told, including the price tag.
With everything in life, most things are up for negotiation, you’ve just got to ask! In this article, I outline some tips to help you negotiate with your cheap wedding suppliers.
Preparation is key
First of all, you’ve got to know what you want and how much you have to spend. This comes back to setting your wedding budget, until you’ve done this, you won’t know how much flexibility you have.
When you know what your budget is, you can then do a fact finding mission about your product or service. You need to find out how much the market value of the product or service is and what’s offered at that price. It’s essential that you do this, so you can compare similar products.
This is really important as it will make you sound confident in front of the suppliers and is the basis for any negotiation.
Getting in front of suppliers
One of the best ways to get a better price and make the negotiation process easier is to develop a relationship with your supplier. You can do this easily by smiling, greeting them politely, complementing them on their store or service and generally making a bit of conversation. Don’t forget – always smile.
Relationships are very important in negotiation as people tend to help those that they like. It’s not essential to strike up a conversation, but it will help when you’re asking them to give you money off a little later on. It will also make you feel more at ease in the situation and therefore more confident.
Think about your language
When it comes to getting a deal for your cheap wedding, language is very important. There are some simple basic things you must do:
- Avoid asking questions that provide a ‘no’ response that use negative language.
- You can’t do a deal on that, can you?
- I don’t suppose you could work within my budget?
- Use language that encourages a ‘yes’ response and use a plural to include the supplier.
- Can we do a deal on that? (They won’t want to say ‘no’).
- Are you flexible?
- Use positive statements such as:
- ‘If the price is right, I’ll buy today’
- ‘You can do better than that’
- ‘We can do a deal on that’
- Don’t ask if you can do something, assume you can and ask how you go about doing it.
- Don’t use this: Can I have ribbon with that?
- Instead use: How much ribbon is included with that?
Tips and tricks of negotiation
When you’re negotiating, it’s important to get in front of the right person. The guy on the shop floor may not have the authority to give discounts, so try to speak to someone more senior that will be able to help.
Think about how flexible you can be with the negotiation of your cheap wedding. Just because you’re negotiating, doesn’t mean that you should try to win hand over fist. You may end up with an unhappy supplier that gives you a sub-standard service because you battled him down on price. It’s important therefore, that you both come out as winners from the negotiation.
Find out if the price includes VAT, delivery, service charges etc. These are all things that you need make sure are included as part of your budget, and if they’re not, they you may need to negotiate them.
Generally, most suppliers will be able to move on their price a couple of times, so don’t always accept the first price you’re given. Sometimes, if you work hard, using phrases like ‘you can do better than that’ or ‘Classic Wedding Supplies can do it £XXX’, you’ll probably find the price comes down further.
Negotiating isn’t always about price
You can custom negotiate anything, even when the service or product seems set in stone. If the supplier wants your business, then they’ll be willing to accommodate you (just don’t turn into bridezilla with too many demands!).
Wedding packages are perfect example of something that’s negotiable. You could negotiate on the package by removing certain elements, exchanging elements or even adding elements in. You’re not changing the price, just what’s included.
If you’re working to a fixed amount of money and you know the supplier’s service is more than that (e.g. a particular venue you’re interested in). Tell them your budget and ask them what they can do within it. You can then get additional elements thrown in to meet your requirements.
Asking about extras
If your supplier won’t budge on their price, then ask if they can add something in as a sweetener. Free delivery, favours, table decorations, ribbons, toastmaster, upgrade on the wine – anything you can think of! Value-adds are all part of the negotiation process.
What if it all goes wrong?
If you’re negotiating a deal for your cheap wedding and the supplier isn’t interested, then move on. There are plenty of other suppliers out there! Just make sure you practice lots before you meet the important one. In fact, why not start today and try negotiating on the next thing you need to buy!
You can find out more about how to save on your wedding in my eBook Negotiate Your Way To A Cheap Wedding.
Related articles:
Golden Rules Of Sticking To Your Wedding Budget
The 5 Biggest Wedding Budget Traps
The 7 Sins Of Wedding Planning
Why Selecting The Right Supplier Is Important
Cheap Wedding Tips To Cut Your Budget
How To Set Up Your Wedding Budget
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