5 Negotiation Tips That Helped Reduce My Internet Bill by 20%

If you are reading this, I guess you are tired of the internet bill getting hefty every year. I know it has been a hassle, especially with the current rate of inflation we are dealing with in the US. I was on the same boat as yours. But then I went full art-of-persuasion mode (a […]

If you are reading this, I guess you are tired of the internet bill getting hefty every year. I know it has been a hassle, especially with the current rate of inflation we are dealing with in the US.

I was on the same boat as yours. But then I went full art-of-persuasion mode (a book on negotiation that you should read) with my dependable internet provider in my area, and reduced my internet bill significantly.

How did I do that? What lessons from the book did I actually apply and achieve results?

I will share them all with you. Just stick around for a while and keep on reading.

1. Do Your Homework

The first step for an effective negotiation is knowing what you want and what others are offering (very important). So, go on and surf the internet, call the providers, and find the best internet deal.

It is easier said than done, though. Let me explain why: the first thing is that you might find a great promotional plan from a competitor, but such plans are usually location-locked. In simple words, if you live in Kansas City, you might not be able to get that plan because it is just for the customers in New York City.

On top of that, if you live in an apartment, there is a chance that the apartment owner has signed a contract for the whole apartment for internet service. You won’t be able to switch the provider unless that contract is sorted. So, keep that in mind.

I am assuming that you find a good deal elsewhere, but you don’t have to accept the deal because switching internet providers is a big hassle. Been there, done that! What you should do is call your internet provider and explain to them what you are going through when it comes to the internet bill.

After your call is connected…

2. Be Friendly

This is one of the tricks I learned in the art of persuasion book.

Once your call is connected to your provider, talk to the agent in a friendly way. Also, a pro tip here would be to try to put yourself in the agent’s shoes. You will understand them better. And when you understand them better, you will naturally be more friendly and understanding.

That doesn’t mean you should just accept whatever they are saying. This trick is to overcome that barrier, so that you can convey your frustrations to them.

Start with asking how they are doing, what they are up to, and stuff to overcome the barrier.

Once you have overcome that barrier…

3. Highlight Your Loyalty

This is the time to flex your negotiation skills. How can you initiate the negotiation phase?

Once they have said everything, you will have the mic. Start by highlighting how loyal you have been to the company: you can mention the long period you have stayed with the company, avoiding late payments, and stuff like that.

This will likely work, and they will present you with an offer slightly higher than what you’ve asked. If they won’t, they will likely transfer your call to the loyalty department.

The loyalty department will (again) give you an offer, but…

4. Do Not Accept the First Offer

I have worked in the sales team, and we are taught to offer slightly higher than what the customers are asking. But that’s not the main goal of the loyalty team.

Then what is it?

It is to keep the customers loyal.

So, if you want to get the offer you actually want, don’t just accept the first one. Since their goal is to keep you, they will likely call you, and they will then offer you what you want.

The bottom line is that do not fall for the first offer. You will be tempted to accept it, but just don’t.

If you don’t receive a call back…

5. Try Again

It isn’t 100% that they will call you back because they are limited to give exact offers the customers wanted (after all, the providers are there to make money).

So, does that mean you should call them back?

Yes, you can, and in my opinion, you should call them. Why is that important?

There are high chances that your call would be picked up by some other agent who is less rigid. So, try everything you did in the first call again with a different agent. I know it’s kind of manipulative, but hey, we all want to reduce our internet bill. So, the dirty work is necessary.

All in all, these are the tips that have given me fruitful results. If you want to add another valuable tip, please drop it in the comments. I would love to read and incorporate them in the next update.