In chapter 5, Mr. Wattles tells us we do not have to drive sharp bargains. Then, in chapter 6 he reminds us that "I do not mean that you do not have to drive any bargains at all..."

A little more than a week ago, my business partner and I met with our commercial landlord to see about the possibility of redrawing our lease and moving into a much smaller commercial unit (about half the current size of our office/warehouse).

As we discussed the matter, I thought of Mr. Wattles' advice, and after discussing our options in moving to a new unit, I asked the landlord/owner if he would agree to simply lower our our existing lease payment. He asked me for a number, which I promptly gave. No stress ...it was more a matter of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

He worked the numbers for a few minutes, then countered with an offer that was quite fair (a little higher than what I had suggested). I immediately accepted his offer. All of this was easy, and there was no competitiveness about it (and believe me I know what competitive looks like. I have been in MANY competitive meetings in the last forty years).

Within 48 hours the deal was signed, delivered, and put in place.

Today I got a call from this man's assistant telling me that since the lease payment had been lowered, there were other monies in our account that also needed to be adjusted ...downward. The additional savings was $371.

That may not seem like much, but it was frosting on the cake. All this was done without stress, anxiety, or strong-arming.

I could have given ultimatums, threats, and the like (as could the landlord, for that matter), but I just rested in the outcome being good, and lo and behold, it was.

Our business is in the highly competitive sales field, and the thought of growing our business with a creative rather than a competitive mindset is radical, to say the least. But each day I'm learning. Better said, each day I'm "resting" in the creative mind. And some days, well, I am just amazing myself.

Thom

Having been in real estate (realtor) for the last three years, I can really appreciate this story Thom. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, Thom. Thanks for sharing. It mirrors experiences I've been having for weeks.

Here's an example:
I bought the business from my former boss. She wanted out, and I wanted to run it differently (desperately differently.) So we came to an agreement. Part of the agreement was that she got to keep using a storage area that is in the back of the facility. This was a bit inconvenient for me as it meant that she retained full access to the entire building, but I was locked out of the area that she was using. Also, that left me a little cramped for storage space.

If this sounds a little unfair to you, you are not alone, practically everyone who knew about it thought it was crazy, but it was a deal breaker for her, so I put up with it.
Also, this isn't the only aspect of the deal that's like that. After discovering SOGR, I decided that I was absolutely not going to fight with her about anything. I would give her all that she asked for and more, and trust to the universe to provide all that I needed.

Last week, during a staff meeting, this subject came up and I commented that it would be lovely if she simply decided that her life would be more convenient if she stored her things elsewhere. Monday, she called and said that over the next couple of weeks, she'll be moving most of her things out and I'll be able to have access to that area.

I love it when things work out!

Rachel