This story starts a few weeks ago with a seemingly simple task: booking a hotel room.
With a local Milwaukee event kicking off (and an office full of coworkers that I really enjoy and don’t see nearly as often as I’d like to), I took to my usual go-to travel sites and started hunting for availability for a week.
$249.00 a night?!
$315.00 a night, not including taxes and fees?! What in the absolute heck, I wondered.
Convention? Some kind of festival? Milwaukee is a happening city in the summer, but this seemed extreme. As it turns out, I’d neglected to notice several months back that my trip dates mirrored one tiny event happening not too far from our corporate offices: the US Open.
I didn’t need to be a Rory McIlroy fan girl to know that this was kind of a big deal – and I’d probably be sleeping under my desk if I didn’t act. Quickly.
Immediately, I sent an email to a hotel we use at least a dozen times a year when our customers come to visit, and where we also happen to have a pretty killer corporate rate. The good news? They still had a few rooms available. The bad news? A strict rate blackout.
Having spent more than a few years in the “you’ll never get what you don’t ask for” school of thought, I picked up the phone.
“Hi, Carol? Jennifer here. I’m hoping you can help me…” 
“I completely understand the reason for the policy, Carol, and it’s all well and good that you ONLY enact this type of blackout twice a year…”
“Well, what happens if you don’t sell these rooms? Call me crazy, but wouldn’t it be better to have them occupied at a corporate rate than not at all?”
“You guys have been great to work with in the past, but I’m starting to think I might need to look for another hotel partner…”
I think you get the idea of how my conversation went. In the end, Carol offered to escalate my question to her General Manager and get back to me the following morning.
Friday came and went. Monday morning, I left a message for Carol and followed up with an email. Monday afternoon, she apologized for the delay and kindly informed me that her boss’s decision was firm. She was sorry she couldn’t help me.
This experience wasn’t without its frustrations. But, here’s what I learned – and how it’s relevant to any buyer or seller alike:

1. Negotiation is uncomfortable. No, not for everyone, but for many. As a buyer, negotiation is your opportunity to share what’s truly important to you. As a seller, it’s an opportunity to win a customer for life.
2. Even a pushy customer is a customer with a wallet. Was I forward with Carol? Definitely. But did I – and do I – have business to give? Absolutely.
3. Situations blow over – and decision-makers change. In this experience, I didn’t get what I wanted as a customer. Life moves on, and we all survived. Carol’s next boss, though, might feel differently.

For those wondering if I’ll continue to do business with this hotel, the answer? Probably. It’s a unique property and our customers have given some pretty rave reviews. And while I’ll (also probably) be sleeping under my desk next week, it’s well worth being uncomfortable from stepping up – and learning a lesson.

You’ve heard of “playing hardball” – but what about buyer hardball? Last week, the Woman Behind the Curtain played it. And this week, she’s sharing her experience for buyers and sellers alike. Ever had a negotiation go the way you expected – or rather, didn’t? Share it below or with Jennifer directly.