If you don’t ask you don’t get

If you don’t ask you don’t get!

Are you regularly asking for discounts?  If not, why not?  The worst someone will say is no and it didn’t you cost you anything for asking.   But it could be worth your asking time if the answer is yes.  Think of the possibilities of where you could be saving some money.

Discount on your insurance for loss-free driving and ticket-free driving.  Insurance companies love the squeaky clean driver and sometimes reward you accordingly.

Shop around when looking for an insurance company.  Ask some questions about any discount programs they may have and compare pricing.  It could be worth it to be able to pay your truck insurance on a monthly basis rather than quarterly, semi-annually or annually.  If you are dealing with an Independent Agent, try to get a better deal on insurance by bundling your personal vehicles, motorized toys and home/renters insurance all together for bigger discounts on everything.  Ask other truckers who they have for insurance coverage and whether or not they would recommend them and why.  Most people will gladly share good and bad experiences with companies.  You ultimately decide who is going to get your $$ for coverage.

How about meal discounts?  Take advantage of customer appreciate cards at food stops you frequent.  Some may give you reward $$ that accumulate and others give a free meal after the purchase of others.   Ask the waitress/waiter if they have any program and participate if it’s to your advantage.  Those of you with AARP cards or eligible for the seniors discount, don’t be shy to ask for that discount on your meals.  It all adds up.

I can just hear what you are saying that you can write off your meals.  Maybe so, but we are talking daily out of pocket expenses that you encounter every day.  You decide whether or not you want to keep more of your money right now or wait until the end of the year.  You can still write off your meals, but a little extra cash right now is my first choice.  How about you?

Asking for discounts at big box stores like Wal-Mart doesn’t work so well unless the item is slightly damaged but still usable.  But if you are dealing with a local business, sometimes you can fernagel (negotiate) a better deal by just asking an employee or asking for the manager.

Did you know that the United States is the only country where the people don’t dicker (negotiate) prices with a seller.  True!  Give it a try sometime and tell me about your experiences.

About a year ago my stove quit.  We talked about what I wanted in the next stove and how much we could afford to spend.  And guess what, we found what we were looking for at the price we were willing to pay which was almost half what the stove was originally priced.  Of course the salesman is going to direct you to the more expensive models but we found ours discounted as a floor model and it came with the full one-year warranty which I took advantage of when the oven didn’t heat correctly.  A new “brain” was installed at no cost and everything is now good.  Had we not asked for a better deal, the salesman never would have directed us to the floor models that were for sale.

I am a big Dave Ramsey fan.  If you never heard of him, google the name Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and check him out.  He gives sound money management advice/debt reduction which has helped us and many others we know.  He also teaches asking for discounts and negotiating prices and not to be afraid of walking away.  If someone is eager/commissioned for a sale, they will try to do whatever they can to make that sale.

We at Easy Trucking Software try to help you keep more of your money as well.  We provide a quality product at a reasonable price you pay for only once.  And if you are an OOIDA member, ask me about the discount we offer just for you.  www.easytruckingsoftware.com Get a FREE Trial Download to check us out before you even spend $1 of your money on anything.  www.easyruckingsoftware.com click on Download.

So back to asking for discounts…….like I said earlier, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.  And the worst that could happen is a no.  But the best that could happen is you save some money right now.

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.