Yoon evinced a deficit of negotiating skills
in dealing with a member of the rich retired
landed gentry.

I will offer appropriate responses to the
(excellent) negotiating ploys used by the
older gentleman.

> An elderly couple asked me the other day to remove...
> ... a two-year-old colony, alive and kicking.

> I have been charging about $150

        "The price is $150, not including any
        carpentry work required to replace any
        walls that must be removed.  More difficult
        jobs cost more, but I must examine the
        situation before I can tell you if your
        infestation is 'typical' or 'difficult' to
        remove".

> ...man whined that they were on social security
> although he and his wife own 230 acres.

        "Sir, I am sure that you pay good money to
        have your hayfield limed, sprayed, and bushhogged,
      and you would also pay good money if this were any
      OTHER pest infestation.  Call some exterminators,
        and you will find that their prices are much higher
        than mine.  Ask them for references specific to
        bee colony removals.  Would you like my references?"

           Hold the line.  Don't blink first.
         Remind yourself again that HE called YOU.
           Say little, let HIM talk.  He will talk
           himself around to your way of thinking.

> I told him I would charge $50

        Bzzzzt!  I'm sorry, Yoon, but you are out
        of the competition.  We do have some lovely
        parting gifts for you, but you just lost
        at least $100.

           You blinked first.

> The man then said he would rather spray the bees

        "Go ahead Sir, but before you do, I must advise
        you to write down "anaphylactic shock" on a sheet
        of paper and pin it to your shirt so that the
        paramedics and/or coroner will know what caused
        you to be lying on the ground unconscious or dead.
        At your age, I'd guess that about 10 stings will
      send you to the emergency room.  How far are you
      from the closest emergency room?"

          He's BLUFFING!  If he thought he could simply spray
          the bees, why the heck do you think he called you?
          This guy is clearly smart enough to avoid being
          nominated, perhaps posthumously, of a Lifetime
        Achievement Award For Foolishness (LAAFF), so don't
          let him "play" you!

> At this point, I feel I should just call him and do it
> for free to save the bees.

        "Sir, if you disturb the colony or spray pesticides,
        you will make my job much more difficult, and perhaps
        render the salvaged colony useless to anyone.  If I find
      unusual conditions indicative of such homeowner attempts
      to kill bees, and as an expert, I can see the results, my
      price goes up to $250, and I will be forced to note your
      actions in my report to the State Apiary Inspector."

          He has no idea if killing bees is against the law,
          in fact, it appears that even pest control people
          and beekeepers are unsure.  He also has no idea
          what the powers of the Apiary Inspector are.
          When in doubt, up the ante with something like that.
          You say nothing untrue, you make no threat.
          But information is leverage, and he is clueless.

> I really do not like the attitude shown by people
> against the beekeeper.

        Oh, get real.  He was just being "a sharpie", and you
        fell for it.  You've done this before, so you should
        be used to "you get the bees, why do you charge me?"
        question.  My standard response is "if I simply kill
        them, another colony may move in next week, or worse
        yet, you may get a mix of yellowjackets and ants and
        honey dripping into your living room.  Removal of all
      bees and all comb, and sealing entrances is the only
      sure solution.  I MUST remove the bees, and only a
        tiny percentage of wild colonies are disease free, and
      worth anything to me."

> Now if you call an exterminator for other insect problems,
> they will pay nearly $200 without a word of complaint.

        Well, there's your price umbrella.  $150 is therefore
        "a bargain" by comparison, and you have no reason to budge.

        Beekeepers need to play more $100.00 hands of poker
        if they want to learn the "sales process" for bee
        removal.

                jim (Who never blinks, but often winks.)

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