The Smart Way to Close a Sale

Sometime the best defense is a good offense.  Recently Jay, who manages a jewelry store was working with a customer who wanted to purchase two small diamonds for his wife to put in a pendant.  When the man asked the price of the diamonds, each one of which normally sold for $225, Jay told him that his bottom price for the two stones was $400 plus tax.  "I'll give you $400 for them including tax, right now," said the customer.  Jay did not want to lower the price below what he had already said was his bottom figure.  "I'm sorry," he said, "but $400 plus tax is the bast I can do."  "You mean you are going to miss out on this sale over $24?" asked the customer.  "Do you mean you're going to deny your wife these two beautiful diamonds over $24?" countered Jay.  The wife, who had been standing buy during the exchange, looked up at her husband.  "Yes, how about that?" she said.  "Okay,"  said the customer, "make it $400 plus tax."