Chapter 22
The Deliberate Mistake
The Deliberate Mistake is a very unethical tactic, and, as with any con job, it requires a victim who also lacks ethics. The seller baits the hook when she prepares a proposal and deliberately leaves out or under-prices one of the elements. This could be the car salesperson who runs a tape on the cost of the car, but includes only the price of a CD player, when the car also has an MP3 auxiliary jack. If the buyer takes the bait, he starts thinking that he now has an opportunity to put one over on the car salesperson. He becomes eager to close the deal before the salesperson spots the mistake. This eagerness makes the buyer a sloppy negotiator, and he may end up paying more for the car than if he had pointed ...