The more time a buyer can spend with a seller limits the seller’s time and in turn limits the number of exposures. As time passes, the seller realizes that he has an investment in terms of time and exposures and therefor tries harder to close the deal.

I’ve seen this be more effective with big ticket items. The time remains a constant, but the number of potential exposures diminishes with the diminishing number of buyers available at higher price levels.

The other aspect of negotiating is that the seller tries to lessen time spent by qualifying a potential buyer. The seller tries to determine if the buyer has the means and the motivation to buy. There have been as many books written about qualifying a buyer as about negotiating a purchase.

Several thoughts. First, Reading is good, especially for people who enjoy travel.

Second, a few authors have written what I call historical fiction. They weave a fictitious plot or story into a background of real historical settings and events. The end result is a pleasurable read and an almost unconscious knowledge of some real history. James Michener is a favorite. Sandy started my passion for Wilbur Smith novels. A current favorite is Jeff Shaara. An old friend is Louis L’Amour. Each has a knowledge of particular historical eras and events.

Third, as with historical fiction, many authors of technical and business books are incorporating fiction as a way to make difficult concepts more understandable and acceptable to the masses. Wilbur Smith, who has written historical fiction about Africa, was recently asked to write a series of books about archeological discoveries. When he responded that he didn’t write non-fiction, especially about subjects that might appeal only to academics, he received an interesting response.

The response was that if the archeological subjects were written as purely academic journals, only a minor fraction of the worlds readers would ever know of the important history revealed by the new discoveries. If Mr. Smith were to write of those discoveries, using his approach to historical fiction, millions of readers would not only learn of the discoveries, but may develop a real interest in the history of the country where the discoveries were made.

The request to Mr. Smith was made by the head government archeologist for the country of Egypt. The discoveries were of before unknown pharaohs whose reigns filled gaps in the history of Egypt. Normally a little boring, but not when Mr.Smith finished his trilogy.

Keep reading!

Ocho, in a way, we’ve put ourselves in a bit of a pickle, where we’re so strong that we’re expected to help everyone monetarily, and at the same time, that aid is probably also a bit of a retainer for that country to help us out in the future in whatever way we’d like (World Bank, Confessions of an Economic Hitman?)—yet, our addiction to printing and throwing money at any and all problems, thereby devaluing the currency, is catching up to us.

The Peace Corps teaches and organizes programs, but a lot of the countries we help have cultural differences so great that their problems can’t be overcome with money. I really wonder, for instance, what will become of Haiti, say ten years from now. They’re trying to raise nearly a trillion dollars to rebuild, but then what?

You mention dependency. I think that’s right on, and is the same argument people make for domestic welfare/social programs. There’s a really slippery slope between helping people up, and giving them a free hand out.