An Everyday Negotiations Story

Posted under Negotiating

Negotiating on the fly can bring some unexpected results. It got me out of a sticky situation recently.

The Cop

About six weeks ago, I went through a yellow light on my way home. As I usually do, I watched the light carefully through the intersection to make sure it didn’t turn red. I also noted my speed: 38 mph in a 35 mph zone. This was especially important because a police car was stopped in the intersection to my right.

What I didn’t realize was that he was set on following me. I went south on Penn Ave. for three blocks and turned left as I normally do onto my home street. At the first stop sign after turning left, I made a rolling half-stop, saw that no one was coming at me from either the right or the left, and went through the intersection.

Then I noticed the flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. The conversation through my window went like this:

Cop: Let me see your driver’s license and insurance information.

Me: Here’s my license. I have some old insurance information here. Give me a moment to get my laptop out, since my updated insurance information is on it.

Cop: No, that won’t be necessary. I pegged you going through a red light. You also needed to make a complete stop at that stop sign.

Me: Actually, the light was yellow. I watched it as I went through the intersection.

Cop: Well, you were going kind of fast. You had enough time to stop.

Me: You’re right. I did have enough time to stop. I was going at 38. What’s the speed limit on this road, 35? [Cop nods] So I was speeding a little bit.

Cop: Where do you live?

Me [pointing forward]: About two blocks that way.

Cop: Give me a minute. [Returns to his car and spends about five minutes there before coming back] I’m going to write you up for three violations: Disregarding a red light, disregarding a stop sign, and failure to show proof of insurance.

Me [frustrated]: Well, I do have proof of insurance right here. It’s on my laptop. I can also go home and get it. It’s only two blocks away!

Cop: No; that will be too much trouble. If you show proof of insurance later when you go to pay the ticket, they’ll forgive the fine. And I won’t write you up for disregarding the stop sign.

Me: All right. Thank you. You know that I was watching that light all the way through the intersection, right? It didn’t turn red.

Cop: The light turned green for me while you were still going through the intersection.

Me: I understand what you saw, and I’m not disputing that. But I also know what I saw, and that light did not turn red. I don’t know how I could prove that to you unless I carried a video camera in my car. Would you mind please changing that to “disregarding a yellow light?”

Cop: [Crossing off ‘red’ on the ticket and writing ‘yellow’] All right.

Me: Thank you. I appreciate it. That is a fair charge, since I did have enough time to stop when I saw the light turn yellow.

The Result

I realized later that I did have a new insurance card in my laptop bag. I’d placed it there a few days ago because my insurance had rolled over for another year. I’d just forgotten to transfer the card from the laptop bag to my glove compartment.

I called my lawyer to figure out what to do, and he told me that I needed to show proof of insurance within 48 hours in order to avoid the fine. I missed the deadline by one day, and even though I asked for the fine to be forgiven due to lack of knowledge on my part, the judge would not do it.

Here’s the amazing part: My lawyer did some research and found out that disregarding a yellow light is not a ticketable offense in Oklahoma City. When I showed up, I found out that the judge had voided the ticket before I even showed up. After calling my name, she said, “Get this man his [bond] money back.”

I asked my lawyer, “Was that you?” He said that he had nothing to do with my great turn of fortunes. According to him, I’m the first of his clients who’s ever had a ticket voided in that way.

What to Take Away

Negotiation works! Here are some of the lessons I took away from this experience:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for something you want. Even if you’re asking a cop.
• It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask in a nice, appreciative way.
• Pick your battles. It helps to make concessions, especially where you know you’re wrong.
• Be honest. Even the person you’re negotiating with will want to help you if you’re honest. The alternative for him is to distrust everything you say, an attitude that most people don’t like to have.
• It can help to let the other person believe he’s in control. The cop and the judge held all the cards, yet I could have avoided all three of the fines if I had known to show proof of insurance within the 48-hour deadline. You don’t have to be a control freak to get what you want.
• Trust God. Not every situation works out the way we want, but sometimes we’re handed an unexpected surprise.

Conclusion

Since negotiation doesn’t have to be mean, immoral, or controlling, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. As investors, we can buy right without compromising our principles. Now get out there and do it!