Are there times when saying "NO" is really saying "YES" to what you want?

Several months ago I decided to purchase a 32" television. Actually, I decided I would buy two 32" TV's: one for myself and one for my investment condo.

I searched through the Internet for the best quality and most highly recommended brands. I learned the difference between "plasma," "high definition" and "LCD."

Most importantly, I decided to spend less than $500 for each TV. Now, how I came up with that dollar amount remains a mystery to me. In all my research on the Internet, the lowest price for a 32" LCD TV was $799.

Armed with a little more information about the different types of TV's on the market and with a target price in mind, I started visiting the local electronics and home furnishing stores. My research took more that four months, and there were several times when I almost purchased a 32" LCD TV for more than $500—but I said, "NO. I'm waiting for the price to drop."

A few days ago, I felt the urge to do a little more research. First, I phoned my son-in-law who lives in Alberta, Canada. He's the "gadget guy" in our family and I knew he would recommend the best brand and could probably tell me how to get the best price. Best brand, yes. But the best price he found was the same $799 I had already said "NO" to.

Then, I invited my dad to come with me to a popular electronics store. At the back of the TV section, I found a group of TV's, with prices knocked down to half their original price. A salesman quickly found me and said he could sell me an off-brand 32" LCD TV for $400.

"I want two," I told him.

"Two?" he questioned.

"Yes, I want two 32" LCD TV's."

Believe me; they were selling so fast you had to literally place your hand on the one you wanted! He looked over his list of models and sale prices, then pointed to a 26" brand-name and said, "That's the only one not sold and I can give it to you for $799." It was the exact brand and model my son-in-law had told me to buy. But...the wrong size.

I told him, "NO, I want another 32" TV."

His manager was passing by and overheard me. He said, "There's a 32" LCD on aisle two she can have, if the fellow looking at it doesn't buy it. It's a S_ _ _ _." I headed right for aisle two—confident in my heart it was going to be the precise make, model and size my son-in-law had told me to buy.

The manager whispered something to the salesman—who then said to me, "Today is the last day of our fiscal year and my manager wants every floor model sold. I can sell you this TV for $499.96." Yes! It was the exact 32" TV I had described.

"I'll take it!"

I wish you could have seen the look on my dad's face. It was priceless. He was glowing with pride and amazement. In a matter of seconds, I had purchased two 32" TV's for less than $500 each! When we got home, we noticed the original purchase price of the brand-name TV was $1,519.96. I had purchased it for less than 1/3 the original price.

The secret to experiencing this memorable moment was all the previous times I had said, "NO!" because the price wasn't right or the size wasn't right or the brand and model was not right. There are times when "NO" can be the most positive word spoken!

Copyright (c) 2008 Rebecca Hanson