by Steve Strauss on March 20th, 2009
Q: I need to re-negotiate a contract with a vendor. Any words of wisdom? Should I hire a lawyer?
Allie
A: Good negotiation skills are vital to small business people because it is something we use every day. Whether it is asking a vendor to lower a price or getting a potential customer to sign on the ‘ol dotted line, negotiations are part and parcel of small business life.
Indeed, as my brother Larry is wont to say, “everything is negotiable.”
No, I doubt you need a lawyer to do your negotiating; not only might that be cost-prohibitive, but it... Read more »
by Carrie Hinkel on February 6th, 2008
Business owners have plenty of opportunities to negotiate in all aspects of their business. Whether it’s on price, extras or terms, most everything is negotiable when you are about to purchase a product or hire another company’s services. Once you start using the power of negotiating in your business, you’ll be surprised at how often it works and how frequently you can use it (even in retail stores).
From the conference table to the local retail store, here are some proven tips that really work!
Tips for large-scope negotiations
1. Preparation – The old clich� says "failing to prepare means... Read more »
by Larry Slusser on December 4th, 2007
Cash flow is king, and hanging onto the money that flows through your business as long as you can is not just good business practice, it is essential to maintaining and improving your cash flow, which will in turn improve the profitability of your company. Consider that the United States government keeps billions and billions of dollars of our money and makes interest off of it until they are required to pay it back in the form of a tax refund each year. Many Fortune 500 companies spend millions of dollars on systems and processes to maximize cash flow and... Read more »