Where To Start When You Want To Improve Your Business

When it comes to improving your business, there’s no end to the variety of tips, techniques and tweaks that you could put into place. But not all business boosting strategies are created equal.

The Hot New Thing may work for your competitor, or a whole bunch of people you’re checking out on social media…but that doesn’t mean it’s right for your business. The best way to move your business forward?

Read on for your 2 key steps.

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Negotiating A Great Deal, Despite Time Pressure

Ooooooeeeeee! The end of the year is fast approaching. Scratch that. It’s here!

And all of those plans we had to improve our business this year – the new deals, the ideal clients, the solid systems – this is crunch time for executing on those.

Sometimes, coming up against a deadline – even if self-imposed – can make us play a bit fast and loose when it comes to the quality we’re delivering, especially when it comes to a negotiation.

Picture it: You’re in the thick of a discussion with a potential new client, and all that stands between you and the achievement of your annual targets is to give in on a teensy tiny, itty bitty element of the agreement. Except – normally, you’d never agree to it. And yet, in the rush to close off, you have.

Read on for tips on how to avoid settling for a less-than-stunning result, even when the heat is on.

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Not Every Negotiation Is Meant To Be

In our ideal world, business deals would always be wins. Every client we contact leaps at the opportunity to work with us (at full asking price!), each vendor we get a quote from comes in under target (and throws in a few bonuses!), and every agreement moves swimmingly from hello to handshake.

But in reality, our businesses aren't quite such smooth sailing. Despite best efforts and investing all sorts of energy we can end up stuck in discussions that aren't going anywhere. And then what? Do we keep trying? Settle for whatever deal we can cobble together? Or do we walk away - and live to negotiate another day.

We'll be taking a look at how to make that decision - how do you know when it's time to walk away from a negotiation? Read on to find out...

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Quick Guide: When Can You Negotiate?

Can I negotiate this? Should I negotiate this? Have I pushed too far? Or not far enough…?

The answer to each of these is a phenomenally frustrating “It depends”.

It can be difficult to decipher exactly when you should be asking for a change to an agreement, or a better price, or even a different method of engagement with a client or a vendor. Here, I’ve pulled together some guidelines on how to tell if you should pursue a negotiation…or back off. Read on to find your path forward.

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