Vendor negotiation - How to negotiate with vendors?
Dealing with vendors strategically is a key component of your business. Your ROI is dependent on the kind of pricing you receive from your vendors. Effective vendor negotiation creates long-lasting relationships, and reduce your business costs.
What is vendor contract negotiation?
For a long time, the power dynamics between vendors and buyers always tilted in favor of the buyer. However, in recent years, as collective consumer demand increased multifold, the tables have now turned to favor vendors. In times like these, it then becomes a matter of utmost importance to smartly negotiate with powerful vendors. And that’s where vendor contracts come in.
Remember that any quotations received from vendors are not set in stone, and you can negotiate them to create a more suitable agreement for your business. Negotiating your prices can help you in the long run, majorly reducing costs when the tall list of orders starts to come in.
Not just in terms of pricing, negotiating also helps you build a better association with the vendor and understand the needs of both parties involved to reach an amicable middle-ground that benefits all. Your vendor contract comprises multiple portions, such as length of the contract, duration, payment terms and methods, credit cycle, and much more, all of which have the potential to yield the best results for your business.
While no one can predict your revenue or how many new clients you will onboard, you can masterfully negotiate your vendor contract to reduce variable costs and increase your net profit.
Moreover, when you automate vendor management, you can streamline the negotiation process and ensure all terms are accurately reflected in contracts. Negotiating contracts with vendors lets them know that both parties are entering the agreement as equals and can foster a formidable relationship that has the potential to last a long time.
Best practices for vendor negotiation
Communication is fundamental
When dealing with suppliers, choose to have a single point of contact for your vendor which will help build a genuine connection. Vendors who choose a bulk messaging form of communication seldom respond to negotiation, so look out for vendors that make the effort to be approachable and cordial.
A clear and respectable line of communication is the key to successful negotiation. Having a one-on-one discussion makes it easier to negotiate with vendors while helping you make a memorable impression on them.
Seek an alternative perspective
Never be desperate when you negotiate pricing with vendors, it shows that you need them more than they need you, and that is not the place you want to be at. There are always different alternatives available.
So instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, it is more prudent to stay in communication with two or more vendors for the same raw materials so that in case one vendor contract falls through, you always have a backup plan.
Understand their terms of credit
Not every vendor offers credit to their customers and those who do have strict terms and conditions involved. Having a good business credit score helps in forming a bond of trust between you and the vendor.
Some vendors work on an informal credit line and trust that you’ll pay within a certain time frame. It is essential to pay them the due amount on time to maintain a healthy vendor-buyer relationship. Others might charge for a credit cycle privilege so do your cost-benefit analysis well in advance before taking any decision.
Gather information on pricing and other components
Negotiating way below the standard price in the market will ruin your relationship with your vendors. Be sure to research the current wholesale prices of the commodities and services to better understand the cost flexibility your particular supplier can offer.
For most vendors, working with and retaining existing clients is much cheaper than finding new business. You can use this tactic when you negotiate pricing with vendors to tip the scales in your favor.
Know about discounts and other offers
Most vendors offer attractive bulk discounts to their customers. Keep a lookout for these offers that might end up in your promotions tab or talk to the vendor directly. If you buy more than what they are already offering, you could even negotiate an extra discount!
Sometimes buying in bulk every quarter rather than every month can fetch you some good discounts as well. These discounts might look like cashback, early payment discounts, paperless statement discounts, and more.
Learn about the vendor industry from them
Your vendor has been dealing with a lot of other businesses, so one of the ways to stand apart from the crowd is to genuinely learn from your suppliers about their industry and yours.
When dealing with suppliers, treat them like the experts they are and they will help you develop keen insights into your industry along with the issues they face themselves.
Staying hungry for knowledge will let them know that you are in this for the long haul and this alone can foster a relationship of mutual admiration and respect.
Show vendors how you can help them meet their sales goals
Just like you have your sales target, so do your vendors. When you negotiate with powerful suppliers, demonstrate to them how you can help them hit their goals faster and more seamlessly by creating high-quality products from the raw materials they provide, and even promoting them in your operations.
Once you learn how to sell your utility to the vendor, they will be more than delighted to partner up with you.
Make a list of your delivery requirement
The last thing you want to be during a negotiation meeting is unprepared. When you are paying for a deliverable, how can you ensure that the vendor meets your expectations? For that, you need to mention what certain category, quantity, quality, size, time, task, or project you are availing of their services for.
It takes the guesswork out of the equation and keeps expectations tangible. When negotiating contracts with vendors, having an accurate sense of the deliverables will aid you in determining its fair price easily.
Ask about the vendor’s policy for late payment
When forming the contract, it is crucial to ask your vendor about their late payment policy. From simple administrative misunderstanding to low funds. Know the terms of default payments. Is there a late payment fee?
If yes, negotiate ways it can be waived off. Discuss the next step of ensuring that you receive your raw materials while you’re still unable to pay. Deal with suppliers to avoid confusion and mistrust.
Vendor selection criteria for your business
With these tips in mind, you can now navigate vendor selection and negotiate with powerful suppliers from a place of strength, not desperation. Along with these tactics, we have also compiled a vendor selection criteria checklist to focus on the real questions you need answers to before dealing with a particular supplier.
1. Supplier status
● How many employees does our vendor have?
● Do they have offices in multiple, easily accessible locations?
● How is this vendor reviewed in the marketplace?
● List of past and/or current clients, partnerships, and case studies.
2. Delivery capabilities
● What kind of services do they provide? Can they be bundled?
● Is their quality of work at par with our business standards?
● Does the vendor have the expertise, manpower, and resources to meet our requirements?
● Do they have the infrastructure to deliver the goods and services within the stipulated time?
3. Relationship management
● Are they flexible with things such as rescheduling, requirement change, location changes, etc.?
● Do they communicate regularly and are they open with any drawbacks they face?
● Do they stand by what they’ve said or offered, such as discounts or waiving off late payments, etc.?
● Are they able to align themselves with our company goals?
● Do they have a strong customer support system in place?
4. Financial considerations
● Will they exist for the length of time we need them?
● Are they willing to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and Intellectual Property Rights, if required?
● Is their pricing competitive?
Related pages
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FAQs
Negotiation is to compromise on some aspects of the deal to get a better or near-ideal outcome. For example, you might want a 25% discount on raw materials, but through compromise, you might land a 10% discount with an early vendor payment cashback of 10%.
In a rapidly growing market where demand is high and supply is short, having a long-term association with powerful suppliers can ensure stability, cost-reduction and longer credit cycle, and prioritization over other clients when resources are low.
The three stages of vendor selection are: Assessing your requirements, shortlisting, meeting, and comparing vendors based on quality, price, and customer service, and lastly negotiating terms and conditions in the vendor contracts.
Your vendor contract must comprise the duration of the contract, payment terms and methods, credit cycle, consequences, and grounds of contract termination.
If the vendor is trying to use negotiation tactics, try to keep a clear head and play along. You can either offer them something that seems valuable in exchange for a deal you truly want or look for a win-win situation in which both parties benefit from the partnership. If the vendor is trying to push you to settle, it is important to remember that you can also say no and walk away politely.
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