As a buyer, it can feel like you have no control when it comes to negotiating with a valued vendor. It is important to have a strategy when wanting to discuss payment terms, but a fruitful conversation can add value to both companies.
Before coming to the table for renegotiation, create a cash flow projection to know what payment terms will work best for your business. You need to recognize when a better cash flow would benefit your business - this gives you an end goal to reach for your renegotiations. Also, it is important to contact your company lawyer to better understand what is and is not covered under contract. The main highlight of any negotiation is stressing that it can help your business operate better which will ultimately help your vendors generate more business. Having the conversation switch from how they can help your business to how it can mutually benefit both businesses is when successful negotiations begin.
After contacting the company lawyer and projecting the cash flow, it is best to start the conversation with vendors proactively. Rather than coming to your vendor in an emergency with a panic appeal, creating the conversation beforehand can create a much better deal. Be reasonable for what you ask, but ask on the higher end for what you are aiming for with anticipation for the back and forth of negotiations. Explain how more generous payment terms will allow cash flexibility for potential order volume. You can also entice vendors by mentioning how you would be willing to send industry peers their way if you can tell them how easy they are to work with. Being personal while also offering enticing strategies for their business to grow is a great way to renegotiate payment terms.
If the vendor relationship is already strained or they have already demonstrated previous inflexibilities, do not invest copious amounts of time prepping for this meeting. It is also important to have the conversation with the people that can make the changes happen, as your point of contact may not be the person in charge of payment terms. This point of contact could attempt to gate keep you or make promises their company cannot keep so instead, ask to speak to whomever is in charge of payment solutions and repayment terms. This could be as high as their CFO or potentially a mid-level manager depending on the vendor size.
Knowing that a renegotiation of payment terms is not only possible, but also mutually beneficial for you and your vendor can open new doors to your business. With a more robust cash flow, you could make moves in your industry that you had been putting off due to previous limitations. Coming to the table with the right people and the right vendors could prove beneficial to the business and it all began with the AP department!
For more helpful tips and tools, check out Singe's newest eBook Drive Your AP To New Levels, where this blog is taken from. In the eBook we go into detail for 7 approaches and strategies for your AP department to help your business run better on a day-to-day basis. For more personal assistance, reach out to our customer support here : Contact Us.
"We know operationally that a lot of outdated practices can slow a team down. This eBook covers those and more, such as the best strategies to renegotiate your payment terms. We didn't leave a stone unturned while creating this ebook so that there is a free source of learning out in the industry."
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