For entrepreneurs, negotiation is a powerful skill we need to master to get better results like lower supply price, longer payment period, or additional discounts. As one master negotiator, Chester Karrass, said, “In business, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”

What would you do then if you find yourself dealing with a more skilled negotiator? In this critical situation, here are additional negotiation tips to help you out:

1. Work with experts. If you are dealing about legal or financial matters but you don’t have enough knowledge or experience, it would be a great help to partner with experts in these fields. Although you need to shell out money, this will give you enough leverage to haggle more effectively.
2. Be prepared all the time. Don’t feel cocky and relaxed even if you already commissioned an expert to handle the negotiations. It is important that you still do your research and cover all possible arguments.
3. Use the mirror strategy. Based on a new research, mimicking the mannerisms of the other party is proven effective in closing the deals more effectively. Get more details at Business Pundit.

When pitching to potential investors, customers and employees, a number of entrepreneurs focus more on what they need to say and less on how to say it. But do you know that our tone can boost or bust our business?

Yes, a monotonous voice sometimes denotes lack of passion or even commitment. This will definitely not win you any funding or close any sale. Although not everyone is given the gift of gab, there are still some things you can do to improve your vocal approach:

Pitching is something you should learn even before you start your business or present to VCs. It will take some time and lot of effort before you can get a standing ovation.

Even successful business owners eventually have to let go of their small business and transfer it to family members or sell to interested buyers. Should you decide to put your business up for sale, here are some things you need to prepare for:

Some entrepreneurs sometimes feel like they can never take another step to meet the demands of the business, suddenly lose their perspectives, self-discipline, and even their funny side. These are some signs of a major burn out. Among the 20 tips shared by BootStrapMe to avoid burnout, I found tip #17 very helpful:

Know your own “Relax” buttons. I not only make coffee, I grind my own beans and use a French press in the kitchen to create a relaxing brew. The relaxation is not only in the coffee itself but in the process of making it.

Here are some additional ways to defeat burn out and come back stronger than ever:

1. Expand your skills and learn something unrelated to your small business. It doesn’t have to be useful as long as it will take your mind off your business temporarily.
2. Spend some time with your family. Sometimes, a child’s burning passion and intense curiosity are all you need to get to get back on track.
3. Take time out to meet with your close friends
4. Learn to let go of the things you cannot change or control
5. Breathe deeply for a few minutes.
6. Meditate.
7. Cry
8. Clean your office
9. Take time to be alone so you can reflect about your life and your business.

If you are both an entrepreneur and blogger, please take time to read Performancing’s 23 Simple Health Tips For Bloggers.

SitePoint Newsletter and forums have an interesting discussion on clients who don’t respond or are slow to respond. Most businesses can count on running into clients who don’t respond or respond slowly.

A client wanted me to write his web content and we went back and forth on that. She asked for samples, I sent them. She asked questions. I replied. The next step was for her to get all info together that she has available and send that to me. Still waiting. In normal circumstances, I’d follow up with the client every couple of weeks. However, this isn’t a project high on my list so I haven’t pushed it. My choice. If the client follows up, I’ll be ready and willing.

Over the last few years, I’ve worked with a few web designers to get my web site updated. Almost every single one of them stopped following up in spite of my sending messages every few weeks. The job was theirs to lose. But perhaps, they felt the way I did about the aforementioned client… not a high priority project. That’s OK. Rather than leaving me on hold (since I was waiting on them), I’d appreciate their letting me know they can’t do the project so I can find someone else.

I read an article somewhere about a freelancer in the same boat. She continued to follow up and she continued to market with her email newsletter. Eventually, the client did call her and hire her. She stayed in his mind with her email newsletters. Sometimes the timing isn’t right. Keep your eyes open for business opportunities even when you have a full load because you never know when a great opportunity comes along. Besides, by the time the client is ready, you might have finished a couple of projects and have a lighter load.

Keep working, keep marketing, and keep following up.

About the author

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl.net, helping companies build relationships with clients and prospects through content. She is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook.

Looking for a great way to relax after a stressful day? Why not try boxing? There are 3 reasons why you should pick boxing over other sports like tennis or basketball:

• Total workout. Boxing training strengthens all your muscle groups in your body, builds your stamina, improve your coordination, flexibility, speed, reflexes, and cardiovascular fitness.
• Improves competitiveness. Competition improves our mental toughness to do whatever is necessary to win and survive in any situation. This is a valuable lesson every entrepreneur can get from boxing. You get to learn how to focus and not being affected by the performance of your competitor. Also, you will notice improvements on motivation, self-esteem, and composure under extreme pressure.
• Learn self-defense. Other sports like basketball or tennis can help you lose weight and tone your muscles. Boxing gives you all those benefits, and at the same time you learn how to protect yourself against any physical danger - should the need arise.

Disasters are not part of our daily survival, but they do happen - in nature, and in business. Be proactive and have a disaster recovery plan ready, especially in terms of data redundancy if you are an information-intensive business.

Some entrepreneurs mistake disaster planning as a tool for big companies only. On the contrary, small business should take disaster planning more seriously because most of us do not operate in several locations. It means all our resources can be destroyed by a single disaster - be it a hurricane, fire or something else. The big companies, on the other hand, can simply transfer to other locations. In general, the cost of preparation is a lot cheaper. Below are some of the things you can include in your scenario planning:

Make a Disaster List

Brainstorm with employees, disaster planning experts, and if possible the local fire department. Identify all possible problems you might encounter given your location and the nature of your business. Once you identify the most probable disasters, create detailed plans and more importantly, run monthly drills to familiarize your people.

Backup Your Documents

Every business keeps information such as sales report, inventory levels, financial statements, and other important transactions. In some cases, entrepreneurs also leave their personal documents in their office. What you should do is to have a backup of these documents in both hard and soft copy. Here’s a checklist:

• Tax returns
• Credit cards
• Personal and business insurance policies
• Contact information of your suppliers and other partners
• Bank statements
• Employee records
• Medical records
• Legal documents like power of attorney and supply contracts
• Financial statements like Balance Sheet and Income Statement

Who’s the man behind the success of Apple Inc.? Maybe 9 out of 10 will answer Steve Jobs. It is very reasonable because Mr. Jobs is in charge of overall marketing. Business Pundit, however, mentioned Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, and how he is such an inspiration to entrepreneurs.

What struck me from that short but very insightful post is the idea of trying things you’ve never done before. How about you? Have you tried something different in your small business lately? Or are you afraid to change what you’re doing right now? Maybe it’s time for you to expand your business by stretching outside your comfort zone.

The longer you are in the business the more you become careful not to make any mistakes and stick to the conventional methods. However, it will be very difficult for you to gain new customers and expand further. In case you find yourself in this situation, just follow the valuable lesson from Carly Fiorina, one of the most powerful women in corporate America:

In bullfighting there is a term called querencia. The querencia is the spot in the ring to which the bull returns. Each bull has a different querencia, but as the bullfight continues, and the animal becomes more threatened, it returns more and more often to his spot.

As he returns to his querencia, he becomes more predictable. And so, in the end, the matador is able to kill the bull because instead of trying something new, the bull returns to what is familiar. His comfort zone.

Ever dreamed of becoming the next powerful entrepreneur like Richard Branson of Virgin Enterprises or real estate mogul Donald Trump but don’t know where to start? Don’t look too far, for some of the great investments might be right under your nose. One place to look for startup ideas is within your own passion or the things you love to do. Here’s how:

Consulting

If you have special skills like computer programming or copywriting, you may want to start a consulting firm. If you’re employed and not yet confident to take the risk, you can test the water first as a freelancer. Start taking part time projects and if you have more than enough clients then it’s time to go full blast.

Sports

Even if you are not the next Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth, there’s still room for you in the world of sports. You can start a small business related to sports, like an online store selling varsity jackets or sports gear. You can also get a license to sell merchandise of your favorite teams in different sports categories.

Special Interests

If you spend your time on some passionate hobbies like photography, pottery making or flower arrangements, why not make money out of it? The upside here is you are already familiar with your chosen field. However, you still have to do a formal market analysis to assess your startup ideas.

Note that not all your hobbies or expertise are profitable. Your passion might blind you from seeing the right business perspective. More importantly, you should avoid chasing mirages or too-good-to-be-true opportunities.

While there are multitudes of factors contributing to the success of any startup, it always starts with YOU. In any case, the poem called Invictus says you (and only you) are the captain of your soul and master of your fate. One of the ways to master yourself is to build your self-discipline.

Succession Consciousness defines self-discipline as the ability of an individual to stick to actions, thoughts, and behavior, which lead to improvement and success. Also, it’s the giving up of instant pleasure and satisfaction for a higher goal.

There are different ways to improve self-discipline, depending on your personality. Some entrepreneurs undergo hypnosis while others meditate. It can be as simple as giving up desserts every night. Here are some tips you might want to try:

Engage in Sports

Competition is a good teacher of self-discipline. You’ll appreciate the value of goal setting, teamwork, elaborate planning, and composure under stress. Sports also highlight the need to practice, practice, and practice some more in order to achieve your desired goals. More importantly, it will help develop the winning attitude in you.

Learn from The Last Samurai

You may not like Tom Cruise but his movie The Last Samurai captures the essence of self-discipline:

They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline. I am surprised to learn that the word Samurai means, ‘to serve’…

No wonder the Japanese created some of the best business concepts like kaizen or continuous improvement and just-in-time. Dedicate your working hours perfecting your craft by improving your system regularly, communicating with your customers daily, and spying competition all the time.