Miro was recently mentioned in a great piece in InfoWorld Magazine about negotiating with tech vendors. The article can he found here. There are some great points made throughout the article from various sources. In a nutshell, the economy is still an issue, regardless of its improvement, and any negotiations done with vendors should be conducted with caution. Don’t overbuy and don’t jump at the discounts being thrown in your direction. Any purchase has to be right for your organization – whether you are offered a great deal upfront, it may end up costing more down the road.
Don’t ever settle for the first, or even second, offer. Focus on terms and conditions, versus price, and be mindful of support and maintenance costs, sometimes that is where the vendor will try and get back the lost revenues of discounts. For even more on the topic, you can check out a piece I did for CIO Update, specifically on negotiating licensing deals, and we always have useful tips on our blog.