Negotiations

Try looking at Karrass http://www.karrass.com/. It has a negotiating blog and some tips.

Hi Stuart

This is a big topic area! Below are a few tips I hope will help.

The first thing I suggest you should do is to ask around inside your company to fnd out what it is they want out of these negotiations. They may have a standard contract or set of terms and conditions that your company would prefer you to implement. Failing that you could talk to peers & managers of other departments to find out what has been done in the past and what they need to happen in the future.

Also go through the exercise of listing what you would want from each company. Mark items in order of importance and what are "must haves" and what are "nice to haves". When you are negotiating you can start by telling them everything you need/want and then as the negotiation goes on you can back down on the less important things if you come to a sticking point.

Don't decide based on price alone. Often the service you get, the people you deal with and hidden cost items can be just as important.

Think about other things that will affect the deal you make that could be important to your company. Someone may have the best price, but insists on 30 day payment terms, when your company prefers 60-90+. They may again have a good price, but charge separately for other items (e.g. delivery costs). Try to consider the total cost impact of the agreement for all items. 

In my business it is very important that we get regular reports and information from our Suppliers. Some companies will charge for that or are not able to provide it, so know what you need upfront.

Suggest a trial period to start with when you decide who you want to do business with. review the business after that trial period and discuss what went well and what to take a look at.

Aim for a win-win outcome to the discussions, where both companies are happy and no-one feels "ripped off". That way you will have a much better long-term business relationship.

Don't be afraid to walk away if you can't come to an agreement.

Last tip, be friendly and ask lots of questions.Don't be afraid that asking will make you look silly, you'll be much siller if you assume something or don't know and can't make a fully informed decision.
Hope that is of some help,
Solitaire

If you want to learn about negotiating via a podcast, then I would recommend http://www.negotiationtip.com/. The sound quality's not great but the content is.
Top advice from Solitaire, too. As with everything, you need to decide what you want before you commence. The advice from Josh Weiss at negotiationtip is to establish both yours and the other party's interests and not to assume them. You may be surprised at what they might concede. It looks Karrass say that, too (that's now in my favourites on the topic, I wasn't previously aware of them so thanks, Roger).
And if you're negotiating on price, just watch out for the old 'split the difference'!
Mark

Thanks very much for the advice.
Had my first one yesterday and went pretty well.
Your suggestions have given me lots more to think about and I will be much better prepared for the next lot!
Cheers,
 
Stuart.

I would recommend "Getting to Yes" by Fisher, Ury & Patton.  It is not a deep dive into negotiating but will get you started on a solid framework.

I teach negotiations at the executive level, and you have received some very good tips so far.  I would also recommend the following books:
1) Richard Shell "Bargaining for Advantage"
2) Bazerman and Malhotra "Negotiation Genius"
3) Thompson "The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator"
I would also be willing to give you some pro bono help offline if you want.