5 Ways To Negotiate Prices Without Losing Your Teeth

Price negotiation is the process whereby a buyer and seller discuss and agree on the price a product or service should be sold. It is an oscillatory exchange of offers and counteroffers between the buyer and seller with the goal of reaching a level ground beneficial to both.

Price negotiation can take place in several context like buying a car , negotiating a salary , negotiating for a service or getting a product from the store next down your street. It requires a compromise from both parties in other to reach a fair ground of acceptance of price for products or services. As a consumer, your ability to negotiate easily can save you time and energy. This requires good communication skills and your willingness to listen to the other persons perspective. In this article, we shall be exploring five ways to negotiate effectively that can saves you and your customer time and energy.

1. Conduct a Market Research

Whatever product or services you want to buy, its advisable to have a knowledge of the market price. Every seller begins by offering you a high price. Your counteroffer will reveal to the seller whether you are abreast with the latest price of such product or service in the market. Giving a counteroffer a little lower than the original price that you know, will make the seller to know that you have knowledge of the price of such product or services. For example you want to buy an Iphone, lets say Iphone 13. You have conducted your market research and let us assume the general price is N300k excluding shipping. You went to a phone slot and the seller gives you a price of N500k. as someone who is aware of the wholesale price, you can begin your bargain from N270k. If the sellers aim is to sell at N330k, it wont take long before you reach a compromise and agreed on the price. In this way both buyer and seller will feel satisfied and save each others time.

2. Allow the seller to make the first offer

It is conventional for sellers to make the first offer in bargain. As a buyer, you bargain within the price stipulated by the seller. The buyers price gives you the price range for the product or service and your goal is to bargain downward until you both can reach a reasonable conclusion on the price. This makes negotiation easy because from the sellers initial offer, you already know the target price he/she would sell the product or service. Never be the first to call the price, you are a buyer and you cant dictate the price for the seller. Being the first to make an offer might offend the seller because most times, you may price below the accepted standard which might be seen as an insult to the seller. That can create a wrong foot to start your negotiation.

Be sincere about purchasing the product or services

Before a seller can take you serious and begins to bargain price with you, he/she must have seen that you are sincere and ready to buy. Many people goes to market to price a product and walk away, pending when they have the money to purchase it. They just feel like asking for the price of things that catches their attention and this can be seen in how they bargain. But when you show sincerity that you really want to buy something, the seller will be at peace with you and you will reach an amicable price sooner than expected. Moreover, do not price different products at once when you can only buy one. A seller may be angry with you for wasting his/her time due to your insincerity and indecision. So before you approach any seller, have a clear decision on what to buy and what not to buy, be sincere and your negotiation will be smooth.

Be fair in your Bargain

Part of showing sincerity is to be fair with your bargain. A serious customer is known in how he/she reacts to the sellers price. Having conducted your market research as a buyer and you are ready to make a purchase, you should not waste your time or customers time by starting from a ridiculous low price thats no where close to the selling price. Such attitude can annoys the seller and he/she might not take you serious. Thats why you should save both your time and energy by negotiating from a fair point. For instance, a seller gives you the price of a product or service to be N15000. You started bargaining from N2000. Thats funny and absurd! It shows youre not serious. If its a service you want to buy from someone, he/she will feel insulted. Being fair with our bargains means we also put the sellers profit into perspective and that will give room for smooth negotiation.

Be friendly and polite.

Being polite and friendly is one of the way to create a peaceful and interesting negotiation. A good communication skills laced with a friendly and polite tone can make the seller to be at ease with you. If in your bargain, a seller dictates a price that is way more higher that your expectation, you dont have to be emotional and rage in anger. You should maintain your composure as you wont be forced to buy the product at that price. Most times, your gentle but wise demeanor appeals to sellers and they wont waste your time in a back and forth bargain. Being friendly and polite create a peaceful environment that can make the buyer and seller reach a quick compromise.

In conclusion

Everything in life has the best approach to achieving a good result. What we discussed above are in no doubt the best way to negotiate prices without having to spend the whole day or all of your time doing. One thing you need to understand that will guide you in negotiation is that, sellers of any product or services does that for profit. So as a buyer, inasmuch as you want to buy according to budget, you should also bear In mind that the seller will never sell at loss to you. So your bargains should be fair enough, to both your budget and your seller. If you dont want to be at loggerhead with sellers , always be fair enough so that both of you can reach an agreement faster.

How to Get a Loan from Zenith Bank in 2023

The first step toward borrowing money from the bank is to take your time to do the following;
 

Zenith Bank

 

Zenith Bank

• Study the various loan schemes. This includes their requirements, duration, and specifications.
• Choose the one that appeals to you.
• Apply to the nearest Zenith bank branch around you for acceptance and issuance.

Below are the different loans available in Zenith Bank.

    Z-woman Business Package.
    Retail Loans.
    Import Finance Facility.
    Export Finance Facility.
    Overdrafts.
    Term Loans.
    Lease.
    Msme Loan
    Education Loan
    Creative Industry Financing Initiative (Cifi)
    Vehicle Financing
    Receivable Discounting / Invoice Discounting
    Lpo Finance
    Bonds and Guarantee

 

1. Z-women Business Package

Z-woman business package is a type of loan available to only females who own businesses just as the name suggests. It is a single-digit loan aimed at helping female-owned businesses for expansion. This covers the purchase of raw materials, capital requirements, raw materials, and infrastructure upgrades.

Different sectors like confectioneries, beauty, agriculture, and other related sectors can apply for this loan as long as they are female-owned businesses. In addition, you can borrow up to ten million Naira for twelve to twenty-four months.
Retail Loans

This type of loan is in the form of a system that pays an advance salary. This is made possible through the provision of a flexible funding solution to cater to your financial needs in a short while.

In addition, this type of loan is of three types namely;

    Personal loans: This type of retail loan is specifically for one’s financial needs. You can also call it a consumer loan.
    Assets Acquisition Loans: The loan gotten here is channeled to the purchase of a building or household assets and even vehicles.
    Mortgage Facility: If you are looking forward to having or buying your dream house and you do not have what it takes, you can sign up for the Zenith Mortgage Facility to help in its acquisition without much stress.

Import Finance Facility

The import finance facility is a type of loan Zenith bank provides for the importation of raw materials, finished goods, and equipment into the country.

The import finance facility could be made available in different forms like Irrevocable LC, Standby LC, Deferred Payment, Unconfirmed LC, and Confirmed LC.
Export Finance Facility

The export finance facility can be made available either at the pre-shipment stage of the transaction or the post-shipment stage of the transaction.

This particular credit is for the exportation of commodities like agricultural products.
Overdraft

Overdraft is a credit availed to people who have current accounts with the bank.

Here, you are allowed to borrow or withdraw more than what’s in your current account balance. A maximum time of twelve months is usually given to pay off this.

Furthermore, an overdraft can be in two categories. The Timeless Pension Advance Plus and the Timeless Pension Advance.
Term Loans

A term loan is another credit available in Zenith bank either as a long, medium, or short-term credit to finance a particular capital expansion or business.

This credit can be repaid by balloon, bullet, or by installment.
Lease

Lease is a special credit Zenith bank offers as support for the acquisition of assets and other important equipment. This loan is in two categories. The finance and leaseback financing.
Msme Loan

This particular loan is specifically for small and medium enterprises. The goal is to help businesses seeking this type of loan to scale up and expand.

You are allowed to collect up to two million Naira for twelve months.

To qualify for this credit, you should have a bank account with the bank that is not below six months old. Your business should be in any of these sectors; fitness, confectionery, and beauty. Also, your business should be connected to any of Zenith’s bank electronic channels.
Education Loan

The education loan is one of the means Zenith Bank is aiding in combating the bad economy.

With this scheme, parents can afford to fund their children’s tuition fees. This funding is also short-term. The least facility amount is a hundred thousand Naira while the highest facility amount is five million Naira.

For the junior level, the maximum time is three months and nine months for the tertiary level. Again, this amount will be paid directly into the child’s school account after the submission of a complete application form.

Furthermore, the parent must have a domiciled salary account with the Zenith Bank including the child.
Creative Industry Financing Initiative

This type of loan is geared towards creating jobs in the country for youths. It is a joint scheme between Zenith Bank’s committee and the Central Bank Of Nigeria.

The businesses that are qualified for this credit are Technology, information, fashion, movie and music production and distribution, and other related businesses.

You can borrow up to thirty million Naira for Movie Production, fifty million for Naira Movie Distribution, and other businesses depending on what the project seeks. The loan duration for this is ten years.

Bonds and Guarantee

Bonds are loans given by the bank while a guarantee is a promise attached. They help to boost your trustworthiness and ability to meet up with obligations and create reliant exposure for the bank.

Lpo Finance

Another type of loan Zenith bank offers is the LPO finance loan. This particular loan is specifically made available for customers who wish to borrow money to support the supply of materials or contract supply to prominent brands.

Vehicle Financing

This type of loan availed to customers of Zenith Bank is to help them acquire new and comfortable vehicles at their convenience. These customers can be Salary Income Earners, Corporates, or Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This usually takes between three to five years.

What this offer covers range from the delivery of a car for free within Nigeria, free servicing for three years, free registration and insurance to 5 years warranty.

A salary earner will qualify for this loan with the following requirements; a letter of introduction from the employer, employee status, confirmation, and payslip for six months.

SMEs and Corporates, need to present a Company Profile, updated audited accounts, Bank statements, a Personal Guarantee of a Director supported by their statement of net worth, and Board Resolutions for corporates only.

Receivable Discounting

This can also be called invoice discounting. This type of loan allows a borrower to have a monetary value on discounts on invoices of previous works done. This serves as a confirmation.
 

How Can I Choose The Best Offer For Me?

The best and most efficient way to determine which of the Zenith bank loan offers for you is to compare the different loan offers available to you. Which tickles your fancy? Which requirements and specifications can you meet conveniently?

By answering the above questions, you are on your way to discovering the best loan offer for yourself.
What Is The Maximum Or Minimum Amount I Can Borrow?

There is no specific minimum or maximum amount. This is simply because all the offers are not the same. They vary among themselves both in requirements, specifications, and amounts.

However, in general, the maximum amount you can borrow from Zenith bank is from fifty million Naira to five hundred million Naira and a minimum amount between ten thousand Naira to a hundred thousand Naira.
What Are Their Interest Rates?

The same thing applies to their interest ratings as they vary depending on the loaning scheme you have chosen.

That notwithstanding, the interest rates are in general very suitable, affordable, and convenient.
What Are The Minimum Requirements For Taking Up A Loan From Zenith Bank?

While each scheme may need different documentation processes and requirements, the minimum requirement for obtaining a Zenith bank loan includes:
Your Personal Information;

This is the number one requirement and of course the most basic requirement for all contractual transactions.

Your personal information may include your full name, residential or work address, active email address, contact number, next of kin and other basic details. You also need a Statement of Creditworthiness, which is a detailed statement or information on your credit value. This helps to determine how trustworthy and qualified you are for your choice of loaning scheme.
An Account With Zenith Bank:

Another important criterion required for getting a loan from Zenith bank is that you must have an account with the bank. Hence, Zenith bank loaning schemes are for their customers.
Is There Any Other Attached Fee?

Zenith Bank also charges for management. This charge is usually at a cheap rate of 0.5-1% of the amount you borrowed.

 

What are the Loan Repayment Terms?

Every Zenith Bank Loan has its unique repayment term which is determined by the type of loaning scheme you opted for. Like many other banks, the repayment terms are quite convenient.
 

Conclusion

So far you can deduce that Zenith Bank PLC loan schemes are among the top best loan schemes with low-interest rates and maintenance fees in Nigeria. Mostly, the interest on Zenith bank loans is 9℅ per annum with convenient repayment terms. If you are looking for how to get a loan and which bank to go for, be sure to have Zenith Bank at your service. You can also read our articles on how to get loans from banks like FCMB, First Bank, Polaris Bank and Access Bank among others.

How to Secure your Bank Cards

 

In this era of cashless system that we are in, most of our financial transactions can be done using bank cards which could either be debit or credit card. This means that the slightest carelessness with your card or its details that makes it gets into the wrong hands can cause you loss of money and put you in a very bad place financially. Hence why we need to put some effort into securing our bank cards and handling them carefully. The following are various ways on how you can secure your bank cards and protect your finances.
 

1. Take extra measures before using your card for online transactions 

Many of us make payments for our online transactions with our bank cards. However, the first step you should take before you put in the numbers on your card and make a payment is to ensure that the website is safe, secure and reputable . Stick to the retailers that you're familiar with and if you aren't familiar with a site, do some research to find out more about it.Avoid shopping on public Wi-Fi as well as it can leave you vulnerable for hackers to access your confidential financial information and bank cards details. Also, never allow your browser to store your bank card details on a website , you can take a precaution against this by turning off the Autofill function on the web browser that you use to previously made purchases.
 

2. Protect the PIN of your bank card

This is point where I advise you to guard your pin like your life depends on it as its exposure can be very fatal.
The Personal Identity Number (PIN) can provide a problem free access for others to use your card and withdraw as much as possible from it. Your pin definitely goes a long way in determining the degree of your bank card security. Take your time to curate a strong and unique pin for your bank card that cannot be easily guessed. Do not use numbers that you use for other purposes such as pin to unlock your phone. 
 
 

3. Be aware of your card activities 

No matter how well you are trying to protect your pin and carefully navigating through online transactions, you also need to always check your bank card activities.You may not see the need to check frequently because nothing has happened to your card but you need to be proactive and check your bank card activities regularly. You can do this by checking your online banking application or by reviewing your bank statements frequently to stay updated about any issues. If there are errors or suspicious withdrawals,make sure to get in touch with your bank immediately.

4)If you notice anything suspicious, report to your bank 

When you notice any suspicious activities with your bank card, make a quick move by reporting to your bank as soon as possible. There are several means by which you can reach your bank,you can either call their hotline, send a direct message on their social media accounts or visit any of the bank’s branch. This is also necessary if you lose your bank card as you should immediately  ask for the lost card to be blocked and request for another.

There is an increase in the number of cyber crimes and financial fraudulent activities since we have now adopted the cashless policy which is why as much as we are enjoying its comfort, we have to be careful and make moves to protect our finances. 

In conclusion, you can also try to use other method of making payments like the QR code payment option or mobile transfer to make your bank cards less exposed and vulnerable to wrong use.
 

 
 
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