Guest post by Mike Michalowicz, author of The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur 
Negotiations are a critical part of the daily life of an entrepreneur. In some cases, the negotiations will get intense. Yet after the tough talk, if the deal gets done, everyone needs to be be friends again and get to work. Harmony rarely follows animosity. Unless you bring your accountant in the mix.
Here’s the strategy:
1. When you are meeting with a vendor (face-to-face or on the phone) for final negotiations, have your accountant also attend.
2. Tell your accountant that her job is to be the bad cop.
3. When the deal is put on the table, your job is to point out all the things you like about it (good cop). Her job is to throw her hands up in the air and give all the reasons the deal is a no-go (bad cop). Your accountant may even advise you to “walk away” (really bad cop). **
4. Let the vendor come back with a better offer.
With the tough negotiations handled by your accountant, when you do start working together, it is much easier to achieve harmony. Plus with all that money you pay your accountant, this little negotiating service is the least she could do for you.
**An accountant that majored in drama is the dream candidate for this job.
