8 tips for understanding and renegotiating your debts
If your company has been squeezed and is having difficulty keeping its cash flow positive, understanding and renegotiating its debts can represent a great solution for the business. This way, you get better interest rates on your monthly commitments, in addition to not letting your liabilities grow.
Through good tips, you can organize your accounts, bringing more security to your operations. We know that, in the company’s day-to-day operations, unexpected situations can happen and end up compromising the financial health of the business. But it’s important not to wait too long to resolve the problem when debts appear.
Want to find out how to negotiate with creditors? So keep reading and check out all the tips we’ve put together to help you resolve your financial situation once and for all!
How important is debt renegotiation?
Debt negotiation can generate many benefits for the company and help with long-term growth. Through good deeds, you keep your cash flow in the green and increase the health of your business. See below what are the advantages of knowing how to make this negotiation.
Preventing new debts
If the company starts to have financial difficulties, it is important to stop and plan a good way to get rid of them and ensure the health of the business. Many institutions close due to poor resource management.
By understanding and renegotiating your debts , you have a breather to make plans on how to improve cash flow and prevent your establishment from being in the red again.
Increased credibility
When your company is not in debt, it becomes simpler to make agreements with suppliers . This way, you get more time to pay and better negotiation conditions.
Furthermore, by organizing your expenses and keeping everything up to date, it may be easier to get discounts on business purchases, as the image it will have in the market will be positive. This reduces credit costs and makes it easier to obtain loans.
Control of the situation
At a time of difficulties with your business accounts, it can be difficult to keep track of everything. There are many charges, increasing interest and fines for delays, making the situation unsustainable.
By understanding and renegotiating your debts you have the chance to take control once and for all and ensure that, through good financial planning , such a scenario does not happen again.
Why understand and renegotiate debts?
Renegotiating debts and getting out of the red is important for the financial health of your business both in the present and in the future. Debts can damage your company’s name , generating greater credit restrictions, for example.
Furthermore, with the interest on the amount to be paid, the debt becomes a snowball and, in the medium term, can even generate business management problems, due to the lack of resources. The company’s image is also compromised, damaging partnerships that would be valuable for its growth.
But what can you do to understand and renegotiate your debts ? That’s what we’re going to see next, check it out!
1. Organize your debts
The first step to understanding and renegotiating your debts is knowing what must be paid. Go through all accounts with a fine-toothed comb to check the amounts charged and the interest rate for each expense.
This way, you have a clearer view of the financial aspect of the business and, from this, you can draw up really effective strategies to pay off debts. Have this very well organized because, when it comes time to talk to creditors, you will know exactly which points to address.
2. Prioritize debts to pay
If your business has several debts to pay, it is also important to set priorities to make it easier to pay them all off. The organization makes it easier to prioritize debts. This way, you identify what is urgent and what doesn’t need to be at the forefront right now.
Only you can define which of your debts are a priority, but debts that:
When you have a lot to pay for, it’s natural to get lost and not know exactly where to start. That’s why it’s worth organizing everything and then seeing what’s a priority to establish a settlement or negotiation order.
3. Discover the source of debt
Thinking about lessons learned for the future, it is interesting to understand the origin of your debts, also to know why your company was unable to obtain the necessary resources to pay them off. Organization, as we have seen, will help a lot to have a complete view of your finances, helping to understand the reason for each debt.
Some factors that can cause companies to go into debt are: loans , negative cash flow and low sales. Sometimes, the entrepreneur asks for a loan from the bank, with a goal that ends up not bringing the expected financial return. This makes it difficult to cover the amount received and can generate debt, especially due to the interest charged.
Negative cash flow due to an increase in one-off expenses, for example, also contributes to creating debt, when sales do not keep up with this movement.
An unexpected drop in sales can also affect the company’s financial structure, if it is not prepared and does not have an emergency reserve for moments like this.
The important thing here is to understand and analyze the reasons that led you to get into debt. This will give you more knowledge and control over your business , preventing this situation from happening again.
4. Work out a payment plan
Now that you’ve identified the source of your debts, it’s time to create a payment plan. One option is to cut expenses. Analyze your finances to identify if there are unnecessary expenses. Thus, these resources can be redirected to paying debts.
In your plan, write down the amount to be paid and how much you have available to pay off debts. With this, it is possible to understand the missing amount . With existing resources, you can advance a portion of the payment, generating more confidence on the part of the creditor in relation to your company.
Think about strategies and deadlines to add to your plan. This will be essential when talking to creditors. One of the elements that cannot be missing when thinking about ways to pay off your debts is cash flow projection, as we will see below.
5. Project cash flow
Cash flow projection is important for renegotiating your debts because it shows that you have a strategy drawn up and goals to meet. This makes it possible to establish more realistic deadlines for payment.
To carry out this projection , it is interesting to analyze your sales and spending history, in addition to taking into account the prospects for the sector in which your business operates.
This way, you know the amount that will be available to pay debts and when this should happen. Armed with all this information, you prepare for the next step, which is the conversation with the creditor.
6. Talk to the lender
This is the time to really renegotiate your debts. To achieve this, it is important to arrive at this time with as much information as possible about the financial aspect of your business.
This is because you need to show the creditor your commitment to paying your debts and that you have the necessary resources to do so within a certain period of time. When you are able to give a perspective to the creditor, this increases your credibility , generating a relationship of trust with them.
It is important to talk about deadlines, amounts and interest rates, in search of a positive scenario for both sides. With the previous steps, you should know how much you will have available and in how long, which makes it easier when renegotiating debts.
7. Research alternatives
In addition to talking to the creditor, it may be a good idea to research alternatives to pay the debt. For example, if the interest rate is low and represents savings in relation to what is being charged, requesting a loan to pay off your commitments may represent an interesting solution.
Now, if your account is with the bank, it is worth investigating whether there is an option to transfer the expense to another organization that offers better conditions. When carrying out market research, it is plausible to understand what the possibilities are for you to get out of the difficult situation.
Furthermore, analyze payment deadlines and conditions and put everything at your fingertips in order to find the ideal path. There are several chances for you to get out of debt and make your company sustainable.
8. Set a limit
It is important to keep in mind what values your company will remain comfortable with and, therefore, be able to pay . There is no point in reaching an agreement for debts that you will not be able to honor.
Therefore, before starting negotiations, try to understand the organization’s cash flow and establish the limit amounts that can be spent to pay for the agreement reached. This way, it is possible to get out of debt and keep the company in order.
Now that you know how to make good debt negotiations, it’s time to understand when you need to do them. Below, we present some information that can help you negotiate at the right time.