If you're a small business owner or have premises of your own, chances are you'll be required at some stage to think about replacing the carpeting. Carpet is an essential feature of the office and environment and is great not only to provide a covering for the floor but also as a valuable tool in ensuring staff feel comfortable and satisfied with their work surroundings. Obviously there's no need for a thick pile here, but it is important to make sure that you do choose a carpet that is likely to prove both hardwearing and functional, whilst also presenting the right impression to clients and customers.

As a business, you have an advantage over consumer buyers in that you are in more of a position to negotiate. A consumer carpet buyer requesting a discount for repeat business would be laughed at - as a business, it's almost expected. Because you have the potential to prove more valuable to a carpet retailer than the average man on the street, carpet retailers are far more accommodating to the needs of businesses and industrial carpet customers.

The first thing you should expect as standard is invoice discounts, i.e. discounts arising from the way in which you buy and pay for your goods - both trade discounts for bulk purchases and cash discounts for prompt payment are industry standard features designed to ensure more effective customer relations, and by ensuring you are within the terms of these specific discounts you can immediately realise a cost saving. Depending on the particular supplier you are in negotiations with, it may be possible to realise as much as 10-20% in savings off the top of your carpet purchases, particularly if you are a repeat customer and you have an effective working relationship with the supplier.

Aside from the natural advantages arising from being a business customer as opposed to being a consumer buyer, there is also ample opportunity to exercise clout and pursue the discounts on your own behalf. Committing to buy more in future is a good way of realising an initial discount, although mentioning lower competing quotes you've had elsewhere can also help do the trick. That aside it is important to bear in mind that you can only push discounts so far, and that eventually retailers will be unable to offer you carpeting at a profitable rate. It's a case of balancing both your own clout and room for negotiation with the retailers profit margins, and it's better if you are fair and reasonable rather than aggressive and demanding.

Buying carpets is hardly likely to be the most glamorous part of your job as a business owner, but it is nevertheless essential from time to time to ensure your offices are kept in top condition for the benefit of staff and customers alike. By understanding the basic formula to achieving discounts and knowing how to work people to their realistic limits, you too can realise substantial savings on your next industrial carpet purchase without running the risk of disenfranchising local dealers or destroying pre-standing business relationships.