This article discusses tips for successfully resolving business disputes.

One of the keys to maintaining a strong business is being able to effectively negotiate and resolve disputes as they pop up.

Here are some of the top strategies for quickly resolving business disputes and conflict.

• Keep everything in writing. Contact the business, vendor, customer, or contractor and find out if they have their own procedure for handling business disputes or request to use your procedures. Be polite and tactful in your communications.
• Listen to the other side’s complaint or argument before making your case. The entire situation may be a miscommunication and easily amendable.
• Take a break. If you’re in the middle of a business dispute and your business partner or contractor is making accusations against you and your blood is beginning to boil, take a break. Take a moment to collect yourself before responding. If you don’t and your respond emotionally, you’re only proving their side by showing that you’re not capable of acting professionally. But if you take a break and come back to the table with hard facts, it will be hard to argue against you.
• Disputes are no different from any other aspect of your business, meaning that they too require negotiation and compromise. Business dispute resolution is not a black and white win-lose fight. Reaching a quick and quiet agreement is beneficial to all parties involved. Resolving the matter quickly means that the businesses can return to focusing on the business side and not the legal side. In addition, resolving it quietly means that no businesses’ reputations will be on the line. This is particularly important for small businesses that depend heavily on having a strong local reputation.
• If the business dispute still cannot be resolved, bring in a mediator to offer neutral, third-party advice.

For more information about resolving business conflicts, send us a message.