Gartner Group continues to see slight increases in discounts at the end of each month. The discounting by suppliers is often even better at the end of a sales quarter. Traditionally, suppliers are most aggressive with discounts at the end of their fiscal years. Other events can increase negotiating leverage, too. In the notebook computer arena, for example, enterprises get the best prices when they time their purchases to correspond with Fall Comdex and the spring industry trade shows, such as CeBIT, PC Expo and Spring Comdex.
Timing also applies to software negotiations.
Computer Associates International Inc. and Microsoft Corp., for instance, have the toughest time reaching their revenue growth and profitability goals in the first quarter of their fiscal years. Novell Inc.'s toughest quarter, on the other hand, is the fiscal third quarter. Consider buying through the secondary market. The secondary market for used IT equipment is often overlooked. Enterprises can use the secondary market to sell older IT equipment or check the trade-in values offered by a supplier.