Is your business hurting in this tough economy? Are customers not spending as much? Are you spending more to earn less? This terrible economy is still hurting millions across the globe, and yet almost nothing has been done to help consumers weather this storm.

Banks, Automakers, and many other companies that have lobbied the government are all getting bailed out. Where is our bailout? Where is the rescue plan for the consumer? For the small business owner?

Why should renters be exempt from the pain? The landlord probably paid too much for the building, resulting in a high rent payment. That's only fair right?

Wrong.

That is one of the most common misconceptions across the board when it comes to small business owners who are Renting. The economy is hurting, the owner paid too much, so I should have to pay more in rent. No, you shouldn't. What you should do is renegotiate. Get a fair price.

How, you might ask?

Well not to worry, this article will give several tips and tricks to get the ball rolling with renegotiating and reducing your rent.  If you're pressed for time, check out ReduceYourRent.com for expert help and advice.

You are probably wondering, "How do I reduce my rent?" Well the answer isn't as complicated as you might think, and it could keep your business from going under. This guide on how to reduce your rent, will address the problem in three segments.  

The first section in this guide is the Tip Phase.  This will lay the groundwork for lowering your rent.

The second section is the Exploration Phase. This allows the business or family to look at the options around it, while still being productive towards achieving a lower rent in the current location.

The third section is the follow up phase. This is the last and final part of our strategy, and is the most important step in getting your rent reduced.

The Tip phase can be accomplished by simply mentioning to your landlord that you are not able to afford the rent. It can be as little as a suggestion, or you could flat out tell them that you are looking around for another location. While these techniques may be successful, this guide suggests that a little tact here can make the rest of the process much easier.

If you meet face to face, politely suggest that you feel you are paying too much for your location. There are several ways of expressing dissatisfaction with your current situation, and listed below are some commonly used ones.

• Say that you have noticed that other newer businesses are getting access to cheaper rent.
• Mention that business has fallen greatly in the past year.
• Note that foot traffic in the area, really isn't what is was when you first moved in.
• Do not mention the fall in real estate values. This will only bring up a sore subject in the eyes of your land owner.

As you can see, there are several different constructive approaches to telling your landlord that you are unhappy with the current situation without directly asking for a lower rate.

The Exploration Phase is finding out what else is available, and what else will work for your situation. You want to find another location(s) that realistically could fit your needs as a business, or family. This really can require quite a bit of research and diligence on your part. You may actually have to pretend like you do want to move your business or home. This is the tough part. But realistically, look at your current renting situation and write down a list of things that you dislike most about the current place that you are located. Also write down what you would miss the most.

Noisy neighbors? Overgrown hedges? Teenagers roaming around your complex? Whatever bugs you about the current place you are in, write it down. Do you really like the neighborhood? Are the schools good? Do you have a local customer base? Make a note of those things as well.

Now take a look at that list, and find out what really is going to be important to you if you were to move to another renting location. After you have narrowed it down to a few main qualities that you do find important, search for a suitable replacement.

Once you find one or several different locations that are at the top of your list, write down what tenants are expected to pay for rent in those locations. Throw out the ones that are more expensive than what you are currently paying, and then you have your final list. You are ready for the follow-up.

After you have done your research and you have your list, (if you haven't see the exploration phase section) you are ready for the final step in getting your rent reduced. This is called the Follow-Up. This is going to be the second time you are mentioning your dissatisfaction to your landlord. You already mentioned that you are unhappy with the current situation in the Tip, and now it is time to let your Landlord know you are actively searching for a new location. Go ahead and schedule a real meeting with them. Mention that you have been looking around, and are almost ready to move, but you wanted to talk with them before you actually do. If they are evasive, be frank, let them know that you simply can't afford to keep paying the rate you are paying in rent. Say that you would like to sit down and talk about it before you finalize your move.

If they refuse to meet with you still, you may be out of luck and actually have to move to lower your rent. That being said, a landlord is a person, and will most likely be willing to talk with you over dinner.

Set up the dinner at a restaurant that you feel especially comfortable in, preferably where you know who will be serving you.  You want home field advantage. When you go to the meeting, be sure to bring summary pages of the different locations you have found. Then find a comparable sheet totaling what you are paying and the amenities you are getting at your location. You may have to draft this from scratch, if your landlord does not have any comparable plots to your own listed for rent. If you have to do this, it is important to be very fair in judging your property. You don't want to have to argue over petty things, you want to show them that you simply are paying too much for what you are getting.

During the meeting, start off by again talking about X (your chief concern about the location). But, also bring up what you like most about the location and that you would like to stay there. Say that it is unfortunate, you cannot afford to stay in the current location, and because of X you started looking at other places.  You realized how much more you could get for your money.  Then bring out the different charts and talk about the different locations, what you like and what you don't like about each. Compare them to your current situation. After you finish talking about the different locations, bring out the summary chart for your current location, and show that it really does not compare with what the other places can offer.

If your landlord agrees, and says that you should probably move, unfortunately, that may be what you need to do. But if they offer to lower your rent, you should look at what they are offering you. Tell them that you need some time to think it over, and that while you like your current situation, you had almost warmed up to the idea of moving. Then actually weigh their offer, and if it is worth it to stay, then stay. If it's not then go head and move. Either way, you will lower your rent!

After researching the subject, and doing plenty of searches, we found that many guides suggest writing a letter to your landlord in order to reduce your rent. A well crafted letter may sound like a reasonable option, (especially if you are not good with people) but we don't think that is the best option.

In this day and age, people are overwhelmed with different information being bombarding them. Advertising gurus have been shouting at the top of their lungs for a long time now, that personal contact, sells far better than words on paper. This is really what it comes down to, if you send your proposal in letter form, you can be trashed, ignored, and rejected. You can be put in the shredder, you can be recycled, and forgotten. You can be turned down.

As a person, you are much harder to say no to. Especially as a person who has been a loyal customer in the past. Do not forget, they are providing a service, and you are consuming it. They should cater to you, at least a little bit. And you are selling them on the idea that giving you a lower rent, is a better deal for them, not just for you.

Another thing to be wary of with letters, is that while a guide might give you an example of how to write the letter, you can bet that the other tenants are doing exactly the same thing. Do you think that the guide at the top of Google for "How to lower your rent" would be original?

When your landlord can only afford to lower the rent of some lots, and not others, do you think they are going to choose a the person who wrote a well crafted letter, or the person who came to talk with him or her? Who are they more likely to look fond upon?

If you are not good with people, and under no circumstances would be comfortable meeting face to face with your land lord to pitch yourself, we still cannot recommend writing a letter. What we do suggest is that you hire someone to do the renegotiating for you. While this may cost money, it would be well worth it. See the section above, about spoiling your only chance. 

While the steps within this guide can be used to reduce ones rent, taking the time to go through them, and still keep a business going, can be too much for someone to handle.

Another thing to consider, is that once you try to negotiate with your landlord, you may not get the chance to do that over again. This can mean forever losing the opportunity to lower your rent. Fortunately, while researching for this article, we stumbled across a legitimate company, with some great people, and even better results.

ReduceYourRent.com is a fast growing site, that already is pulling in interest from across the globe. While mainly based in the States, they work with companies to get lower rents from their landlords, at reasonable prices. These guys lower rents for a living, and do not charge a company until they have results. This type of payment is great for companies, because they don't have to pay anything, until they are saving more than what they are paying!

So if you are busy running your business, and can't take the time to do this yourself, or just want to make sure to have it done right, you may want to contact Reduceyourrent.com. That way you know that if it is at all possible, you will get a lower rent.

Just a side note, I am not exactly a objective voice on this matter, I have personally met one of the owners and found him to be a great person. Consider your self warned, I have a bit of a bias towards this company.

Using this guide, a business owner can reduce their rent. There are three steps to reducing your rent. The first is to tip off your landlord that you will be needing to lower your rent to stay in your current location. The second is to research and find locations that may be suitable for you to move to. The third step, and the hardest step, is the follow-up. This is where you talk to your landlord and tell them you will need a lower rent, or need to move.

If you follow this guide, you more than likely be able to reduce your rent. But for those whose business is in dire need of lowering rent, and unable to survive without it, I would suggest getting professional help, from a third party like reduceyourrent.com.