USA with their respective Time Zones

There are four Time Zones are there in USA

1. Pacific Timezone (PST Pacific Standard Time)
2. Mountain Timezone (MST Mountain Standard Time)
3. Central Timezone (CST Central Standard Time)
4. Eastern Timezone (EST Eastern Standard Time)

Here you can see List of U.S. states by time zone

US States Abbreviations & Shortforms

State/possession		Abbreviation
ALABAMA		AL
ALASKA		AK
AMERICAN SAMOA		AS
ARIZONA		AZ
ARKANSAS		AR
CALIFORNIA		CA
COLORADO		CO
CONNECTICUT		CT
DELAWARE		DE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA		DC
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA		FM
FLORIDA		FL
GEORGIA		GA
GUAM		GU
HAWAII		HI
IDAHO		ID
ILLINOIS		IL
INDIANA		IN
IOWA		IA
KANSAS		KS
KENTUCKY		KY
LOUISIANA		LA
MAINE		ME
MARSHALL ISLANDS		MH
MARYLAND		MD
MASSACHUSETTS		MA
MICHIGAN		MI
MINNESOTA		MN
MISSISSIPPI		MS
MISSOURI		MO
MONTANA		MT
NEBRASKA		NE
NEVADA		NV
NEW HAMPSHIRE		NH
NEW JERSEY		NJ
NEW MEXICO		NM
NEW YORK		NY
NORTH CAROLINA		NC
NORTH DAKOTA		ND
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS		MP
OHIO		OH
OKLAHOMA		OK
OREGON		OR
PALAU		PW
PENNSYLVANIA		PA
PUERTO RICO		PR
RHODE ISLAND		RI
SOUTH CAROLINA		SC
SOUTH DAKOTA		SD
TENNESSEE		TN
TEXAS		TX
UTAH		UT
VERMONT		VT
VIRGIN ISLANDS		VI
VIRGINIA		VA
WASHINGTON		WA
WEST VIRGINIA		WV
WISCONSIN		WI
WYOMING		WY
Military "State"		Abbreviation
Armed Forces Africa		AE
Armed Forces Americas   (except Canada)		AA
Armed Forces Canada		AE
Armed Forces Europe		AE
Armed Forces Middle East		AE
Armed Forces Pacific		AP

Coming to an Agreement in Negotiation

Once you have come to a final agreement, it is important that you have it down in writing along with both parties' signature: this is not always possible or practical. Before it is signed, or formally ordered, it is wise not to say anything about the terms agreed because your next sentence could break the agreement: the best sales-people never over sell - well, not until they have to!

If it is a sale/purchase that you are making, then officially, it isn't a sale until you/they have actually ordered the product/service. Usually, this will be an Order Form (we have one in our free business software). In most other negotiations, one party sending a letter and fax to the other in which the agreement is outlined (to a sufficient degree) will form a legal basis.

If the other party then amends the conditions in the agreement in writing to you, those amended terms then become part of the agreement, UNLESS you disagree in writing, and so on…


Summary

We use negotiation in everything we do but you have to be sure that it is done in the best way possible to achieve maximum benefit. The most important part is planning: preparing well will give you an advantage when negotiating.

Only use the knowledge and experience you need to achieve your objective: having the business owner negotiating the supply of pencils is over-kill, and leaves you little room to power-bargain with the same supply company when you want them to supply you with, say, colour photo-copiers.

Have confidence and be sure that you can keep control at all times. Aim highly, but don't underestimate the opposition. They too may have just read the same advice. If you're selling something, be persuasive and offer some incentive to keep the customer interested.

Don't close an agreement until you are happy. This could be difficult if you have been put in a 'corner' but this would perhaps be an effect of poor preparation.

Negotiating

It is important that you approach the other party directly to make an appointment to negotiate should it be in person, writing or by phone (not through a phone operator, receptionist, assistant etc) as this will allow you to set the agenda in advance, and improve the prospects of the other party preparing sufficiently enough to make a decision on the day. Try to be fairly open about your reason for contact or they may lose interest instantly and not follow up on the appointment. Save all your comments for the actual appointment- don't give away anything that will give them a chance to prepare too thoroughly: it's not war, but it is business!

So, it's time to negotiate and you've prepared well. What else must you have? Two things: confidence and power. Your power will come from your ability to influence. For example, you may be the buyer (but not always a strong position), or have something that the other party wants, or you may be able to give an intention to penalize if the other party fails to meet the agreement (as is the way with construction). As briefly mentioned above, you may be able to give a reward or an incentive. For example, you may be selling kitchen knives and as part of the package you are giving a knife sharpener and a storage unit away free as an incentive.

It is always important that you keep the negotiation in your control: this can mean within your price range, your delivery time or your profit margin. If you fail to do so, you will end up on the wrong side of the agreement, and with nothing more out of the deal other than maintaining trading relationships.

When negotiating, aim as high as you feel necessary in order to gain the best deal for yourself. The other party may bring this down but it is a good tactic, as it is always easier to play down than to gain.

Make sure that you remain flexible throughout the negotiation in case the opposition decides to change the direction of the agreement (they may want different incentives or even change their objectives). This is where your preparation comes to good use: knowing your limits and the other party's needs. If you're a quick thinker then you've got an advantage. You'll need to turn it around quickly if things start to go against you without putting your objectives at risk.

Confidence comes from knowing your business, your product, what its worth, and being able to communicate this well to the other party: these people are almost impossible to get the better of, as some of you will know only too well.