Finally found that entrepreneur that you want to invest in?  He or she has exactly what it takes to make the venture succeed?  You want to take part of it so both of you will prosper?  But now you’re not sure about how to get the deal terms to where you want them?  Here are three key tips from the experts that are worth a quick review:

Forget Buyer’s Remorse, you need to worry about Winner’s Remorse

It’s easy to make the winning bid when there are others at the table – Offer the highest price!  But as the pros will be the first to admit, the deals they walked away from were probably the deals they are most proud of.  So do your homework, arrive at a price range that makes sense given the risk and returns, and stay within that range.  It’s no different than buying stocks – find a good company, but buy it when the market has it on sale.

Don’t try to get your Piece of the Pie Bigger, Try to get the Whole Pie Bigger

Move past that simplistic model of low-balling and trying to eek out those last nickels and dimes from your “opponent”.  Look at the deal from the entrepreneur’s perspective and try to maximize both yours and the entrepreneur’s opportunity.  It will be better financially for both of you as you will be that much more willing to help each other in addition to uncovering new opportunities in the process.

Quantify the Complete Value of your Offer

Your offer is typically not just a number that you will be writing on a cheque.  Your offer typically includes all of your knowledge, experience, contacts, and advice.  The entrepreneur has quantified the opportunity in a Business Plan to demonstrate how much potential return there is for a certain level of risk.  You should do the same with your offer by quantifying how much additional revenue and profits can result in accepting your offer and hence partnering with someone of your stature.  This way ensures that your offer gets the proper attention it deserves.