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+Desperate times call for desperate measure so it shouldn't be any surprise that the fine art of haggling and negotiating bargains is on the rise in these financially trying times. Believe it or not, with a bit of perseverance and some bargaining skill you can negotiate better deals from even the largest of corporations.
+
+When it comes to saving money lowering your monthly bills ought to be top of the list, which is why we've put together this guide to help you negotiate a better deal with your internet service provider. 
+
+== Do your research ==
+
+Before you contact your current ISP, be sure to take a general survey of the competition. Find out how your monthly bill compares to other offers both in your area and out if it. Pay particular attention to your ISP's primary competition, for example if you've got DSL see what the cable company is offering and be sure to note the bandwidth that comes with their deals.
+
+What if you find out you already have the best deal? Quite frankly that's very unlikely, but even if it turns out you already have a good deal, you still might be able to get an even better one following the steps below.
+
+== Pick up the phone ==
+
+Sure you can try messaging your ISP on Twitter, but if you really want to negotiate you're going to need some good old-fashioned human interaction. Call your ISP and press whatever annoying array of buttons you need to get an actual human being on the line.
+
+Once you're got a person, tell them you'd like to see if you can get a better deal. The trick to negotiating is to be polite, but firm, and don't go nuclear from the start. Ease in by saying you're concerned with the cost of your service, not that you're jumping ship for the competition.
+
+'''Ask if there any specials.''' ISPs routinely offer introductory rates to entice new customers. They generally claim the special rates are only for new customers, but with a bit of convincing on your part, most will give them to just about anyone. It never hurts to ask.
+
+'''Let them know you are in demand.''' Remember, you're the customer, you're in control whether you feel that way or not. Tell the representative you've got an offer from a competitor and you're wondering if they can match the price. If you're talking about a DSL offer to a cable company you'll probably get an earful about the advantages of cable over DSL. Politely, but firmly list the actual bandwidth speeds that you researched earlier. Generally this will put an end to the cable vs DSL debate and bring the focus back to getting you a better deal.
+
+'''Let your ISP know you're willing to switch to the competition.''' If you still haven't gotten anywhere, then you can pull out the big guns and say that you'd like to cancel your account and move to another ISP. We've only had to do this once and it quickly routed us to a new representative who's sole job was to make us happy and ensure we didn't switch. Sure enough, that representative was more than happy to lower our bill and increase our bandwidth.
+
+'''Ask for a manager''' Many times the basic customer service reps aren't allowed to negotiate deals and will tell you as much. Politely ask to speak with the next person up in the chain. 
+
+== Future Outlook ==
+
+Given that most areas of the country have, at best, only a handful of internet service providers, there's very little competition and hence very little pressure to drive down prices. However, as cellular networks catch up to cable and DSL in speed and price, the traditional land-line-based ISPs are beginning to feel the pressure. Expect both price and speed wars to break out eventually, which will mean faster, cheaper internet service for all of us.
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