negotiating tips – stages and language
· Tie up loose ends
Confirm what has been agreed. Summarise the details on paper.
· Explore each other’s needs
Build rapport. State your opening position. Learn the other side’s position.
· Ready yourself
Prepare your objectives, concessions and strategy. Gather information about the other side.
· Probe with proposals
Make suggestions and find areas of agreement.
· Close the deal
Bring a negotiation to a clear and satisfactory end.
· Signal for movement
Signal that you are prepared to move from your original position. Respond to signals from the other side.
· Exchange concessions
Give the other side something in return for something you need or want.
Useful language
Starting positions
· We’d like to reach a deal with you today.
· I hope we can come to an agreement today.
Exploring positions
· Can you tell me a little about ....?
· What do you have in mind?
Making offers and concessions
· If you order now, we’ll give you a discount.
· We’d be prepared to offer you a better price if you increased your order.
Checking understanding
· What do you mean?
· Have I got this right?
· If I understand you correctly, .....
· You mean, if we ordered ...., would ...?
· Are you saying ....?
Refusing an offer
· I’m not sure about that.
· This simply isn’t feasible.
· That’s more than we usually offer.
· That would be difficult for us.
Accepting an offer
· Sounds like a good idea to me. As long as we ....
· Good, we agree on price, quantity, discounts ....
Playing for time
· I’d like to think about it.
· I’ll have to consult my colleagues about that.
Closing the deal
· I think we’ve covered everything.
· Great! We’ve got a deal.
Following up the deal
· Let me know if there are any problems.
· If there are any other points, I’ll email you.
Negotiation – Diplomacy
Low-context cultures
High-context cultures
Focus of negotiations
problem-solving, deadlines are important
relationship-building, time is flexible
Communication style
direct, verbal, few non-verbal signals
indirect, dislike conflict, avoid saying no
Business organization
individuals more important than the group
group harmony more important than individual
Listen to the alternative versions and complete the phrases below.
Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 3
Checking
understanding
1 Correct me if _____________, but you seem to be ____________ that....
4 Have I ____________ right?
5 Would I be right ____________ that ....?
8 If I’ve understood ________________ ...
Correcting misunderstandings
2 I’m afraid there ____________ a slight __________________ .
6 I’m sorry, that isn’t __________________ .
9 Perhaps I haven’t _________________ .
Reformulating
3 Let me _________________ another _________________ .
7 What I was ________________ was ....
10 Allow me _________.
What I ____________ ...
Match the direct remarks 1-4 to the diplomatic forms.
Direct
Diplomatic
1 I’m not ready to make a decision.
a) Perhaps we should talk again in a few days?
2 This project is totally unrealistic.
b) I think we might need more time to explore all the implications.
3 Let’s finish the meeting now.
c) We would be very happy to give you the same terms as Auckland, if you were in a position to order the same volume.
4 We won’t pay for shipping unless you give us a bigger order.
d) I’m afraid we feel there are still quite a large number of difficulties to face in this project.
Diplomatic language often uses:
· Modal verbs like could, _______, _______, _______, ________
· Softening adverbs like maybe or _______
· Qualifiers like a bit, rather, a little or _______
· Introductory warning like I’m sorry, actually, ________
· (negative) questions rather than statements.
‘Translate’ the direct remarks into diplomatic language, and vice versa.
1
I’m sorry, but wouldn’t it be easier for everybody if we held the meeting here rather than in Colombia?
2 If you don’t want to do business, just say so!
3
ossad