談判英文 Negotiation in English

Negotiating is a part of everyday life

Negotiation is often thought of as big, one-time events like contracts, but in reality, knowingly or not, we negotiate every single day – we negotiate for our jobs and salaries, for promotions and resources, with clients, and in sales. A negotiation is a strategic discussion that resolves an issue in a way that both parties find acceptable. In business it’s absolutely critical to your success.

Before being seated and starting a negotiation, there is a lot of homework, such as asking why you need this negotiation, who are involved, what are their viewpoints, and what is expected from negotiation. You also need to help yourself by knowing what other parties are talking about and correct responses to their comments.

Lesson 1 – words & phrases

Before or during negotiation, you may come across some words and phrases you need to know in order to fully understand your material. Here are some of the most important words that you may find useful.

Bargain [ˈbɑːgɪn]

(verb) to bargain with somebody for/over/on something 談條件、議價
example 1: Do you think Pete can bargain with the owner over that used car?
example 2: In open-air markets it is standard practice to bargain for the best price.

Give and take in a Negotiation

A common start point in negotiations is to ‘take a position’, which usually means having a particular viewpoint and requirements from which there is little movement. Negotiators’ positions are the things they demand you give them and also the things that they refuse to provide you with.

Competitive negotiators are clear on what they want and communicate this early, strongly, and repeatedly.

Lesson 2 – start negotiating

Positional bargaining tends to be the first strategy people adopt when entering a negotiation. When negotiating, positioning matters. That means the way you position yourself will determine how the other negotiator(s) will initially deal with you.

Key skills during this stage include questioning, listening and clarifying.

• Asking questions
  • Would you explain the reasons for your position?
    (Directly ask them their rationale for what they are offering or seeking.)
  • Is there any reason you can’t?
• Listening to the other party (to show your respect and empathy)
  • I’m listening.
  • I see what you mean.

Rounds of negotiations

In many cases, there are many rounds of negotiations. In preliminary rounds the major issues are uncovered, while subsequent rounds are needed to discuss and resolve them.

There are a number of signals that indicate that negotiations are coming to an end. However, this is always meaning that an agreement has been reached.

Lesson 3 – negotiation settlement (1)

Part I: When there are sticky points, go for a walk.

This doesn’t mean that you walk out of the room and call off the meeting. It means that sometimes we need to take a breather[1] and change the scenery[2] when we’re at a stalemate.

[1] Take a breather 短暫休息
  take a deep breath = to pause
  [example] I propose we all stop the arguments, take a deep breath, and remember why we were here.

[2] Change of scenery = a move to different place where the surroundings are different
  換個環境；轉換跑道(東家)
  [example] Quite often, responding to chronic stress at work, we take vacations in some exotic places,
  thinking that the change of scenery will do us good.

Brian: For us to make this work for a lower price, we would need to know your monthly deliveries. But we can let you adjust the order sizes to some extent so that you can manage your warehousing space.

Alice: That’s not going to work for us. Flexibility remains our highest priority.

Brian: In that case, we won’t be able to offer you the lower price. We have no problem with flexible deliveries as such, but we cannot offer our best prices without your commitment to regular shipments.

Alice: …

Turn “no” into “yes”

Yet, despite your hard work, they say no.

• I don’t need it.
• It’s too expensive.
• I need to think about it.
• I have to talk to my boss.
• There’s no way around this.
• We cannot agree to that.

Would you simply take “no” for an answer and then end the conversation? Most people won’t say yes to an idea without saying no first. Many times, the objection the prospect gives isn’t the real objection.

Lesson 4 – negotiation settlement (2)

Brian: Well, I’ve spoken with a few people, and I have a proposal which I hope can make this work for everyone.

Alice: Sounds good. What’s your idea?

Brian: The problem for us is that if you don’t maintain a certain amount of volume, we might lose money for the lower price, and we are not willing to absorb the extra costs.

Alice:   Sure.

Brian:  So, here’s my solution: we have an annual contract with a flexible delivery schedule with a minimum volume per quarter. At the end of a quarter, if you fail to meet the requirements, you’re liable for the price gap between the minimum and your orders.

Alice:   I accept the basic idea. But earlier I suggested a 6-month contract, and this sounds like a worse deal for us.

Brian:    The lower price is working only when we can guarantee orders over a full year …

Salary negotiation

Do you want a raise and you feel like you deserve it? Are you worried that it might cost you your job? When you’re essential to your company, the negotiation is much easier. The key to managing the nerve-wracking process of negotiating a raise involves the right preparation and a firm understanding of your value and your company’s market conditions.

Lesson 5 – Role-play

Scenario: Take it or Leave it.

The “take it or leave it” approach is confrontational and can sometimes even be hostile.

You:   I am not going to accept less than a 5% increase in salary.

BOSS: Look, we’re running out of time here and I’ve barely had a bite of my lunch.

You:    I know, and we have a lot of work to get done this afternoon.

BOSS: Well, I guess we’ll have to settle this at another time.

You:    Actually, I’d really like to get this settled today. I know how busy you are, and it’s not easy to get you to sit down and talk.

BOSS:   (standing up and getting ready to walk out of the room) Well, we’re not getting anywhere.

You:      Please sit down for a few more minutes so we can make a decision.

BOSS:   And what if I don’t? Are you going to quit?

At this point, what would you say?

Scenario: Trade off

You:    I am a loyal employee, and I believe that it is in our best interests to have this conflict resolved. This should only take a few more minutes.

BOSS:   Fine. I’ll consider changing the job title on your pay stub[1]. But no raise.

You: …

[1] Pay stub薪資單