02.Opening the negotiation
- Making small talk
- Stating your objective
- Making your opening offer
1. Making small talk
Jen: Greg, it’s great to finally meet you in person.
Greg: Jen, it’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Is this your first visit to Vancouver?
Jen: Yes, it’s really quiet and clean here. You have a nice office.
Greg: Thank you. We renovated it last year. Can I take your coat?
Jen: Great, thanks.
Matching
- Can I get you something to drink?
- I really like your tie.
- Please make yourself comfortable.
- Is this your first time to our office?
- What are your plans while you’re in town?
- Is that a new suit?
- Making small talk
- Being hospitable
- Complimenting
Come up with your own examples.
- Compliment someone on one of their company’s products.
- Compliment someone on their office.
- Offer them a seat.
- Offer them something to drink.
- Ask about their weekend.
- Ask about their business.
2. Stating your objective
After establishing a relationship with your counterpart, you can start talking business by stating the objectives and suggesting a procedure.
Track 2
Script
Jeff: Our objective is to reach an agreement on the price and quantity. Can we start by hearing your proposal?
和訳
ジェフ：私たちの目的は、価格と数量について合意に達することです。まずは、御社の提案をお聞かせいただけますか？
Script
Cindy: We are hoping that we can decide on a fair policy for everyone. Let’s start by looking at our options.
和訳
シンディ：皆にとって公平な方針を決定できればと思っています。まずは、どのような選択肢があるか検討してみましょう。
Script
Fred: We are here to choose the best option for us based on price, quality, and schedule. As our first order of business, I’d like to present an outline of requirements.
和訳
フレッド：私たちは、価格、品質、スケジュールを踏まえて、私たちにとって最適な選択肢を選ぶためにここに来ました。まずは、要件の概要をご説明したいと思います。
| Name | Expressions for stating your objective | Expressions for suggesting a process | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jeff | ||
| 2. | Cindy | ||
| 3. | Fred |
3. Making your opening offer
Place the expressions under the appropriate heading.
- We were thinking $5.5 million.
- $5.5 million is the best we can do.
- Our offer is $5.5 million.
- How does $5.5 million sound?
- We feel that $5.5 million is a fair offer.
- The most we expect to pay is $5.5 million.
| Take it or leave it | Testing the waters |
|---|---|
Place the responses in the appropriate place on the line below.
- $5.5 million? That’s a little less than what we were expecting to get.
- That’s way below our bottom line.
- Well, it’s a good starting point.
- That’s a very reasonable offer.
- That’s out of the question.
Make an opening offer for something that your partner has. For example:
A: I was thinking of $100 for your watch.
B: $100? That’s a little less than what I was expecting to get.
A: $120 is the best I can do.
B: Well, it’s a good starting point.
4. Putting it all together
Role A: colleague
Meetings are too long in your department. No one takes leadership in these meetings, so you feel it’s a waste of time. You are very busy and want to shorten them to one hour. Negotiate with your colleague.
Role B: colleague
Meetings are too short in your department. You always run out of time. You want to extend them to three hours. This will give everyone a fair chance to speak. Negotiate with your colleague.
Before starting a negotiation, it’s important to create a comfortable atmosphere. Good negotiators will put the other side at ease.
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