Introduction to Business English

A manager noticed a worker wearing a polo shirt that had the logo and name of a supplier on it. Later that week the worker called in sick for three days. The manager found out from other workers that the first worker wearing the polo shirt was actually working at the supplier company doing for them the same job he was doing at the manager company. When confronted the employee, he said he was indeed working at the suppliers company also, but saw no fault with doing that.

Please take out a piece of paper and write down the answer for each of the following questions

Question 1: Your aim in a negotiation is…. A. Find the greatest area of agreement in

the joint interest of both parties. B. To win and to make the other side lose C. To find the best deal on your side.

Question 2: When the other side is talking, you.. A. use the information you are hearing to

indentify weaknesses in the other party. B. plan what you are going to say next. C. listen with maximum attention

Question 3: You think that… A. Part of the available time must be spent

socializing and getting to know the other side. B. Goodwill is important but the speed of the

meeting should be quick and businesslike. C. The meeting should get down to business

as soon as possible and reach quick decisions.

Question 4: When you speak in a negotiation, you… A. Make a bold and forceful statements,

possibly banging on the table. B. Make carefully considered statements in a

calm, controlled voice. C. Are occasionally forceful and inflexible.

Question 5: If the other side disagrees with you, you …. A. try hard to find a creative position by

modifying your position. B. repeat your demands and will not concede –

your objective is to make the other side give in.

C. reshape your offer without fundamental changes.

Question 6: If the other side states an opinion you disagree with, you… A. tentatively suggest an alternative. B. ask for clarification and explanation. C. ridicule it with sarcasm.

Now for the answers…

Question 1 A = 3 B = 2 C = 1

Question 2 A. = 1 B = 2 C = 3

Question 3 A = 3 B = 2 C = 1

Question 4 A = 1 B = 3 C = 2

Question 5 A = 3 B = 1 C = 2

Question 6 A = 3 B = 2 C = 1

If you have a 15 or more You are a creative negotiator

If you have 11 – 14 You negotiate with independent

advantage If you have 7 – 10

You fight for the win If you are less than 7

You are a Sister Feng

Hard Negotiate to win makes demands

Principled Looks for common benefits Makes offers

Soft Looks for agreements Accepts what’s being offered

Conflict may sometimes be an unavoidable step towards the road towards agreement.

However, in some case conflict can lead to breakdowns in negotiations if both parties can not make an agreement.

In many cases this better than agreeing to something that against the other parties interest.

Leave the problem (come back to it later) Summarize progress and areas of

agreement Emphasize the benefits available to both

sides Emphasize the loss to both sides of not

reaching an agreement Restate the issue and wait for a response Change the package

Invent new options for mutual gainOffer conditional concessionAdjourn to think and reflectSet up an off-the-record meetingChange locationChange negotiatorBring in a third partyConsider walking away

Listen…What strategy is being used?

Talk about it later Negative effects Offer concessions Take a break Summarize the agreement

DO.. Ask questions Listen Summarize Build on common

ground Explain your

feelings Empathy

DON’T…

Be sarcasticAttackCriticizeThreatenBlameDemean

Situation 1 The problem is that we have never offered

this warranty before. Situation 2

There is a number of issues on the table. We seem to be a long way from an agreement

Situation 3 The price you are asking for is rather high,

quite a lot higher than we were expecting Situation 4

There are several problems. We think there is quite a lot of negotiations ahead before we can agree on a common strategy.

Listen…

Take it with a grain of salt.Find where you did wrongUnderstand what parts need to be

changed and things that should stayMake sure you understand fully why

they rejected the offer. Don’t give up.

Group Image is a commercial photographic company planning to buy new equipment. They have been negotiating with Photolab Inc for the equipment.

Listen… Was the response appropriate?

Recognize what happenedPraise peoplePraise the teamwork Praise PartnershipPat on the back for yourself.

When ending a negotiation, you need to: Make sure of the agreements made What the next step will be Any issues we have that will need to be

addressed in a future meeting Time for future meeting or any future

work that needs to be done.

Listen … What decision did they make What are the next step?

No agreement, meet again later Agreement, send a letter Agreement, send detail specifications No agreement, no extra steps No agreement, Talk in the next few

days.