What if the other side won't move at all?

Ask an open question instead of repeating your ask: What would make this work for you? It often reopens the conversation.

Can I practise real negotiations in class?

Yes. In an English for work class, Pili runs the negotiation from your own deals, so you practise the exact phrases you'll need.

English for work

Negotiation phrases in English for work

Phrases for the moments that decide a negotiation: opening, offering, pushing back and closing. Say them out loud before you need them.

Book a trial class

The shape of a negotiation

1
Establish the situation
Name what you're there to discuss, plainly.
2
Explore the other side's needs
Ask before you offer. What matters most to you here? tells you where the real flexibility is.
3
Offer suggestions
Put forward options, not just one fixed number.
4
Reach agreement
Confirm what was agreed and put it in writing.

Phrases for every stage

Open the negotiation

Let's talk about the numbers.
What did you have in mind?
Before we start, can I ask what matters most to you here?

Make an offer

We could offer you X for Y.
Our best offer right now is...
What if we included X as well?

Push back

That's higher than we expected.
Is there any room to move on that?
Could we meet in the middle?

Reconsider and counter-offer

Having reconsidered the numbers, we could offer...
On further thought, we'd be open to...
Let's see if we can come to an agreement that works for both of us.

Trade, don't just give

If you can do X, we can do Y.
We'd need something in return for that.
That works for us, if we also get...

Close

So we're agreed on X.
That sounds like a mutually satisfactory outcome.
Let's put that in writing.
I'll send the details to confirm.

From weak to confident

Weak / Confident
Weak	Confident
Maybe we could possibly do something about the price?	We'd like to propose a lower price.
I guess that could work?	That works for us.
Sorry, is it okay if I ask for a bit more time?	We'll need more time. Can we agree on a new date?
I don't know, what do you think?	Here's what we'd suggest.

Watch out if you speak Spanish

Capaz is often translated word for word as maybe or perhaps, and it weakens an offer. Say what you want directly: We can offer X, not Maybe we could offer X.
A flat no can feel rude in English business culture. Soften it: That doesn't work for us, not just No.
English negotiators state the ask first, then explain: We need X, because Y, not a long explanation before the ask.
Nos interesaria becomes we would be interested, which is fine, but follow it with a concrete number or date, not only interest.
Some negotiations are positional, where you state your goal and push for it. Others are principled, where you look for what both sides actually need. Naming this out loud in English works well: What matters most to both of us here? moves a stuck negotiation from positional to principled.

Practice

Open cloze

Write one word in each gap to complete the negotiation phrase.

1. What did you have in
?
2. Is there any room to
on that?
3. Could we meet in the
?
4. That's a bit
than we expected.
5. We'd need something in
for that.
6. So we're
on the new terms.
7. Let's put that in
.
8. Our
offer right now is $5,000.

0 of 8 checked

Questions

What if the other side won't move at all?: Ask an open question instead of repeating your ask: What would make this work for you? It often reopens the conversation.
Can I practise real negotiations in class?: Yes. In an English for work class, Pili runs the negotiation from your own deals, so you practise the exact phrases you'll need.

Keep going

Want to practise this with Pili?

Book a trial class. She writes back with times in Buenos Aires time.