Business talks

* 4. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Match the numbers to the information they refer to. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

** 8. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Choose the issue(s) the negotiators will most probably discuss further. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

** 5. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Mark the statements True, False or Not Stated. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now. 1) The director offers a 10% discount if the manager buys over 30 cars. 2) The director offers a 12% discount in the case the buyer has some additional requirements. 3) The buyer wants to buy 30 vehicles. 4) The manager thinks that some of their top sales staff can be not easily satisfied. 5) The discount for a modified car model will be reduced by 2%.

* 1. Three key skills in negotiating are: 1) signalling (drawing attention to what you're about to say); 2) checking understanding; 3) summarising. Read the negotiation between the Commercial Director of a car manufacturer and the General Manager of a business equipment firm. Classify the underlined sentences into three groups. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

** 6. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Choose the statement which best summarises it. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

*** 10. Imagine that you are a sales manager of the company producing leather briefcases. A retailer is considering placing an order for 300 items. Make up a dialogue illustrating the negotiations between you and the buyer. You: Buyer: You: Buyer: You: . Buyer: . You: . Buyer: You:

* 3. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Find the term that can be defined as "a reduction in the usual price". Type it. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

* 2. Read the dialogue again, if necessary. Find the term that can be defined as "something used to transport people or goods". Type it. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

** 7. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Choose the statement which contradicts its content. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now.

*** 9. Read the dialogue, if necessary. Solve the problem below. Director: We're willing to give you a 12% discount on our list price if you buy over 30 vehicles. It'll mean you'll pay just £ 14,400 for each vehicle. But that's providing you don't have any special requirements which cost us more money. Manager: Special requirements? What do you mean exactly? Director: Oh, I don't know, if you want the interior of the car to be changed, for example. The price we've agreed is for our standard model. Or if you want a modification which costs money, more storage compartments, for example. Manager: Right. It's true, some of our top sales staff can be fussy. I don't know though, we'd still like a 12% discount, given the size of our order. Director: Mmm, OK. Let me make a suggestion. We give you 12% but if someone wants extras or a modification, we'll offer you a 10% discount on that car. That's fair enough, isn't it? Manager: OK, so you're saying you will modify the car if we ask you to? Director: Exactly. Manager: Right then, let's see what we've got. The price will be £ 14,400, providing there are no extras or modifications to the interior. You'll make small changes if we ask you to, but reduce the discount by 2%. Director: That's it. OK. Let's talk about delivery now. Problem: The manager wants to buy 30 standard model cars and five cars with some modifications. The cost of extras for one car is £ 3000. How much will he pay?