Bargain successfully

Desislava Zareva,
NBU, 2017
Task 1 Work in pairs

 Pair 1 Trade the object that you get. Try to negotiate the best (in your own understanding)
price you can get for it.

 Pair 2 Listen to pair 1. Make a list of any successful strategies & vocabulary Pair 1 used.
How successful was the bargain?

 Now swap roles.

Task 2 Discuss these questions in small groups.

1. What exactly does bargaining mean? What does it involve?

2. Why is bargaining so stressful?
3. Does bargaining always involve an element of deception?
4. What exactly is a trade-off?
5. What is the key to successful bargaining?
6. What is the most important word during the bargaining
stage?
7. How can you avoid misunderstandings during the
bargaining stage?
Task 3 Work in groups/ pairs.

Read the text. What are the answers to the previous questions?
BC handout 1
Task 4 The power of ‘if’ (BC handout)

Sort the sentences from the most direct offer of a 5% discount to the most hypothetical. Some
sentences may be roughly the same as each other.
 Task 4 The power of ‘if’. Suggested answers:
1. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, i, j, k, m, n.
2. It makes no difference in terms of meaning – the two clauses can usually be reversed (although clauses
with only if usually come second). However, there is a subtle difference in attitude between sentences l
and m: sentence m sounds more like a threat, while sentence l feels more like a positive suggestion.
3. On the surface, they have exactly the same meaning. However, sentences with ‘if we …’ (e.g. sentence
c) sound more like a one-sided offer, whereas sentences with ‘if you …’ (e.g. sentence a) are more clearly
dependent on the other party’s actions. In other words, ‘if we …’ sentences may be more dangerous,
because they show possible weakness. Sentence a is safer.
4. Sentences a and b are classical examples of first and second conditionals. There is a clear difference in
meaning: sentence b is more hypothetical than sentence a. In practice, however, they both depend on the
other person’s actions (If you …), so this difference may not be very important in the negotiation. The
speaker is simply estimating the likelihood of the other person’s actions.
5. Again, sentences c and d are classical first and second conditionals. This time, however, because they
are ‘if we …’ sentences, the speaker is communicating the likelihood of his/her own actions. In other
words, he/she is expressing more willingness to be flexible in sentence c than sentence d. Sentence e is
similar to sentence d, but the structure were to is used to emphasise the hypothetical nature of the
suggestion.
Suggested answers:

6. The structure if + will is fairly rare, but not incorrect. In such cases, will is used to refer to a promise of a
future action, i.e. ‘if you agree that you will increase your order …’.
7. It makes the offer much more hypothetical. Other examples: might consider, could.
8. Only if, as long as and provided all have a similar meaning: that the offer will be withdrawn if the condition
isn’t met. Unless (= if not) has a similar function, but because the main clause tends to be negative (as in
sentences l and m), it allows you to communicate a condition without making an offer. Supposing is a way of
making the hypothetical nature of the sentence more explicit.
9. It makes the hypothetical nature of the suggestion more explicit.
10. Yes and no. For many negotiators (native and no-native), it doesn’t matter how you decorate your offer with
subtle grammar – the offer still stands. However, when negotiating with native English speakers and proficient
nonnatives, it is certainly useful to understand the messages they are signaling with their choice of conditionals,
e.g. this is a serious offer vs. this is just an idea. When negotiating with people whose English is weaker, such
subtlety may be meaningless.In general, it is always worth focusing on lexical differences (e.g. might instead of
would, supposing or unless instead of if) in order to convey that your offer is hypothetical. This can be much
more explicit than relying on differences between first and second conditionals.
Task 5 The language of win-win negotiations

 “Please correct me if I’m wrong -…”

 “We appreciate what you’ve done for us…”
 “Let me see if I understand what you’re saying”
 “Our concern is fairness”
 “Trust is a separate issue”
Suggested answers:

•“Please correct me if I’m wrong -…”

This phrase is ideal to use when you believe that the facts presented by the other side aren’t correct but you want to avoid
confrontation. You are basically saying that your view of the facts could be inaccurate and you invite the other side to correct it.
 “We appreciate what you’ve done for us…”
A fundamental part of principled negotiation is separating the people from the problem. If you can express appreciation for
something the other party has said/done you are effectively saying “we have nothing against you personally” and you separate
any relationship issue from the merits of the issue under discussion. After praising someone, they have a small emotional
investment in your continued approval of them.
 “Let me see if I understand what you’re saying”
One of the most important skills in negotiation is active listening.. Before responding to a proposal or opinion that you disagree
with, it’s good to restate back to the other side in positive terms what you have heard to make sure you have understood. Once the
other party feels understood, they can relax and begin to discuss the issue more constructively.
 “Our concern is fairness”
No one can argue with an appeal to fairness, as by definition, this is a mutually beneficial solution. This phrase also emphasizes
that you are wanting to negotiate based on principles and standards, not on just what someone else says.
 “Trust is a separate issue”
Many positional bargainers resort to the phrase “It seems that you don’t trust me” but this is appealing to emotion and is a ploy to
get away from the issue at hand. Again we must always separate the people from the problem. Saying something like “Trust is a
separate issue” or “It’s not a question of trust” allows you to sidestep this tactic.
Negotiation one-liners:

 Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlijSDJ1rAQ

 Make a list of the phrases you hear.

Choose at least two of the phrases to practice.

Bargaining tactics

 Watch the video. Make a list of negotiation tactics you are most likely to use next time you
need to bargain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA0DParCiww