Negotiate in English without giving ground you didn’t mean to.
In negotiations, language mistakes cost money. Being too direct sounds aggressive and being too polite sounds weak. We train the phrases and structure that let you hold your position, make conditional offers and close calmly in English.
“Push back on a 10% price increase from a key supplier.”
Example drill from the Spoken appCommon slips, fixed
We can’t accept thisThat would be difficult for us unless…
Give me a discountIs there any flexibility on price?
This is our last priceThis is the best we can do on this volume
Ok, we acceptThat works for us, provided that…
Conditional negotiating
- AnchorOpen with a clear, reasoned position.
- ConditionTrade with “if you…, then we…” rather than conceding.
- ConfirmSummarise exactly what was agreed and who acts next.
Phrases to have ready
- If you can commit to the volume, we can look at the price.
- That’s a bit outside what we had in mind.
- What would make this work for you?
- Let’s park that and come back to it.
- So, to confirm what we’ve agreed…
Questions
Is this for sales teams only?
No. Procurement, legal, leadership and project teams use the same skills with suppliers, clients and partners.
Can we role-play a real negotiation?
Yes. We prepare scenarios from your real situations and practise them live.
Rehearse your next negotiation.
A free 15-minute call with the founder. Ask anything, no commitment.
Carla BarrosoYou’ll speak with the founder