Capstone: a negotiation, start to finish

Prepare, open, bargain and close a real deal in English. Lesson 58 of 58: Mastery, CEFR C2.

The case

• You lead a small design studio. A retail chain wants a new website in eight weeks and has offered 30,000. Your full price is 48,000 and your realistic timeline is ten weeks. Your walk-away point is 38,000. Your BATNA: another client has offered a smaller project worth 25,000 that would start in a month.
• Their likely interests: a launch before the holiday season, a fixed budget this quarter, and a reliable supplier for the next two years.
• What’s driving the eight-week deadline? (Finding their interest)
• If we phase the launch, could we meet your date? (A creative trade)

The plan

• Prepare: interests, BATNA, walk-away, tradeables (phasing, payment terms, a two-year support contract, a case study). Open with rapport and an agenda. Ask calibrated questions and label what you hear. Anchor with a reason. Trade conditionally, package, shrink your concessions. Handle pressure calmly. Say no warmly. Close, summarise and put it in writing.
• Before we talk numbers, can I ask what success looks like for you?
• It sounds like the holiday launch is what really matters. (A label)
• If you can sign a two-year support contract, we could start at 44,000. (A conditional trade)

A model ending

• “So, just to confirm: phase one, the shop and checkout, launches in eight weeks; phase two in week twelve. The fee is 42,000, half upfront, plus a two-year support contract. We’ll send the written proposal tomorrow. Is that everyone’s understanding?”
• So, just to confirm what we’ve agreed:
• We’ll send the written proposal tomorrow.
• Tip: Notice the result: their date is met, your price stays above your walk-away, and both sides gain a two-year relationship. That is a good negotiation.

Lines to have ready

• What’s driving that deadline? (Interests)
• It sounds like… (Labelling)
• Based on…, we’re proposing… (Anchoring)
• If you…, then we could… (Trading)
• What I can do is… (A warm no)
• Just to confirm what we’ve agreed:… (Closing)

Your turn to speak

• Run the whole negotiation out loud, playing both sides or with a partner: rapport and agenda, questions and labels, your anchor, three conditional trades, one pressure tactic handled, a warm no, and a summarised close with written next steps. Record it, listen back, and note one thing to improve.
• I explored their interests before talking numbers
• I anchored with a reason and stayed above my walk-away
• Every concession was a trade
• I closed with a summary and written next steps
• I listened back and noted one improvement

Watch your video back for

• Eye contact: on the camera, not the screen or the floor
• Posture: upright and still, shoulders down
• Hands: visible and open, moving with the words
• Face: it shows what you mean, and smiles where it should

Related

• Lesson 57: Debate and conceding
• The whole English course

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