Do you regularly negotiate in English with customers? Then you want to get the best result out of your deal, don't you? However, it is not so obvious if you have to express yourself in a language other than your native language.
But do not let language make you insecure in advance. Your business skills are not diminished because you now have to speak in English.
Prepare yourself, stay calm and believe that you can do it!
These standard phrases will help you on your way to smooth negotiations in English.
Have you taken the time to greet each other and have a quick chat? Then it is now time to start negotiating. You can use these standard phrases:
I’d like to begin by saying…
I’d like to outline our aims and objectives.
There are two main areas that we’d like to concentrate on / discuss.
What we are looking for is…
Our main concern is…
We’d like to propose that…
You will undoubtedly want to sound out how the other party feels about your proposal. You can use these standard phrases for this purpose:
Does anything I have suggested / proposed seem unclear to you?
I’d like to clarify our position.
What do you mean exactly when you say...?
Could you clarify your last point for me?
What are your views on…?
Do you have any suggestions for…?
Would you like to suggest a course of action for…?
How do you feel about…?
Would you consider / be willing to...?
Can I clarify your position on...?
How feasible is it for you to...?
What are your views on...?
Would you be able to...?
Are the negotiations going smoothly and do you agree with certain (or all) suggestions from the other party? Then you can use the standard phrases below to express agreement:
We agree / We agree with you (on that point) / We agree to these terms.
I think we have a deal.
I think we can agree to that.
This is a fair suggestion.
You have a good point / You have a strong point here.
I can’t see any problem with that.
I agree with you on that point.
I am with you on that.
That sounds great to us.
I’m willing to work with that.
I'm satisfied with this decision.
I think we should get this in writing.
I think your proposal is acceptable / I think that would be acceptable.
That’s a fair suggestion.
That seems acceptable / reasonable to us.
Of course, you cannot always get what you want in all negotiations. Sometimes you will have to strike a happy medium. No problem! You can use these standard phrases to negotiate further and reach a compromise:
I’m afraid we can only go as low as…
From where we stand an acceptable price would be…
Our absolute bottom line is…
As long as you... we will...
We could offer you…, if you think you can agree on…
Offering you… is the best we can do right now.
In exchange for…, would you agree to…?
We can accept that if you ...
We might / may / would be able to... (if you could...)
Would you be willing to...?
We may accept your offer on condition that...
We could offer you... if you can agree on...
Is it impossible for you to agree to a proposal during a business negotiation? Then remember to respond in a polite and respectful way so that you do not put pressure on your business relationship. You can use the standard phrases below:
I’m afraid that’s not acceptable to us.
I'm afraid that is out of the question.
I'm afraid that's (really) not an option.
I am sorry, but we cannot accept that.
I’m afraid we can’t agree on... / with you there.
I'm afraid we have some reservations on that point.
I'm afraid I had something different in mind.
I can't quite agree with you on that.
Can I just pick up on a point you made earlier?
I understand where you’re coming from / your position, but/ however…
We’re prepared to compromise, but…
If you look at it from our point of view,…
As we see it… / That’s not exactly as we see it.
Is that your best offer?
I have some reservations about…
Unfortunately, our position is different from yours.
You can use these standard phrases for your next business negotiation in English? If you'd like to read further tips on how to negotiate better in English, read this blog post.
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