Negotiating prices

I. Write down some words and expressions from the film.

1. To be in a position – to be authorized to do something.

2. To come in – to interrupt one’s interlocutor.

3. To turn down – to refuse an offer, request, or invitation; e.g. They’ve turned down offers from several different law firms.

4. To commit – to say that somebody will definitely do something or must do something; to take a decision to do something; e.g. If you commit to buy 20,000 units, I could consider a larger discount.

5. Markup – an increase in the price of something, especially from the price a shop pays for something to the price it sells it for; e.g. The retailer’s markup is 50%.

6. To bang – to knock or hit something hard against something else, making a loud noise; e.g. They were banging on the door with their fists.

II. Translate the new vocabulary into Russian.

III. Watch the film for the 1^st time.

IV. Give a proper Russian interpretation of the following sentences and phrases from the film. Try and avoid over-literal rendering.

1. Product lines – виды товара.

2. Let’s talk specifically about Big Boss. – Поговорим конкретно о Большом Боссе.

3. Let’s be clear about one thing. – Давайте четко определимся в одном.

4. We must have a larger discount than what’s on the table now. – Скидка должна быть гораздо больше той, которая указана в этом документе.

5. Fair enough. – Это справедливо.

6. Can I just come in here? – Я могу прервать вас?

7. I haven’t turned anything down. – Я ни от чего не отказывался.

8. If you commit to buy … – Если вы решаете купить …

9. I am getting tired of this. – Мне это начинает надоедать.

10. That represents a discount of … – Это соответствует скидке в …

11. I’ve got a few things I have to see to. – У меня есть несколько срочных дел.

12. Help yourself to the phone if you want to make a call. – Можете воспользоваться телефоном, если вам надо куда-нибудь позвонить.

13. I’m on my way over. – Я выезжаю.

14. We are stuck on the size of the order. – Мы застряли на величине заказа.

15. That sounds good to me. – По-моему, звучит неплохо.

16. I think we can push him further. – Я думаю, мы можем раскрутить его на большее.

17. When he starts banging on the table, that’s as far as you can go with him. – Когда он начинает стучать кулаком по столу, дальнейших уступок ждать от него не стоит.

18. So let’s clarify the position so far. – Итак, давайте проясним нашу позицию на данный момент.

19. To finalize the delivery arrangements – окончательно договориться об условиях поставки.

20. What have you been feeding him? – Чем вы его кормите?

V. Watch the film for the 2^nd time. Note down all the figures you hear to use them in further discussion.

VI. Answer some questions on the film.

1. Who are the film’s protagonists, or alternatively, main characters?

2. Where does the action of the film take place?

3. What is the film dedicated to?

4. What was the first thing Mr. McNeil wanted to make sure?

5. Did Edward’s reply satisfy him?

6. Do you think it was quite smart on the part of Edward to ask about the product lines Mr. McNeil was interested in if he was going to discuss Big Boss only?

7. Where did Mr. McNeil direct the negotiations from the very beginning?

8. What did he clarify at once regarding discounts in a standard document for retailers?

9. What did Edward need to know before considering possible discounts?

10. What was the first figure specified by Mr. McNeil? (10,000)

11. What discount did Edward offer on 10,000 units? (30%)

12. Was Mr. McNeil delighted when he heard that?

13. How did he appear to feel? (indignant)

14. What delivery time did Edward offer further to a 30% discount?
(2 months)

15. Did Mr. McNeil seem to be grateful for that? How did he react to the offer?

16. How did Edward interrupt Mr. McNeil’s indignant monologue?

17. What discount did he offer for 20,000 units? (35%)

18. Mr. McNeil was pretty happy to hear that, wasn’t he? How did he react to the above offer?

19. Did Edward sound reasonable remarking that in order to obtain a large discount one should make a big order?

20. Then Edward suggested getting down to a unit price matter, didn’t he? By the way, what was their wholesale unit price? (£ 23.5)

21. What unit price did Edward offer for 40,000 units order? (£ 19.5)

22. Why did Edward touch upon the size of markup: 3, 3.5, 4?

23. Did Edward accept Mr. McNeil’s counter offer: a unit price of £ 19.5 on 25,000 units?

24. What was Edward’s phone talk with Don about?

25. How did Don evaluate the situation described by Edward?

26. How did Don Bradley respond to Edward’s intention to “push” McNeil “further”?

27. What sign of Mr. McNeil’s upper limit did he warn Edward about?

28. What item of the talks did Edward and Mr. McNeil get down to after they had agreed upon £ 20 per unit against 30,000 units delivery?

29. What time of payment was offered by Mr. McNeil’s? (90 days).

30. What was Edward’s condition however? (30 days for discounts over 30%).

31. How did Edward react to Mr. McNeil’s argument concerning a very big order? (a. a large discount; b. an excellent quality of the product).

32. On what condition did Edward offer a 90-day payment? (35,000 units order).

33. What was Mr. McNeil’s final offer? (30,000 units versus 60-day payment).

34. Were you afraid that Edward would go too far? How did he feel that he had better stop bargaining?

35. How do you think, why did Mr. McNeil refuse to negotiate the delivery details that day? Was he tired physically, or was he tired of Edward?

36. Mr. McNeil said, “I’d rather do business with you (Don Bradley) than this young man.” Did it sound as a reproach or praise to Edward?

37. Was Don pleased to hear that?

38. How do you understand the following words? “We don’t feed him. We like to keep our staff hungry.”

39. Are you used to bargaining when you are in a seasonal market or a shopping mall? Do you usually get a discount there?

VII. Make a dialogue on the topic “Negotiating prices”. The scene of action can range from bargaining with a street peddler till negotiating in the office premises of a big company. Do our utmost to gain a good discount but be very careful not to miss the point when a seller really cannot make further concessions.