Part Ⅰ Situational Dialogues
Situational Dialogue 1
Peter and Smith are discussing price in the office.
Peter: Good Morning!
Smith: Good Morning!
Peter: What are your quotations of the items listed in your catalogue?
Smith: Here's the price list. But the prices are subject to our final confirmation.
Peter: Item No.254 seems to be the thing I want to have a try.
Smith: What's the quantity you're likely to take?
Peter: 2，000 tons. It's an attractive quantity, isn't it? I hope you'll quote us on your best terms.
Smith: How soon do you want the goods to be delivered?
Peter: Early September.
Smith: Just a minute. Now we offer your firm 2，000 tons of item No.254 at 150 US dollars per metric ton CIF New York, to be delivered in early September.
Peter: How long will you leave your offer open?
Smith: It's valid for four days.
Practice 1
Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.
Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.
Suppose you are a sales representative. You are making an offer of 6，000 sets of TV to your customer; try to use the expression above.
Situational Dialogue 2
Peter is negotiating price with Smith in the office.
Peter: Good Morning.
Smith: Good Morning.
Peter: I'd like to get the ball rolling by talking about prices.
Smith: Shoot. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Peter: Your products are very good. But I'm a little worried about the prices you're asking.
Smith: You think we will be asking for more?
Peter: That's not exactly what I had in mind. I know your research costs are high, but what I'd like is a 25% discount.
Smith: That seems to be a little high. I don't know how we can make a profit with those numbers.
Peter: We said we want 10，000pcs over a three-month period. What if we plan orders for a year, with a guarantee?
Smith: If you can guarantee that on paper, I think we can discuss this further.
Practice 2
Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.
Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.
Suppose you are a dealer for bicycles, try to negotiate your discount with the sales representative.
Situational Dialogue 3
Sam is in negotiation with Lee to settle the quotation over the phone.
Sam: Mr.Lee, I've talked to my general manager and he has agreed to increase the number to 5，000 pieces but we ask for a 25% quantity discount.
Lee: Thank you for your effort, but 25% is much more than we can offer to any of our customers.
Sam: If you take such a large quantity into account, you will find your prices are higher than we can get from elsewhere.
Lee: But you should take the quality into consideration. You know our products are of high quality and well-known all over the world.
Sam: The labor cost has decreased a lot recently, however. I think you can reduce the price accordingly.
Lee: But it's beyond your reach. Well, in order to establish the business relations with you, we can grant you a special discount of another 5%.
Sam: A 15% discount? That doesn't make a difference. You know we usually deal on a 25% quantity discount for such large orders. How about 20%?
Lee: It would be uneconomical for us to offer our products at the discount you suggest.
Sam: Your concession will set the ball rolling. Let us settle it at a total discount of 18%, if you agree.
Lee: I'm afraid 15% discount is already our best offer for 5，000 pieces.
Sam: In order to get the business, we are willing to make some concessions. 18% for 6，000 pieces.
Lee: Great. Let's call it a deal. USD 1.56 per piece for 6，000 pieces PVC bottle.
Sam: OK. I hope we both can get something out of this.
Practice 3
Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.
Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.
Suppose you are Mr.Green. You're the manager of a jewelry design and manufacturing company. You want to book a booth for a jewelry exhibition. Try to bargain the price with sales representative of the exhibition service center.