ESL WORKHSEET - Negotiating in a business context

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

NEGOTIATIONS*

LinguaHouse
Dec. 13, 2023

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of English: Business English
Tags: Sales and Negotiation; Business People; Companies and Jobs; Business Skills; Business Ethics; Selling and Negotiating Strategies; Negotiating; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old; Situation Based
Publication date: 12/13/2023

* This lesson has been updated.

This lesson looks at the process of negotiations in a business context. Students will listen to two people negotiate and read an article on the rules for negotiating. Exercises focus on related vocabulary, listening and reading skills as well as offering the chance for students to discuss questions on the topic. Students also have the opportunity to create a role play at the end of the class (by Joe Wilson).

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audios (Am/Br English).

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Stefan: Hi Liz, Great to see you. Thanks for coming.
Liz: Not a problem, I was in the area anyway. You want to talk about the laptops we were discussing last week, yes?
Stefan: I do. I can confirm that we’re interested in what you have to offer. What I want to do is to settle the terms of the deal.
Liz: That’s great news. Now as I understand it, you wanted to buy 50 laptops from us to begin with, the… uh… the LX model, is that correct?
Stefan: Yes, although the exact number we need is something we can negotiate. We’ll need 50 as soon as possible, with another 30 in three months from now when our Berlin office opens. However, we also have plans to open an office in Paris and Amsterdam within the next 48 months.
Liz: I see. We can certainly accommodate all of your needs, but let’s start with what you need now and then go from there. The LX model is usually $800 per unit, but we can let you have it for $750.
Stefan: That sounds good, but my budget really only covers $700 per unit.
Liz: I can’t really resolve the problem over price on this model as that is the cheapest I can offer. What I can do for you is provide a five-year guarantee on all units. Also, I would urge you to consider our helpline service which is a fantastic deal. We provide a number which your employees can call 24 hours a day to get help. We can access the laptop remotely and try to fix the problem, or if we can’t do that, we can replace the laptop for you free of charge. Now that usually costs $49.99 per unit for two years, but I can offer you that service for free for five years. It’s a lot less expensive than running your own IT department.
Stefan: That’s a really good offer, thank you. I may need to have a conversation with someone in finance before I can agree to that, but let me ask you this: if we take the 80 units at $750, will you be open to offering us a discount on future orders?
Liz: I think I could agree to a discount on orders of over 100 units in future. I can also offer you a 15% discount if you buy from us again when the guarantee expires.
Stefan: That sounds great, Liz. Let’s wrap this up for now, but I will email you later to finalize the details. I think 80 laptops at $750 each, plus the five-year guarantee and the hotline service is going to get the green light.
Liz: Wonderful! Thanks a lot for your time today.
Stefan: And you. Let me walk you out…

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/business-english/negotiations. Accessed on February 5, 2024. © 2008–2024 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.