Identifying obstacles

 The delivery date really seems to be what’s holding us back.

 The main issue ispayment terms, from what I can tell.

 At this point the credit period seems to be the main bone of contention.

Drawing someone out

 I’m not quite sure where this is going…

 Where are you headed with this?

 Stop beating around the bush – what are you saying?

 What’s the upshot?

Exploring alternatives

 How about we look at this from another angle?

 Let’s try something different.

 What about putting this in a different light?

 There might be another way to approach this.

 Let’s come at this from a different direction.

Moving towards agreement

 You’re right.

 You have a point.

 I think I can accept that.

 I think we’ve made some progress.

 I think I can a way to solving our differences.

Taking action

 What’s the next move?

 Let’s draft up a contract.

 I suggest the next step is to get everything in writing.

 Can you fax me a letter of agreement?

 Please send me a detailed proposal by email.

© 2009 All rights reserved: www.business englishpod.com 107

Successful Negotiations

BEP 409 – Closing the Deal

Agreeing to the other party’s terms

 It’s a deal!

 It’s settled, then.

 Good news! We can accept this offer.

 I think this is fair to both sides.

 Let’s shake hands on it.

 Good, I think we have an agreement.

Making a summary

 Okay, let’s go over everything one last time.

 So let’s just run through what we discussed again.

 Let’s confirm the details of our agreement.

 To sum up, the terms are 5/10 net 30, payment by bank draft.

 I’d just like to make sure that we’re all on the same page.

Tying up loose ends

 We just want to confirm that we have agreed on delivery.

 There are just a couple of loose ends to tie up.

 There are just a few details to mop up.

 Let’s get together early next week to draft an agreement.

 Would you be amenable to signing the contract next week?

Reinforcing the relationship

 Looking forward to working with you.

 We really appreciate all the work you’ve put into making this possible.

 Thank you for your support.

 We stand to benefit a lot from your experience.

 We highly value our partnership and look forward to our future cooperation.

Using positive language

 We are confident that we can provide you top quality at a good value.

 This is the beginning of great things.

 We are going to work hard to make this project a success.

 We look forward to working with you.

© 2009 All rights reserved: www.business englishpod.com 108