You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin, and I'll be your host for today's lesson on idioms related to negotiations.
Making deals and coming to an agreement can be tricky business.
We give and we take.
We win a little and we lose a little.
And both sides hope that they can get more than they need to give up.
This is the tough competition known as negotiation, a competition that puts the drama in the world of business.
And like any kind of drama or competition, we love to talk about it.
Who won and who lost?
Who got what?
How much did they pay?
And just how did they get such a good deal?
In English, we have lots of idioms to talk about negotiations.
Today, we're going to take a closer look at some of these idioms and how to use them.
We're going to rejoin a conversation between two colleagues, Jose and Neil.
Neil has been talking about a tough negotiation he's been going through with a company from Singapore.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
How does Neil say he's going to respond to the other company's demands on payment terms?
2.
According to Jose, why might the other side be negotiating with another firm besides Neil's company?
3.
What is Neil's biggest fear?
Yeah, so what exactly are they getting hung up on anyway?
Well, some of it is about payment terms.
They're asking for net 90, which is a real stretch.
I mean, we've got our own cash flow to take care of, so we're going to stick to our guns on this one.
For sure, yeah.
90 days is taking the mickey.
Right.
And then there's some other things, like how much of their staff time they'll need to put toward the project.
But the number of hours we're talking about is so low that I wonder if they're just beating around the bush to see what else they can get out of us.
Well, Neil, I get your frustration.
You put all this time and energy into building a relationship and there seems to be all this synergy.
But then, when it's time to get down to brass tacks, it seems like ironing out the details takes forever.
Exactly.
And I can't believe everything is really hanging in the balance, just for the sake of a few minor details.
So you think there's something else?
You mean like they're talking with another firm?
Yeah, which sometimes they can use to force your hand.
I've had that happen before.
Seems rather dirty, but it happens.
I guess that's a possibility, though they haven't mentioned anything like that yet.
And I think we would have caught wind of something.
In any case, we'll see what happens this week.
The ball's in their court as far as I'm concerned.
I see.
And so, how long has this been dragging on for?
Gee, let me think.
March?
April?
Yeah, it's coming up on six months.
And I know they need to get going soon, so it's really coming down to the wire.
Yeah, six months is definitely a long time.
Right.
Far too long.
I'm ready to just sign on the dotted line and get to work.
Well, I hope it all works out and they come through for you.
Me too.
My big fear is they back out at the eleventh hour and we're left with nothing to show for our efforts.
Well, you've got to focus on the positives, right?
And speaking of positives, you wouldn't believe the call I got last week.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the idioms Jose and Neil used in their conversation.
Neil has mentioned that the other company has made some difficult demands and Jose wants to know exactly what the issues are.
Yeah, so what exactly are they getting hung up on anyway?
Well, some of it is about payment terms.
They're asking for net 90, which is a real stretch.
I mean, we've got our own cash flow to take care of, so we're going to stick to our guns on this one.
Neil explains that one of the difficult issues is payment terms and that the other party has asked for net 90.
That means they want a period of 90 days to pay the invoices.
But that's tough to accept for Neil, so he says they're going to stick to their guns.
If you stick to your guns, you don't change your position or give in to someone.
In other words, Neil won't accept the net 90 payment terms.
How about practicing this idiom to stick to your guns with a short dialogue?
Dylan, do you think 80k a year is too much to ask for?
Not at all, and I think you should stick to your guns until they agree.
Next, we can hear Neil continue to explain some sticking points in the negotiation.
For sure, yeah.
90 days is taking the mickey.
Right.
And then there's some other things, like how much of their staff time they'll need to put toward the project.
But the number of hours we're talking about is so low that I wonder if they're just beating around the bush to see what else they can get out of us.
Jose is supporting his friend and agrees that Net90 is taking the mickey, which means it's unreasonable or possibly even a joke.
Neil goes on to explain that the other company is arguing about how much staff time they can put toward the project.
But Neil thinks it's a small issue.
He wonders if they're beating around the bush in this negotiation.
To beat around the bush means to waste time or to not deal with important issues.
Why might a company waste time on trivial issues?
Well, it might be a negotiation strategy to get more out of Neil's company.
Let's try a few more ways we can use this expression to beat around the bush when we talk about negotiations.
Okay, gentlemen, let's stop beating around the bush and figure out how we can work together.
Are these buyers serious, or are they just beating around the bush to get more information from us?
Does Jose understand Neil's frustration?
Well, Neil, I get your frustration.
You put all this time and energy into building a relationship and there seems to be all this synergy.
But then, when it's time to get down to brass tacks, it seems like ironing out the details takes forever.
Jose says that he gets or understands his friend's frustration, especially when he puts so much time into the negotiation.
As Jose says, even when you put a lot of time into a deal, it can be tough to get down to brass tacks and iron out details quickly.
These are two very useful idioms related to negotiations.
To get down to brass tacks is when you deal with the most important issues in a negotiation.
It's the opposite of to beat around the bush.
Let's practice some more ways of using to get down to brass tacks.
We've been emailing back and forth about a deal for months, and now it's time to get down to brass tacks.
Alright then, enough chit-chat.
Let's get down to brass tacks.
What are you willing to compromise on?
Jose also says that ironing out details can take forever.
Think of when you iron clothes to remove all the wrinkles.
It's the same idea with details.
You discuss and negotiate to smooth out or resolve all the little points of an agreement.
Let's try using this idiom to iron out details with a couple more examples.
There are a few details to iron out, but I think we've agreed to cooperate on breaking into the Chinese market.
If you can come into my office on Monday to iron out some final issues, we can draw up a contract on Tuesday.
Let's get back to the dialogue to hear Neil respond to Jose.
Exactly.
And I can't believe everything is really hanging in the balance, just for the sake of a few minor details.
Remember, Neil has been complaining that the other company has been stuck on some small or minor issues.
And now he says it's hard to believe that the whole deal is hanging in the balance because of these small issues.
If something hangs in the balance, it is uncertain, or it's not clear which way something will go.
In other words, will they be able to make a deal or not?
How else can we use this idiom, to hang in the balance?
Let's try a short dialogue for practice.
How's your big partnership with Roland's Publishing going?
Well, it's kind of hanging in the balance because they're at risk of bankruptcy.
So if the negotiation is not really hanging in the balance because of small issues, then what is really happening?
Let's listen to Jose and Neil speculate about a possible reason.
So, you think there's something else?
You mean like they're talking with another firm?
Yeah, which sometimes they can use to force your hand.
I've had that happen before.
Seems rather dirty, but it happens.
Neil and Jose wonder if the other company has been beating around the bush because they're talking with another company to make a deal.
Jose explains that sometimes companies do this to force your hand.
If you play cards, you might be familiar with situations when another player does something that forces you to reveal information about your cards or your hand.
In other words, they make you do something.
And in negotiation, to force someone's hand means to make them do or accept something they might not want to.
Let's practice a few more ways of using this idiom to force someone's hand.
I really didn't want to make a decision on the position so soon, but the board forced my hand.
If the buyer still refuses to pay, why don't you get your lawyer to force their hand?
So does Neil think the other company is trying to force his hand by talking with another firm?
I guess that's a possibility, though they haven't mentioned anything like that yet.
And I think we would have caught wind of something.
In any case, we'll see what happens this week.
The ball's in their court as far as I'm concerned.
Neil thinks he would have caught wind of or somehow heard if the other party was talking with another firm.
But he doesn't really know and it's not really his turn to make a move in the negotiation.
As he says, the ball's in their court.
This is an idiom we use to say that it's someone else's turn or responsibility to make a decision or take action.
Imagine a sport played with a ball.
If the other team has the ball, you have to wait to see what they're going to do.
How else can we use this idiom, the ball's in someone else's court?
Let's try a few more examples.
We've laid out a pretty good deal, so now the ball is in the other guy's court.
I said I'm prepared to offer 20,000, which is final, so now the ball's in your court.
Next, Jose asks how long the negotiations have been going on.
I see.
And so, how long has this been dragging on for?
Gee, let me think.
March?
April?
Yeah, it's coming up on six months.
And I know they need to get going soon, so it's really coming down to the wire.
According to Neil, the negotiations have been dragging on, or continuing for six months.
That's a long time, especially considering the other company needs to start or get going on their work soon.
In this kind of situation, we can say that it is coming down to the wire, as Neil says.
To come down to the wire means to do something at the last minute, or that there's not much time left to complete something.
Let's practice a few more examples of this idiom, to come down to the wire.
I'm concerned.
It's coming down to the wire here, with no permit and construction scheduled to start next week.
When it comes down to the wire, the government will give the union what it wants to make the public happy.
Now let's get back to the dialogue, as Neil continues to express his frustration with the entire negotiation.
Yeah, six months is definitely a long time.
Right, far too long.
I'm ready to just sign on the dotted line and get to work.
Neil certainly sounds tired of negotiating.
As he says, he's ready to sign on the dotted line and get to work.
You might be able to guess that to sign on the dotted line means to officially come to an agreement.
That's exactly what you do on the last page of a contract when you sign your name, to indicate you agree to the terms.
How else can we use this idiom, to sign on the dotted line?
Let's try a couple more examples.
We're close to having a deal, but I'm not celebrating until both sides actually sign on the dotted line.
I'm glad we could come to an agreement.
Now all we have left to do is sign on the dotted line.
So Jose and Neil have almost finished talking about Neil's negotiation.
Let's hear how they finish up.
Well, I hope it all works out and they come through for you.
Me too.
My big fear is they back out at the eleventh hour and we're left with nothing to show for our efforts.
What do we worry about or fear during a tough negotiation, when we've put so much time and energy into coming to an agreement?
Well, as Neil says, he's worried that they will back out or stop negotiating at the 11th hour.
We already heard Neil say that it's coming down to the wire, which means there's not much time left.
And at the 11th hour means at the last possible time.
In fact, a lot of negotiations are settled at the 11th hour, when there's a lot of pressure to get a deal done.
Let's run through a few more ways of using this idiom at the eleventh hour.
I'm so glad the manufacturer came through at the eleventh hour and agreed to our production schedule.
Listen, Tony.
Let's get a deal done now rather than at the eleventh hour when there's not much time left.
That brings us to the end of the dialogue.
If you've ever been in a big negotiation, like Neil, you can understand that it can be pretty scary to think that you might not actually get a deal done.
Hopefully, luck will be on his side, and he'll get to close this deal.
Now let's practice some of the idioms from this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences.
Each sentence will be followed by a beep.
After the beep, you need to restate or rephrase a sentence using one of the idioms we learned today.
When you listen to the sentence, think about which idea can be replaced by one of the idioms.
For example, if you hear, You can say We worked hard and finally came to an agreement at the 11th hour.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
If we can just sort out the project timeline, I think we can begin work soon.
Answer.
If we can just iron out the project timeline, I think we can begin work soon.
The distributor wants 15%, but if we refuse to give in, I think they'll agree to 10%.
Answer.
The distributor wants 15%.
But if we stick to our guns, I think they'll agree to 10%.
I told them the salary that I expect to earn, so now it's their responsibility to make a decision.
Answer.
I told them the salary that I expect to earn, so now the ball is in their court.
Answer.
With the recent economic troubles, our deal with Radiant Energy is hanging in the balance.
We've been wasting time for too long and it's time we tried to hammer out a deal.
We've been beating around the bush for too long, and it's time we tried to hammer out a deal.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second of a two-part series on idioms related to negotiations.
We've learned lots of great expressions that you can use when you discuss your own negotiations.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
