Here you will find a list of the most typical Negotiation Phrases and Vocabulary in Business English. You will learn phrases for Setting the Negotiation Agenda, Making Proposals, Agreeing and Objecting to a Proposal, Compromising, Accepting a Proposal, Concluding Negotiations, and more.
Table of Contents
Negotiation Phrases and Vocabulary in Business English
Welcoming and Establishing a Rapport
- It’s my pleasure to welcome you to …
- I would like to welcome you to …
- Is this your first visit to …?
- Did you have a good journey?
Setting the Negotiation Agenda
- I would like now to begin by suggesting the following agenda.
- To start with, I think we should establish the overall procedure
- Is this okay with you?
Negotiation Phrases for Making Proposals
- We’d like to propose that …
- We propose / suggest …
- Regarding your proposal, our position is …
- How do you feel about …
Responding to Suggestions
- Maybe it would be better to …
- Perhaps a better idea would be …
- May we offer an alternative? We propose that …
- From where we stand, a better solution might be …
Agreeing – Reacting to a Negotiation Proposal
- I think we can both agree that…
- I agree with you on that point.
- I think that would be acceptable.
Negotiation Phrases for Objecting
- That’s not exactly how I look at it.
- If you look at it from my point of view…
- I have some reservations about that…
- From my perspective…
- I’m afraid we couldn’t agree to that…
Giving a Reason in Negotiations
- The reason for that is …
- This is because …
Prioritising Interests
- The most important issue for us is …
- Our intention is …
- Our main priority is …
- We might like to …
Giving Clarification in Negotiations
- If I understood you correctly …
- Are you suggesting that …
- Do you mean …
- What exactly do you mean by …?
- I’m not sure I fully understand your point.
- Could you clarify one point for me?
- Could you be more specific?
- Can we summarize your position up to this point?
- Am I right in thinking that …?
Negotiation Phrases for Compromising
- If you were prepared to …, we might be able to…
- We are ready to accept your offer; however, there would be one condition.
- Would you be willing to accept a compromise?
- In return for this, would you be willing to …?
Accepting a Negotiation Proposal
- This agreement is acceptable to us.
- I think we have reached an agreement here.
- That sounds reasonable.
- I think we have a deal.
- I believe we have an agreement.
- I can agree to that.
Negotiation Phrases for Concluding
- Let’s just summarise our agreement?
- I think you’ve covered everything.
- Let’s just confirm the details, then.
- Have I left anything out?
See also more telephone phrases and business presentation phrases in Business English.