节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-09-27
难易度:High
关键字:push someone into something, negotiation, nibble, concession, counteract
We've just finished the first half of our first day of this BUSINESS article
Customer Troubles.
And we've been listening to a very serious conversation between Ben and his
Uncle Bob, talking about negotiating with customers.
Ben feels like some of his customers are taking advantage of him,
and he is getting pushed into lowering his prices or giving them extra things
that were not part of the original deal.
Well, we'll find out what Ben does about this in the next part of our reading.
Let's do that now.
(Music).
Customer Troubles.
What can I do?
I basically agree to whatever he's asking.
It sounds like you're having trouble with negotiations.
Negotiations?
Yes.
Your customer is using a negotiating strategy called "the nibble.".
The nibble?
It's called the nibble because each of those little requests is like a little
bite.
It's effective because you've already made the deal in your mind, and the extra
concessions seem small compared to the bigger deal.
What can I do to stop the nibble?
There are many ways to counteract the nibble.
The easiest is probably just to show your customer a written price list that
lays out the cost of additional features or services.
OK. So just before the break, Uncle Bob was asking Ben what he did when a
customer said something like technical support is part of the package.
He wanted something extra.
Well, what does Ben say here?
OK. I will be Ben again.
What can I do?
I basically agree to whatever he's asking.
Hmm, what can I do?
Maybe you feel like this sometimes.
You feel like you don't really have a choice in something.
So you can ask: What can I do?
Well, Uncle Bob says here: It sounds like you're having trouble with
negotiations.
Oh. That is a great word right there, Gabe... Uncle Bob - negotiations.
It is from our Word Bank.
A negotiation is to make a deal, to discuss something.
One side wants something; another side wants something different.
And you need to negotiate or have a negotiation so that both people will be
happy.
It's true.
So maybe you can use this as a verb as well.
You negotiate a deal or you're negotiating something so that you can agree on
something.
Carolyn, you know, we didn't really negotiate well today on who was going to be
Ben and who was going to be Uncle Bob, did we?
No, we didn't have a very good negotiation.
We keep switching back and forth.
Maybe we should decide that now.
OK.
Well, how about you be Uncle Bob and I'll be Ben?
OK, OK.
Is that a good... good deal?
I will agree to that deal.
So I am now Ben.
Sure. All right.
Yes.
Oh... right! Well, I'll be Uncle Bob.
OK. Here we go.
Uncle Bob says uh... he says: Yes. Your customer is using a negotiating strategy
called the nibble.
Oh, the nibble.
So Ben asked: Negotiations?
He's not quite sure what he means about this word.
And it is a strategy called "the nibble." Now the nibble is a word from our Word
Bank.
To nibble something just means to take a small bite out of it.
Maybe a mouse nibbles a piece of cheese.
Or a fish nibbles some bait when you're trying to go fishing.
It doesn't actually eat the whole thing, just a little bite.
But is that what we mean here, Gabe?
Well, no, it's not.
But sometimes I like to nibble, too, Carolyn.
I mean, if there's a really delicious dessert and I only have one, I won't eat
the whole thing really quickly.
I'll just take little nibbles here and there.
Of course, this can be a verb or a noun.
You can nibble on something or take a little nibble.
But here in this lesson, we're talking about something else.
Uncle Bob, he describes this.
He says it's called the nibble because each of those little requests is like a
little bite.
Ah, so you have answered Ben's question.
The nibble?
Oh, yes. So each one is a little bite.
And how does that continue, Uncle Bob?
Well, it's effective because you've already made the deal in your mind, and the
extra concessions seem small compared to the bigger deal.
Great, Uncle Bob.
You've just used another word for the Word Bank, the word "concessions." Now if
you make a concession, it means that you give something up.
It's not really something that you want to do but you decide to let it go.
That's right.
Maybe you're arguing about something with a friend and... and just to settle the
argument, you agree to do something that you don't really feel like doing.
OK. That's making a concession of some kind.
So it can also apply to these little things that your customers want.
They could be concessions.
You just give it to them just because you like the bigger deal.
That's right.
So Ben asks: What can I do to stop the nibble?
Good question.
And a great place for us to go and visit Ken and Steve in the Information Cloud.
They have a lot to say about questions.
English punctuation is sometimes likened to the notation on a music score.
It instructs us how to read and speak with appropriate rhythms and melodies,
showing us when and how to navigate transitions and accents.
Now one of those notations is the question mark.
Born in the 8th century, it originally looked like a lightning bolt striking
from right to left.
Eventually, it morphed into what we know it as today - a symbol that looks
something like a seahorse.
Right.
You often see question marks in dialogues and narratives.
In formal articles, not so much.
Question marks are used to express surprise, skepticism and uncertainty.
Mostly, though, they're used for direct questions like: Are you hungry?
But be ware, they are not needed for indirect questions as in: She asked if I
was hungry.
Right.
Question marks are also used when there is uh, missing or unknown information.
For example, since we're not really sure when Joan of Arc was born, we might see
her date of birth written January 6th, 1412, then a question mark in
parentheses.
That's right.
Finally, except for very informal situations like, say, texting, avoid using
more than one question mark at a time.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
I no longer have any questions about question marks.
Now Uncle Bob, how do we continue?
Ah, yes.
There are many ways to counteract the nibble.
Counteract.
Great, Uncle Bob, you keep using all of our Word Bank words.
Now to counteract something means to stop something from happening.
It was going to happen, but you do something to stop it.
It's true.
For example, many people want to lose weight.
Maybe you went on a vacation and you gained a lot of weight.
Well, you can counteract that by exercising as well.
So there are things you can do to counteract something you don't want.
That's right, so.
If you like to eat, enjoy eating lots of different kinds of food, you can
exercise to counteract gaining weight.
Well, how do you continue, Uncle Bob?
Yes. Thank you.
The easiest is probably just to show your customer a written price list that
lays out the costs of additional features or services.
I like this advice because a written price list is kind of like a list of rules.
The customer can't argue with the rules.
Right now it's time for us to continue enjoying a review skit.
And then we'll learn something with Michelle in the Language Lab.
What's wrong, Ben?
Are you OK?
Well...
Oh. How's business?
Is that the problem?
Yes. I'm having trouble with some customers.
What kind of trouble?
They are taking advantage of me.
What do you mean?
I'm getting pushed into doing more work for less pay.
Oh, no.
Give me an example, Ben.
I gave one customer a quote for a job.
And he agreed to pay the price.
So what happened?
Then just before he signed the contract, he asked for more.
Oh, no.
So what did you do?
I agreed to what he wanted.
Oh, you're having trouble with negotiations.
Negotiations?
Yeah. Your customers are using a negotiating strategy.
It's called the nibble.
The nibble?
Yeah. All of those requests, they make them just a little at a time, like a
little bite.
Yeah. I think I've already made a big deal, and that makes the concessions seem
small.
So you need to counteract the nibble.
But how?
Show your customer a written price list of additional features and services.
So I should show customers the cost before they nibble?
Yeah. Oh, hey, while you're here, can you help me move some furniture?
Uncle Bob, no nibbling.
Yeah.
OK.
(Chinese).
And let's head back to our teachers now.
Well, I'm enjoying this conversation between Ben and Uncle Bob.
And I wonder, have you ever negotiated a good deal with someone, either a
customer or an owner of a business or a business?
Carolyn?
Well, I usually don't sell a whole lot of things, but I did negotiate a pretty
good deal when I was traveling in China.
I got a very good price on some of the things that I wanted to buy there.
All right.
Well, I hope that was a win-win situation, good for everybody.
Thank you for joining us today.
And of course we have more to learn about Customer Troubles next time here on
Studio Classroom. Goodbye. See you.