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Negotiation · part 1 — opening the deal

Open and look for common ground.

交渉を始め、共通点を探せるようになりましょう。

Key English phrases

Let's find common ground on ~.
What matters most to you?
We're flexible on ~.
Let's work something out.

Example conversation

ALet's find common ground on the price.
BSounds fair. What matters most to you?
AQuality, honestly. We're flexible on the date.
BGood — quality matters to us too.
AThen let's work something out.
BI'm sure we can.

In context

Listen to the start of a negotiation. 'Thanks for meeting. Let's find common ground before we get into details. What matters most to you in this deal? For us, it's quality — but we're flexible on the timeline. If we understand each other's priorities, I'm sure we can work something out that's fair for both sides.'

When to use it · practice

You're opening a negotiation. Look for common ground.
交渉を始めるところです。共通点を探しましょう。
You want to learn their priorities. Ask what matters most.
相手の優先事項を知りたいです。「いちばん大事なことは？」と聞きましょう。
You can be flexible somewhere. Say where.
ある点で柔軟になれます。どこで柔軟か言いましょう。

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