Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 24 Idioms and Expressions Test
LESSON 24 – Negotiating a Purchase
NEGOTIATING A PURCHASE
Jack, owner of Jack’s Party Store, is negotiating to buy an advertisement in the Newport Times. Dave is an ad salesman with the newspaper.
Jack: My store is having a big sale next week. I’d like to buy a small advertisement in the Sunday edition of the Newport Times. How much would a quarter page cost?
Dave: A quarter page ad costs $250. What you really need is a full page ad if you want to make a splash. That would be $900. I better reserve that for you before we run out of space.
Jack: Don’t try to give me the hard sell. Nine hundred bucks would break my budget!
Dave: Okay, so we’re looking at a quarter page. For another $200 I can make it a full color ad. Color would give you more bang for the buck.
Jack: Of course color is better than black and white. That’s a no-brainer! Can you throw that in at no extra charge?
Dave: Sorry, no can do.
Jack: Your competitor, the Newport Bulletin, is offering me a quarter page color ad for $300. That’s very attractive since I’m on a tight budget.
Dave: The Newport Bulletin? This is off the record, but you really don’t want to advertise in that rag! Nobody reads it.
Jack: Here’s my final offer: I’ll take a quarter page color ad in your paper for $350 and not a penny more.
Dave: How about we find a happy medium. I’ll give it to you for $400.
Jack: Please don’t try to nickel-and-dime me. I’m standing firm at $350.
Dave: Okay, I don’t want to spend all afternoon arguing. It’s a deal.
IDIOMS
- (to) make a splash
→ to make a big impact; to get a lot of attention
EXAMPLE: Careerbuilder.com made a splash with its funny TV commercials starring chimpanzees.
- (the) hard sell
→ an aggressive way of selling
EXAMPLE: Car salesmen are famous for using the hard sell on their customers.
NOTE: The opposite of “the hard sell” is “the soft sell,” which is a sales technique using little or no pressure.
- (to) break one’s budget
→ to cost much more than one wants to pay; to cost more than one can afford
EXAMPLE: The advertising expenses you proposed are too high. We don’t want to break our budget.
- more bang for the buck
→ more value for one’s money; a higher return on investment
EXAMPLE: We should add some more features to our products. Customers are starting to demand more bang for the buck.
NOTE: A “buck” is slang for a “dollar.”
- no-brainer
→ an easy decision; an obvious choice
EXAMPLE: Most of our clients are based in Korea, so it’s a no-brainer to open an office there.
- (to) throw in something
→ to include something (usually for free, as part of the sale)
EXAMPLE: Order our new exercise equipment today, and we’ll throw in a free how-to video.
- at no extra charge
→ for free; for no additional money
EXAMPLE: If you buy a ticket to the museum, you can visit the special Van Gogh exhibit at no extra charge.
- no can do
→ I can’t do that; I’m unable to satisfy your request
EXAMPLE: “We’d like you to work on Thanksgiving Day this year.” – “Sorry, no can do. I’ve already got plans.”
- (to be) on a tight budget
→ to not have much money to spend; to have a limited amount to spend
EXAMPLE: Can you give us a better price on the printing job? We’re on a tight budget.
- off the record
→ just between us; unofficial; not to be repeated to others
EXAMPLE: This is off the record, but I wouldn’t trust Todd to do the financial analysis. He’s careless and often makes mistakes.
- happy medium
→ a compromise
EXAMPLE: Lee wants to spend $100,000 re-designing our entire website, while Nicole suggests just adding a few new links. We need to find a happy medium.
- (to) nickel-and-dime
→ to negotiate over very small sums; to try to get a better financial deal, in a negative way
EXAMPLE: We don’t want to nickel-and-dime you, but we’d really appreciate it if you would lower your estimate by another $250.
ORIGIN: After the penny, nickels and dimes are the smallest units of U.S. currency. Pennies, nickels, and dimes are common words in American English idioms related to money, finances, and value. Other examples of these expressions include:
-
- pretty penny – see Lesson 9
- dime a dozen – very common and of no special value
- pinch pennies – to be careful with money
- a penny saved is a penny earned — you will save money by being careful about how much you spend; it’s wise to save your money
- (to) stand firm
→ to remain at; to not offer more than; to resist; to refuse to yield to
EXAMPLE: Pemco Industries put a lot of pressure on Peggy to resign, but she stood firm and refused to leave her job voluntarily.
- it’s a deal
→ I agree (to a proposal or offer)
EXAMPLE: “If you let me leave at noon on Friday, I’ll stay here late on Thursday.” — “Okay, it’s a deal.”
