人邮第二辑真题TEST 3 READING PART 1

1 Trying to negotiate is only worthwhile if there is the prospect of success.

2 The best result of negotiation is when both parties have a sense of satisfaction.

3 Accepting a lower fee might have benefits in the future.

4 It is important to know how much other people are charging for similar work.

5 You should ask for a fee in excess of what you expect to get.

6 Offer the other party incentives to agree to your fee.

7 Other people’s reactions to you are influenced by your body language.

8 It may become obvious that you have come to regret a deal you have made.

A

You’re in danger of selling yourself short if you don’t know where the goalposts are, especially when you’re negotiating with a new client. Research the market and find out the going rate. You can do this by networking contacts or talking to small business advisers. Alternatively, ask the competition. Of course your rivals may not tell you, but there’s no harm in asking. Another prerequisite is learning to recognize when there’s scope for negotiation, because without it, you can waste a great deal of time and energy.

B

Know the amount you would really like, slightly above what you think they will offer and above what you’d be happy to settle for. Also, know your trade-offs. Create a wish list of all the things you’d like to receive if you lived in a perfect world. That way, if the other side want you to move from your preferred or opening position on an issue to a position nearer the bottom line, you can move in exchange for something from your wish list.

C

People who are nervous about negotiating over money often let fear tell them they’re no good at these discussions and not worth the fee. You literally can’t afford the luxury of a single negotiating thought. Stand up when making negotiating phone calls: it will make you fell more powerful. If you’re face to face, make steady eye contact, keep your head up and your hands still – these all suggest assertiveness, rather than aggressiveness or passivity, and you’ll be surprised at how much this affects the way that you come across in the negotiation.

D

You have to know the price below which it would be uneconomical for you to do a job. This could vary from job to job - you may be prepared to do some cheaper in the hope that they’ll lead to better things. But don’t be talked below your bottom line and end up working for nothing. After all, in the long term, there’s little point in agreeing to something that you’re not happy with: you’re likely to feel resentful, and this might even come across in your behaviour.

E

When negotiating money, there may be non-financial factors you can throw into the mix. For example, why not say, ‘If you pay me such and such, I’ll include a report on the company for you’. Plan these extras beforehand. Make sure that they won’t take forever to do, but are things of value to the other side. This way, you can achieve the ideal outcome: you appear to accept compromise when in fact you’ve got everything you wanted, and they’ll think they got the better of the deal.

这篇文章是关于谈判的。让人辨别什么样的谈判是有价值的。

第一题,说只有当有成功的可能时谈判才有价值。答案是A段的这么一句:Another prerequisite is learning to recognize when there’s scope for negotiation, because without it, you can waste a great deal of time and energy.另外一个必要条件是学会识别什么时候有谈判的余地,因为没有余地的话,你会浪费很多的时间和精力。there’s scope for negotiation,有谈判的余地,也就是有成功的希望。

第二题,谈判最好的结果是双方都有满足感。答案是E段的最后一句:you can achieve the ideal outcome: you appear to accept compromise when in fact you’ve got everything you wanted, and they’ll think they got the better of the deal.你可以实现最理想的结局:你看上去像是接受了妥协,但实际上得到了一切想要的,而对方认为他们得到的比这桩交易更好。也就是说,一方得到了实在的东西,另一方心理上舒畅了,也就是双方都满足了。题干中的best result,对应于这段话中的ideal outcome。

第三题,说接受一个较低的费用可能会在未来受益。答案是D段的这么一句:you may be prepared to do some cheaper in the hope that they’ll lead to better things。接受便宜的,指望着未来能导致更好的事情。

第四题,说知道其他人在类似的事情上是如何收费的是很重要的。答案是A段一开头就讲的原理:You’re in danger of selling yourself short if you don’t know where the goalposts are, especially when you’re negotiating with a new client。这里的goalpost需要理解,本意是指门柱,但是词组move the goalpost是指有失公平的在交易过程中改变条件,所以goalpost在这里指的是游戏规则。如果不知道游戏规则,那你就危险了。了解游戏规则,就是要了解其他人的做法,所以后文说Research the market and find out the going rate,调查市场,就是这个意思。

第五题,说你必须要求高于自己期望值的费用。答案是B段的这么一句:Know the amount you would really like, slightly above what you think they will offer and above what you’d be happy to settle for。略高于你认为他们所能提供的,以及你所乐于接受的。

第六题,说给对方一个答应你的费用的动机。答案是E段。E段说的是在谈钱的时候,可以扔进一些非金钱的因素(non-financial factors),好比“你要能支付我多少多少,我就包括一个公司报告进去”,这些都是谈判技巧,要开出能打动人的条件。

第七题,说他人的反应是受你的身体语言的影响的。答案是C段最后一部分:If you’re face to face, make steady eye contact, keep your head up and your hands still –these all suggest assertiveness, rather than aggressiveness or passivity, and you’ll be surprised at how much this affects the way that you come across in the negotiation.面对面的时候,要有眼神接触,抬头,手不动,这些都传达出坚定。你将会惊讶的发现这么会影响你在谈判中的遭遇。the way that you come across in the negotiation,你在谈判中的遭遇,也就是他人的反应(reactions)。

第八题,说如果你后悔起所做的交易,它将会变得很明显。答案是D段最后一句:you’re likely to feel resentful, and this might even come across in your behaviour.你会后悔的,这么将会反映在你的举止上,也就是能被看出来,很明显。