Don t Succumb to Dangerous Phrases

Don't Succumb to Dangerous Phrases

Our counterpart may well have a stockpile of dangerous phrases, which include the following:

• 'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.' Loosely interpreted, it means, 'If you give something away to me, I will give you something less valuable in return.'

• 'Just two or three minor things to clear up.' The interpretation would be, 'I am just about to ask you for something outrageous.'

• 'What I am about to suggest will be to your advantage', meaning, 'My next concession is practically worthless to you.'

• 'I think we are almost there', which translated means, 'I think I've got you and I would like to sign up rather quickly please.'

These phrases and others like them tend to appear just before agreement, and can easily throw us off course. Beware of them and be ready for them. A simple catch-all reply can be 'I'm not sure about that, but if you... then we...'