Lesson 5: Responding to Proposals

Key Phrases

Partial acceptance:

That could work, but [condition / concern]

We're open to that, provided that [condition]

That sounds reasonable, if [condition]

That might be viable, provided [condition]

Soft rejection:

We see your point; however, [concern]

I understand your concern; however, [limitation]

That's a fair point, however, [constraint]

I appreciate your flexibility; however, [issue]

Counter-proposals:

Instead of X, what about Y?

Rather than [proposal], we could [alternative]

As a compromise, [suggestion]

Additional expressions:

That could be acceptable for us

That seems acceptable

That works for us

That makes sense

I understand the issue

I appreciate that

Example Sentences

That could work, but we would need approval.

We're open to that, provided the quality standards are maintained.

That sounds reasonable, if we can confirm the timeline.

That might be viable, provided consistency in defect rates is guaranteed across batches.

We see your point; however, we need more time to review this internally.

I understand your concern; however, this still raises concerns for us.

That's a fair point, however, we're constrained by budget limitations.

I appreciate your flexibility; however, this still raises concerns.

Instead of reducing the price, what about offering additional services?

Rather than extending the deadline, we could add resources to the project.

As a compromise, we could split the payment into two installments.

That could be acceptable for us, as long as the overall timeline remains the same.

That seems acceptable. It would help us meet our own internal deadlines.

Dialog: Equipment Rental Terms

Supplier: We can rent you the projectors for $200 per week with a four-week minimum.

Client: That sounds reasonable, if we can reduce the minimum to two weeks.

Supplier: We see your point; however, our standard minimum is four weeks for equipment rentals.

Client: Rather than a four-week minimum, we could commit to renting multiple units for two weeks.

Supplier: That could be acceptable for us. As a compromise, you can rent three projectors for two weeks at the weekly rate.

Client: That makes sense. We're aligned on three units for two weeks.

Variation:

Supplier: The conference room rental is $500 per day, including basic equipment.

Client: I appreciate your flexibility; however, we need catering included in that price.

Supplier: Instead of including catering, what about a 10% discount if you book our catering separately?

Client: That might be viable, provided the catering discount applies to our entire order.

Supplier: That works for us. So we're agreed on the room rental plus 10% off catering.

Client: Excellent. That's settled then.