The reason you go to a negotiation is because you're unwilling to accept the price asked, and you believe it's possible to do better. That means you're there to win. Never go to a negotiation before you learn everything you can about who you're dealing with. Only then will you know who to bring.
通常需要談判是因為你不願意接受對方的價格，你認為價格應該可以更好。也就是說，你去談判是為了要贏。在你去談判之前，一定要確定自己詳知對手的所有資料，只有這樣，你才會清楚該帶哪些人一起去。
If you're meeting with a new buyer or source, you should call around to your competitor and ask them if they're ever had dealing with them. The odds are someone in the area you know has dealt with them before, and they are usually happy to fill you in on what they're like.
如果你和新買主或供貨商會面，你應該打電話給競爭同行，詢問他們是否和這些人打過交道。很可能在你周圍就有人曾經和他們做過生意，這些人通常會很樂意告訴你，這些新買主或供貨商是怎樣的人。
If you can't find out what they're like from someone in the area, you can try checking with old contacts in the same area as your new one. It's very seldom you can't find out anything about a new business contact, if you put a little effort into it. It's also a bad sign about the contact if you can't find out anything about them, unless they're a new company.
如果在你當地打聽不出來這些人的底細，你可以試著聯絡一些和對方在同一地區的老客戶。通常只要你稍微努力一下，應該都可以找到一些關於這個新買主或供貨商的資料。如果你找不到任何與他們有關的資料，這就不是個好現象，除非對方是一家新公司。
If the word is they're sweethearts to work with, you should be okay with a minimal team, maybe a single representative is enough. However, if the word is bad, or if you can't find out anything on the new company, the safest thing is to prepare for the worst. Show up at the meeting loaded for bear, but how much you wring is up to you and your budget.
如果你打聽到他們是很好的合作物件，你只要帶一些人去參加議價談判就夠了，甚至只要帶一個代表去就可以了。但若你聽說對方挺難纏的，或找不到任何有關這家新公司的資料，那麼最保險的做法是：預先想好了最糟的情況，做好萬全的準備，嚴陣以待，但要做多少讓步就看你自己和你的預算。
When negotiation is a deal between old friends, you don't need any coaching from me, aside from the idiom definitions in the companion volume to this book, which should come in handy. However, if you're expecting things to get hot, you'll need the information in here.
當議價談判發生在老朋友之間時，你不需要我的指導，你只要讀讀本系列的成語解說即可，就能夠派上用場。但若談判相當激烈，你就需要這裡的資訊。
That's about as bad as it can get. If you choose the smart defense, you should bring the right people. You're going to need a world of information at your fingertips, but you're also going to have to pay to get and keep them. If the meeting is across town, then the expenses are no big deal.
事情應該不會比這個更糟。如果你選擇聰明的方法響應對方，你應該帶適當的人一起去。你會需要許多即時資訊，但帶這些人一起去是需要花錢的。如果談判會議在同一個城市，那麼花費就不會很大。
If it's across the ocean, then you want to get the best bang for your buck. You need the most information you can get crammed into the fewest people possible. True, these are give away chips the other side doesn't expect to win, but that's not the point. You're being tested, and how well you do will determine how they treat you, later on.
但若談判會議需要漂洋過海，你就必須確定花下去的錢，可以達到最大功效。你帶的人數需要精簡，但資料卻要很多。的確，你會一些虛晃用的籌碼，讓對方招架不住，但這不是重點。重點是對方會試探你，你的應對方式如何，將決定他們之後對待你的方式。
If you stand your ground in the meeting, you'll greatly increase their opinion of you, and they'll be less likely to try to trick you. If you check with your office for answers to most questions, they won't respect you or the company that sent you. If you show up with the answers, in yourself or a team of experts ready to answer demand with solid information, they'll respect you and your company.
如果你在會議中堅定立場，對方會加深對你的印象，他們比較不會想和你玩花招。如果你大部分的問題都要向公司請示才能回答，對方就不會尊重你或你的公司。反之若你能提供對方答案，你或你所帶領的專業人士，可以應付對方提出的問題，並給予詳細資料，他們就會尊重你和你的公司。
If you're attending a sales meeting, it doesn't matter which side of the deal you're on. You'll need the background information on both companies and the product. You'll need to know about other products, their reliability, availability and price. Also, you need to have reasons for why you're dealing with them, and not the others. Remember, it doesn't have to be true, just believable. If you're selling them a product, the most important information you'll need is a comprehensive market study for the ware they sell and what they will buy from you.