Dan Smith是一位美国的健身用品经销商，此次是Robert Liu第一回与他交手。就在短短几分钟的交谈中，Robert Liu既感到这位大汉粗犷的外表，藏有狡兔的心思――他肯定是沙场老将，自己绝不可掉以轻心。双方第一回过招如下：
D： Id like to get the ball rollingby talking about prices.
R： Shoot.Id be happy to answer any questions you may have.
D： Your products are very good. But Im a little worried about the prices youre asking.
R： You think we about be asking for more?
D： Thats not exactly what I had in mind. I know your research costs are high， but what Id like is a 25% discount.
R： That seems to be a little high， Mr. Smith. I dont know how we can make a profit with those numbers.
D： Please， Robert， call me Dan. Well， if we promise future business――volume sales――that will slash your costsfor making the Exec-U-ciser， right?
R： Yes， but its hard to see how you can place such large orders. How could you turn overso many? Wed need a guarantee of future business， not just a promise.
D： We said we wanted 1000 pieces over a six-month period. What if we place orders for twelve months， with a guarantee?
R： If you can guarantee that on paper， I think we can discuss this further.