向老用户说明涨价Telling a Long-Time User About a Price Change
Today's task: Tell a long-time customer about a price increase before the email goes out — say what changes, say what does not, and give her a clear date to act on.
The Setup
Where
A short video call on a weekday evening, your time. It is ten past nine. On your screen, next to the call window, an unsent email is open: the subject line says "A new price from October first," and the send button has not been pressed yet.
Who
You build an AI tool on your own. Priya Raman runs a five-person design studio overseas and has paid for your tool for eighteen months. She is one of your heaviest users — and one of the first people who ever paid you.
At stake
From October first, the monthly plan goes from nineteen to twenty-nine dollars. Priya's five seats keep the old price. But she wanted to add two seats next month, for a new designer and an intern — those seats land after the change.
Mood
Priya is calm and direct. She says she saw a note about pricing in the changelog, and she starts the call with a question instead of small talk. Her two new hires are already on her screen in a document.
Scene Hint
那封涨价邮件就开在你屏幕上，发送按钮还没按。耳机里 Priya 那边有键盘敲击声，她一边听一边在文档里改招聘的排期。她说她看到过更新日志里那句话——所以她其实已经猜到你要说什么，只是还不知道自己会不会被算进去。你要在十分钟里说清三件事：变的到底是什么、她哪里不变、她想赶在变化之前做完什么；别让"涨价"两个字盖住后面这些具体信息。
Dialogue
播放发闷或有电流感时：先在下拉里换一个带 ★ 的音色；如果用蓝牙耳机，让耳机回到音乐／立体声模式——通话模式会明显降低音质。
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Priya
Thanks for setting this up. I saw a note about pricing in the changelog last week, so I guessed this call was about that.
谢谢你约这个电话。我上周在更新日志里看到一句关于定价的说明，所以我猜这通电话是说这个。
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You
You guessed right. I wanted to run through it with you before the email goes out to everyone.
你猜对了。我想在邮件发给所有人之前，先跟你把这件事过一遍。
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Priya
Okay. So how much is it going up, and when?
好。那涨多少，什么时候开始？
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You
I wanted to tell you first, since you have been with us the longest: starting October first, we are going to bump up the monthly plan, from nineteen dollars to twenty-nine dollars. I know that is a big jump.
我想最先告诉你，因为你用我们的时间最久：十月一日起，月付方案要往上调，从十九美元调到二十九美元。我知道这个跳得不少。
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Priya
That is a big jump. Wait — does that mean my bill changes too? My team is five people now.
确实跳得不少。等等——那我的账单也要变吗？我团队现在五个人。
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You
No, and here is what does not change: you are grandfathered in. Your five seats stay at nineteen dollars, for as long as you keep the plan.
不变。不变的是这些：你属于老用户保留旧价。你那五个席位一直是十九美元，只要你不取消这个方案。
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Priya
Okay, that is a relief. But what about the two seats I wanted to add next month — for the new designer and the intern?
好，那我放心了。但我下个月想加的那两个席位呢——给新来的设计师和那个实习生的？
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You
That is the part I really wanted to run through with you. The new price is specific to new seats. So your five stay the same, and any seat you add after October first is twenty-nine dollars.
这正是我最想跟你过一遍的部分。新价格只针对新增的席位。所以你原来那五个不变，十月一日之后加的任何席位都是二十九美元。
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Priya
So if I add them this week, it is still nineteen? That changes what I do — I would rather not rush two hires just to save twenty dollars a month.
那我这周加的话，还是十九吗？这会改变我的做法——我不想为了每月省二十美元就把两个招聘赶着做完。
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You
Yes. Anything you add before October first keeps the old price. You do not have to decide today, but if you want to lock in the old price for those two seats, you have about two weeks.
是的。十月一日之前加的任何席位都按旧价。你今天不用决定，但如果你想为那两个席位锁定旧价，大概还有两周时间。
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Priya
Two weeks. That is tight, but at least it is clear. Can I ask why you are doing it now? The tool feels the same to me as it did in March.
两周。是有点紧，但至少说得清楚。我能问一下为什么现在涨吗？对我来说，这个工具跟三月份没什么两样。
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You
Fair question. The AI features cost me more every month now, and I cannot keep the same price and keep them running. I do not love the timing either, but I would rather say it to you straight than raise it quietly. I will send you the two dates in writing today. And keep me posted about the two new seats.
问得合理。现在 AI 功能每个月的成本都在涨，我没法既保持原价又把这些功能继续跑下去。这个时间点我也不喜欢，但我宁愿当面跟你说明白，也不想悄悄涨价。我今天会把那两个日期写成文字发给你。那两个新席位的事，有进展告诉我。
5 个重点表达
run through /ˌrʌn ˈθruː/
核心含义：把一件事从头到尾过一遍、讲一遍。
本课作用：涨价这种话，一上来就报价格最容易让对方只听那一个数字。用它先把"我要跟你过一遍整件事"摆出来，对方知道后面还有内容，就不会急着打断。（注意它另一个常见意思是"快速排练"——run through the slides；本课用的是"逐条讲清楚"。）
记忆提示：（联想）从一个头跑到另一头——像沿着清单一路走到底，不停在中间。常搭：run through it with you / let me run through the details / can we run through this once。
换情境例句："Before I sign the contract, can we run through the delivery dates one more time?"（签合同之前，我们能再把交付日期过一遍吗？——换成采购签约场景，要过的是日期条款，不是价格。）
bump up /ˌbʌmp ˈʌp/
核心含义：把价格、数量或等级往上调一点。
本课作用：它比 raise 听上去更口语、也更"轻"，说明是一个调动作而不是什么大事；但它后面必须马上跟数字，否则对方会追着你问"到底涨多少"。
记忆提示：（联想）bump 是轻轻撞一下——东西被撞得往上挪了一格。常搭：bump up the price / bump it up to + 数字。别说 bump up 来指"大幅暴涨"，那是 jump。
换情境例句："We bump up the storage limit on the team plan next month, from fifty to two hundred gigabytes."（我们下个月把团队版的存储上限从五十调到两百 GB。——换成产品方案场景，被往上一格挪的是容量，不是价格。）
grandfathered in /ˈɡrænfɑːðərd ɪn/
核心含义：老用户不受新规则影响，继续按老条件走。
本课作用：这是全课最值钱的一句。对方在涨价电话里最想知道的不是涨幅，而是"我算不算里面"。这个词一出来，问题就答完了，而且它天生只保护"已在的"部分，不给新增留口子。
记忆提示：（联想）像爷爷辈的老规矩：新规矩从今天起，但已经在这个家门里的人按旧规矩。用法固定，多说 you are grandfathered in / your seats are grandfathered in；加"新"的部分不能 grandfather in。
换情境例句："Everyone who joined before June is grandfathered in and keeps the free plan forever."（六月之前注册的人不受影响，永久保留免费版。——换成会员制场景，被保住的是免费额度，不是价格。）
specific to /spəˈsɪfɪk tuː/
核心含义：只针对某一类人或某一件事，不覆盖其他。
本课作用：把"变化"切成两块，明确哪一块跟对方无关。涨价通知最容易演变成恐慌，就是因为它听起来像"所有东西都变了"；这一句专门用来缩小范围。（本课为复习表达：此前在用户支持场景出现过，这里换了场景与例句。）
记忆提示：（联想）像贴标签——标签贴在哪一格，就只管那一格。常搭：this is specific to + 对象 / the change is specific to new orders。它不带感情，说的是范围，不是重要性。
换情境例句："This delay is specific to orders going to Canada — everything else ships on the normal schedule."（这次延误只影响发往加拿大的订单，其他都按正常排期发。——换成物流场景，被限定的是一条线路，不是整批货。）
keep me posted /ˌkiːp miː ˈpoʊstɪd/
核心含义：有进展就告诉我、别等到最后才说。
本课作用：涨价谈话的收尾。两个日期说完之后，把后续的主动权交回对方：她什么时候定那两个席位、定成什么样，让她主动同步给你，你不用隔几天去追一次。（本课为复习表达：此前在用户支持与赞助合作场景出现过，这里换了场景与例句。）
记忆提示：（联想）post 像往公告板上贴一张纸——有新情况就贴上来给你看。它比 let me know 多一层"持续更新"的意思：一次性的答复用 let me know，会变的事情才用 keep me posted。
换情境例句："Keep me posted on the shipment date — if it moves again, tell me the same day."（发货日期有变化随时告诉我——如果再挪，当天就跟我说一声。——换成物流跟单场景，要持续同步的是同一批货的日期。）
实用句型（来自本课对话）
My Turn
Situation: The call is almost over. Priya thanks you for telling her directly, then asks one more thing. Her business partner is opening a small studio of her own next month, and Priya can tell her to sign up this week. Same tool, same plan — just a different studio.
They say: "One more thing — my partner is starting her own studio next month. If I tell her to sign up this week, can she get my old price too?"
Your turn: Answer her. Three things: say what the old price covers, say what stays the same for her, and offer one thing you can actually do for her partner. Say it out loud first. (You can start with: "Thanks for asking — let me run through that part too:")