BEP 170 – Meeting with a Vendor (Part 1)

This is the first of a three-part Business English Pod lesson about meeting with a vendor, or potential supplier.

When you meet with a vendor to discuss a proposal, it’s partly about getting information and partly about negotiating better terms. You may be meeting with several vendors who are bidding on the same job. You want to make sure you understand each proposal and can have confidence in each vendor’s ability to deliver. You’ll also want to get the best terms possible in the deal. Then you can make a wise decision about who deserves the contract.

In this lesson, we’ll look at using probing questions to dig for more information, ensuring vendor expertise by asking about past experience, asking leading questions, and confirming information. We’ll also see how a vendor attempts to address the client’s concerns.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Steve, who works for a company that wants to hire someone to run Business English training courses for its employees. Steve is meeting with Karen, a potential vendor, who works for Lexis Training Solutions.

Listening Questions

1. What are Lexis Training Solutions’ strengths?
2. What are Steve’s biggest concerns in this meeting?
3. Why does Karen say that each company is unique?

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