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BEP 209 – Contract Negotiations 2: Discussing the Fine Print

Business English, Legal English, Negotiating, Sales /

This is the second part of our Business English Pod series on negotiating a contract.

So, you’ve found a company you want to work with and have agreed on the major points of the deal. Now it’s time to negotiate the ‘fine print’ or the details of the contract. Even if you’ve come to terms on price and payment, there may be a lot of costs or savings unaccounted for. A good warranty, for example, could save you a lot of money. The details may not break a deal, but you do need to negotiate them successfully so that the contract protects you and guarantees you certain benefits.

To do this, you’ll need to be comfortable with the language of contracts and the techniques used to talk about them. And that’s what we’ll be looking at today. We’ll learn how to ensure warranty terms, ask about response times, and talk about the bottom line in order to win concessions. We’ll also cover talking about renewal and agreeing to overall terms.

We are going to rejoin Sam and Larry, who are discussing a contract to lease a fleet of cars and vans. Larry, who represents the vehicle company, has drawn up a contract. He and Sam are discussing the details over the phone. You’ll hear Sam try to get the best deal possible for his company.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Sam want to ensure the terms of the warranty?
2. What does Larry offer to Sam free of charge?
3. How does Larry respond to Sam’s request for a renewal clause?

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BEP 208 – Contract Negotiations 1: Seeking Concessions

Business English, Legal English, Negotiating, Sales /

In this Business English Pod lesson, we’re going to look at language for negotiating a contract.

As we’ll be discussing contracts, you might want to check out our Video Vocab lessons on contract law to refresh your memory.

A lot of business is done with a verbal agreement and a handshake. But it doesn’t take a lawyer to know that you’re usually better off having everything written down in a contract. Contracts protect both sides of the arrangement and spell out exactly who must do what and at what time and where.

If you’re familiar with contracts, you know that there are certain parts and clauses that are almost always included. But exactly how those are written can vary greatly from contract to contract. “The devil is in the details,” as the saying goes, which is a traditional way of saying that details are very important.

And when it comes to contract negotiations, you will have to focus on a lot of details. You might agree generally on what type of arrangement you want, but working out the finer points is crucial if you want a contract that works for you. Negotiating these fine points requires several key skills. Today we’ll cover highlighting concerns in a contract, seeking concessions, and citing previous arrangements to strengthen your position. We’ll also look at agreeing with hesitation to a concession as well as emphasizing the positive.

We will hear Sam negotiating a vehicle leasing contract with Larry, a leasing company rep. Sam wants to lease several cars and vans for his company. He and Larry have agreed on the major points and are now discussing the draft contract over the phone.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Sam mention that their account reps try to stay in close touch with customers?
2. What does Sam say about their last leasing situation?
3. What does Larry offer to do for Sam?

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BEP 207 – Trade Show English 4: Closing a Deal

Business English, Marketing English, Sales /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on doing business at a trade show.

If you’ve ever worked or attended a trade show, you know that there are a lot of people and companies competing for attention. And you can stand there all day having casual conversations with people but never make a solid business connection, let alone sign a deal.

That’s why first you have to separate the good prospects from the bad. Then you have to make a connection with the good prospects and find out what they need. If you can manage that, then you’re on your way to closing a deal. And this is what we’ll be looking at today.

Closing a deal at a trade show requires a few essential steps. You need to show a customer that you are listening to them, build trust, and offer good solutions. Then you will be in a good position to ask the person to buy. These are all ideas that we’ll hear in today’s dialog.

We are going to rejoin Jenny, who works for a packing company called D-Pack. She is talking with Andrew, whose company is looking for a redesign of their packaging. Jenny has assessed Andrew’s needs and now wants to make a deal.

Listening Questions

1. What concerns does Andrew have?
2. What solution does Jenny offer?
3. What is Andrew’s final decision?

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BEP 206 – Trade Show English 3: Meeting with a Prospect

Business English, Marketing English, Sales /

This is the third lesson in our Business English Pod series on doing business at a trade show.

Trade shows are great opportunities for finding potential customers. And if you’ve got the right attitude and communication skills, you should be able to make some sales.

Now, if you’ve managed to make a connection with a strong lead and the person comes back for a second appointment, what do you do next? How do you know you’ve got a real buyer in front of you and not just someone fishing around for information? You can’t just let a prospect browse your catalog and ask you questions. You need to take charge and find out exactly what and who you’re dealing with.

Questioning skills are key. And this is what we’ll focus on today. We’ll start by looking at how to ask open-ended questions. Then we’ll get into asking about needs, buying authority, budgets, and timelines. If you can do this right, you’ll be in a great position to actually make a sale.

We’ll join Jenny, who works for a packaging company called D-Pack. She’s sitting down with a potential customer named Andrew who has returned for a chat about D-Pack’s products. Jenny is going to ask a lot of questions to assess what Andrew needs and how D-Pack can help.

Listening Questions

1. What does Andrew say his company’s needs?
2. Why does Jenny ask Andrew if he’s a purchasing manager?
3. When does Andrew’s company need the work done?

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BEP 203 – Trade Show English 2: Qualifying Prospects

Business English, Marketing English, Sales /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on doing business at a trade show.

If you can connect with the right people at a large event like a trade show, you can get a lot of great sales leads and maybe even close some deals. Making these connections is all about your attitude and the way you communicate.

But trade shows come with challenges. One of these difficulties is focusing your time on those good prospects. This means that you need to be able to identify a bad prospect and to make your conversation with him brief. Doing this requires a combination of common sense, a focus on business, and some tact.

Today we will learn how to disengage from a bad prospect. But first, we’ll hear how to engage in small talk, show interest, and get people to talk as these are all essential steps in determining if a prospect is worth pursuing.

We’ll rejoin Kevin, who works for a packaging company called D-Pack. He is talking with Mick, who represents ElectroHome Cleaning. Kevin is going to both begin and end a conversation with Mick, who turns out to be not such a great prospect.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Kevin ask Mick about ‘product demos’?
2. What does Mick say about cleaning products?
3. How does Kevin bring the conversation to a close?

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