Business English Pod (9to5English) / Sales / Page 8

BEP 155 – English for Socializing: Networking (Part 1)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Sales, Socializing /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on networking.

In business, so much depends on who you know. A network is a group of business contacts that have the resources to help each other out. Former and current colleagues, outside business associates, vendors, friends, acquaintances – these can all be part of your network.

The term “networking” refers to developing this group of contacts. Most businesspeople are looking to expand their networks – for sales leads, job referrals, information, and advice. Networking also means being helpful to others. There should be mutual benefits for all involved.

Networking often involves approaching people you don’t know, which can be a little awkward. How do you network in a way that seems genuine? In this lesson, we’ll look at ways to approach people. We’ll also cover greetings and introductions, 10-second elevator pitches, and talking about your industry.

Today we’ll listen to Ian and Marissa’s first interaction at a pharmacy conference. Ian is a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. Marissa is the manager of a hospital pharmacy. A pharmacy is a place that distributes medicine and drugs.

Listening Questions:

1. How does Ian break the ice with Marissa? In other words, how does he start their first interaction?
2. How did Ian learn about the flu vaccine clinics?
3. Why is Marissa frustrated with her supplier?

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BEP 137 – Company Tour: Showing a Visitor Around

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Marketing English, Sales /

In today’s Business English Pod episode, we’re going to look at language for showing a visitor around your office or factory.

There are many reasons that someone might visit a factory and take a tour. They might be a prospective client who wants to see where the products are made, or perhaps someone from head office is on an inspection tour, or it could be an official inspection to make sure you are following government or internal standards. If it’s your job to give the tour, you’ll want to make sure everything goes smoothly. So in today’s episode we’ll looking at language for guiding people on a tour and pointing out areas of interest.

We’ll be listening to Ingrid taking Carl on a tour of a factory where GC cleaning products are produced. Carl is from the head office of GC and he’s inspecting the factory where Ingrid works. His job is to make sure that the company’s factories are all up to standard and capable of handling future orders. As the dialog starts, Carl has already arrived at the factory and met Ingrid, who is ready to start the tour.

Listening Questions

1) What time of day does Carl arrive for his tour?
2) What is the problem with the detergent production line?
3) What role does newspaper play in the production of detergent in this factory?

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BEP 133 – Sales and Interviews: Elevator Pitch in English

Advanced, Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations, Sales /

In this Business English Podcast, we’re going to look at delivering an elevator pitch.

A sales pitch is a presentation designed to introduce a product or service in order to convince people to buy it. An elevator pitch is a very short presentation designed to do the same thing in 60-seconds or less and often the “product” being presented is you. An elevator pitch should be short enough that you could complete it during an elevator ride. A key point being that you’re not asking the person to do something for you, you’re telling them what you can do for them.

In today’s lesson, we’ll be listening to two pitches. First up is Jonathan, a university student visiting a job fair in search of his first job. Then we’ll hear Dominic, a manager for a logistics company, make his pitch to a potential customer while attending a local Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Listening Questions

1) What does Jonathan highlight as his key strengths in the first dialog?
2) In the second dialog, how does Dominic get Graham’s attention?
3) What’s the key advantage of Dominic’s company?

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BEP 128 – Telephoning: Handling Sales Calls

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Sales, Telephone English /

We’ve looked before at how to set up an appointment on the phone with someone you already know (BEP 119), but what about if you haven’t met the person or established a relationship with them yet? In today’s Business English Podcast, we’ll be looking at how to make contact with a prospective client and, on the opposite end of the line, we’ll examine language you can use to politely decline a request for information or a meeting.

We’ve already met Mario from Viva Fashions in previous episodes. Now Mario wants to meet with the head buyer for a chain of American stores owned by DeBourg Brands but, at this point, he doesn’t even know the buyer’s name. Mario is going to “cold call” the company and see if he can reach the buyer. First, he needs a name, and then he needs to try to speak to the buyer to make an appointment.

Listening Questions – First Call:
1) What techniques does Mario use to get information from Joan?
2) Why do you think Joan agrees to help Mario?

Listening Questions – Second Call:
1) Why does Mario keep saying “thank you” instead of “please” after making a request?
2) What language does Mario use when stating the reason for his call, and why?
3) Throughout the conversation, Mario uses informal language to minimize his request. Can you spot a few examples?

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BEP 120 – Telephoning: Checking on an Order

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Sales, Telephone English /

Doing business across borders requires precise coordination, especially in the era of “just-in-time” delivery where goods need to be shipped to the customer at exact times. When a product is made in one country, assembled in another, and sold in a third, the companies involved need to be in constant communication from start to finish. Making sure that orders are made and delivered on time is an essential part of international business, and a lot of the monitoring will be done by phone. So, in this episode we’re going to look at ways to check on the progress of an order over the telephone.

A while back in BEP 92 & 93 we met Bill, a buyer for Bancroft’s, a chain of women’s clothing stores in the U.S. He’s placed a large order with Viva, an Italian fashion company, which is being coordinated by Catherine Traynor, Foxtrot’s shipping manager. Foxtrot is Viva’s U.S. distributor.

It’s now several months later and the order is due to be delivered. But Bill has just received a call from Bancroft’s warehouse to let him know that only half the order has been delivered so far. Now he’s calling Catherine to check on the rest of the delivery.

Listening Questions:

1. How does Catherine let Bill know she’s looking for information about his order?
2. Where is the second part of the shipment?
3. What does Catherine offer to do to avoid separate deliveries in future?

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