Business English Pod (9to5English) / Sales / Page 7

BEP 202 – Trade Show English 1: Engaging Potential Customers

Business English, Marketing English, Sales /

Welcome back to Business English Pod. My name’s Atalie, and I’ll be your host for today’s lesson on working at a trade show.

Trade shows can be fantastic opportunities to meet good prospects, network with others in the biz, and even close sales. But there are definite dos and don’ts about working the trade show circuit.

At a trade show, there are a lot of people. That means a lot of potential customers and leads, but it can also be easy to waste time on bad prospects. So you have to be outgoing to draw people in, but you also have to figure out quickly who is really worth talking to. And to engage good prospects and get rid of bad ones, you need excellent communication skills.

In this lesson, we’ll look at how to be approachable, connect with customers, and make a quick pitch. We’ll also learn how to pass a prospect off to another team member and how to set up an appointment.

We are going to hear Kevin and Jenny, who work for a Chinese packaging company called D-Pack. They’re working a booth at a large trade show. They are dealing with Andrew, who works for a manufacturing company. Andrew has come by D-Pack’s booth, and Kevin and Jenny have to work their magic.

Listening Questions

1. What does Andrew’s company want to do?
2. Why does Kevin talk about their big US clients?
3. What are Jenny and Andrew going to do at 10:00 the next day?

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BEP 172 – Meeting with a Vendor (Part 3)

Business English, Human Resources, Meeting English, Sales /

This is the third of a three-part Business English Pod series on discussing a proposal with a vendor.

Meeting with a vendor to discuss a proposal is partly about getting information and partly about negotiating a good deal. Your conversation is like a dance in which you and the vendor are trying to get the most out of a possible deal. You need to come out of the meeting feeling confident about the vendor’s abilities and sure that you are getting as much as possible at the best possible price.

Last week, we looked at how to show concern about cost, introducing topics with tact, and showing tactical hesitation. In this episode, we’ll focus on the negotiation phase. That will involve highlighting concerns, getting concessions, and making a counter-proposal. We’ll also look at how to set criteria for evaluation and how to maintain momentum at the end of a meeting.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Steve, who wants to hire a vendor to run language training, and Karen, whose company has bid on the project.

Listening Questions

1. How does Karen respond to Steve’s concern about cost?
2. What changes to the proposal does Steve suggest?
3. What will probably happen next?

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BEP 171 – Meeting with a Vendor (Part 2)

Business English, Human Resources, Meeting English, Sales /

This is the second of a three-part Business English Pod series about meeting with a vendor to discuss a proposal.

As we discussed last time, meeting with a vendor to discuss a proposal is partly about getting information and partly about negotiating a good deal. You need to use your soft skills to come out of the meeting feeling positive about the vendor and confident that you are getting as much as possible at the best price.

In the last episode, we focussed on getting information through different types of questions. In this lesson, we’ll look at how to express concern about cost, how to introduce a topic with tact, and how to show hesitation in a negotiation. We’ll also cover asking hypothetical questions and approximating numbers.

Let’s rejoin Steve, who is hoping to hire someone to run language training, and Karen, whose company has bid on the project.

Listening Questions

1. What are the advantages of a blended course?
2. What is Steve’s primary concern in this part of the meeting?
3. What can be done if the client isn’t satisfied with the blended delivery?

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BEP 170 – Meeting with a Vendor (Part 1)

Business English, Human Resources, Meeting English, Sales /

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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BEP 156 – English for Socializing: Networking (Part 2)

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

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod lesson on business networking.

Networking is all about people and connections. You never know when someone you meet at a conference or trade show may be able to help your business in the future. Likewise, you may be able to help someone else out. So building and maintaining a network of business contacts is essential.

But once you meet a prospective contact, how do you maintain that connection? This is what we’ll focus on today. We’ll talk about ways to steer a conversation toward a lead. We’ll also cover ways to shoot for a meeting and be persistent. And we’ll look at the other side and discuss ways to politely leave a conversation.

Today’s lesson is mainly about sales, but these functions can be easily applied to other situations.

Last time, we met Ian, a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company, and Marissa, a pharmacy manager at Children’s Hospital. They met at a conference and Marissa mentioned her frustration with her current pharmaceutical supplier. Deliveries are often late and are sometimes packaged incorrectly. She’s concerned about getting supplies for her hospital’s vaccine clinics. And that’s where the conversation resumes today.

Listening Questions

1. What supplies does Marissa’s pharmacy need?
2. Why does Ian suggest grabbing a cup of coffee?
3. What is Marissa’s schedule like right now?

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