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BEP 398 – English for Sales: Financial Services (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Finance and Accounting /

BEP 398 LESSON - Sales: Financial Services 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the second in a three-part series on selling financial services.

When many people think of making money, they think of having a job and earning a salary. But if you’ve ever saved money or made an investment, you know there are other ways to make money. I mean, the money itself can do the work, if you make smart decisions with it. And just as there are lots of ways to invest money, there are lots of words we use to talk about money and investments.

In our last lesson, we were introduced to the world of “wealth management.” And we met a character in the dialog who was “planning for retirement.” These expressions, “wealth management” and “to plan for retirement,” are what we call collocations.

A collocation is a natural combination of words. Proficient English speakers know to use the verb “to plan for” with the noun “retirement.” The words combine to create a collocation, or a set expression. Learning collocations can help you sound more natural, and it can be easier to remember words together, rather than separately.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Jessica, the person who’s planning for retirement, and Robert, a wealth manager. Jessica is visiting Robert’s office to learn more about his services. And Robert is trying to gently persuade Jessica to become his client. During their conversation, they use many English collocations, which we’ll explain later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What kind of approach does Robert say his firm takes to wealth management?
2. Besides managing investments, what is another service that Robert’s firm offers to people like Jessica?
3. What type of investing does Jessica say she is particularly interested in?

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BEP 397 – English for Sales: Financial Services (1)

Business English, Finance and Accounting, Sales English /

BEP 397 LESSON - Sales: Financial Services 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the first in a three-part series on selling financial services.

A wise person once observed that sales isn’t just about selling. It’s about building trust and educating. Nowhere is this more true than in world of professional services. And one of the highest stakes professional services to sell are financial services.

Convincing someone to let you manage their money is no easy task! Just think of your own savings, assets, and investments. You probably wouldn’t just entrust them to a faceless business entity. You want to know who’s managing your wealth and you want to know you can trust them to do a good job. Indeed, it’s all about trust.

So, when you’re meeting a potential client considering your financial services, it’s important to start by building personal rapport and establishing credibility. From there you can begin asking questions about a person’s priorities and level of wealth. Discussing these topics will set you up for looking more deeply into the person’s situation and demonstrating you’re the right one to manage their wealth.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a conversation between Robert and Jessica. Robert is a financial advisor with a company called Vickers Wealth Management. Jessica is a working professional looking for financial help as she plans for her future. Robert and Jessica have been introduced by a mutual friend. Now they’re sitting down for the first time in Robert’s office.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Robert mention when the company was founded and their advisors’ qualifications?
2. What does Robert want to ask about before discussing Jessica’s current situation?
3. What does Robert want to get a “rough idea” about?

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BEP 386 – English Idioms about Spending Money (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting /

BEP 386 - English Idioms about Spending Money 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for another look at English idioms related to spending money.

Think of the people close to you, particularly your family members, and consider how they spend money. Does everyone have the same approach? Or do they all handle things differently? Chances are, you can easily think of differences in peoples’ approaches to money management. And it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that money is one of the top sources of conflict in a relationship.

This is true in business just as it is in families. How a company uses its financial resources is a huge strategic concern. Does the company risk some to get some? Or does the company favor saving and safety? And does the short-term strategy differ from the long-term strategy? These are all important questions, and it’s no wonder that English has so many idioms to talk about how people spend money.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Shelly, Martin, and Vince, three managers at a tech company. They are talking about how their company should spend money on staffing. And as we’ll hear, they don’t really agree on the best approach. During their conversation, they use many business English idioms related to spending money. See if you can spot some of these as we go through the dialog, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Martin say about companies that already work in the sector they are considering?
2. How does Martin describe office space on the south side of the city?
3. How does Vince describe the company’s possible future situation of having lots more money to spend?

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BEP 385 – English Idioms about Spending Money (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting /

BEP 385 - English Idioms about Spending Money 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English idioms related to spending money.

As a wise person once said: it takes money to make money. In other words, you need to invest money and spend it in order to make more. On the other hand, spending money unwisely can eat into your profits. So, from both perspectives, figuring out how to spend money is one of the keys to business success.

And it should come as no surprise that spending money is a common topic of conversation in any business. It’s not just the folks in the purchasing department who think about it. Everyone has an opinion about how their company should and shouldn’t commit its resources. And for this reason, English has many idioms we use to describe the different approaches to spending money.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a conversation between three managers at a tech company: Shelly, Martin, and Vince. The company has just landed a big new project, and so they anticipate having more money to spend soon. But the three aren’t all in agreement about how they should spend that money and they use many different idioms to express their opinions. Try to pick out some of these business English idioms as you listen, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. According to Martin, what approach to spending is now in the past?
2. What does Vince believe about competing in a new and different sector of the market?
3. How does Martin describe the salaries of the two positions they previously discussed hiring?

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Business English News 49 – Inflation and Interest Rates

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting /

Business English News 49 - Inflation and Interest Rates

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to the economy, particularly the relationship between inflation and interest rates.

Government spending throughout 2021 was a boon to the business sector. Jobs returned, production rose, and many countries ended the year on a positive note. But growth – and years of low interest rates – has raised the specter of inflation, or rising prices. Now all eyes are on central banks, especially in the United Stated, to see how they’ll respond. As the NY Times reports:

Federal Reserve policymakers have moved into inflation-fighting mode saying they would cut back more quickly on their pandemic-era stimulus at a moment of rising prices and strong economic growth. This move will cap a challenging year with a policy shift that could usher in higher interest rates in 2022.

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