If you work in sales or business development, a big part of your job is meeting new people in search of new customers. That might include cold-calling, where you phone someone at work or drop by their office. But often this kind of networking takes place at events, like conferences, forums, and pretty much anywhere else you have a lot of people in one place.
At these events, you don’t usually begin a conversation talking about business. 代わりに, you talk about the weather, or sports, or other non-work topics. This is wheresocializing in Englishand doing business in English are closely connected. You’ve got to break the ice socially before you introduce your company, the work that you do, and other clients. And then you’ve got to lead into talking about the customer’s needs and asking to follow up at a later time. The trick is doing this naturally.
今日の対話で, ニックが聞こえます, 人事コンサルティング会社の事業開発に携わる人. Nick is at a dinner event during a big HR conference. He is seated at a table with Andria. Nick clearly demonstrates how anEnglish sales conversationworks, as he identifies Andria as a potential customer.
質問を聞く
1. How does Nick introduce his company?
2. What do Nick’s company and Andria’s company have in common?
3. What does Nick ask to identify a gap in Andria’s HR strategy?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on dealing with setbacks near the end of thesales process.
Working in sales can be really tough. Sometimes you put a lot of hard work into the process but still things don’t work out the way you want. You might understand your customer’s needs and propose a great solution. But still, some customers might not see the value of what you’re offering.
ある場合には, that means they decide not to buy what you’re selling. 他では, it means they don’t completely accept your price or terms. いずれにせよ, you’ll need to be prepared to deal with these kinds of setbacks. 結局, a good salesperson is not just a good talker, they can adapt and face challenges with confidence.
One part of dealing with setbacks is responding to the bad news with understanding and a positive attitude. Tell the customer you understand their concerns and let them know you’re still interested in doing business in the future. And you should be careful not to use language that shows disappointment or frustration.
If you have to negotiate on the price or terms, you need to proceed carefully. Sometimes you might agree with hesitation, making sure to tell the customer why something might be difficult. And sometimes you’ll need to stay firm, while remaining polite and friendly. It’s also a good idea to know the language we use to offer something, such as little extras that will make the customer happy. そして最後に, at this point in the sales process, you will often have to discuss or make suggestions about the schedule and timelines.
今日の対話で, we’ll rejoin Aaron, who works in sales for a commercial refrigeration company. Aaron has been trying to sell cooling systems to a hotel undergoing remodeling. He has offered some great solutions and overcome some obstacles, and now he’s about to hear the customer’s decision. Aaron is talking on the phone with Eva, the hotel manager.
質問を聞く
1. How does Aaron respond when he first hears Eva’s decision?
2. What does Aaron emphasize about the deli cases in response to Eva’s concerns about the price?
3. What extra does Aaron offer to Eva to help push her to accept the price?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on dealing with a customer’s doubts about a proposed solution during thesales process.
Customers rarely agree to buy after an initial pitch. Sales typically involves a lot more work than just the initial approach. You need to get to know the customer, understand their needs and offer them good solutions. And somewhere along the way, you’ll have to deal with their questions and doubts. 結局, people want to be sure they’re making the right choice, and that they’re spending their money wisely. And even when you’ve shown them all the right reasons to buy from you, they might still be on the fence. So what can you do?
上手, there are a few useful techniques that can help you deal with a customer’s doubts. We can ask about reasons, and propose solutions. We can also relieve their fears and anticipate their concerns. そして最後に, we can show them why the other alternatives are not good choices. 今日のレッスンで, we’ll learn how to use these techniques.
ダイアログで, we’ll rejoin Aaron, a salesman at a commercial refrigeration company. He’s been talking with a hotel about providing cooling systems for their restaurant and bar. Aaron has taken the time to get to know his customer, and he’s submitted a proposal that he thinks matches their needs. But now the customer has some doubts. Besides Aaron, you’ll hear Eva, the hotel manager, and William, the contractor who’s renovating the hotel.
質問を聞く
1. What is Aaron’s solution to Eva’s first concern?
2. What other concern of Eva’s is Aaron able to guess?
3. Why does Aaron think that not choosing his solution for the freezer is a bad idea?
