This video podcast introduces definitions and collocations related to commercial law, including: contract law; copyright; intellectual property rights, arbitration, lawsuit; to sue; to litigate; plaintiff; defendant; damages; settlement; injunction & to appeal.
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This is the last in our three-part Business English Podcast series on cold calling. In today’s lesson, you’ll learn how to deal with several typical kinds of objections that a potential customer might raise.
When Steve first asked for an appointment, Linda didn’t agree right away, did she? As you know, it’s normal for even a good prospect to give you one or two negative responses, so it’s important to be ready to deal with these and “turn them around” skillfully.
Today we’ll be listening to the last part of the cold calling dialogue between Linda and Steve. As you listen, pay attention to how Steve turns around Linda’s objections.
Listening Questions
1. When Steve asks for an appointment, what is Linda’s first response?
2. What is Linda’s second objection?
3. How does Steve deal with Linda’s objections?
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This is the second in our three-part Business English Podcast lesson on a useful telephone and sales skill: cold calling.
You can always make yourself more persuasive by asking well-considered questions and really listening to the answers. This principle is true whether you are selling a product or an idea. So in part two we are going to look at some key selling skills: strategically clarifying and summarizing your prospect’s concerns and incorporating them into your pitch to make it more persuasive.
Where we left off last time, Steve had just introduced his company’s services and asked Linda a needs analysis question. Now lets listen as he clarifies her needs and makes his pitch.
Listening Questions
1. What’s the main issue or problem that Linda sees with her current system?
2. What does Steve mean by a “one-stop” service?
3. What does Linda suggest instead of meeting with Steve?
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Today’s lesson is the first in a three-part Business English Pod series on cold calling, the skill of making unsolicited telephone sales calls. Unsolicited means “not asked for.” So cold calling is the skill of making a sales call to someone who is not expecting you.
Cold calling skills are very useful in many parts of business life. To cold call successfully, you need to be persuasive. And persuasion is fundamental to business success, whether you are trying to convince a customer to buy something or your boss or colleagues to accept your point of view.
In today’s listening you’ll here two examples, one bad one good. We’ll listen to the bad one first. Josh Knight of Nexus Communications International is cold calling Linda Darling, who works for the law firm Drucker and Smythe. So Linda is Josh’s prospect, or potential customer.
Listening Questions
1. Identify four things that Josh does wrong.
2. What is Josh selling?
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This is the second in our 3-part Video Vocab series on the law. Today we focus on the vocabulary used to describe the actions and people involved in a court case.
Key Vocabulary:
Court case, trial, judge, jury, witness, defendant, innocent, guilty, plea, testify, deliberate, verdict, convict, sentence, fine & prison sentence.
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In this episode of Video Vocab we’re going to look at basic vocabulary related to the law. This is the first in a three-part series: part 1 covers basic legal terms, part 2 will look at words related to a court case and part 3 will look at the vocabulary related to commercial law.
Key Vocabulary:
1. Law (civil, criminal, contract, property, trust, tort, constitutional, administrative & international)
2. Lawyer (AmE = Attorney, BrE = Solicitor)
3. Defense
4. Prosecution
5. Case
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This is the second in a two-part intermediate Business English Pod lesson on the basics of socializing and networking. Last time you learned ways to start and finish a conversation appropriately. Today you’ll be studying how to keep a conversation going by maintaining interest.
The listening continues on from dialogue 1 from last time: As you’ll remember, it takes place at the Asia-Pacific HR conference for Multi-Fresh, a global producer of health beverages. Penny””an HR officer from Kuala Lumpur””has struck up a conversation with George””the regional learning and development manager. Where we left off last time, Penny had just used a tag question”-Interesting speech, wasn’t it?” – to help get the conversation started.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions. The answers will be posted in a few days on the Listening Quiz page.
1) Near the beginning of the dialogue, Penny changes the subject. What was the old subject and what is the new subject?
2) Where has Penny seen George before?
3) What is George’s hobby?
4) What does George mean when he says “It’s not really such a big deal.”
5) Is Penny going to join George in next year’s event?
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Today’s Business English Pod lesson is the first in a two-part series on the basics of social English: starting a conversation, keeping it going, and finishing it appropriately. Successful conversation is an important part of networking – the skill of building up a network of contacts and relationships.
In this lesson, you’ll be learning skills and language for starting and finishing a conversation appropriately. In the next, you’ll practice how to keep a conversation going.
The conversations take place at the Asia-Pacific HR conference for Multi-Fresh, a major global producer of health beverages. A beverage is a drink.
You’ll hear two dialogues. In the first, Penny, an HR officer from Malaysia, strikes up a conversation with George, the Asia-Pacific learning and development manager. “To strike up a conversation” means to start a conversation, usually with someone you don’t know too well.
In the second dialogue, Pat, an HR officer from Australia, then tries his best to strike up a conversation with George.
1) What office is Penny from?
2) What does Penny think about the speech?
3) Have Pat and George already met?
4) Does George have time to talk to Pat?
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This is an enhanced version of the first intermediate Business English News podcast on Reebok’s new marketing campaign. Now you can view pictures and text related to the article on your computer or video iPod (you should also be able to see the images on most video MP3 players and phones).
To download a set of study notes for this podcast ‘right-click’ on this link, select save target and then choose which folder on your computer to save the file to.
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Today we’re introducing our first Business English News podcast for intermediate listeners. This will now be a regular show with new episodes each month. Most of the time, we’ll cover a similar topic to the current Advanced Business News podcast but the articles and vocabulary will be simplified to make them more suitable for intermediate learners.
The topic today is marketing and, in particular, Reebok’s new advertising campaign and slogan.
Key Vocabulary:
1. to launch – to release a new product
2. Ad campaign – a campaign is an organized series of activities and Ad is short for advertising.
3. to motivate – to get people interested in something
4. take a swipe at something – take a hit at something or to make fun of something.
5. slogan – a short memorable phrase used to promote a product.
6. strategy – a plan or approach intended to achieve a major aim or goal.
7. compete – to try and win a game or to gain an advantage over somebody.
8. competitors – other companies that Reebok is competing against.
9. purportedly – to claim to do or say something.
10. ties to something – connections.
11. celebrity endorser – a famous person who publicly promotes a product.
This weekend we will also release an enhanced MP4 version of this podcast with text and pictures.
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