Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on the habits of highly effective language learners.
How is it that some people seem to pick up language easily, while others struggle for years and can’t seem to get the hang of it? Well, you might think it’s all about talent, that some people just have a knack for languages, while others don’t. Talent is part of it, but only a small part of it. In fact, most people who do a good job of learning a language aren’t necessarily smarter than everyone else, they just have good habits.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on following up with a customer after a sale in English.
In sales, your work doesn’t end when the customer agrees to buy what you’re selling. Good salespeople understand the importance of following up, of making sure the customer is satisfied, and of helping them understand their new product or service. After all, happy customers continue to be customers, and selling more to existing customers is easier than finding new ones.
How exactly do you make sure customers are satisfied? For one thing, you might need to reassure them that what you’ve sold them is the right solution. They might worry about quality or reliability, and it’s your job to tell them clearly that they have nothing to worry about.
But sometimes a customer has a problem with their product, a problem that you need to resolve. In this case, it’s important to state confidently that they’ll have a quick solution. Besides these kinds of worries, it’s very helpful if you can show the customer how their product works using clear language. You might also provide extra tips that improve their experience with the product. And finally, we often discuss things the customer shouldn’t do when using the product.
In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a post-sales follow-up conversation between Aaron, Eva, and Dave. Eva is the manager of a hotel with a new café, bar, and restaurant. Aaron has just sold them refrigerated coolers for the café and bar. And Dave is a contractor working on the hotel’s renovations. Aaron is talking with Eva and Dave to make sure everything went well with the installation of the coolers.
Listening Questions
1. What does Aaron promise when Dave points out that there is a “kick plate” missing?
2. What special tip does Aaron share on cleaning the display cases?
3. What expression does Aaron use to caution Eva against forcing the glass door open too far?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on dealing with setbacks near the end of the sales 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.
In some cases, that means they decide not to buy what you’re selling. In others, it means they don’t completely accept your price or terms. Whatever the case, you’ll need to be prepared to deal with these kinds of setbacks. After all, 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. And finally, at this point in the sales process, you will often have to discuss or make suggestions about the schedule and timelines.
In today’s dialog, 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.
Listening Questions
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?
Companies may seek ongoing funding through debt financing, or loans, which require collateral. Or they may use factoring and lines of credit to access cash quickly. Other sources of funds include crowdfunding and public offerings, in which a company sells shares.
All companies need to raise capital to begin operations. These startup companies may choose to bootstrap the company using personal funding to provide seed capital for the early stages. Or they may seek out angel investors and venture capital by offering equity in rounds of financing called series A, B and C. They may also seek out strategic investors for extra capital and advice.
In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to talk about things you don’t like.
I’m a pretty positive person, but there are lots of things I just don’t like: getting stuck in traffic, bad customer service, long meetings. I really don’t like long meetings. And you’re probably the same way. There are things you just don’t like, and things you hate. So how do we talk about these things? How do we say we don’t really like something?
925 English is a new business English course for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.
In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to talk about likes and preferences in English.
Talking about things we like is something we do all the time. Whether you’re in a meeting, a casual conversation, or just having lunch, there’s always a chance to talk about what you like. And sometimes talking about what you like means talking about a preference. By “preference” I mean liking one thing more than something else.
925 English is a new series of English video for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on chunks of language and English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.
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Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English idioms for describing work experience.
In business, success depends on putting the right people in the right positions. And decisions about who does what often comes down to work experience. Some jobs are too important to give to someone lacking experience. For other jobs, you might want a person with less experience and a fresh approach.
So, whether you’re hiring new staff, delegating tasks, or putting together a project team, you’ll be talking about experience. And English has many useful idioms to describe work experience. In today’s lesson, we’ll learn some of these expressions.
We’ll hear a conversation between three colleagues: Lola, Shane, and Anne. The group has been discussing who to send to the company’s South Korean office. Previously, they have talked about the personality of the different candidates. Now they’re comparing the candidates based on work experience.
Listening Questions
1. Why do Shane and Anne think Douglas wouldn’t be a good choice for the position?
2. What does the group think about Paula as a possible choice?
3. Why would Kendra be a good choice for the post in South Korea?
