Business English Study

How to improve company sales

Advanced Level:

• Grammar: Review of the Past Simple / Continuous / Perfect

• Pronunciation: Word Stress Points

• Functional Vocabulary: Negotiating Skills

• Listening: The Art of War and Sales Training

• Business Vocabulary: Phrasal verbs

• Sales Vocabulary: Idioms

• Colloquial Language: House Sales

• Reading: The Art of War and sales techniques

• Role Play: Negotiate a Deal

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INTRODUCTION:
Discuss these questions:
Why is sales training important?
What is the best form of sales training?

READING:
‘The Art of War’ helps to train sales people

EXERCISE: Put the sub-titles above the correct paragraphs.

• Training to say "reject the deal"

• Sales Training for Patience
• Economic and Physical Necessity
• Training in Speed
• War Training Equates to Sales Training

1..
The lessons we gain from The Art of War are in human psychology, not physical
fighting. If we are in sales, we need to know how other people's minds work. Sun Tzu
teaches us persuasion. He doesn't want us to fight the opposition, but to convince
them to surrender without a battle. Salespeople need to win without creating conflict.

2..
The Art of War tells us how to win profitable battles. War and sales are both
expensive. A lot of sales training courses overlook the costs in selling. Sun Tzu
suggests that war (and sales) must start with a calculation of profitability. If the battle
(sale) can’t be profitable, he teaches us that winning it is the same as losing. We
must invest our limited time only in the most profitable results.

3..
In sales, the biggest cost is our time. We win sales by recognizing the situation we
are in and acting quickly. We must keep moving with speed to keep the prospects
and competition off-balance. We must do the calculations that tell us if a given sales
situation is worth the time it will consume.

4..
The most powerful weapon in Sun Tzu’s arsenal is the ability to select our battles.
Most sales training preaches continual selling, but Sun Tzu teaches selective selling.
Most sales training teaches us to say "yes" to customers. More important is to know
which customers, what situations, and what conflicts to say "no" to. Success goes to
those salespeople who avoid wasting their time and energy on no-win situations.

5..
Sales practice teaches us the importance of waiting for the right time to act.
Salespeople can lose the sale, and waste all the time they have invested in it, if they
are impatient. Only the customer can give us the sale. We cannot force it.

SPEAKING PRACTICE: Do you agree with these points? Why? Why not?
Can you add any more points that you think are important?

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Discuss these questions:

The Art of War is quoted in the film Wall Street. Do you think business is a battle?
What can you learn about business from a 2,000 year-old book about war?

LISTENING 1:
Visit www.businessenglishstudy.com for the free MP3 listening file
Answer these questions. NOTE: they are not in chronological order.

1. Why have a ‘variation in tactics’?

2. What does The Art of War say about ‘laying plans’?
3. What does the section on ‘openings’ relate to?
4. What does ‘waging war’ explain?
5. What is the ‘attack strategy’?

FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: Phrasal Verbs

Match the phrasal verbs (1-5) with their meaning (a-e), and then put the correct
phrasal verb into the gaps in the sentences.

1. Take in a. Maintain

2. Make out b. Interrupt

3. Run up c. Pretend

4. Keep up d. Accumulate

5. Cut in e. Comprehend

6. He spoke so quickly that I couldn’t it all .

7. Last month I a massive credit card bill.
8. Can I just for a moment and offer some advice?
9. Yesterday he was that he had no time and now he’s playing golf.

10. It is very difficult to modern ideas without the Internet.

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PRONUNCIATION – Word Stress Points

EXERCISE: Say these words emphasising the stress point

deliberate – negotiate – demand – delivery – business – yesterday – Japan – Brazil –

imagine – imagination – satisfactory – relevant – discussion – contract – aggressive -
immediately - behaviour - October - every - catastrophe - sensational - under - over

Lead in questions:
• Where were you at 2pm yesterday?
• What were you doing at 2pm yesterday?
• What had you done by 2pm yesterday?

GRAMMAR: A REVIEW OF THE PAST

THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE

Uses:
Completed Action in the Past. Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action
started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes the speaker may not
actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
I saw you at the presentation yesterday.
I didn't see the director at the presentation.

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Uses:
• The past continuous is usually used when one action began before another, and
finished after it.
I was working when he arrived.

• We can also use the past continuous tense when we talk about an action that
had already started and was still continuing at a particular time:
It was still raining at five o'clock.

• It can also describe TWO actions that were BOTH continuing at the same time in
the past. In this case, we use the past continuous for both actions:
While I was reading, she was working.

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Uses
We use the past perfect when we wish to stress that one action or situation in the
past occurred before another action or situation in the past. It can be simple or
continuous in form.

• I had talked to all the sales people by lunchtime.

• I had been waiting for more than an hour when they arrived. (By the time they
arrived I had been waiting an hour)

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The past perfect can serve the same purpose as conjunctions of time such as:
when, after and before:
• When she had finished her work she left the office.
• After Jimmy had arrived, the party became really good.
• Before he retired my father had worked in the post office.

Note: it is not always necessary to use the past perfect in situations with before,
after and when, because it is logical that one past is followed by another.

EXERCISE: Select the correct past tense for each gap: simple, continuous or
perfect.

1. What you (do) during the presentation? I don’t think you (not
listen).

2. When Steve (arrive) at IBM, the receptionist (be, not) at her desk.
She (have) lunch in the canteen.

3. Simon (give) a presentation to the clients this morning. Last week he

(relax) on a beach in Brazil.

4. I(call) the office on Friday to speak to Mr. Williams, but they (tell)
me healready(leave) for the USA.

5. I(take) notes when there (be) a power cut. The engineer (fix)
the problem and then we (carry on).

6. After the presentation (finish) the sales team (leave) the room
very quickly.

Supplement this exercise with additional material from a good grammar book

COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE: House Sales Euphemisms

Explain these Real Estate terms in more realistic English:
e.g. peaceful area = isolated

1. Benefits from:

2. Bijou:

3. Studio:

4. Borders:
5. Characterful:

6. Convenient for transport:

7. In Need of modernisation:

8. Internal viewing recommended:

9. Mature garden:

10. Original features:

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BUSINESS SKILLS: NEGOTIATING

Look at these rules for successful negotiations:

Focus On The Customer:

Talk about the customer's benefit. Don't tell your customer about the latest technology
in the car's engine - tell him how this new engine saves him fuel and time.

Know Your Competition:

Knowing your product is not enough. You must know what your competition is offering.
Have your answers ready. Give him valid reasons for your higher price.

Concentrate on the People who make the Decisions:

Save your time and energy for the decision maker. Try to get an appointment with "the
boss". If you can't get one immediately, try for a later one, or else move on.

Get Them To Agree:

When a person agrees to something you are saying, he subconsciously creates a
positive frame of mind towards your offer.

Your Negotiating Strength Lies In Your Uniqueness:

Always make a list of points that differentiate you / your products from your rivals.

Price Is Not Everything - Terms Matter Too:

Terms of service are as important as the price itself. Create a balance between the
price and the terms - when price is your weak point, offset it with better terms.

Keep Your Last Price For The Last:

If asked for "the best price", quote something more than the actual "best price" which
you are willing to give.

The Final Rule – Be prepared to say "No":

‘Risk taking’ is an essential ingredient of success.
Agreeing to the customers' terms all the time weakens your image in the market.

SPEAKING PRACTICE: Discuss these questions:

• When was the last time you negotiated for something?

• Was it a success?

• If yes, why?

• If not, why not?

• Do you agree with the rules above?

• Could you add any others?

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SPEAKING PRACTICE: Negotiate the Deal

Exercise: Negotiate the best deal.
Divide into small groups.
Group 1: you want to buy this house. Identify the bad points
Group 2: You want to sell the house. Promote the good points

Detached Thatched Cottage - 60km from London UK

The guide price is £499,000
3 Bedrooms | 2 Bathrooms | 3 Reception Rooms
Built in the 16th century, the cottage is set in its own south facing grounds extending
to 2 acres. Benefits from a large office and a detached brick barn.

IDIOMS - SALES

EXERCISE: find the correct definition to the sales idioms and use in a sentence
e.g. To buck the market = to be an exception.
This area is always popular. Even in a recession it bucks the market

1. To fall through
• To charge too much for your services, to ask for a price that is too high

2. Come in high
• To sell very quickly

3. Corner the market

• To visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people

4. Cold call
• The deal collapses

5. Sell like hotcakes

• To dominate a particular market with your product

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Discuss these questions: Is theAudio

salesperson
1 – Adv.the
Sun
most
Tzuimportant person in the
company? Should you over reward them?
THE ART OF WAR – Advanced Level
LISTENING 2:
On the surface, Sun Tzu's book: The Art of War is about military strategy and how to defeat
Visit www.businessenglishstudy.com
your enemy, for the
but it is also a favourite text for business free MP3 listening file
executives.
Answer
It containsthese
differentquestions from
sections, and thesethe
canlistening.
be adapted to use in your business. They include:
NOTE: they are not in chronological order
• Laying Plans: this defines your competitive position (mission, climate, ground, leadership,
1.and methods) and how to evaluate your competitive strengths and weaknesses against
What do you sell first?
your competition.
• 2.Waging
What War:
dos explains
Sun Tzuthat youabout
say could destroy yourself for victory if you do not limit the
the lion?
cost and time of the conflict.
3.Attack
WhatStrategy:
happens means using
if you dothenot
strength
rewardof unity,
yournot size.sales personnel?
best
• Openings: this relates to recognizing opportunities, not trying to create them.
• 4.Variation
What isinone
Tactics: focuses
of the most on the need forpositions
powerful flexibility in in
your responses.
any company?It explains how
• to respond to changing circumstances successfully.
5. What does ‘eat what you kill’ mean?
6.
In fact, all sections of the book are of benefit to the modern executive.

Audio 2 – Adv. Sun Tzu

One of the essential elements of being a winner, according to Sun Tzu’s book the Art of War,
is to know yourself and you will know others.

When you know yourself, you can sell yourself. This requires understanding the needs of the
clients, and not the needs of you as a salesperson. No matter what your position in life, you
always sell yourself first.

"Eat what you kill" Sun Tzu declared. This is the secret to successfully operating any
entrepreneurial project. This translates into today's modern business terms as: use the profits
to help the company grow.

One of the most powerful positions in any company is that of star salesperson. Nothing
speaks louder than bringing in a profit for the company. When anyone brings in profit, he or
ROLE-PLAY
she must be highly valued and treated like royalty.
Background: You want to build a new Business Centre, and there are
two locations:
A salesperson one bya burden
cannot become a small to town on theLike
that company. coast, andyou
the lion, one in quickly
must an urbanbring
in thearea
kill sobut
that with
you can feedunemployment.
high yourself as well as the rest of the company's employees. If you
remember this, you will always be valuable wherever you go, and whatever you do.

Role Play: In small groups you must decide which area you represent
Sun Tzu wrote:
andtonegotiate
In order with troops
motivate your the Business Centre team to sell your location.
Think of its advantages and negotiate a good deal
To capture the enemy's provisions,
You need to reward them with profit.
Practice: Using the pronunciation, vocabulary and functional language you
If youhave learnt in reward
don't generously this unit.
your best sales personnel, they will eventually leave the
company and become your competition.

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LESSON PLAN – Sun Tzu – Advanced

Key objectives – to practise aural and oral Business English

INTRODUCTION: Ask the students what they know about sales training. Is it good or
bad? Why? Teacher (T) – Students (SS) 5 mins

READING: Find out if the students think negotiating is all about war and conflict. Go
through the reading and paragraph title exercise. Engage students in speaking
practice that follows. (S) – (T) 10 mins

LISTENING 1: Next tell students they are going to hear a spokesman talking about
The Art of War. They need to answer the questions at the end. Play the listening and
ask students the questions (not in order). (T) – (SS) 10 mins

FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: Go through matching exercise and then onto the

gap-fill exercise. (T) – (SS) 10 mins

PRONUNCIATION: Ask the students to pronounce the words. Correct and drill any
they say wrong. (T) – (SS) 5 mins

GRAMMAR: Ask the students the lead in questions. Go through the rules and do the
exercise that follows. Ask students to read the questions and answers out loud. (S) –
(T) 15 mins

COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE: Ask students to add a more realistic definition to the

vocabulary (SS) – (T) 3 mins

BUSINESS SKILLS - NEGOTIATING: - Go through the explanation and do the

speaking exercise. (S) – (T) 15 mins

ROLE PLAY: Go through the instructions and begin the role-play. Make sure they
practice the grammar and vocabulary learnt in the lesson. (SS) – (SS) 10 mins.

IDIOMS: Ask students to put correct definition to the idioms (SS) – (T) 3 mins

LISTENING 2: Tell students they are going to hear the 2nd part of the listening. Play
the listening and students answer the questions (SS) – (T) 10 mins

ROLE PLAY: Go through the instructions and begin the role-play. Make sure they
practice the grammar and vocabulary learnt in the lesson and to try and use the case
study material in their argument. Get the other students to discuss and offer
feedback. (SS) – (SS) 10 mins.

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EXERCISE ANSWERS
READING EXERCISE:
1. War Training Equates to Sales Training
2. Economic and Physical Necessity
3. Training in Speed
4. Training to say "reject the deal"
5. Sales Training for Patience
LISTENING
1. This focuses on the need for flexibility in your responses. It explains how to respond to changing circumstances
successfully
2. It defines your competitive position (mission, climate, ground, leadership, and methods) and how to evaluate
your competitive strengths and weaknesses against your competition.
3. Recognizing opportunities, not trying to create them.
4. You could destroy yourself for victory if you do not limit the cost and time of the conflict.
5. Use the strength of unity, not size
FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY:
1. Take ina. Comprehend
2. Make outb. Pretend
3. Run upc. Accumulate
4. Keep upd. Maintain
5. Cut ine. Interrupt
6. He spoke so quickly that I couldn’t take it all in.
7. Last month I ran up a massive credit card bill.
8. Can I just cut in for a moment and offer some advice?
9. Yesterday he was making out that he had no time and now he’s playing golf.
10. It is very difficult to keep up with modern ideas without the Internet.
GRAMMAR EXERCISE
1. What were you doing during the presentation? I don’t think you were listening.
2. When Steve arrived at IBM, the receptionist was not at her desk. She was having lunch in the canteen.
3. Simon gave a presentation to the clients this morning. Last week he was relaxing on a beach in Brazil.
4. I called the office on Friday to speak to Mr Williams, but they told me he had already left for the USA.
5. I was taking notes when there was a power cut. The engineer fixed the problem and then we carried on.
6. After the presentation had finished/finished the sales team left the room very quickly.
COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE:
1. Benefits From: Contains a feature you expect
2. Bijou: very small
3. Studio: Extremely small
4. Borders: not very close to
5. Characterful: old and decrepit
6. Convenient For Transport: next to a busy road
7. In Need of Modernisation: requires a lot of work and money
8. Internal Viewing Recommended: Looks awful on the outside.
9. Mature Garden: Overgrown.
10. Original Features: old parts remain
IDIOMS - SALES
1. To fall through
The deal collapsesHelp us to improve the quality.
2. Come in high
If you notice any mistakes in this
to charge too much for your services, to ask for a price that is too high
module please report the error to:
3. Corner the market
to dominate a particular market with your product
[email protected]. Cold call
to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
5. Sell like hotcakes
to sell very quickly
LISTENING 2:
1. Yourself
2. Like the lion, you must quickly bring in the kill so that you can feed yourself as well as the rest of the company's
employees
3. If you don't generously reward your best sales personnel, they will eventually leave the company and become
your competition.
4. The star salesperson
5. Use the profits to help the company grow

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