You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin, and I'll be your host for today's lesson on doing business at a trade show.
If you've ever worked or attended a trade show, you know that there are a lot of people and companies competing for attention.
And you can stand there all day having casual conversations with people but never make a solid business connection, let alone sign a deal.
That's why first you have to separate the good prospects from the bad.
Then you have to make a connection with the good prospects and find out what they need.
If you can manage that, then you're on your way to closing a deal.
And this is what we'll be looking at today.
Closing a deal at a trade show requires a few essential steps.
You need to show a customer that you are listening to them, build trust, and offer good solutions.
Then you'll be in a good position to ask the person to buy.
These are all ideas that we'll hear in today's dialogue.
We're going to rejoin Jenny, who works for a packing company called DPAC.
She's talking with Andrew, whose company is looking for a redesign on their packaging.
Jenny has assessed Andrew's needs and now wants to make a deal.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
One, what concerns does Andrew have?
Two, what solution does Jenny offer?
Three, what is Andrew's final decision?
This all sounds pretty good but, to be honest, we've had mixed success with overseas suppliers in the past.
There can be a lot of question marks.
Yes, I see.
Please go on.
You know, we have concerns about communication.
We really can't afford misunderstandings or the delays and mistakes that come with them.
Right.
I'm well aware of the difficulties that the distance and differences can pose.
But I'd like to come back to the fact that we've got some large and very satisfied U.S. clients.
We understand tight deadlines, and we've learned to build in border delays into our distribution.
And all of our account managers are competent in English.
You'll be taken good care of.
Well, I like what I'm hearing, but I have to weigh the cost against the potential risks.
Of course you do.
And this year's holiday season could make or break us, so we really need to hit a home run on this.
And we'd like to help you to do that.
Here's what I'd like to propose.
We cut you a 15 deal on the entire design process and we shuffle deadlines to get your mock-ups and prototypes to you by the end of July.
That will allow ample time for any change orders that might be necessary.
End of July.
That should work.
And once those are approved, you can deliver by...
With the volume you mentioned earlier, we could guarantee delivery within three weeks.
And we know for a fact that's two weeks faster than our competition.
So can we shake on this and get the ball rolling?
I can have a designer get in touch with your marketing team tomorrow.
Yeah, okay.
Let's go for it.
Excellent.
I'm so glad you came back, and I'm looking forward to working together.
This is going to be a great project.
Now let's go back through the dialogue and look at the language Jenny used to move the discussion closer to a deal.
Andrew likes what he hears.
But he wants to make sure Jenny understands that his company has not always had positive experiences with overseas companies.
As he says, there can be a lot of question marks.
Question marks are doubts and uncertainties.
And how does Jenny respond to Andrew's doubts?
She says, yes, I see, to show that she understands and tells Andrew to go on.
Jenny is showing that she is listening to what Andrew is trying to say.
This is essential.
Listening is half of conversation and a very important part of sales.
What are some other ways that we can show we're listening?
Let's practice a few examples.
I've dealt with that before.
How frustrating.
You're kidding.
Then what happened?
Okay, that makes sense.
Right.
I think I follow you.
Let's continue with our dialogue.
You know, we have concerns about communication.
We really can't afford misunderstandings or the delays and mistakes that come with them.
Right.
I'm well aware of the difficulties that the distance and differences can pose.
But I'd like to come back to the fact that we've got some large and very satisfied U.S. clients.
We understand tight deadlines, and we've learned to build in border delays into our distribution.
And all of our account managers are competent in English.
You'll be taken good care of.
Andrew's concerns are about communication.
He says they can't afford misunderstandings.
If you can't afford something, it means you don't have the time or money to deal with it.
Jenny clearly states that she understands the difficulties that distance can pose or create.
She then wants to come back or return to several positive points about her company.
Jenny mentions that they have happy US clients, understand tight meaning strict or short deadlines and have learned how to solve distribution problems.
That is, they've got a handle on shipping and logistics.
And finally, because Andrew has mentioned communication, she says that their account managers are competent in English.
What exactly is Jenny doing here?
She is building trust. her potential customer has some concerns.
So she listened carefully and now gives several excellent reasons why her company is so great.
Let's listen to some other examples of a salesperson building trust with a potential customer.
I can promise you that we make sure those kinds of oversights don't happen.
Rest assured you won't have to deal with any breakdowns in the supply chain.
That's why we're number one in this business.
We've been doing this longer than anyone else.
We've built our reputation on quality.
What happens next?
Well, I like what I'm hearing, but I have to weigh the cost against the potential risks.
Of course you do.
And this year's holiday season could make or break us, so we really need to hit a home run on this.
Andrew needs to weigh the cost against the risks.
In other words, he has to consider the positives and negatives to make a decision.
And he emphasizes how important it is, saying the holiday season could make or break his company.
This means that this one season could make them a success or a failure.
For this reason, Andrew says they need to hit a home run or do an amazing job.
What's the best way to respond to concerns like this?
Let's listen, as Jenny does so by offering solutions.
And we'd like to help you to do that.
Here's what I'd like to propose.
We cut you a 15 deal on the entire design process and we shuffle deadlines to get your mock-ups and prototypes to you by the end of July.
That will allow ample time for any change orders that might be necessary.
Jenny introduces her suggestion very clearly, saying, Here's what I'd like to propose.
She then offers a 15 discount and says they'll shuffle or rearrange deadlines so that mockups and prototypes are ready by the end of July.
These demonstration models can then be changed, if necessary, with ample or lots of time.
Offering solutions is important, and it's a good idea to introduce them clearly.
So let's run through a few more examples.
I'm pretty sure I know how to get you exactly what you're looking for.
Listen, what if we try something a little different here?
Something that will really hit all your needs.
Now that I see what's necessary, let me lay out a few options for you.
There are a few ways to come at this, but let's just start with the simplest route.
How does Andrew respond to Jenny's offer?
End of July.
That should work.
And once those are approved, you can deliver by...
With the volume you mentioned earlier, we could guarantee delivery within three weeks.
And we know for a fact that's two weeks faster than our competition.
So can we shake on this and get the ball rolling?
I can have a designer get in touch with your marketing team tomorrow.
Andrew is happy with Jenny's suggested deadline and just wonders about delivery of the final product.
Jenny can guarantee delivery within three weeks, and she makes sure to add that their turnaround is faster than their competition.
This helps set up her next statement, which she leads into with, so.
Jenny asks if they can shake on this.
In this case, shake means to shake hands, which is what we do when we make an agreement.
Jenny even says that a designer can contact or get in touch with, as she says, Andrew's marketing team the next day.
Jenny is asking Andrew to buy.
She has used a variety of sales techniques and now wants a decision.
Notice how the following examples ask someone to buy and mention things that can or will happen to formalize the decision.
What do you think?
Should we write up the order?
If you're ready to move forward on this, I'll just need a few more details.
Michael, all you need to do is give me the green light and we'll make it happen.
I know you want this to happen soon, so should I call head office and get it moving?
So, what is Andrew's decision?
Yeah, OK.
Let's go for it.
Excellent.
I'm so glad you came back and I'm looking forward to working together.
This is going to be a great project.
Andrew wants to go for it, which is a way of saying that we are going to do something.
Jenny is clearly happy about this and wants to express her appreciation.
She does this by saying she's glad that Andrew came back to talk with her, by showing she's happy to work together and by expressing optimism about the entire project.
Whether or not we actually make a deal, it's necessary to thank visitors at a trade show.
How else can we do this?
Here are a few examples.
Thanks again for taking the time to check us out.
I really appreciate your time today.
I'm really glad we were able to connect and move forward on this.
Well, it sounds like this has been a pretty successful event for Jenny and the DPAC team.
They've done a great job of working the trade show and landing a deal.
Now, let's practice some of the language we've learned in today's lesson.
We're going to start with a role-play practice.
You're going to talk to a potential customer and try to close a deal.
You'll need to start by showing that you're listening and then build trust with the customer, offer a solution and get a commitment from the customer to buy.
At each step, you'll hear a cue from the customer.
Then, I'll give you some suggestions for the language you can use to respond.
We'll guide you through each step of the practice and play an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Respond by showing the customer you're listening and ask them what they think needs to be changed.
Example answer.
I see.
That's not good.
So, what do you think needs to be changed?
We'd like to change the design, but we want someone who understands our company.
Now try to build trust with a customer by explaining that you work closely with customers to find out exactly what they need.
Example answer.
Yes, that's important.
We work very closely with our customers to find out exactly what you need.
Okay, but what about timelines?
We need to launch the new site next month.
Now offer a solution to the customer, telling them that you can give their project priority and have it done before the end of next month.
Example answer.
Well, we can give your project priority and have it done before the end of next month.
Okay, that sounds pretty good and your rates are fair.
Now, ask the customer if he wants to confirm the order and get started right away.
Example answer.
Great.
Can we confirm the order now so we can get started right away?
Now let's practice useful vocabulary and idioms.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear...
He wasn't hired because there were too many question... around his past.
You can say... He wasn't hired because there were too many question marks around his past.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer.
Sophie kept coming back to the limited amount of storage space.
Closing this deal could make or Sue's chances of becoming manager.
Answer.
Closing this deal could make or break Sue's chances of becoming manager.
Answer.
It's important to... The pros and cons of any big career change.
Answer.
It's important to weigh the pros and cons of any big career change.
We've also heard how to ask a customer to buy and how to thank visitors.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
