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 how to talk with customers in English potential customers, that is.
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.
Instead, you talk about the weather or sports or other non-work topics.
This is where socializing in English and 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.
In today's dialogue we'll hear Nick, who works in business development for an HR consulting company.
Nick is at a dinner event during a big HR conference.
He is seated at a table with Andrea.
Nick clearly demonstrates how an English sales conversation works, as he identifies Andrea as a potential customer.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, how does Nick introduce his company?
Two, what do Nick's company and Andrea's company have in common?
3.
What does Nick ask to identify a gap in Andrea's HR strategy?
Hi there.
Table 14, right?
I don't see a number.
Yes, that's right.
14.
Great.
I'm in the right place.
Nick Fowler.
Good to meet you.
Likewise, i'm andrea molina, so are you local?
No, i came down from boston for this and i tell you it's definitely not raining like this in boston.
Yeah, it's really coming down out there, and so are you in hr too, Sort of.
I'm with a consulting company called Quest HR.
We help companies improve employee engagement with things like surveys and training.
Oh, right.
Employee engagement can be tough.
Yeah, it can be.
Though you'd be surprised how just a few little changes can make a huge difference.
But what about you, Andrea?
What do you do?
Oh, me?
I run HR with Ferris Tools.
We do specialized tooling for a lot of big automakers.
You know, Ford, GM, Chrysler, all the big guys.
Oh, really?
Sounds like we run in the same circles.
I was just out in Dearborn working with the folks at Ford.
Is that right?
We've done some work with Dearborn Stamping.
Not sure if you know that plant or not.
Sure do.
Great folks.
And doing a lot of good work on the HR side.
In these big companies, employee engagement can be really tough, like you said.
Yeah, well, people are people, right?
It's a constant kind of thing.
Making sure they're happy and focused.
I'm sure you know.
For sure.
So, just curious, have you ever done a company-wide engagement survey?
You know, to find out what really drives your people?
No, I can't say we have.
I mean, we've got a pretty good employee development program, but we probably don't survey them enough.
Well, I should let you take a look at some of what we do.
Not right here, I mean, but if you're interested in just finding out a little bit more, perhaps I can have your card.
Yeah, I'd be interested in having a look.
Here you go.
Thanks.
And here's mine.
So how about I give you a buzz next week sometime?
I can send you a couple of things to look at before then, if you like.
Yes, that would work.
Any day but Monday.
Okay.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Nick used as he talks with a potential customer.
The conversation begins as Nick is looking for his assigned table at the dinner event.
Hi there.
Table 14, right?
I don't see a number.
Yes, that's right.
14.
Great.
I'm in the right place.
Nick Fowler.
Good to meet you.
Likewise.
I'm Andrea Molina.
So, are you local?
No.
I came down from Boston for this.
And I tell ya, it's definitely not raining like this in Boston.
The first issue you face is how to start a conversation.
In this situation, where you are seated at tables, things are a bit easier.
You're expected to talk with the person beside you.
And it's normal to introduce yourself right at the start, just as Nick does.
If someone says, good to meet you, or nice to meet you, you can say likewise in response.
That just means, same for me too.
But what can you talk about at the beginning of the conversation?
Well, the weather is one safe topic.
That's what Nick mentions in relation to another safe topic, where you're from.
You might also talk about sports or make a complimentary comment about the other person.
Let's practice some of these different ways of breaking the ice.
Did you happen to catch the game last night?
It's so nice to finally see the sun again, isn't it?
I love your bag.
My sister has one just like it.
Are you from around here or did you have to travel far for this?
If someone brings up a topic, you don't have to discuss it for a long time, but you do have to make a brief response.
Yeah, it's really coming down out there.
And so, are you in HR, too?
Sort of.
Um, I'm with a consulting company called Quest HR.
We help companies improve employee engagement with things like surveys and training.
In this conversation, Nick and Andrea move pretty quickly to the topic of work.
After all, they're at an HR conference, so it's natural to ask about HR work.
Notice how Andrea switches the topic from the weather just by saying, and so.
If someone asks you what you do or where you work, you'd better have a really great answer.
Introducing your company usually involves giving the company name, of course, But after that you'll notice that Nick just summarizes what they do in one sentence.
He focuses on what the company does and the benefits they give to customers.
As he says, Quest HR helps companies improve employee engagement.
Employee engagement is about how committed, energetic, and happy employees are.
When you introduce your company, you might also mention what makes your company different or special.
Let's run through some good ways of introducing your company briefly, but effectively.
I'm with Midland Lumber.
We're the biggest supplier of timber in the state.
We provide intelligent scheduling software for organizations such as hospitals and logistics companies.
Janice is an executive headhunter in the global financial services sector.
We do 21st century waste management for cities across the country.
Let's hear how Andrea responds to Nick's quick company introduction.
Oh, right.
Employee engagement can be tough.
Yeah, it can be, though you'd be surprised how just a few little changes can make a huge difference.
But what about you, Andrea?
What do you do?
Notice how Andrea said that employee engagement can be tough.
That's a great sign for Nick.
It says that she or her company might need some help in that area.
So now Nick wants to know more about her and her company.
Oh, me?
I run HR with Ferris Tools.
We do specialized tooling for a lot of big automakers.
You know, Ford, GM, Chrysler, all the big guys.
Oh, really?
Sounds like we run in the same circles.
I was just out in Dearborn, working with the folks at Ford.
Just like Nick, Andrea has clearly practiced a brief but effective introduction of her company.
In that introduction, she mentioned some of her company's big clients.
This is another conversational opportunity for Nick.
As he says, they run in the same circles, which means they know the same people or clients.
And he mentions one client in particular.
Mentioning other clients when talking with potential customers helps build credibility.
If a big client like Ford trusts you, then you must be pretty good.
How else can you mention other clients in this kind of conversation?
Let's practice some examples.
Yeah, we've done some big projects lately with Dell and IBM.
I'm currently working a lot with UPS and JB Hunt on system improvements.
Well, I know for a fact that the folks at Boeing might be interested in what you do.
Sure.
We've done stuff for BNP Paribus, too.
Great team over there.
Now let's get back to the conversation.
Is that right?
We've done some work with Dearborn Stamping.
Not sure if you know that plant or not?
Sure do.
Great folks.
And doing a lot of good work on the HR side.
In these big companies, employee engagement can be really tough, like you said.
Can you see how Nick is looping the conversation back to the topic of employee engagement?
This is how a casual work conversation between strangers becomes more of a sales conversation.
Yeah, well, people are people, right?
It's a constant kind of thing.
Making sure they're happy and focused, I'm sure you know.
For sure.
So, just curious, have you ever done a company-wide engagement survey?
You know, to find out what really drives your people?
Andrea is clearly saying that employee engagement is challenging in her company.
This is a chance for Nick to ask more specific questions to identify possible gaps in Andrea's HR strategy.
He asks whether they've done a company-wide engagement survey to find out what motivates their staff.
This is exactly the kind of work that Nick's company does.
So if there's a gap, then Nick can suggest ways of filling it.
Let's run through some more ways of identifying gaps when talking to potential customers.
Oh, so nobody has had much training yet in SharePoint.
Sure.
That must make it hard to do follow-up with customers.
Have you ever considered an employee health and wellness program?
So, there's no company policy at all on data privacy and security?
So, has Andrea done an employee engagement survey?
No, I can't say we have.
I mean, we've got a pretty good employee development program, but we probably don't survey them enough.
This is exactly what Nick wants to hear.
Andrea is showing a possible need for the services of QuestHR.
But does that mean he should start trying to actually make a sale?
Remember, they're at a conference dinner event.
Well, I should let you take a look at some of what we do.
Not right here, I mean, but if you're interested in just finding out a little bit more, perhaps I can have your card.
Yeah, I'd be interested in having a look.
Here you go.
Thanks.
And here's mine.
So how about I give you a buzz next week sometime?
I can send you a couple of things to look at before then, if you like.
No, Nick doesn't push directly to make a sale.
It's all about relationship building, which happens in stages, over time.
The next step in this process is following up at a later time.
Nick asks very nicely, perhaps I can have your card.
He then offers to call or give her a buzz next week after sending some information for her to look at.
If you can steer the conversation to this point, you've done your job.
Let's run through some more ways to ask for a follow-up meeting or conversation.
Why don't I come by with a few samples sometime later in the week?
If you like, I could email you a catalog just so you could have a look.
I'd be happy to chat again if you have some more questions about what we do.
How about I take your info and give you a call when we get a new shipment in?
How does Andrea respond to Nick's offer to follow up?
Yes, that would work.
Any day but Monday.
It sounds like she's open to talking further.
If she really didn't want to talk to Nick again, she probably wouldn't tell him that Monday wouldn't work well.
So, as we've heard, Nick has successfully started a conversation with someone new, identified her as a potential customer and arranged for a follow-up conversation.
And these are all key steps in the business development process.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work in business development for a data security company.
You're at a business networking event talking to a potential customer.
You'll hear a cue from the customer.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
First, say hello and ask the potential customer whether he works in the area.
Answer.
Hi there.
So, do you work in the neighborhood?
Yeah, not far.
I run a call center over in Midland.
And you?
Next, say you're with InfoSafe, which helps companies protect customer data.
I'm with InfoSafe.
We help companies protect customer data.
Is that right?
That's certainly a big issue for a lot of our telecom clients.
Now, say that you've seen that in your work with Westel and other call centres.
Definitely.
I've seen that in my work with Westel and other call centres.
So then you'll not be surprised to hear that some of us don't even have a good risk management plan.
Now say you're not surprised and ask whether the potential customer has a plan.
Answer.
No, not at all.
But what about you guys?
Do you have a plan?
Yes, but it's 10 years old, probably in need of a serious update.
Finally, offer to send the customer some information about your services.
Is that right?
Well, I'd be happy to send you some info about our services if you like.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Why don't you try giving me a at the office later today?
Answer.
Why don't you try giving me a buzz at the office later today?
We got a lot of great information from the customer we just ran.
Answer.
We got a lot of great information from the customer survey we just ran.
Well, if you know Tom Boone, I guess we run in the same Answer.
Well, if you know Tom Boone, I guess we run in the same circles.
Yeah, management is hard.
I mean, people are, as they say.
Answer.
Yeah, management is hard.
I mean, people are people, as they say.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the first in our series on business development.
Today we've had a look at networking with potential customers.
That includes starting a conversation with safe topics, introducing your company and mentioning other clients.
It also involves identifying gaps and asking for follow-up.
In our next lesson we'll hear Nick taking a slightly different approach with a potential business partner.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
