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 networking in English with potential partners.
Every business development professional knows that doing business in English means knowing how to work a room.
You go to events, parties, and gatherings.
You smile, shake hands, and talk to new people.
But that's not all.
You have to figure out how those people might fit into your network.
Are they potential customers?
Or are they potential partners?
The strategies you use with potential partners are similar to those you might use in any sales English conversation.
You need to start by breaking the ice and asking about someone's company and work.
But once you realize you've got someone who might be a good partner, you should start finding overlaps in your work and build a connection with that person.
In today's dialogue, we'll hear Nick, a business development professional with Quest HR Consulting.
Nick is at an after dinner party at a conference when he starts a conversation with Ian, a strategy consultant.
Nick uses some important techniques to start the conversation and develop Ian as a potential partner.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What topic does Nick comment on to break the ice with Ian?
2.
What are the overlaps in Nick and Ian's work?
3.
What theme does Ian mention that Nick agrees with or echoes?
Geez, looks like they need another bartender back there.
Yeah, I hear ya.
But nice to see so many people stuck around for this.
Usually, once dinner is done, everyone clears out.
For sure.
Much bigger crowd than last year.
I think they timed it a bit better this time around.
Oh yeah?
This is my first one.
Ian Williams, BT Global Strategy.
A pleasure, Ian.
Nick Fowler, Quest HR Consulting.
So, you travel far for this?
Yeah, I'm based in London.
Not from there, obviously.
But I've started drinking tea.
Right.
So, you guys do strategy consulting.
Corporate stuff?
Yeah, some corporate. but a lot of government and international organizations as well.
Health, big pharma, pretty wide range.
Is that right?
We do a lot in the health sector too.
HR consulting, employee engagement, organizational values, that kind of thing.
Cool.
My background is in HR.
I guess I still do a bit of that, but on the strategy level.
Mostly change management stuff.
Dragging companies into the 21st century, you might say.
Nice way to put it.
That's what it feels like for us sometimes, too.
Honestly, I feel like some people think we're still in the 80s.
But I don't blame them.
Change is hard.
Sure is.
So, I assume you're based here, in the States?
You bet, Boston.
But I work all over.
And yourself, you said you're based in London.
Do you happen to cover Europe too?
Oh yeah, been spending a lot of time in the Netherlands.
Rotterdam mostly.
Rotterdam, huh?
I was over there just a few months ago.
Very interesting place.
Sure is.
Tons of opportunities.
Yeah, right.
You know, not sure how long you're in town, but if you've got time to sit down in the next couple of days, I'd love to learn more about what you guys are doing over there.
Yeah, can do.
Schedule's a bit crazy, but ping me later in the week and I'm sure we can figure something out.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Nick used to network with Ian.
The conversation begins while they are waiting in line at the bar after a conference.
Geez, looks like they need another bartender back there.
Yeah, I hear ya.
But nice to see so many people stuck around for this.
Usually, once dinner is done, everyone clears out.
For sure.
Much bigger crowd than last year.
I think they timed it a bit better this time around.
Starting a conversation with a stranger in English is difficult, even for many native speakers.
But if you work in sales or business development, it's an essential skill.
One easy way to do it is to make a comment about your situation or surroundings.
This is what Nick does when he sees a long line at the bar.
He comments to the person next to him that they need another bartender.
Ian's response shows that he's open to talking.
A short answer might mean he's not interested, but he replies positively.
This is a chance for Nick to chat a bit more about their situation, mentioning the size of the event and saying the organizers timed it or scheduled it better this year.
Breaking the ice doesn't have to mean asking people personal questions.
You can simply make comments to someone on the situation you're both in, and if the other person responds positively, you can keep talking.
Let's practice some more ways of breaking the ice by commenting on a situation.
Can you believe how many people came out for this?
What a crowd!
I must say the food has been really terrific this whole weekend.
It sure is a nice facility they have here, isn't it?
Fall has to be the best time to be in New York, don't you think?
Now that the ice has been broken, where does the conversation go?
Oh yeah?
This is my first one.
Ian Williams, BT Global Strategy.
A pleasure, Ian.
Nick Fowler, Quest HR Consulting.
So, you travel far for this?
Once Nick and Ian have started chatting, they introduce themselves very simply by giving their name and company name.
And remember, Nick is in business development.
He comes to events like this looking for customers and potential partners.
At this point it's not clear which Ian might be, but the fact that he works in strategy might mean he leans toward the partner side.
Next, Nick asks about where Ian is from, which is a more personal but still a very safe icebreaker.
Notice how he uses the word so as a transition to a new topic.
Let's listen to Ian's response.
Yeah, I'm based in London.
Not from there, obviously.
But I've started drinking tea.
Right.
So, you guys do strategy consulting.
Corporate stuff?
Of course, you can't stay with safe icebreakers forever.
At some point, you want to move the conversation toward business.
Still, you want to keep things casual.
For this reason, it's good to ask very open-ended questions about someone's field of work.
This is especially useful when you try to figure out how the person might fit into your business development network.
Let's run through some more examples of asking casually about someone's field of work.
You said you're in marketing.
What kind of stuff do you do?
Have you been in the insurance business for long?
When you say distribution, are you talking about logistics or warehousing?
Mind if I ask what you do for a living?
So what kind of work does Ian's company do?
Yeah, some corporate.
But a lot of government and international organizations as well.
Health, big pharma, pretty wide range.
Is that right?
We do a lot in the health sector too.
HR consulting, employee engagement, organizational values, that kind of thing.
Ian's company does strategy work for a variety of large organizations.
That would make them a great partner for Nick's company, which does HR consulting.
And when you're talking to a potential partner, you want to build a relationship and show how your work overlaps.
So when Ian mentions health and big pharma or large pharmaceutical companies, Nick is sure to mention that his company works in the health sector too.
What are some other ways of identifying overlaps in work with a potential partner?
Let's try a few more examples.
Yeah, we deal with a lot of airlines as well.
I hear you.
We're in the middle of a big policy overhaul too.
Is that right?
I know lots of people over at Southwest Foods.
Sounds like we serve a lot of the same clients in Chicago.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
Remember, Nick mentioned that his company does HR consulting.
Cool.
My background is in HR.
I guess I still do a bit of that, but on the strategy level.
Mostly change management stuff.
Dragging companies into the 21st century, you might say.
Ian also finds an overlap with Nick the fact that they both have a background in HR and he explains a bit more about the kind of strategy work they do.
He says his company works on change management and tries to help companies adapt to the 21st century way of doing business.
This isn't always easy, which is why Ian says he has to drag or pull companies into the 21st century.
So when you have a potential partner talking comfortably about the challenges of their work, how can you respond?
Nice way to put it.
That's what it feels like for us sometimes, too.
Honestly, I feel like some people think we're still in the 80s.
But I don't blame them.
Change is hard.
Nick is agreeing with Ian and echoing the ideas he is talking about.
That is, he's building on the idea of how change is difficult.
And he's telling Ian his company deals with the same challenges.
This helps to build the relationship and establish synergy, which is a complementary connection.
Synergy is crucial between potential partners.
Let's run through some more ways of echoing what someone is saying in order to establish synergy.
I totally get it.
Younger workers are tough to engage, but once you've got them on board, they're great.
Yeah, I agree.
It's just too much data to deal with efficiently.
For sure.
Leadership is changing and fast.
Those are exactly the skills we have trouble finding as well.
Now let's listen as Ian uses the word so to transition to another topic.
Sure is.
So, I assume you're based here in the States.
You bet, Boston.
But I work all over.
And yourself, you said you're based in London.
Do you happen to cover Europe too?
Oh, yeah.
Been spending a lot of time in the Netherlands.
Rotterdam mostly.
Rotterdam, huh?
I was over there just a few months ago.
Very interesting place.
Sure is.
Tons of opportunities.
In their discussion of where they live and work.
You can hear Nick continuing to identify overlaps and establish synergy.
Nick is interested in developing more business in Europe, so the fact that EM works in the Netherlands is very promising.
If you're at an event and you strike up a conversation with someone who seems like a great potential partner, what are your next steps?
Let's listen.
Yeah, right.
You know, not sure how long you're in town, but if you've got time to sit down in the next couple of days, I'd love to learn more about what you guys are doing over there.
If you listened to our last lesson, you heard Nick suggest a follow-up conversation with a potential customer.
Here again, with a potential partner, he's suggesting a follow-up.
And with a potential partner, relationships are everything.
So a face-to-face meeting is always better.
And the chance to sit down together is important.
Notice that Nick isn't too aggressive or direct.
He doesn't say, maybe we can be partners.
He just expresses interest in learning more about what Ian's company does.
Let's practice some more examples of suggesting a meeting.
How about getting together later over drinks and talking a bit more about this?
Would you be available for lunch sometime next week?
You know, we should sit down and chat some more if you've got time.
I'll be in your area later this week.
Maybe we can have coffee?
So is Ian interested in sitting down with Nick?
Yeah, can do.
Schedule's a bit crazy, but ping me later in the week and I'm sure we can figure something out.
Ian's definitely interested in talking further with Nick.
When someone doesn't want to meet, a common excuse is that they're too busy.
But if someone is busy and they still say they want to figure out or determine a time to meet, then it's a positive sign.
And if you're in business development, like Nick, it's these types of positive responses that you're trying to get out of a potential partner.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work in business development for a marketing company.
You're at a conference chatting with a communications consultant who seems like a potential partner.
You'll hear a cue from the potential partner.
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.
So, how's the whole conference going for you?
Answer.
Oh, it's been really great.
The keynote speaker was interesting, wasn't she?
Yeah, she talked about a lot of ideas that will help me in my work.
Next, ask if that means that she works in the field of marketing too.
Answer.
I see.
So, does that mean you work in the field of marketing too?
Not exactly.
I'm a communications consultant specializing in crisis management.
Now, say that your company deals with PR crises from time to time.
Answer.
Is that right?
We actually deal with PR crises from time to time.
Interesting work, isn't it?
If you do it right, people sure do appreciate it.
Now echo her opinion by saying it's tough but very satisfying.
Answer.
Yeah, you bet.
It's tough but very satisfying.
And so, is that what you specialize in or do you do more general marketing?
Finally, say you do all kinds of stuff and would like to talk to her later in the week.
Answer.
Yeah, all kinds of stuff.
You know, I'd love to chat more about this later in the week.
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...
We've got to time this ad campaign for the holiday season.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Next time you're in the area, ping me and we can talk some more.
We've had a meeting to try to figure out our core... as a team.
Answer.
We've had a meeting to try to figure out our core values as a team.
I'm not sure how to... this, but the results just aren't good enough.
Answer.
I'm not sure how to put this, but the results just aren't good enough.
Answer.
Why don't you stick around after dinner and we can have a chat?
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on business development.
Today we've had a look at networking with potential partners.
That involves breaking the ice with comments about the situation, asking casually about someone's field of work and identifying overlaps.
It also means creating synergy by echoing themes in a conversation and asking for a follow-up meeting.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
