体验商务英语3课本听力材料

Audio scripts

1 Globalisation

1.1 (I = Interviewer, SH = Stephen Haseler)

I

Could you tell me about the advantages and disadvantages of globalisation?

SH

The great advantage of globalisation in my view is that it increases competition. Companies and firms have

to be careful and have to order their affairs so that they compete in a global market. But I think that is outweighed

by a large number of disadvantages.

The first one is that it does hurt the local government's ability to deal with issues like welfare benefits, wages

and taxes mainly because the corporation is able to say to the British Government or the French Government or the

American government, 'Look, unless you lower your taxes on us, we'll be moving off to South East Asia or Latin

America',

and

so

on.

And

so

it

takes

out

of

the

hands

of

government

the

ability

to

control

their

own

welfare

systems

and

provide

a

decent

infrastructure

for

their

people.

Now

this

is

not

so

bad

as

long

as

there

is

some

negotiation between governments and companies. But more and more in recent years, companies have started to

rule the

roost.

The

corporation ...

some

commentator

said

the other

day,

'The

corporation

is the

most

important

institution in our lives,' and I think there's a lot of truth in that. They can now dictate to governments and I want to

see some kind of give-and-take between governments and corporations. Now that's the first problem.

The other problem that I see, of course, is one of unemployment in the Western world. As companies want to

improve their profitability, they're going to be looking for the low-cost, low-wage centres. So we're going to see a

flight of capital from the West which is going to be sudden and dramatic. If this is too sudden and is not managed

properly we could find very severe employment problems in the Western world.

So that is, I think, the kind of issue we've got to deal with as this process of globalisation gathers pace.

1.2

A survey has come up with some interesting information about the cost of living in our major cities.

Tokyo is still the most expensive city in the world. Osaka is second and Moscow third, on a par with Hong

Kong.

Many

European

cities

have

gone

down

the

rankings

because

their

exchange

rates

have

become

weaker

against the US dollar. Moscow's exchange rate has also become weaker, but Russia has a much higher inflation

rate

than

many

European

countries.

So

prices

in

Moscow

are

among

the

highest

in

Europe.

But

there

is

one

advantage of living in Moscow. The underground is excellent - very cheap and much more comfortable than the

one in London.

New York is the most expensive US city. This is because the US dollar is stronger than many other currencies.

Some European countries that used to be far more expensive than New York are now much cheaper.

London

is

the

10th

most

expensive

city

in

the

world,

according

to

the

survey.

A

year

ago,

London

was

5%-10% cheaper than many French and German cities. This is no longer so. Now London is 15% dearer than the

German and French cities mentioned in the survey. However, London is a good city to live in. Business people said

that London was the most exciting of all the major cities in the world. Londoners also claim that it is cleaner than it

used to be, and safer than many other European cities.

If you're hard up, don't go to Oslo - it's Europe's most expensive city. Meals at restaurants cost a fortune and

drinks are very pricey.

1.3

Conversation 1

A

Yes?

B

Could I speak to Mr. Smith?

A

Er ... I don't know erm I think he's out.

B

Do you know when he'll be back?

A

Well, I'm not quite sure. You could maybe try tomorrow.

B

OK. Bye.

Conversation 2

A

Hello. Is that Janet, Bill's secretary?

B

Yes, that's right.

A

It's John Blake. I'm just phoning to give him an invoice number.

B

Yeah. What is it?

A

Oh, let me see, where is it. Yeah, I've got to have it here somewhere.

B

Look, phone me back when you find it. I'm rather busy just now.

Conversation 3

A

Hello. I'd like to speak to Bob Graham.

B

He's not here.

A

Could you tell me when he'll be back?

B

Later this afternoon.

A

Well, could you take a message for me?

B

Sorry, I don't have time. I'll have to ring off, I'm going to lunch.

Conversation 4

A

Hello, it's Susan here. I'm just phoning to check my appointment with Chris tomorrow.

B

Yeah?

A

Could you look it up for me?

B

Oh, I don't know ... where's the diary? ...Yes, got it. So it was the 16th, was it?

A

No, the 18th.

B

No, I can't find anything. I didn't write it down.

Conversation 5

A

Hello Bilk Ltd.

B

Hello, this is Jack Johnson. I'm phoning about the delivery. Has it arrived yet?

A

No, it hasn't. We've been waiting a week. It still isn't here yet.

B

I'm really sorry about that.

A

Well, we've been waiting for too long. It's not good enough. You're wasting our time.

B

Oh, I'm sure your order will be ...

2 Brands

2.1

(I = Interviewer, LF = Lynne Fielding)

I

What is branding and why do we need brands?

LF

A brand can be a name, a term or a symbol. It is used to differentiate a product from competitors' products.

The brands guarantee a certain quality level. Brands should add value to products. It's a synergy effect whereby

one plus one equals three. But customers must believe they get extra value for money.

2.2

LF

There are different types of brands. There are what we refer to as the stand alone brands or individual brands,

for

example

Ariel,

Haagen

Daaz

ice- cream,

Direct

line

insurance,

or Marlboro

cigarettes.

They

require

separate

marketing

support.

There's

also

the

corporate

branding,

or

family

brands

such

as

Heinz

or

Virgin,

Marks

and

Spencer, Levis.

2.3

LF

We need new brands because, well, customers want new brands. They want choice. They want a selection of

different products. They like to rely on the quality levels guaranteed by the company. They like to trust products. It

makes shopping so much easier for them. And also, they like to identify with brands.

.

3 Travel

3.1 (R = Receptionist, PK = Philippa Knight, MB = Maria Bonetti)

R

Good morning, CPT. How may I help you?

PK

It's Philippa Knight here. Could you put me through to extension 281 please?

R

Certainly. Putting you through.

MB

Hello. Maria Bonetti speaking.

PK

Hello Maria. It's Philippa Knight from The Fashion Group in New York.

MB

Hi Philippa, how are things?

PK

Fine thanks. I'm calling because I'll be in London next week and I'd like to make an appointment to see you.

I want to tell you about our new collection.

MB

Great. What day would suit you? I'm fairly free next week, I think.

PK

How about Wednesday? In the afternoon? Could you make it then?

MB

Let me look now. Let me check my diary. Oh yes, that'd be no problem at all. What about 2 o'clock? Is that

OK?

PK

Perfect. Thanks very much. It'll be great to see you again. We'll have plenty to talk about. MB

That's for

sure. See you next week then.

PK

Right. Bye.

MB

Bye.

3.2 (R = Receptionist, PK = Philippa Knight)

R

Good morning, CPT. How may I help you?

PK

I'd like to speak to Maria Bonetti, extension 281, please.

R

Thank you. Who's calling please?

PK

It's Philippa Knight, from The Fashion Group.

R

Thank you. I'm putting you through. Hello, I'm afraid she's engaged at the moment. Will you hold or can I

take a message?

PK

I'll leave a message please. The thing is, I should be meeting Ms Bonetti at 2pm, but something's come up.

My

plane

was

delayed,

and

I've

got

to

reschedule my

appointments.

If

possible,

I'd

like

to

meet

her

tomorrow.

Preferably in the morning. Could she call me back here at the hotel please?

R

Certainly. What's the number please?

PK

It's 020 7585 3814. I'll be leaving the hotel soon, so if she can't call

me back

within, say,

within the next

quarter of an hour, I'll call her again this morning. Is that OK?

R

Right. I've got that. I'll make sure she gets the message.

PK

Thanks for your help. Goodbye.

R

Goodbye.

3.3 (I = Interviewer, DC = David Creith)

I

Could you introduce yourself please?

DC

Certainly. My name's David Creith and I'm the Customer Service Teaching Manager for British Airways in

Terminal 4 at Heathrow.

I

What problems do you have to solve for business travelers?

DC

A lot of problems. Probably the main one is seating requests. A lot of business travelers have specific seating

requests. Some people want an aisle, some people want a window, some people want to sit next to their colleague.

It's not always possible to give everyone the exact seat they want due to the aircraft being fully booked. Certain

passengers

may say this is going to disrupt their business trip because they can't discuss things with colleagues

-that sort of thing.

One of the other things we get is downgrading. Sometimes, like all airlines, due to commercial pressure we

have

to

oversell

flights.

Occasionally

we

miscalculate

and

have

to

downgrade

passengers to

a

lower

class

-

for

example from First to Business Class or Business to Economy. Obviously passengers aren't happy about this at all.

The opposite thing is an upgrade. Passengers may request an upgrade for countless reasons

- for anything

that has happened to them in the past and they perceive that British Airways has done wrongly. Or just because

they think they're a very important person or very commercially important as regards British Airways. And so they

demand an upgrade for the smallest of reasons.

For example, we have Gold Card holders - that's part of the British Airways frequent flights scheme - who

like

to

see

their

status

recognised

and

will

request

an

upgrade

almost

habitually.

There

are

also

problems

with

baggage. Passengers' baggage may have been lost or damaged on previous flights and it may mean a lot of running

around on my part and trying to trace where a bag may have gone missing or how it was damaged. And it's quite an

exhausting

process

trying

to

find

out

things

because

obviously

Heathrow

and

British

Airways

is

a

very

large

organisation.

3.4 (I = Interviewer, DC = David Creith)

I

How do you deal with people who complain by phone?

DC

The very first thing you've got to do is listen very carefully because they may have a very valid cause for

complaining. But the important thing is to listen carefully enough to find the actual cause of the complaint and not

just the symptoms of the complaint.

For example, a passenger may have been on a delayed flight. From our point of view it's important to find

out what actually caused the delay - because it ma>have been factors completely out of the airline's control. And if

it was

something to do with the airline then we obviously have to try and redress that so that it doesn't happen

again and offer an apology if it's due.

4 Advertising

4.1

1

There's one about a car with lots of children and people dancing. They're all playing around. I like it because

it's colourful, I like the music and it's chaotic. But I can't remember what car it is. Oh, and I hate all the ads for

banks and insurance companies. They're so boring.

2

The one I liked was Levi Strauss, when a very good looking boy dives into a pool. And everyone thinks he

looks marvellous. And there's; a great tune they play -'Mad about the boy'.

3

I liked the Renault Clio ad so much that I went out and bought the car. My husband hadn't passed his driving

test and it was totally my decision. I thought it was a funny ad. It just appealed to my sense of fun and actually it

was a bit of a joke to say that I'd bought something as big as a car purely on the basis of the advert.

4

I remember watching a Dairy Box chocolate advert very late at night with some college friends and there was

an all-night garage round the corner. Suddenly I just felt that I had to have those chocolates and I went out and

bought

them.

It

was

an

immediate

response

to

an

advert.

Normally

you

don't

allow

yourself

to

be

influenced

strongly by ads but sometimes it's fun just to go along with it.

4.2 (I = Interviewer, AP = Andrew Pound)

I

Andrew, could you tell me what has been your most successful advertising campaign?

AP

Er, I did a campaign for a marmalade product called Frank Cooper's marmalade, in Britain. It was a campaign

we organised with a radio station, Classic FM, which concentrates on classical music. We targeted the morning, the

breakfast

programme,

and

we

had

a

series

of

regular

adverts,

we

had

a

sponsorship

tie-up

and

we

had

a

competition. And the response was tremendous. We had a huge increase in sales of our marmalades, especially in

the

key

retailers

who

we

were

targeting,

and

since

then

we

had

many

more

listings

in

retail

outlets.

So

the

campaign was extremely positive, but the key thing that made it successful was the amount of money we spent

-

very little money - and in terms of sales results, as a percentage of the amount of money we spent, it was a huge

success.

I

So it was very cost effective.

AP

It was very cost effective and at the end of the day, that's what we're looking for.

I

Why do you think it was so successful?

AP

Targeting. We had a very good match between the types of people who we knew bought marmalade and the

types of people who we knew through research listened to that radio station. And we fitted them together in a way

that made sense. In the morning, at breakfast time, marmalade is a product eaten mainly by older people, so they

were listening to this radio station. Everything fitted together -that's what made it a success.

I

Is there another piece of TV advertising you can think of, which was very successful?

AP

Well, er... I was very proud once of an advert I did for Kraft Cream Cheese Spread. It was very simple. We

demonstrated what the product did. Three glasses of milk went into this cheese spread, we said why mothers would

need it - it was for the kids to help them grow up, it was a growing up spread - and we created an advert that was

fun. And so the kids liked watching it, and so obviously when they were in the supermarket with their mothers,

they'd say, 'Mum, mum, I like that product, can we get it?' And so the kids like it, the mother feels OK because

she's being reassured that it's got health and nutrition benefits, and the sales have done very well. That's the key

thing about advertising. If it doesn't generate sales, then it's no good.

4.3 (I = Interviewer, AP = Andrew Pound)

I

Andrew, a lot of people think advertising is a waste of money. Is that your view?

AP

No,

not

at

all.

I

would

say

that,

wouldn't

I?

Advertising

is

one

of

many

ways

in

which

manufacturers

persuade

customers

to

buy

their

products.

You've

got

public

relations,

you've

got

sponsorship,

you've

got

price

promotions, you've got all sorts of promotional techniques. It's one element of what we call the marketing mix. In

today's

world,

people

are

bombarded

with

advertising,

with

calls

on

their

time,

with

picking

up

the

kids

from

school, taking the dog for a walk, paying the gas bill. They haven't got time to make judgements on which can of

tomatoes is the best one for me, or which brand of coffee gives me the best flavour. And if you can be constantly

telling

people

why

they

should choose

your

brand,

rather

than

another

one,

they're

going

to

remember

that.

So

when they're shopping, and they see your product on the shelf, they'll remember it. It's 'front of mind', as we say. It

means that the person knows, ah coffee, I need coffee, which brand am I going for, ah Jacobs, yes I've seen that,

that's good isn't it - and they just buy it. It's an automatic response, they don't spend more than two or three seconds

making a choice, and unless you're front of mind in those two or three seconds, they're going to choose another

brand.

4.4

Presentation 1

Good morning everyone, on behalf of

myself and Focus Advertising, I'd like to welcome

you. My name's Sven

Larsen, I'm Commercial Director. This morning, I'd like to outline the campaign concept we've developed for you.

I've divided my presentation into three parts. First, the background to the campaign, next the results of our market

study, thirdly, the concept itself. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to interrupt me.

Presentation 2

Hi, I'm Dominique Lagrange. Good to see you all. As you know, I'm Creative Director of DMK. I'm going to tell

you about the ideas we've come up with for the ad campaign. I'll give you the background and talk you through the

results of the market study and tell you all about our concept. If you're not clear about anything, go ahead and ask

any questions you want.

5 Employment

5.1 (I = Interviewer, AL = Alan Lawson)

I

Alan, how can a candidate impress an interviewer?

AL

Well, David, I feel it's basically all down to good preparation. First of all, find out about the job. You could

ring up the Press Officer or the Marketing Department and get the latest press releases or perhaps an annual report.

The annual report, for example, will say where the company operates and the products it sells. Then, when you get

there, you perhaps could congratulate the interviewer on a recent success the company's had. In a nutshell, find out

about that company. Show that you've taken an interest in the company and show enthusiasm for the job because,

after all, that's what they're looking for in the candidate. They want somebody not only who's qualified for the job

but will want to do the job, and will be interested

and enthusiastic about the job. Secondly, you could go to the

company

maybe

a

few

days

before

the

interview,

talk

to

the

receptionist,

get

a

company

newspaper

-

you

can

always pick up literature on the products maybe you'll be involved in. A very good tip -find out what the dress code

is. You need to fit in and you need to make a good impression. Finally, your CV

. Make sure it's easy to read, it's

well

written, but

it's

concise

-don't

ramble.

I

must

say

that

I

have

done

all of

this,

I've

prepared my

CV

,

it

was

really good. I left it behind -1 didn't get the job!

5.2 (I =Interviewer, AL = Alan Lawson)

I

Alan, are there any key questions that you regularly use when interviewing candidates?

AL

Yes,

there

are

and

it's

almost

a

ritual

with

me.

Following

the

CV

tells

you

about

the

person

and

their

qualifications. What you also want to know is their personality. So key questions I ask - what do they like most and

what do they like least about their present job? They might say that they like travelling and they like meeting new

people. These are standard answers. I think more interestingly perhaps are what don't they like about the company.

They might not like working weekends at their current company. You might have the same problems with yours,

working

weekends

might be something essential for the job. Also, ask them

what their weaknesses are. They're

usually,

generally

I

would

say,

quite

honest

when

they're

giving

their

weaknesses.

And

ask

them

what

their

strengths

are.

It

gives

you

an

in-depth,

if

you

like,

feeling

about

their

personality

rather

than

just

the

straightforward qualifications that they have on their CV

. Do they fit in? That's what you're really looking for.

5.3

A

Good,

everyone's

here

now.

There's

coffee

if

you

want

it.

Right,

can

we

start

please?

As

you

all

know,

Roberta's been working as assistant to Carla Nunez for six months now. He's just finished his probationary period.

How do you feel about offering him a full time contract?

B

I'm not sure we should do it really. It says in this report that he's been late to work a few times and he can be

rather

C

Oh, I don't think that's too important...

A

Could you let her finish please?

C

Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to butt in ...

C

Another thing about Roberto I'm not happy about. He leaves exactly on time every day. Also he doesn't have

lunch with us very often, you know, he goes off on his own

A

I'm not sure that's relevant.

C

Mmm, maybe.

A

I

think

we

should

move

on

now

if

we're

going

to

finish

by

11

o'clock.

We

do

have

other

promotions

to

consider.

B

But what about his actual work? In my opinion, it's fine. He's done some really good things.

A

Well, I think we should discuss this a bit more. What exactly do you mean by 'good things'? A

Well, thanks

very much, Maria. You've made your views very clear. OK, let's go over what we've agreed. Roberto will have a

further probationary period of three months. After that...

5.4 (I = Interviewer, IR = Isabella Rosetti)

I

Now let me ask you a question we ask all our candidates. Why should we hire you?

IR

Why hire me? Simple. I get along well with people. I'm used to dealing with people from all walks of life.

That's vital for this job. And I've got lots of ideas for making Slim Gyms more profitable. Want to hear them?

I

Not just now, if you don't mind. We'll come back to that later. Um, about your attendance record. Could you

tell me why you've had quite a bit of time off?

IR

Hmm, you've been talking to my boss, I see. Let's get this clear. I've taken a day off now and then, true, but

it's always to go to some family celebration - a marriage, a christening, a family reunion sometimes.

I

Uh huh.

IR

Anyway, I've got a great assistant at work - she looks after things if I'm away. It's no problem at all if I have

a day off now and then.

I

Right. Can we look into the future now? I'm interested to know where you see yourself in a few years.

IR

In a few years I suppose I see myself... urn, working for your organisation, running the whole business.

I

I hope you achieve that objective.

5.5 (I = Interviewer, MB = Michael Bolen)

I

Right,

a

question

now

about

your

managerial

skills.

You're

currently

with

a

sporting

goods

firm.

Do

you

enjoy working on a team - with other managers?

MB

I

enjoy

working

with

colleagues

a

lot,

especially

when

developing

a

project,

let's

say,

working

on

a

new

product. It's exciting, often tiring, you're working long hours sometimes, but everyone's working together, to make

a success of things.

I

So would you say you're a good team player?

MB

Definitely. But, let me say this, I like to be on my own from time to time. Especially if there's some problem

to be worked out. I guess some people would say I keep to myself too much, but it's not true really.

I

OK, let me follow that up. Um, I'd like to know what your colleagues would say about you. How would

they describe you?

MB

Huh,

that's

a

difficult

one.

Mmm ...

I

think

they'd

say

I

know

my

own

mind,

I'm

a

decisive

person.

Sometimes, you have to do things that you don't like, for example, fire an employee. Well, if I have to do it, I do it,

and then forget about it.

I

What else would your colleagues say?

MB

They'd say that I'm a friendly person, when I get to know people. Some of them think I'm too friendly.

I

Really?

MB

Well,

you

know,

a

few

of

the

women

in

the

company,

they

get

a

little

jealous

because

I

take

out

my

administrative assistant, Sue, from time to time, give her a nice lunch, you know, say thanks for all her hard work.

Nothing wrong in that, is there?

5.6 a = Interviewer, BW = Bob Wills)

I

You're obviously eager to get this job. Could you tell me what your strengths are? What do you think you're

good at?

BW

Main strengths? Good at managing people, I'd say. I suppose it's my army training. I know how to set goals

for people. Objectives. And I make sure they meet them.

I

Hmm, don't you think some people might get upset, you know, lose their motivation if they don't achieve the

goals you set?

BW

Not at all. You don't get anywhere in this life if you're too easy on people. You've got to make an effort to get

anywhere.

Like

your

health

club

customers.

If

they

want

to

get

fit,

they've

got

to

have

discipline.

Do

all

the

exercises, eat properly, give up alcohol and smoking. Change their lifestyle - that's what it's all about.

I

Mmm,

interesting!

A

final

question.

Maybe

a

difficult

one. Could

you

tell

me

how

you've

changed

in

the

last... oh ... five years, let's say.

BW

Sure. I think I'm more realistic now than I used to be. I know it'll be difficult for me to get a good job - being

in

the

army

most

of

my

life.

So,

I'm

trying

to

learn

new

skills,

update

my

knowledge.

Like

in

marketing

and

finance. So I'll have more to offer an employer. I'm not going to sit around waiting for the big job to come to me

-it's not my style.

5.7 (I = Interviewer, SG = Stephanie Grant)

I

Right. Can you tell me why you want to leave your present job. TV announcer. Well paid. Everyone knows

you. Admires you; You've got everything you want, don't you?

SG

Huh, I guess it does look like that. I do love the job. But I'm thirty now. I know the management is looking

for younger talent. It wants sparky, glamorous twenty- year-olds in the job. To increase the ratings. I'm on the way

out, I know that. So ... I'm going before I'm pushed.

I

Oh surely not. Someone with your reputation.

SG People come and go in my profession. Think of all the stars often years ago. Where are they now?

I

Mmm, I take your point. Um, looking at your CV

, your earlier career. You gave up competitive swimming

when you were ... er ... twenty-four. Rather early to do that, wasn't it? I mean, don't swimmers go on competing ...?

SG

Look,

I'm

sure

you

read

the

papers.

You

must

know,

when

I

won

the

big

races,

some

of

the

swimmers

accused me of taking drugs. You know, to improve my performance. It was horrible. All a bunch of lies. I got really

upset, I thought, oh, I don't need this nonsense. I just gave it all up. I'd had enough.

6 Trade

6.1 (BF = Bella Ford, PH = Pierre Bernard)

BF

If we buy more than 500 cases of the Reserve, what discount can you offer us?

PH

On 500, nothing. But if you buy 1,000 cases, we'll offer 15%.

BF

Let me think about that. Now, if I place an order for 1,000, will you be able to despatch immediately?

PH

I don't know about immediately, but certainly this month.

BF

Well, if you get it to us before the Christmas rush, it'll be OK. I take it your prices include insurance?

PH

Actually, no. You'd be responsible for that. If you can increase

your order, then we'd be willing to cover

insurance as well.

BF

I'll need to do some calculations.

PH

Let's look at methods of payment. Since we've not dealt with you before, we'd like to be paid by banker's

draft.

BF

Well, this is a large order. We've done business with many well-known wine producers and we've always

paid by letter of credit.

PH

OK. If we

agree to you paying by letter of credit, then you'll have to pay us within 30 days. BF

That

should be fine.

6.2 (I = Interviewer, KW = Kevin Warren)

I

When you go into a negotiation, do you always expect to win?

KW

I guess the honest answer is that I always have a clear expectation of what I expect to achieve, and I guess I

would like to always win. Let me illustrate that for you. Something that was sort of shared with me early in my

career was the mnemonic L-I-M and that's Like, Intend, Must. What would I like to do, what would I intend to do,

and what must I do? And this is probably well illustrated by a recent contract that we negotiated in the UK with a

major

leisure

company.

And,

I

guess

our

'like'

was,

we

would

like

to

win

the

business

there

and

then,

in

the

negotiation

on

that

day.

I

guess

our

'intend'

was

that

we

must

leave

that

group

thinking

that

we

are

a

very

professional and competent outfit who can best meet their needs. And I guess our 'must' was, we must have done

enough to keep the dialogue open and ensure that our competitor didn't win the business on that day. So, the short

answer is you don't always win. I always want to win, but I don't always expect to win - but I certainly expect to

deliver the objective that we went in to achieve.

6.3 (I = Interviewer, KW = Kevin Warren)

I

Could you give me some tips for negotiating?

KW

Yes. I think everybody has their own tips. But these are things that have worked for myself and the people

I've

worked

with,

and

it's

more

around

avoiding

classic

errors.

And

I

guess

the

first

one

is

to

identify

who

the

decision maker is. I've lost count of the occasions at every level, from first-line salesman through to board director,

board

to

board

negotiations,

where

I've

seen

fantastic

presentations,

superb

dialogue

and

the

person

that's

been

sitting

across

the

table,

so

to

speak,

is

not

the

decision

maker.

So

that's

the

first

tip,

make

sure

you

know

who

you're talking to. The second one is that all salesmen, if they're good salesmen, tend to be very enthusiastic about

what they're selling. That could be a product or a service, or even a social occasion, but it's all selling at the end of

the day. And in their enthusiasm they focus on their need, rather than the buyer's need. So, for example, in our own

case I've seen on many, many occasions people basically go straight to the point - We're here to sell you Coca-Cola,

it's the world's number one brand, you must want it. What they haven't done is establish the buyer's need. So, for

example,

the

buyer's

need

may

be

in

a

grocery

store

that

they

want

to

supply

the

world's

number

one

brand

to

encourage consumers to come in and purchase their range of products. The manager of a ball bearing factory might

want

a

vending

machine

because

if

he

supplies

a

free,

or

discounted

refreshment

service

it

keeps

his

union

employees happy. So the important thing is to understand the buyer's need. Now, it's not impossible to sell without

establishing that need. But it tends to mean you'll never have a long term relationship. So, for example, again the

workplace example, I could come in, bang, sell you a

Coca-Cola vending machine, pay you maybe a small royalty. Because I never established your need, if another soft

drinks supplier walks through the door and just offers you more money, you will probably switch. Whereas if we'd

established the fact that all you were interested in was offering a service and you wanted it to be as hassle free as

possible, we could have tailored our offering. So I think that's very important. My favourite one, and I'm probably

in danger of doing it myself now, is once you've made the sale, shut up. I think it's very important: close the sale,

reinforce the buyer's decision - everybody likes to feel they've made a good decision - and then leave.

7 Innovation

7.1 (PP = Pamela Pickford)

PP

The key is preparation. So the first step is to find out who you're going to be presenting to. Now you need to

do this on two levels. Firstly, how much does the audience know about the subject? Are they experts or do they

know very little? Secondly, are you presenting to a group from the same or from different countries? And adjust

your language so that everybody can understand. If possible, visit the room where you'll be giving the presentation

beforehand

and

organise

it

precisely

to

your

own

requirements.

Check

you're

familiar

with

the

equipment,

re-arrange the seating, and try to make yourself feel comfortable and relaxed in it. So once you know who you're

presenting to and where, you're ready to start preparing what exactly you're going to say. OK? So stage one is the

opening - that all-important first few

moments that can make or

break the presentation. Then stage two, a brief

introduction about the subject of your talk. Then three, the main body of the presentation. And four, the conclusion,

which should include a summary of your talk and your final opinion or recommendations. Finally, the question and

answer session.

Now the most important stage is the opening minute or so and I'd suggest that people memorise it exactly as if

they

were

actors.

Write

down

the

opening

with

all the pauses

and

the

stress

clearly

marked,

and then

record

it,

listen to it, and practise it again and again. This is so important because if it's properly done, you not only get the

audience's

attention

immediately,

but

you

feel

confident

during

what

can

be

the

most

frightening

part

of

the

presentation. After that, you can start using your notes. So the first step is to write those notes. Write

the whole

presentation out just like an essay. Then select the key points. But read the full version over and over again until it's

imprinted on your mind. The next step is to buy some small white postcards and write no more than one or two of

the key points or key phrases onto each one.

Now visual aids, like overhead transparencies, are very important of course. But most people put far too much

information on them. Don't - because it's difficult to read and it bores the audience. Limit yourself to a maximum

of five points on each. Remember to turn off the projector when you're not actually using it. And don't talk to the

machine, or the transparency, which again, lots of people do. Face the audience at all times. Finally, remember that

it's

not

just

what

you

say.

How

you

say

it

is

just

as

important.

Quite

unlike

meetings

and

negotiations,

a

good

presentation is very much a performance.

7.2

Good morning everyone, thanks for coming to my presentation. I know you're all very busy, so I'll be as brief as

possible.

OK

then,

I'm

going

to

talk

about

the

new

chocolate

bar

we're

putting

on

the

market,

the

St

Tropez

premium bar. I'll tell you about the test launch we carried out in the south west of England a few weeks ago. My

presentation is divided into three parts. First I'll give you some background about the launch.

After that, I'll tell you how we got on and assess its effectiveness. Finally, I'll outline our future plans for the

product. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Right,

let's

start

with

the

background

to

the

launch.

As

you

know,

St

Tropez

is

a

mint

and

nut

bar

with

a

distinctive

taste.

It's

been

thoroughly

tested

in

focus

groups

and

special

attention

was

paid

to

packaging.

It's

wrapped in a metallic foil. The colours are rich, strong, to give high visual impact. OK everyone? Yes, Johan, you

have a question ...

So, that's the background. Right, let's now move on to the test launch. How successful was it? Well, in two