ENGLISH AT WORK: THE BUSINESS TRIP LANGUAGE FOR CLINCHING THE DEAL

Anna:             (At the airport) Tom, could you let go of my hand?

Tom:              Sorry, it's just I get nervous flying.

Anna:             Well, we've landed in Marseille now so you're safe… oh, I like your passport photo.

Tom:              Oh do you?

Anna:             I didn't know your middle name was Stanley.

Tom:              After my great-great-grandfather.

Anna:             Really? Come on we need to get a taxi. Taxi! Taxi!

Narrator:      Hello again. Anna and Tom are on a very important business trip to try and sign a deal to sell their plastic fruit to a company in France. The company has received a better offer so Anna needs to convince them that Tip Top Trading's lemons are best. Are you feeling confident Anna?

Anna:             Not really. It was OK speaking to them on the phone but seeing them face- to-face is quite scary.

Narrator:      You'll be fine. Stay calm. They'll be pleased you've taken the time to fly out and see them – but tell them you're grateful for their time and recap what you told them on the phone.

Anna:             Oh yes – beat the price of the competitor but get them to make a bigger order.

Narrator:      Yes. If they order more you can offer a bigger discount. Good luck.

Tom:              Oh look, we're here now. Now Anna, I hope you don't mind me saying, but just leave the talking to me. Right?

Anna:             Err, well…

Tom:              Oh, Madame Brown, ciao, great to see you

Trader:          What?

Anna:             Monsieur Brown. Bonjour. I'm Anna from Tip Top Trading. This is my colleague Tom. Thank you for sparing the time to see us.

Trader:          No problem. Did you have a good flight?

Tom:              It was great. I love those little bottles of wine they give out… I kept a few with me if you fancy a glass of vin rouge?

Anna:             I think we should sit down and discuss business.

Trader:          Of course.

Tom:              Yeah, yeah, good idea.

Anna:             Now, I believe Tutti Fruity has offered you a good price but as I said on the phone, we can beat that.

Trader:          Yes you did.

Tom:              Did you Anna?!

Anna:             But to get this price you've got to buy lots more.

Narrator:      Anna! That's not very subtle. You need to convince them they need to buy more without telling them they have to.

Tom:            What she means is our Imperial Lemons are made with our unique laser curve technology. They are hard wearing and a joy to have on display in any shop window or restaurant.

Anna:             Tom, that's amazing!

Tom:              I read it on the back of the box!

Anna:             So, we really feel that we have a product that you'll be proud to display.

And to get this fantastic price you just need to place an order of 10,000.

Tom:              And we can even throw in a free sample of our new Perfect Peach range.

Anna:             Each lemon comes with a satisfaction guarantee. I know you won't be disappointed.

Trader:          Hmm. It sounds good. OK, I think you have a deal.

Narrator:      Good work Anna. Don't forget to ask him to sign the contract and tell him when he can expect the order to be delivered.

Anna:             OK. I would be grateful if you could just sign the contract. We'll get the lemons to you as quickly as we can. Tom, do you have a pen?

Tom:              Erm, no actually. It was in my bag yesterday but it's gone… it was a nice, a good one too.

Trader:          No problem. I have a pen. (signs the contract). There you go.

Anna:             Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you. We'll get those lemons to you in two weeks' time.

Trader:          Perfect!

Narrator:      Good work Anna…oh and Tom too. The contract is signed but now you have to deliver what you've promised. There are many ways to clinch a deal; here are some of the phrases Anna used…

Thank you for sparing the time to see us.

Each lemon comes with a satisfaction guarantee - I know you won't be disappointed.

I would be grateful if you could just sign the contract. Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.

Narrator:      So it's been a successful day. It's time for Tom and Anna to fly back to

London and tell Paul the good news… or is it?

(Back at the airport)

Anna:             Oh no look, our flight to London is cancelled! It's the last one today. What are we going to do?

Tom:              Well, I guess we're just going to have to stay here for the night. I'll sort out a hotel.

Narrator:      Until next time. Bye!

 Listening Challenge

What does Tom offer to throw in as part of the deal with the company in France?

(Answer: a free sample of our new Perfect Peach range)