Learning Conversation English | Business | Episode 12

Summary

In this English learning video, hosts Marco and Erica present an intermediate business lesson focused on sales strategies. They introduce key vocabulary such as 'drive sales' and 'promotion' with examples, and guide learners through a dialogue from a sales meeting. The dialogue, initially challenging due to speed, is broken down for clarity. Language takeaways include phrases like 'match the competitors' and 'it'll never fly,' illustrating their meanings with context. Fluency Builders enhance natural speech with phrases like 'be here any minute.' The lesson concludes with a re-listen of the dialogue at normal speed, aiming to improve learners' understanding and fluency in real-world business English scenarios.

Takeaways

• 😀 The lesson focuses on intermediate English, specifically business English used in sales strategies.
• 🔍 Vocabulary words 'drive sales' and 'promotion' are introduced, with 'drive sales' meaning to increase sales and 'promotion' referring to marketing strategies.
• 📈 The dialogue in the lesson is a sales meeting where employees discuss strategies to improve sales, including price reduction and promotions.
• 💡 Suggested sales strategies include lowering prices to match competitors and offering promotions like 'two for one' deals.
• 🙅‍♂️ Negative feedback to ideas is portrayed, showing how not to respond to suggestions in a business setting.
• 👍 Positive reinforcement is shown when the CEO agrees with the 'two for one' promotion idea, highlighting the importance of creative and approved strategies.
• 🗣️ Language takeaways include phrases like 'match the competitors', 'in the market', and 'it'll never fly', which are explained with examples.
• 🏗️ Fluency Builder section aims to improve natural English speech by providing more native-like expressions for common phrases.
• 🤝 The importance of a supportive and encouraging manager in a business environment is discussed, contrasting with the negative example given.
• 🌐 The lesson concludes with a call to action for listeners to share their experiences with good or bad managers and to apply the English phrases learned.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the lesson discussed in the script?

The main topic of the lesson is learning English for sales strategies, focusing on vocabulary and phrases used in a sales meeting.

What are the two vocabulary words introduced in the vocabulary preview section?

The two vocabulary words introduced are 'Drive Sales' and 'Promotion'.

What does the term 'Drive Sales' mean in the context of the lesson?

In the context of the lesson, 'Drive Sales' means to increase sales or to sell more products or services.

Can you provide an example of a 'Promotion' as described in the script?

An example of a 'Promotion' given in the script is a 'two for one' offer, where customers get two items for the price of one.

What is the language takeaway section of the lesson designed to do?

The language takeaway section is designed to teach the most important words from the dialogue, helping learners understand and use them effectively.

What does the phrase 'match the competitors' mean as used in the dialogue?

The phrase 'match the competitors' means to be as good as or better than other companies in the same industry, often in terms of price or quality.

What is the meaning of the phrase 'it'll never fly' in the context of the dialogue?

In the context of the dialogue, 'it'll never fly' means that an idea or plan is not feasible, will not work, or will not be approved.

What is the purpose of the fluency builder section in the lesson?

The purpose of the fluency builder section is to help learners increase their fluency by teaching them how to use words and phrases more naturally, like a native English speaker.

How does the script suggest a manager should interact with their employees?

The script suggests that a manager should be encouraging and motivating, supporting employees to grow and perform better in their jobs.

What is the final activity suggested for learners at the end of the script?

The final activity suggested is for learners to log on to the website and share their experiences with good or bad managers, or how they handle things if they are managers themselves.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to the English Lesson

The script opens with hosts Marco and Erica introducing an intermediate-level English lesson focused on business English, specifically sales strategies. They express excitement about the lesson and emphasize the practicality of the English that will be taught, which is used by native speakers daily. The lesson includes a vocabulary preview to aid understanding of the dialogue, which involves a sales meeting.

05:04

📈 Vocabulary Focus: Drive Sales and Promotion

The hosts introduce two key vocabulary words: 'Drive Sales', which means to increase sales volume, and 'Promotion', referring to marketing strategies like discounts or special offers to boost sales. Erica provides examples to clarify the terms. The lesson aims to equip learners with the language necessary for discussing sales strategies effectively.

10:05

🎯 Listening to a Sales Meeting Dialogue

The script presents a dialogue from a sales meeting where employees discuss strategies to improve sales. The CEO, Mr. Swan, favors a 'two for one' promotion over a price reduction. The dialogue is played at different speeds to help learners grasp the language used in a business context, with a focus on understanding the vocabulary and phrases introduced earlier.

15:06

💡 Language Takeaway and Fluency Building

This section reviews the key phrases from the dialogue, such as 'match the competitors', 'in the market', and 'it'll never fly', providing examples to illustrate their meanings. The hosts also introduce 'fluency builders' to help learners use these phrases more naturally. Phrases like 'be here any minute', 'it sounds like something we should consider', and 'that's a brilliant idea' are highlighted to enhance learners' conversational English.

20:09

🗣️ Reflecting on Managerial Styles

The hosts discuss the importance of a manager's role in motivating employees, using the dialogue's CEO as an example of a less-than-ideal manager. They encourage listeners to share their experiences with good or bad managers on their website. The script ends with a list of vocabulary and phrases for learners to practice, emphasizing the importance of a supportive and encouraging management style.

25:11

🌟 Conclusion and Farewell

The script concludes with the hosts thanking listeners for joining the lesson and signing off until the next session. They reiterate the importance of the vocabulary and phrases covered, encouraging practice and application in real-life scenarios.

Keywords

💡Drive Sales

To 'drive sales' refers to the process of increasing sales volume or revenue. In the context of the video, it is a central theme as the characters discuss strategies to improve their sales figures. An example from the script is when the characters are brainstorming for 'Concrete Solutions' to increase sales, indicating that driving sales is a key objective for their business.

💡Promotion

A 'promotion' in marketing terms is a strategy used to create awareness and interest in a product or service. In the video, the concept is discussed as a potential solution to boost sales, such as offering a 'two for one' deal. The script illustrates this with the example of a shampoo promotion where buying one gets you another free, which is a common promotional tactic to attract customers.

💡Match the Competitors

To 'match the competitors' means to be as good as or better than other companies in the same industry. In the script, this concept is used when discussing the company's pricing strategy. For instance, one character suggests lowering their prices to 'match the competitors' to be more competitive in the market.

💡In the Market

The phrase 'in the market' is used to describe the industry or sector in which a business operates. The video script uses this term to emphasize the competitive landscape. An example is when a character mentions being 'the most expensive in the market,' highlighting the company's position relative to its competitors.

💡Concrete Solutions

'Concrete Solutions' refers to specific, actionable plans or strategies to address a problem. In the video, the manager is seeking tangible ideas to improve sales, as indicated by the phrase 'I want Concrete Solutions.' This term is central to the video's narrative, as it drives the characters to come up with practical sales strategies.

💡It'll Never Fly

The idiomatic expression 'it'll never fly' means that an idea or plan is not feasible or will not be accepted. In the video, this phrase is used by a character to dismiss a proposed sales strategy, suggesting that it is not a viable option. For example, when a character says 'it'll never fly with Swan,' it implies that the idea will not be approved by a higher authority.

💡Be Here Any Minute

'Be here any minute' is an expression used to indicate that someone is expected to arrive very soon. In the script, this phrase is used to create a sense of urgency as the characters prepare for the CEO's arrival. It adds to the overall tone of the video, emphasizing the importance of being ready with their sales strategies.

💡To Consider

The term 'to consider' means to think about something carefully, often in the context of making a decision. In the video, characters use this term when discussing potential sales strategies, such as 'it sounds like something we should consider.' This reflects the process of evaluating ideas in a business setting.

💡Brilliant

The adjective 'brilliant' is used to describe something that is exceptionally clever or outstanding. In the script, the term is employed to express approval of a sales strategy, as in 'that's a brilliant idea.' It signifies the positive reception of an idea and its potential effectiveness in the business context.

💡Customer Loyalty

'Customer Loyalty' refers to the ongoing preference of a customer to repeatedly purchase from the same brand or company. While not explicitly mentioned in the provided script, this concept is implicit in discussions about sales strategies, as building customer loyalty is a key aspect of driving sales and maintaining a competitive edge.

Highlights

Introduction to an intermediate English lesson focused on business vocabulary.

Emphasis on learning real English used by native speakers in a sales context.

Vocabulary preview featuring 'Drive Sales' and 'Promotion' with explanations.

Example of a 'Promotion' given, illustrating a two-for-one offer in a supermarket.

Dialogue from a sales meeting showcasing a discussion on sales strategies.

Language takeaway highlighting 'match the competitors' and its usage.

Explanation of the phrase 'in the market' in the context of industry.

Discussion on the idiomatic expression 'it'll never fly' and its meaning.

Fluency Builder section aiming to improve natural English speech.

Natural phrasing practice with 'be here any minute' versus 'will arrive soon'.

Enhancing the expression 'I'm thinking about something' to sound more professional.

British English alternative 'brilliant' to describe a great idea.

Reflection on the dialogue to discuss the qualities of a good manager.

Encouragement for listeners to share their experiences with managers on the website.

Audio review exercise to practice the newly learned vocabulary.

Final thoughts and sign-off from the hosts, encouraging continued learning.

Transcripts

welcome back English Learners my name is

Marco and I am joined by Erica how are

you Erica I'm doing great Marco and you

excellent I'm doing really well and I'm

really excited about our lesson for

today that's right we've got an

intermediate lesson today and we're

going to study some real English English

that you use every day right that's

right English that native speakers

really use exactly and today as Erica

mentioned we have an intermediate lesson

and not only is it intermediate but it's

a business lesson yes so today we're

listening into a sales meeting and we're

going to learn some great useful English

to talk about sales strategies so we're

going to learn English for sales

strategies for making suggestions and

for responding to suggestions great so

why don't we take a look at our

vocabulary preview for today vocabulary

preview so our vocabulary preview is a

part of our lesson when we teach you

some really important words that will

help you to understand the dialogue

better okay great so that is what

vocabulary preview is we have two words

for you today and we can start off by

looking at the first one our first word

today is Drive Sales Drive Sales Drive

sales to drive sales and that means to

increase sales right to sell more

exactly so to drive sales

okay so now let's look at our second

word and it's an interesting one it's

promotion promotion promotion promotion

so Erica what is a promotion exactly

okay so here we're not really talking

about getting a better job right okay

yeah not like a job promotion no we're

talking about a marketing strategy okay

so I can give you an example suppose

that I want to buy shampoo uhhuh and if

I go to the supermarket and I see buy

one and get one free so that's a two for

one that's a two for one promotion yeah

that's a sales promotion or perhaps the

shampoo in the supermarket is less

expensive than usual maybe yeah usually

maybe it costs $5 but today it costs $4

that's a sales promotion great so that's

a really good marketing strategy exactly

and we'll hear this word in our dialogue

today great so we are ready to listen to

our dialogue it's going to be pretty

fast so it might be a little bit

difficult to understand but don't worry

if you don't understand everything

because later in this lesson we're going

to explain all the important words and

[Music]

phrases all right people we're holding

this meeting today because we've got to

do something about our sales and we need

to do it now I want Concrete Solutions

how do you plan to drive sales

Roger well um in fact we're the most

expensive in the market so maybe we need

to lower our prices to match the

competitors lower our prices not very

creative it'll never fly with Swan what

kind of thinking is that jeez anyone

have a better plan Natalie um perhaps um

a promotion maybe a two for one offer or

or something like that what that's the

same thing idea really bad idea damn it

people come on think the CEO will be

here any

minute hello Mr Swan oh Mr Swan hello Mr

Swan do we have any ideas yet yes Mr

Swan we were kind of considering a two

for one offer to get more competitive a

two for one promotion H I kind of like

the sound of that it sounds like

something we should consider yeah

exactly that's just what I was thinking

in fact it's a brilliant idea I'm glad

we thought of that very creative

okay so an interesting manager right I

don't know about interesting maybe I

would think bad manager we're going to

talk about him later on in the show but

now let's take a look at our language

takeaway language

takeaway okay so language takeaway is

the part of our lesson where we teach

you the most important words from the

dialogue all these words that we are

going to focus on can be found in

today's dialogue exactly so we have

three words for you today let's look at

the first one match the competitors

match the competitors match the

competitors match the competitors great

so we have some examples for you so you

can listen and try and see if you can

figure out what match the competitors

really

means example

one we guarantee that we can match the

competitor's lowest

price example

two it's impossible for us to match the

competitors our costs are just too high

example

three do you think we can match our

competitors's prices and still keep our

quality

High ah okay so I see that match the

competitors means to be as good as or

better than other companies in the same

industry exactly match the compe editors

all right so let's move to our second

word today for language takeaways and it

is in the market in the market in the

market in the market we heard this

phrase in the dialogue and it means in

the industry exactly I can say for

example English pod is the best language

pod in the market so of all the podcasts

that teach English English pod is the

best of course no doubt about it I

totally agree right or I can give you

another example iPods are the most

popular MP3 players in the market so of

all the MP3 players in the world iPods

are the most popular so let's move to

our final word for today and it is it'll

never fly it'll never fly it'll never

fly it will never fly so this phrase

sounds a little bit strange I know fly

are we talking about an airplane here

what's going on exactly but we're not so

so we're going to give you some examples

and try and guess what it'll never fly

really

means example

one this marketing plan will never fly

it's just too

expensive example

two what what you want to sell bikinis

in Alaska that'll never

fly example

three Brad told me his idea for a film

script but the story will never fly it's

not interesting

enough so it means it won't work it

won't work it's not a good idea they'll

never agree exactly great so now we've

seen a lot of useful phrases and we are

ready to listen to our dialogue a second

time but this time it's going to be slow

so you'll be able to understand a little

bit better and you'll be able to hear

the words and phrases we were just

talking

about all right people we're holding

this meeting today because we've got to

do something about our sales and we need

to do it now I want Concrete Solutions

how do you plan to drive sales

Roger well um in fact we're the most

expensive in the market so maybe we need

to lower our prices to match the

competitors lower our prices not very

creative it'll never fly with Swan what

kind of thinking is that jeez anybody

else have a better plan Natalie um

perhaps um a promotion maybe a two for

one offer or something like that what

that's the same thing bad idea really

bad idea damn it people come on think

the CEO will be here any

minute hello Mr Swan oh Mr Swan hello Mr

Swan do we have any ideas yet yes Mr

Swan we were kind of considering a two

for one offer to get more competitive a

two for one

promotion H I kind of like the sound of

that it sounds like something we should

consider yeah exactly that's just what I

was thinking in fact that's a brilliant

idea I'm glad we thought of that very

creative

okay great I hope everyone understands a

lot better now and I hope everyone could

listen out for some of those key words

right so now it's time for us to take a

look at fluency

Builder fluency Builder so with fluency

Builder we try to help you increase your

fluency we take a word or phrase that

you already know and show you how to say

it a little bit more naturally a little

bit more like a native English speaker

right and we have three of these words

for you today yeah let's start with the

first one okay so often students will

say something like I'll be here soon or

I will arrive soon right and these

sentences are correct they're totally

fine but I think there's a better way to

say this right and we heard it in the

dialogue so let's listen to what the

person in the dialogue

said the CEO will be here any minute

the CEO will be here any

minute okay so be here any minute he'll

be here any minute it just sounds a

little bit more natural yeah I think I

use this phrase quite often he'll be

here any minute he'll be here soon yeah

great okay so let's move on to our

second phrase for fluency Builder so

this phrase will help you to learn how

to say I'm thinking about something in a

better sounding way right so you can say

something like we are thinking about a

sales strategy or that sounds like

something we should think about right

and it's perfectly correct yeah there's

no problem with this but in the dialogue

we heard something a little bit

different so let's listen to it it

sounds like something we should

consider it sounds like something we

should

consider so consider sounds like a

pretty natural way of saying it right

yeah and you know I think it sounds

really kind of smart yeah it sounds more

formal even a little more professional

yeah it's a good word y okay brilliant

so let's move on to our third word Marco

you already said our third word oh yeah

I actually did brilliant um that's a

great word right there yeah a lot of

people might say that's a great idea or

great but in the dialogue we heard

another way of saying the same

idea that's a brilliant

idea that's a brilliant

idea okay so this is great but I would

have to say that it's a little bit more

British English yeah I'd agree with you

there but I also think it sort of gives

more power to this idea that it's a good

idea brilliant idea that it's a really

really good idea yeah yeah I like that

word yeah okay so we're ready to listen

to our dialogue again a third time but

at its normal speed

the

N all right people we're holding this

meeting today because we've got to do

something about our sales and we need to

do it now I want Concrete Solutions how

do you plan to drive sales

Roger well um in fact we're the most

expensive in the market so maybe we need

to lower our prices to match the

competitors lower our prices not very

creative it'll never fly with Swan what

can I thinking is that jeez anyone have

a better plan Natalie um perhaps um a

promotion maybe a two for one offer or

or something like that what it's the

same thing bad idea really bad idea damn

it people come on think the CEO will be

here any

minute hello Mr Swan H Mr Swan hello Mr

Swan do we have any ideas yet yes Mr

Swan we were kind of considering a two

for one offer to get more competitive a

two for one promotion H I kind of like

the sound of that it sounds like

something we should consider yeah

exactly that's just what I was thinking

in fact it's a brilliant idea I'm glad

we thought of that very

creative all right so listening to this

dialogue makes you think about this boss

I'm pretty sure everyone has had a

manager or a supervisor that's similar

to this guy yeah this boss uh Clark I

would have to say he sounds like a

terrible person to work for yeah that's

true if you're a manager you want to

motivate your employees I think it's the

most important thing a manager does is

to encourage his or her employees and to

help support them to grow and to be

better people in the job and this guy is

totally not doing this and you can tell

because they are a little bit scared of

talking and he cuts them off with saying

oh it's a bad idea give me a better idea

and stuff like that yeah I could never

work for a guy like this you know my my

first boss that I had when I first

entered the workforce um I was in a very

Junior position and I was working for a

large company and the general manager of

the company he was amazing he was so

encouraging he knew every single

employees name first name and he would

you know make an effort to stop and say

hello and ask them how things were going

and you know what this left me with such

a good feeling about the company that I

really wanted to work hard for this

company and try my best and I think that

I've never never met such a great boss

as this guy no I think that's true

definitely if you have a boss that's

encouraging and motivating like that it

makes you work harder and makes you feel

part of a really special team and that's

something we can all agree on and I'm

sure all our managers out there do the

same well you know what I hope some of

our listeners log on to our website and

maybe they can tell us some experiences

with bad managers or good managers or if

they are managers how they handle things

yeah and hopefully they can use some of

these great phrases that we talked about

today the English pod audio

review listen to the meaning then say

the vocabulary

word a real or specific solution to a

problem Concrete

[Music]

Solutions increase

sales Drive

sales in the

industry in the

market be as good as or better than

other companies in the same

industry to match the

competitors will not work will not be

approved will never

fly something done to make people aware

of a product

promotion we'll arrive very

soon be here any

minute thinking

about to

consider

excellent

brilliant as good as or better than

others of the same

type competitive

make sales

successfully win

sales plans for a company sales

activities sales

strategy the process a customer goes

through when deciding to buy a

product sales

cycle to sell more than others

to out

sell when a customer buys the same brand

over and

over Customer

Loyalty let's try that

faster

excellent

brilliant will arrive very

soon be here any

minute to sell more than

others to out

sell will not work will not be

approved will never

fly the process a customer goes through

when deciding to buy a

product sales

cycle something done to make people

aware of a

product

promotion in the

industry in the market

increase

sales Drive

sales be as good as or better than other

companies in the same

industry to match the

competitors as good as or better than

others of the same

type

competitive make sales

successfully win

sales plans for a company sales

activities sales

strategy when a customer buys the same

brand over and

over Customer

Loyalty thinking

about to

consider a real or specific solution to

a

problem Concrete

Solutions now say the word and hear it

in a

sentence Drive

sales if we want to drive sales I think

we need to spend more time training our

sales

people drive

sales the most important thing for us

right now is to focus on driving sales

Drive

sales I think if we increase our

marketing budget it will help us to

drive sales in the fourth

quarter I expect each of you to come to

the meeting tomorrow with Concrete

Solutions for our recruitment problem

Dale have you come up with any concrete

solution I'm sorry but I just can't

offer any Concrete Solutions right

now

promotion we can't have a sales

promotion right now because our costs

are too

high

promotion the department store is

offering a promotion everything is 50%

off let's go

shopping

promotion a two for one promotion might

be a way to attract new

customers we guarantee that we can match

the competitor's lowest

price it's impossible for us to match

the competitors our costs are just too

high do you think we can match the

competitor's quality and still keep our

price

low in the

market English pod is the best podcast

in the

market in the

market iPods are the most popular MP3

players in the market

in the

market our product is the cheapest in

the

market will never

fly this marketing plan will never fly

we just don't have enough money for

it we'll never fly

I like that idea but it'll never fly

with

management will never

fly Brad told me his idea for a film

script but the story will never fly it's

not interesting

enough be here any minute

hurry up the bus will be here any

minute be here any

minute Nick just called he said he

should be here any

minute be here any

minute is there everything prepared for

the meeting the CEO will be here any

minute to

consider we're considering a sales

promotion to

consider I think we need to consider a

new sales

strategy to

consider have you considered reducing

the price

brilliant that's a brilliant

idea

brilliant this is a brilliant marketing

plan

brilliant what a brilliant suggestion

thanks Roger so thanks for listening

today everyone and until next time this

is goodbye bye

[Music]