Иностранный язык профессионального общения (английский язык). Учебное пособие

3.2. Describing a product or service.

Decide what is wrong with these sales lines. Then, rewrite them according to the advice in the article.

1. In a small restaurant:

A lot of people don’t know this, but ours is the best sandwich you will ever try. Much better than Mary’s down the street.

2. In a small computer store:

This computer program is very difficult. I am the best person to teach you how to use it.

3. In a sporting goods store:

These shorts will make you look good even before you get into shape. Try them on, you’ll see how they can disguise anything!

3.3. Describing your product.

In small groups, choose a picture of a product from a magazine.

1.On a sheet of paper, list as many words as you can about that picture.

2.Fill in the following information using the picture you have chosen:

The product: Main features: Adjectives used:

Comparisons that can be made:

3.Pass this page on to the next group, but keep the picture.

4.The next group will write an ad for your product while you write an ad for another group.

5.Post the ads and the advertisement on the wall and see if the class can identify which products the ads are describing.

3.4. Quiz.

Match the words to their definitions.

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1.__ teamwork

2.__ performance appraisal

3.__ workplace culture

4.__ high turnover

a)many changes in staff; people come and go a lot;

b)working together to serve customers, solve problems in the workplace and/or develop products;

c)the way that a company expects that the employees will behave, such as the dress code;

d)a formal way for the employer to tell employees how they are performing at work and to discuss what needs to be improved; usually completed at the end of a probationary period and later, yearly.

4. Read the text.

THE CANADIAN WORKPLACE

In Canadian workplace culture, there are unwritten rules and expectations about doing business. We are comfortable in a business relationship if we are at an arm’s length. This is different in many other cultures. The personal space between people is much smaller. But when doing business here, remember… at arm’s length.

Then there is the matter of making eye contact. Making eye contact is believed to be a sign of listening, honesty and respect. Because some people still believe salespeople are dishonest, it is important to be perceived as honest and that is what eye contact suggests. This is an example of non-verbal communication. Customers will read meaning into the way you stand, look at them or greet them.

The other area valued in the Canadian workplace is time. In workplaces, punctuality has great value. For example, meetings are scheduled with times for start and finish clearly established. Customers also value their time. That means that transactions should be completed in a timely manner. For example, if you are working face-to-face with a client and a friend calls to chat, what do you do? One of the most common complaints heard about customer service in stores is being ignored.

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4.1. Vocabulary matching.

Match the phrase or word to the meaning.

1.___ workplace culture

2.___ arm's length

3.___ non-verbal communication

4.___ unwritten

5.___ eye contact

6.___ punctuality

7.___ dishonest

8.___ calls to chat

a)communication using hand gestures, facial expressions

b)looking at someone directly in the eyes

c)phones to talk; casual conversations on the phone

d)not to be trusted

e)a distance between two people who are not family members or friends

f)being on time

g)not expressed in writing

h)what makes a company unique; rules, policies, uniforms, etc.

4.2. Matching.

In a workplace, how do people greet each other? Match each type of greeting with a situation. There may be more than one possibility.

1.____ greeting a customer for the first time

2.____ greeting a client you have worked with for years

3.____ meeting a new co-worker

4.____ greeting a close relative

5.____ greeting someone you see every day

6.____ a social acquaintance

7.____ your best friend

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a)words only

b)a kiss (or two)

c)a hug

d)a handshake

e)a slap on the back

f)an air kiss

g)a smile

5. Read the text.

TEAM MEETINGS

These can also be called sales meetings or office meeting or staff meetings. Meetings are scheduled for a reason, and people have roles to play. There is a chair, a funny word that refers to the person who is running the meeting. There is sometimes a timekeeper who keeps things moving along. There is a recorder, who takes notes of what happens. Everyone is a team member, expected to contribute to the process.

Teams meet to:

• to find ways to continuously improve performance

•to find ways to solve problems

•to motivate and involve everyone A team has:

•a common goal

•a need for each member

•awareness that they are a team

•a shared way of doing business

•to work together part of the time

•the ability to accomplish more together than members alone As members of a team, we need to:

•learn to speak up in groups

•take responsibility for our personal actions

•learn to give our opinion

•say no

•receive and respond to criticism

•make requests

•negotiate for something we want

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5.1. Reading between the lines.

Using the information from the reading, decide whether or not you believe teams are a valuable addition to the work place. Organize the pros or the cons (the reasons for or against) and write a paragraph stating your opinion.

5.2. Speaking up.

Read one of the following case studies. Appoint a chair, recorder and timekeeper. There should be at least five or seven in your group. You are the team brought together to resolve the issue. Decide on a presenter who will describe the process you followed in your meeting, what the problem was and what you as a team decided to do. Don’t forget to use polite forms of interruption such as; excuse me or I’d like to add….

Case Study 1

Jim’s dealership is in financial trouble. The owner has called a team meeting to ask the team for creative and/or financial solutions for a short-term problem. Interest rates have gone up and until they go down or people are comfortable with the new rate, the number of sales continues to decrease.

Case Study 2

A large department store chain has an earned reputation for poor customer service. Management has pulled together a work team of supervisors and front line sales staff. They have a day of paid time to generate strategies for better customer service.

Case Study 3

A smallish real estate company has noticed that their competitors in their geographical location have increased their market share since they have gone on-line. There is very little money left in the marketing and advertising budget. The team is asked to come up with some creative ideas about getting the word out about their company. They are also asked if there is a cheaper way of getting on-line themselves.

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6. Read the text.

WHAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE?

Customer service is any contact between a potential customer and an employee. With goodcustomer service, the contact results in a positive experience. Customers want good customer service or, better still, excellent service. They want an employee to listen to them politely with full attention. They want a quick response, but a thoughtful one. They do not want to be ignored or made to wait while the employee is speaking on the telephone. They want to be helped to reach their goal: buying a new car, dinner, medical treatment, getting off the bus at the right stop or buying an ice cream cone. As you can see by these examples, customer service is part of all business and service delivery. For sales professionals, every action they make impacts on the experience of the customer!

Customer service tips

What to do and not to do when dealing with clients

Do

•practise good listening skills

•make a positive connection

•be honest and helpful

•always follow through on your promises

•keep calm at all times

•be courteous and polite

•make customers feel important

•keep your conversations professional

Don’t

•be overly friendly or familiar

•talk about their or your personal issues

•gossip

•use inappropriate language

•attack when being attacked

•make promises you can’t fulfil

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6.1. Reading comprehension.

Use each of the following words in a sentence. You can use a dictionary if you wish. Remember to use the correct form of the verb.

1.He always talks about other people! He always

_______________________________.

2.He always talks about work! He always

_____________________________________.

3.She is very condescending. She

_________________________________ to other people all the time.

4.She talks too much! She

__________________________________________________.

5.Starting projects is easy, _______________________________is the hard part!

6.We always have a short and friendly conversation. We always

____________________.

7.You should ___________________ this letter with a phone call to get more information.

Model language and keywords for discussing and describing products and services:

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**Help and provide are two good words to rely on when you are describing products and services.

7. Practice the following dialogues with a partner. Change roles and ask and answer the questions.

Dialogue 1

A:What does your company do?

B:We manufacture and sell fire prevention and fire control equipment.

A:What do your products do?

B:They help prevent fires and help suppress fires once they have started.

Dialogue 2

A:What does your company do?

B:We provide security services to large businesses and hotels.

A:What kind of services to you provide?

B:We provide security guards, CCTV and 24-hour monitoring.

8. Describing Products and Services Activity.

Activity 1. Work with a partner asking and answering questions about the products in the table below.

Company: Translations R Us

Product: Electronic Translation Dictionary

What it does: Translates 45 languages into English,

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Chinese, Japanese and Spanish

Company: Colorado Hot Air, Inc.

Product: Hot Air Balloons

What it does: Takes people on flights up to 10,000 feet (about 3100 meters).

9. Product Pitch Presentations.

Directions:

Your task is to work collaboratively to create a product pitch. For this assignment, each team will invent their own product and choose a company to present the product pitch to.

Example:Team X has developed a solar-powered air-conditioner called the “Suncool,” which they will pitch to Best Buy.Team Y has invented an action figure toy that can go from slim to muscular, based on how much you move his arms.The doll is called “Body Builder Ben” and the team will pitch it to Toys R Us.

The following is a list of requirements and terms for assessment.

·Target audience and age range.

·Product name, function, price, description.

·A visual representation (can be drawings).

·Product claims.

·Target company and why the product would be an asset.

·How the product is necessary/unique.

·Magazine ad mock-up.

·In-class presentation (5-7 minutes).

Each team member will participate in creating this product and delivering the pitch in class.

Product Pitch Development Sheet

1. What is your product? Name? Function? Price? Description?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________

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2.Who is your target audience? What is its age range?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________

3.What is your target company? Why would your product be an asset to that company?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________

4.Why is your product necessary and unique?

___________________________________________________

PRESENTATIONS

You must have confidence to present information both verbally and formally to your classmates and teachers, to a wider audience. Most presentations at international conferences are informative, not instructional or persuasive.

An effective presentation should be organized logically with an introduction, main body and conclusion.

Introduction

Apart from greetings, introducing your name, position and the subject / title of your presentation, the introduction must be designed to gain the attention of the audience by giving the purpose and the main ideas of the presentation, the sources of data and the means by which the data was obtained. An invitation to questions should also be mentioned. This can last only a minute or two, but remember it will be the first impression you will make on your audience.

Useful phrases

Greetings: Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Position: I´m a student of … at the Faculty of… at MU in Brno.

Subject: I´d like to talk about… I´m going to inform you about… /to present my research…

The subject/topic of my presentation/talk is …

Purpose: The purpose of this talk is to update you on…/put you in the picture of…

give you the background to …

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