Everyday business dealings

Lesson 11

Making Appointments with Customers

1. DIALOGUE Ω disk 2-07

Listen to the dialogue and note the numbered expressions.

(scheduling an appointment with a client)

Employee: Mr. Grecnley, thank you for meeting me today. Shall we go ahead and schedule our next meeting now? ⁹⁹

Customer: Yes, of course. When did you have in mind? ¹⁰⁰

Employee: Actually, my schedule is quite open¹⁰¹...so whenever is most convenienl for you is fine with me... ¹⁰²

Customer: Let's see...how about next Friday, around noon?

Employee: That's fine. Would you like to meet over lunch? I know a very nice restaurant near your office... ¹⁰³

Customer: That's a splendid idea. What kind of food does the restaurant serve?

Employee: French. Is that OK? Customer: Oh, yes. I love French food.

Employee: So, that's noonish, ¹⁰⁴ next Friday. I'll stop by your office to pick you up.

Customer: I look forward to it. Is there anything that I need to do before our next meeting?

Employee: No. I'll bring all of the necessary papers and forms that we will be discussing. If you have any questions, or if you need to get hold of me, please don't hesitate to call. My number is on my business card.

Customer: Will do. ¹⁰⁵

Employee: See you next Friday. Have a nice day. Customer: You, too. Bye now.

⁹⁹ Often, when a further meeting is needed, it is best to immediately suggest the next meeting while both people are together and have their daily calendars handy. Once a time and date are decided, this will save time later on. As a courtesy, though, the employee may want to telephone or send a reminder by mail or e-mail a couple of days before the scheduled meeting.

¹⁰⁰ When did you have in mind? = What day and time were you thinking of? [e.g. A: We should visit Professor Kato. B: When did you have in mind?]

¹⁰¹ open = free [e.g. A: How about seeing a movie tonight? B: Sounds great. My evening is completely open.]

¹⁰² The employee wants to make sure that the customer has the benefit of choosing a day and time first. If the suggested day and time is impossible due to another engagement, then the employee can suggest another day and time to meet.

¹⁰³ The employee suggests a "lunch meeting" which is more casual and relaxing than meeting in an office. American businesspeople often will have meetings during lunch (and even breakfast).

¹⁰⁴ noonish = 11:45-12:15; adding "ish" to a specific time allows 15 minutes before and after the decided time; this allows people who are often late more flexibility for being on time (i.e. two-ish, six-ish, ten-ish, etc.). This is also added to ages when the exact age is unknown: "She is thirty-ish" (28-32 years of age) (i.e. twenty-ish, forty-ish, sixty-ish, etc.).

¹⁰⁵ Will do. = I will be sure to do that. Americans often shorten phrases to one or two words. In this case, the customer is allowed to speak more colloquially, but the employee should not say these types of phrases. It is more polite to speak in complete sentences in business-related situations.

2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions with short answers from the dialogue.

1. Who decided the next meeting's day and time?

2. What day and time did they decide to meet?

3. What type of food does the restaurant serve?

4. Where will they meet to go to the restaurant?

5. What will the employee bring to the meeting?

3. MATCHING

Match the best combination of sentences from Column A and B.

COLUMN A	COLUMN B
• How old is your boss? • What day is the meeting? • What time shall we meet?	- Oh, noonish I suppose.
- When is your schedule open?	• No, it's closed. • Anytime tomorrow. • My schedule is shut.
• How will you get there? • Will you call him tonight? • What will you do later?	- Will do.
- When did you have in mind?	• No, I don't mind... • How about next week... • Yes, I had that in mind...

4. MINI-DIALOGUES Ω disk 2-08

Listen and fill in the blanks and then role-play the dialogues with a partner.

A: ( ) we schedule a ( ) for next week? B: ( ). When is ( ) schedule open? A: Afternoons are usually ( ) for me. How about you? B: That's ( ) with me. When did you have in ( )? A: Wednesday...at, oh, "four-ish"? B: Four-ish on Wednesday it is. A: ( ) you then. Have a nice ( ). B: You, too. Bye ( ).

A: When is it ( ) for you to ( )? B: I’m usually ( ) in the mornings. A: ( ) particular day? B: Well, this week… Tuesday is ( ). A: ( ) is fine with me. ( ) time? B: The ( ) the better. Shall we have a ( ) meeting … at, let’s say, 7:30? A: Sure. Sounds good to me. B: ( ). See you on Tuesday at 7:30.

A: ( ), we are just ( ) tomorrow? Can we meet ( ) tomorrow? B: ( ) see...no, I have ( ) meeting scheduled… how about the day after tomorrow? A: That's fine ( ) me. What time did you ( ) in mind? B: Late ( ) would work well for me... . A: ( )? B: Yeah, around four is good. A: OK, see you the day after ( ) at around four

5. PAIRWORK-PRACTICE

Rearrange the sentences to make a conversation, then practice the conversation with a partner.

Conversation A

– Yes. Thursday is good for me, too. What time? – Yes, that's a good idea. When did you have in mind? – That's fine with me. See you on Thursday at around two. – In the afternoon...let's say...two-ish? – Ms. Kim, can we schedule a meeting to go over the data for the project? – Thursday is good for me. How about with you?

Conversation B

– May we schedule a meeting for next week to continue our discussion? – All right. When is most convenient for you? – Noonish? – Bye. See you then. – Any day is OK...how about Monday? – OK. See you next Monday around

6. READING. AMERICAN BUSINESS CULTURE

Business Appointments: Being on Time Ω disk 2-09

Doing business internationally means that you undoubtedly will be required to meet the person with whom you are negotiating. It is important during these face-to-face appointments that you take into consideration several important points in order to insure a successful s outcome.

First, always keep a scheduled appointment – no matter what. Canceling, or worse, failing to show up for an appointment is rude to the other person, it demonstrates a lack of professionalism and even carelessness on your part; it also conveys a feeling of being uninterested in what you and the other person were planning to discuss.

On the same note, being late (even if only a few minutes) is unacceptable. Lateness communicates a lack of respect for the other person's time. In America, there is a saying that goes "time is money." If you waste someone's time by being late, you are in essence wasting his/her money as well because he/she could have utilized that lost time in a more productive manner.

Second, in business, you are not the center of the universe – your client is. Another company is willing and ready to take the business of this client away from you if you can't perform your duties efficiently. Always be prepared and well-organized. This will impress the client and it shows you are a real professional.

Third, if an appointment cannot be kept and canceling it is unavoidable, then it should be done as far in advance as possible out of respect for the other person. If you are late to an appointment due to circumstances beyond your control, then it is necessary that you telephone the businessperson you are meeting with to explain the situation. It is proper protocol to then give the person a choice of continuing the meeting once you arrive (if it isn't too much later) and/or rescheduling the appointment at the other person's convenience.

Finally, dress professionally and neatly. First impressions are everything in business, and if you arrive with wrinkled clothes, scuffed up shoes, and a hairdo that looks like you just crawled out of bed, you will not be regarded as being capable of taking care of the business at hand. Try to look your best.

Answer the following questions using information found in the essay.

1. What does lateness communicate to the other person?

2. If you are late to an appointment, what should you do?

3. How should you dress for a business appointment?

UNIT 4