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BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

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1 Warm up

What are the companies that the logos below belong to?

Apple McDonald’s Nike Ralph Lauren Polo Shell Twitter

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Now in pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Which companies or brands have you had a good experience with? What did they do that made
buying from them a positive experience?
2. Have you had any poor experiences with buying a product or service from a business? What
happened? Would you use them again?

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2 Reading comprehension

Part A: You are going to read the text about sales ethics. Firstly, read the extracts from Part 1 of the
text and number them in the correct order from 1 – 9. Listen to the recording to check your answers.

Sales and lying - Part 1

not something that everyone is comfortable doing and secondly, a task that isn’t easy.

or look through the customer reviews on websites such as Trustpilot to find examples of sales
people who, according to the reviewer, have lied in some form.
a sale is at the heart of all financial transactions.

This is, in part, down to the suspicion with which sales people are treated. You need only see
films such as The Wolf Of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the criminal salesman,
Jordan Belfort,
business selling a product or a service; a consultant selling their knowledge; a storage company
selling space; or a teenage babysitter selling their time
1 Everybody is selling something. Whether you’re a

to the serous corruption seen by Mr. Belfort resulting in lives ruined and serious losses for his
thousands of victims.
Selling products and services is certainly a skill that not everyone has. To convince someone to
part with their money to buy something from you is firstly,
Of course, lies can range in levels of severity, from a salesman embellishing the benefits of a
health product he’s selling,

Part B: Now find vocabulary in Part 1 which means the same as the following

1. a person who gives advice to businesses about an area they have a lot of
knowledge about (n)
2. a space where items that aren’t needed can be kept until they are (n)

3. a process of one person giving money to another for products or services (n)

4. a feeling that someone is not being honest or is doing something wrong even
though there is no proof (n)
5. the state of a situation being very serious (n)

6. add facts or details to a story or statement to make it more interesting or

attractive even if they are not true (v)
7. behavior that uses a relationship with people who have confidence in you to
gain money in an illegal and dishonest way (n)

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Complete the questions with the vocabulary you have found.

1. Have you ever used a to help you or your business? What was it for?

2. Have you ever the truth for any reason? Why?

3. What do you do if you have a that someone is lying to you?

4. How do you normally make in your every day life? Which method do you prefer?
Why?

5. Have you ever needed to put your belongings in ? What was the reason?

6. Has anyone famous in your country been found guilty of ? What happened?

Now answer the questions.

3 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the vocabulary to the definitions.

1. motivation (n) a. behavior that involves lying or pretending to be something you

are not
2. dishonesty (n) b. a belief that someone is not lying to you

3. trust (n) c. acting in a way that gives high importance to treating people,
animals and the environment in a positive way
4. standard (n) d. the opinion that people hold about a person or company based
on what they did in the past
5. conduct (n) e. the way in which you see yourself including how important you
think you are
6. ego (n) f. the way in which someone behaves

7. reputation (n) g. the reason for doing a particular task or job

8. ethical (adj.) h. a particular level of quality, that is usually high, in products or

services

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Part B: Complete the following sentences with a different part of speech or form from the same word
family as the Part A word in brackets.

1. I saw her presentation at the conference and thought it was incredibly . It really
made me want to do the best I can do. (motivation)

2. Senior management found that he had been acting really with the customers and
fired him. (dishonest)

3. Sean is a great guy. I’ve worked with him for years and customers love him because he’s so
. (trust)

4. We’re trying to all of our systems so that it’s easier for everyone to use them.
(standard)

5. I hear that she was drinking while in this office so she got fired for . (conduct)

6. No one likes working with him because he’s so and has no interest in listening to
anyone else’s ideas. (ego)

7. The speaker who is visiting on Friday is a CEO of international . I think you’ll

recognize him when he arrives. (reputation)

8. I know making money is important, but so is acting . We need to be able to look

at ourselves in the mirror. (ethical)

Now quickly read through Part 2 of the text and complete the gaps with vocabulary from Part A.

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Sales and lying - Part 2

1
Part of the issue with sales is the behind them often lies with a personal benefit
to the sales person. A server in a restaurant knows that a friendly smile and some kind words to the
customer is likely to lead to a good tip. A car salesman or a real estate agent are often paid based on
commission. In many ways, it makes good business sense for a company to link the number of sales
an employee makes to their paycheck, as it gives clear encouragement to work hard at what they do
2
to boost profits. But it also opens the door for .

For sales people motivated by personal profit, there’s always going to be the temptation to say what
they think the customer wants to hear. Good sales people are experts at building relationships, but
3
at the heart of this is . If a customer finds that their purchase isn’t as good as they
hoped, or doesn’t do what was promised, then this has serious consequences for not just the trust in
the sales person, but the company as a whole. With the level in competition in business, it’s unlikely
that someone who has had a bad experience will choose to do business with you again. Research has
also found that people will tell an average of 11 people about a positive experience they’ve had, but
15 about a negative one. It won’t take long for the wrong sales person to seriously hurt your brand
and your image.

For business owners, the key is to take the time to hire the right people for your sales team. It’s vital to
4
lay out the that you want all of your sales people to follow, providing clear rules for
5
their when approaching and dealing with customers. The primary focus must be the
6
need to serve. For this you need sales people who remove their from the situation and
show the ability to put the needs of others first. It’s worth taking the time to observe how they talk
about themselves, how they treat others and how helpful they are towards, not just the client, but also
their colleagues. They must also be able to deal with problems effectively and put right any mistakes
that have been made. Problems with sales and customer feedback can be turned to an advantage if
dealt with skillfully by a sales person wishing to listen to and understand the customers needs.

7
The your company builds is going to be a more significant driver of sales to a greater
extent than making a few quick extra sales that result in lost custom. Knowing that your sales team
8
behave in an manner will be what keeps customers returning and will attract more
sales over a period the long-term.

Sources: Pipedrive, Snov.io

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4 Reading comprehension

Complete the following sentences with one, two or three words from Sales and lying- Part 2 on page
five.

1. Whether it’s tips for a server in a restaurant or a percentage of sales paid to real estate agents,
sales are regularly .

2. This is a good way to as it gives your sales people personal motivation to sell as
much as possible, but it can also encourage dishonest behavior.

3. It’s always going to be a large for sales people to say whatever they need to in
order to close the deal, but it’s vital for your customers to see them as trustworthy.

4. Studies show that customers will tell around 15 people about , but only 11 if they
were happy.

5. Sales people who lie do a lot of damage to your company’s image and potentially .

6. Good sales people must have a , thinking about the customer’s needs before their
own paycheck.

7. Responding to feedback well is also important, especially when it’s negative. A skillful sales person
can create from a negative situation as well as a loyal customer.

8. Ultimately, the main is going to be sales people who act ethically and create
long-term relationships with their customers.

5 Talking point

Part A: In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What is your main motivation in your job?

2. Which companies do you know that have a good reputation in your opinion? Why do you think
that is?
3. Do you think your company is ethical? Why/why not?
4. Who do you work with that you trust? Why is this?
5. Have you met anyone who you thought was egotistical? What did they do?
6. Does your company have any rules for the conduct of salespeople or other employees? What are
they?

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Part B: Roleplay. Your teacher will give you a card. Use the card to have a conversation with your
partner.

Student A

Think about the products or services your company sells. Tell your partner three things about
your product or service, but make one of them a lie. See if your partner can guess which one
is a lie.

Student B

Think about the products or services your company sells. Tell your partner three things about
your product or service, but make one of them a lie. See if your partner can guess which one
is a lie.

6 Extended activity/Homework

Imagine you have your own company. Write a list of rules for your sales people to follow when dealing
with customers to encourage them to behave ethically. Consider the following questions:

• How will you motivate them to sell?

• How will you encourage them to put the needs of the customer first?
• What should they do if there’s a problem with a customer?

You should:

• Write at least 100 words

• Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation

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Transcripts

2. Reading comprehension

Narrator: Everybody is selling something. Whether you’re a business selling a product or a service;
a consultant selling their knowledge; a storage company selling space; or a teenage
babysitter selling their time a sale is at the heart of all financial transactions. Selling
products and services is certainly a skill that not everyone has. To convince someone to
part with their money to buy something from you is firstly, not something that everyone
is comfortable doing and secondly, a task that isn’t easy.

Narrator: This is, in part, down to the suspicion with which sales people are treated. You need only
see films such as The Wolf Of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the criminal
salesman, Jordan Belfort, or look through the customer reviews on websites such as
Trustpilot to find examples of sales people who, according to the reviewer, have lied in
some form. Of course, lies can range in levels of severity, from a salesman embellishing
the benefits of a health product he’s selling, to the serous corruption seen by Mr. Belfort
resulting in lives ruined and serious losses for his thousands of victims.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Ask the students to see if they can name the brands/companies based on their logos. Then ask students to think
about the topic from the point of view of being a customer. You may want to discuss these questions as a class
to bring together different experiences.

1. Apple 2. McDonald’s 3. Twitter

4. Nike 5. Shell 6. Ralph Lauren Polo

2. Reading comprehension

20 mins.
Part A
This introduces students to the article and asks them to use their reading skills to put it together. Higher-
level vocabulary is highlighted and questions focus on encouraging discussion and usage. Play the recording for
students so they can listen and check their answers.
You may want to extend this section by finding a clip of The Wolf of Wall Street showing the behavior of the sales
people in it for discussion. However, be warned that the film is only for adults and contains a lot of profanity and
will not be suitable for younger students and students in some cultures.

Everybody is selling something. Whether you’re a

business selling a product or a service; a consultant selling their knowledge; a storage company selling space; or
a teenage babysitter selling their time
a sale is at the heart of all financial transactions.
Selling products and services is certainly a skill that not everyone has. To convince someone to part with their
money to buy something from you is firstly,
not something that everyone is comfortable doing and secondly, a task that isn’t easy.
This is, in part, down to the suspicion with which sales people are treated. You need only see films such as The
Wolf Of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the criminal salesman, Jordan Belfort,
or look through the customer reviews on websites such as Trustpilot to find examples of sales people who,
according to the reviewer, have lied in some form.
Of course, lies can range in levels of severity, from a salesman embellishing the benefits of a health product he’s
selling,
to the serous corruption seen by Mr. Belfort resulting in lives ruined and serious losses for his thousands of victims.

Part B

1. consultant
2. storage
3. transaction
4. suspicion
5. severity
6. embellish
7. corruption

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Questions:

1. consultant 2. embellished 3. suspicion

4. transactions 5. storage 6. corruption

3. Focus on vocabulary

Part A
5 mins.
This introduces key vocabulary for the second part of the article. Be sure that students can correctly pronounce
the target words. Ask them to complete the task unaided in the first instance, but allow them to use a dictionary
later if needed.

1. → g. 2. → a. 3. → b. 4. → h. 5. → f. 6. → e. 7. → d. 8. → c.
Part B
10 mins.
This section encourages students to expand their vocabulary by finding words from the same word family as the
target words and use them in context. They are likely to need a dictionary for this as many of the words are above
level. When they have finished, ask them to put the Part A words into the correct gaps in Part 2 of the article. This
will give them an opportunity to get an idea of the content ahead of doing the comprehension. You may want to
set a time limit for this to encourage skimming.

1. motivational (adj.) 2. dishonestly (adv.) 3. trustworthy (adj.) 4. standardize (v)

5. misconduct (adj.) 6. egotistical (adj.) 7. repute (n) 8. ethically (adv.)

Answers to the text:

1. motivation 2. dishonesty 3. trust 4. standards

5. conduct 6. ego 7. reputation 8. ethical
Sources:
www.pipedrive.com/en/blog/sales-ethics
snov.io/glossary/sales-ethics/

4. Reading comprehension

10 mins.
Ask students to read more carefully and complete the sentences with one, two or three consecutive words from
the article.

1. based on commission 2. boost profits

3. temptation 4. a bad experience
5. hurt your brand 6. need to serve
7. an advantage 8. driver of sales

5. Talking point

10 mins.
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and help as needed.

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For the roleplay, give each student in a pair a card and get them to give a little talk about their company’s products
or services containing one lie. Encourage the students to be as convincing as possible about their products or
services.

6. Extended activity/Homework

20 mins+
You may want students to do this in pairs in the class to encourage discussion or you may want them to prepare
their rules at home in order to discuss it in class. Be sure to give them feedback on their work.

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