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

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1 Warm up

What are the companies that the below logos 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. behaviour 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. behaviour 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

recognise 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 an 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 to boost profits.
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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
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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
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lay out the that you want all of your sales people to follow, providing clear rules for
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their when approaching and dealing with customers. The primary focus must be the
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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 skilfully 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
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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 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 behaviour.

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 skilful 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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