a-f 108 business dialogues
DESCRIPTION
Business DialoguessTRANSCRIPT
ANGLO-PEDIA Anglo-File 108: BUSINESS DIALOGUES
1. Getting introduced / Greeting people
2. Welcoming visitors 3. Starting a meeting 4. Making a presentation 5. Negotiating 6. Concluding a meeting
7. Inviting 8. Eating out 9. Telephoning
First, listen to each dialogue. Then, listen and repeat the dialogue.
Dialogue 1. Getting introduced & greeting people
F: Good morning. I don’t think we’ve met before. Let me introduce myself. I’m Fiona Dale. I’m the Purchasing Manager at C.E.M. P: Nice to meet you, Ms Dale. My name’s Peter Hudson. I’m the Sales Representative for Cement-Plus. F: Pleased to meet you, Mr Hudson.
P: Oh, please call me Peter. F: And you can call me Fiona. Oh, here comes my colleague, Ms Reed. I think you’ve already met her. P: Yes, I have. We met yesterday. It’s nice to see you again, Ms Reed. K: And you, Mr Hudson. How are you?
P: I’m very well, thank you, and you? K: I’m fine, thanks. F: Katie, have you booked the meeting room for us? K: Yes I have. It is reserved for you until 2:00 p.m. F: That’s great, thank you, Katie.
K: You’re welcome. I’ll be in my office if you need anything else. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mr Hudson. I hope to see you again soon. P: Likewise, Ms Reed.
Dialogue 2. Welcoming visitors
F: If you’d like to follow me, Peter, the meeting room is this way. When did you arrive from Manchester? P: Yesterday evening. Ms Reed was very kind to pick me up at the airport and
drive me to my hotel. F: How did you get here this morning? P: I walked. F: Did you have any trouble finding the way? P: No, Ms Reed’s directions were very clear.
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F: I’m sure we will. We’re very happy that you could come to London for this meeting, Peter. We’re quite interested in the products that Cement-Plus offers.
P: I’m happy to be here, Fiona. F: Here we are, this is the meeting room. Please take a seat. P: Thanks F: Before we start, would you like something to drink? There’s tea, coffee, water and fruit juice.
P: I’d love a cup of coffee please, black, no sugar. F: Here you are. P: Thanks. F: You’re welcome.
Dialogue 3. Starting a meeting
F: Right, let’s get started. First of all, I think it would be a good idea if I gave you a brief description of our company and our needs. You could then tell me about Cement-Plus and how you could meet our needs. We could finish by discussing possible pricing and time frames. How does that sound to you?
P: That sounds fine. I wouldn’t mind visiting one of your sites if we could fit it into the schedule. I think it will help me to understand your needs better. F: Certainly. I’ll show you around our nearest site after lunch. Well, let me start by telling you a little about C.E.M.
Dialogue 4. Making a presentation
F: C.E.M Construction was established in 1985. We specialise in the construction of large scale industrial and public buildings. Although we are a relatively new company, we are now the fifth largest construction company in the UK, with a
turnover of around 100 million pounds. Until now we have focused our business in the south of England. However, we are currently setting up projects in the north of England and in Northern Ireland. So that gives a general picture of C.E.M. Do you have any questions so far? P: No, that’s very clear. F: Great. Moving on then to the subject in hand. We are looking for a cement
supplier based in the north of England to supply our sites there and in Northern Ireland. P: Well, I am fairly confident we can meet your needs. As you are probably aware, we already supply to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This means that we are already have the necessary logistics in place.
F: Yes, that will indeed be of benefit to us. P: And as you know, we are also ISO certified, and fully comply with European standards. F: Yes, that’s very important to us, too. P: There is another point I’d like to bring up: We’ve recently signed a deal with a
Dialogue 5. Negotiating
F: Right. Well, then, shall we now talk a little about pricing? P: Yes. May I just ask you a few questions about your purchasing requirements?
F: Of course. Go ahead. P: Well, how much cement are you looking to order annually? F: Initially it will be about 4000 tons. However, we expect our business in the north to double in size over the next five years. P: Well, in that case, we would certainly be interested in doing business with you. F: So, how much would 4000 tons cost us?
P: Well, at the current rate of £15 per ton, it would come to £60,000. F: That seems a little high. Would you consider £10 per ton? P: I’m afraid that would leave us with no margin at all. However, we could drop the price to £13 per ton. This is provided that you could guarantee us minimum orders of 5,000 tons a year for the next three years.
F: How about £12 per ton with the guarantee? P: If you raise that to twelve and a half pounds, I think we will have a deal. F: You drive a hard bargain, Peter. However, I think I will be able to get my boss to agree to £12.50 per ton. There will be one condition, though. P: What’s that?
F: If you manage to cut your transport costs, you will pass the savings on to us. P: That shouldn’t pose a problem. I can go along with that.
Dialogue 6. Concluding a meeting
F: To sum up then, we will guarantee to place a minimum of 5,000 tons of cement per year for the next three years. You will charge us £12.50 per ton. In the meantime, if you manage to reduce your transport costs, you will reduce our
price accordingly. Do we agree on this? P: Yes, that’s what we’ve agreed. F: Excellent. Could you put this offer in writing and send it to me, please. I have to present it to the CEO for his approval. P: Certainly. I’ll do that as soon as I get back to my desk tomorrow. F: All that remains is for me to come and visit your factory in Manchester. When
would be a suitable date for you? P: I’ll be away again at the end of this week. Any day next week would suit me fine. F: Let me check my diary … How about next Thursday? P: Yes, next Thursday would be perfect. I can meet you at the airport and take
Dialogue 7. Inviting
F: Well, it is almost lunch time. Would you like to join me for lunch? P: Yes, I’d love to.
F: What type of food do you fancy? P: I wouldn’t mind having Japanese food. I hear there are very good Japanese restaurants in London. F: That’s absolutely right. Actually, there is a very nice one just up the road. I suggest we go there. P: Marvellous. May I just use the bathroom before we go?
F: Of course. It’s at the end of the corridor, on the left. P: Thanks.
Dialogue 8. Eating out
F: Here’s the menu. Would you like a starter? P: Yes, I think I’ll have the miso soup: Are you having a starter?
F: Yes, I’ll have the same. It is one of my favourites. P: For the main course, shall we order several small dishes and share? F: Yes, that’s a good idea. Actually, there are several items on the menu that give you that option. Here, number 59 for example. P: Let me see. Ah, yes, perfect. Shall we go for that? F: Yes, definitely. What would you like to drink?
P: I’ll just have some mineral water please. F: Would you prefer sparkling water or still water? P: I don’t mind. What are you having to drink? F: I generally prefer sparkling water. P: That’s fine. Let’s order a large bottle of sparkling water.
…….
P: That was a lovely meal. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
F: So did I. I particularly liked the tempura. Well, we should get going. I am going to show you around our nearest construct ion site now. It is about 15 minutes by car. Do you have enough time? P: Yes, my flight leaves at 8:30 p.m. If you could drop me off at my hotel at about 6, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the airport.
Dialogue 9. Telephoning
F: May I speak to Mr Peter Hudson, please? A. Who’s calling please?
F: This is Fiona Dale from C.E.M Construction in London. A. Hold on please. I’ll put you through. … Hello, Ms Dale. I’m sorry but Mr Hudson’s line is busy. Will you hold the line or would you like to leave a message? F: I’ll wait. A. Ms Dale. Mr Hudson’s line is free now. I’ll connect you.
F: Thank you. … P: Good morning. Peter Hudson. How may I help you? F: Hello, Peter. This is Fiona from C.E.M. P: Hello, Fiona. How are you?
F: I am very well, thanks. I’m calling about our meeting, Peter. I am afraid I won’t be able to make it in two-weeks’ time. The CEO has just scheduled a meeting on that Thursday, and I’ll have to be there. Could we possibly postpone it to the next day? P: Hold on, Fiona. Let me check my diary. … I am attending a meeting on that
Friday morning. However, I think I can reschedule it. Yes, I think I’ll be able to manage Friday. That’s Friday the 16th, right? F: Yes, that’s it. Thanks very much Peter. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience. P: That’s quite all right. Will you be arriving at the same time? F: Yes, I think so. I’ll ask my assistant to book the same flight. If there’s a
change, I’ll let you know. P: I’ll be out of the office the rest of his week. However, I’ll have access to my e- mails. You can confirm your arrival time by e-mail. By the way, did you get my e-mail with our written offer? F: Yes, I did. Thank you, Peter. I am going to show it to my boss tomorrow. I’m quite sure he’ll be happy with your terms.
P: I hope so. I’ve got to be going now. I look forward to seeing you on the 16th. F: Likewise. I’ll confirm my arrival time by e-mail. Have a nice day. P: You too, Fiona. Good-bye. F: Bye.
© 2008, Anglo-Link Language Community
1. Getting introduced / Greeting people
2. Welcoming visitors 3. Starting a meeting 4. Making a presentation 5. Negotiating 6. Concluding a meeting
7. Inviting 8. Eating out 9. Telephoning
First, listen to each dialogue. Then, listen and repeat the dialogue.
Dialogue 1. Getting introduced & greeting people
F: Good morning. I don’t think we’ve met before. Let me introduce myself. I’m Fiona Dale. I’m the Purchasing Manager at C.E.M. P: Nice to meet you, Ms Dale. My name’s Peter Hudson. I’m the Sales Representative for Cement-Plus. F: Pleased to meet you, Mr Hudson.
P: Oh, please call me Peter. F: And you can call me Fiona. Oh, here comes my colleague, Ms Reed. I think you’ve already met her. P: Yes, I have. We met yesterday. It’s nice to see you again, Ms Reed. K: And you, Mr Hudson. How are you?
P: I’m very well, thank you, and you? K: I’m fine, thanks. F: Katie, have you booked the meeting room for us? K: Yes I have. It is reserved for you until 2:00 p.m. F: That’s great, thank you, Katie.
K: You’re welcome. I’ll be in my office if you need anything else. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mr Hudson. I hope to see you again soon. P: Likewise, Ms Reed.
Dialogue 2. Welcoming visitors
F: If you’d like to follow me, Peter, the meeting room is this way. When did you arrive from Manchester? P: Yesterday evening. Ms Reed was very kind to pick me up at the airport and
drive me to my hotel. F: How did you get here this morning? P: I walked. F: Did you have any trouble finding the way? P: No, Ms Reed’s directions were very clear.
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F: I’m sure we will. We’re very happy that you could come to London for this meeting, Peter. We’re quite interested in the products that Cement-Plus offers.
P: I’m happy to be here, Fiona. F: Here we are, this is the meeting room. Please take a seat. P: Thanks F: Before we start, would you like something to drink? There’s tea, coffee, water and fruit juice.
P: I’d love a cup of coffee please, black, no sugar. F: Here you are. P: Thanks. F: You’re welcome.
Dialogue 3. Starting a meeting
F: Right, let’s get started. First of all, I think it would be a good idea if I gave you a brief description of our company and our needs. You could then tell me about Cement-Plus and how you could meet our needs. We could finish by discussing possible pricing and time frames. How does that sound to you?
P: That sounds fine. I wouldn’t mind visiting one of your sites if we could fit it into the schedule. I think it will help me to understand your needs better. F: Certainly. I’ll show you around our nearest site after lunch. Well, let me start by telling you a little about C.E.M.
Dialogue 4. Making a presentation
F: C.E.M Construction was established in 1985. We specialise in the construction of large scale industrial and public buildings. Although we are a relatively new company, we are now the fifth largest construction company in the UK, with a
turnover of around 100 million pounds. Until now we have focused our business in the south of England. However, we are currently setting up projects in the north of England and in Northern Ireland. So that gives a general picture of C.E.M. Do you have any questions so far? P: No, that’s very clear. F: Great. Moving on then to the subject in hand. We are looking for a cement
supplier based in the north of England to supply our sites there and in Northern Ireland. P: Well, I am fairly confident we can meet your needs. As you are probably aware, we already supply to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This means that we are already have the necessary logistics in place.
F: Yes, that will indeed be of benefit to us. P: And as you know, we are also ISO certified, and fully comply with European standards. F: Yes, that’s very important to us, too. P: There is another point I’d like to bring up: We’ve recently signed a deal with a
Dialogue 5. Negotiating
F: Right. Well, then, shall we now talk a little about pricing? P: Yes. May I just ask you a few questions about your purchasing requirements?
F: Of course. Go ahead. P: Well, how much cement are you looking to order annually? F: Initially it will be about 4000 tons. However, we expect our business in the north to double in size over the next five years. P: Well, in that case, we would certainly be interested in doing business with you. F: So, how much would 4000 tons cost us?
P: Well, at the current rate of £15 per ton, it would come to £60,000. F: That seems a little high. Would you consider £10 per ton? P: I’m afraid that would leave us with no margin at all. However, we could drop the price to £13 per ton. This is provided that you could guarantee us minimum orders of 5,000 tons a year for the next three years.
F: How about £12 per ton with the guarantee? P: If you raise that to twelve and a half pounds, I think we will have a deal. F: You drive a hard bargain, Peter. However, I think I will be able to get my boss to agree to £12.50 per ton. There will be one condition, though. P: What’s that?
F: If you manage to cut your transport costs, you will pass the savings on to us. P: That shouldn’t pose a problem. I can go along with that.
Dialogue 6. Concluding a meeting
F: To sum up then, we will guarantee to place a minimum of 5,000 tons of cement per year for the next three years. You will charge us £12.50 per ton. In the meantime, if you manage to reduce your transport costs, you will reduce our
price accordingly. Do we agree on this? P: Yes, that’s what we’ve agreed. F: Excellent. Could you put this offer in writing and send it to me, please. I have to present it to the CEO for his approval. P: Certainly. I’ll do that as soon as I get back to my desk tomorrow. F: All that remains is for me to come and visit your factory in Manchester. When
would be a suitable date for you? P: I’ll be away again at the end of this week. Any day next week would suit me fine. F: Let me check my diary … How about next Thursday? P: Yes, next Thursday would be perfect. I can meet you at the airport and take
Dialogue 7. Inviting
F: Well, it is almost lunch time. Would you like to join me for lunch? P: Yes, I’d love to.
F: What type of food do you fancy? P: I wouldn’t mind having Japanese food. I hear there are very good Japanese restaurants in London. F: That’s absolutely right. Actually, there is a very nice one just up the road. I suggest we go there. P: Marvellous. May I just use the bathroom before we go?
F: Of course. It’s at the end of the corridor, on the left. P: Thanks.
Dialogue 8. Eating out
F: Here’s the menu. Would you like a starter? P: Yes, I think I’ll have the miso soup: Are you having a starter?
F: Yes, I’ll have the same. It is one of my favourites. P: For the main course, shall we order several small dishes and share? F: Yes, that’s a good idea. Actually, there are several items on the menu that give you that option. Here, number 59 for example. P: Let me see. Ah, yes, perfect. Shall we go for that? F: Yes, definitely. What would you like to drink?
P: I’ll just have some mineral water please. F: Would you prefer sparkling water or still water? P: I don’t mind. What are you having to drink? F: I generally prefer sparkling water. P: That’s fine. Let’s order a large bottle of sparkling water.
…….
P: That was a lovely meal. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
F: So did I. I particularly liked the tempura. Well, we should get going. I am going to show you around our nearest construct ion site now. It is about 15 minutes by car. Do you have enough time? P: Yes, my flight leaves at 8:30 p.m. If you could drop me off at my hotel at about 6, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the airport.
Dialogue 9. Telephoning
F: May I speak to Mr Peter Hudson, please? A. Who’s calling please?
F: This is Fiona Dale from C.E.M Construction in London. A. Hold on please. I’ll put you through. … Hello, Ms Dale. I’m sorry but Mr Hudson’s line is busy. Will you hold the line or would you like to leave a message? F: I’ll wait. A. Ms Dale. Mr Hudson’s line is free now. I’ll connect you.
F: Thank you. … P: Good morning. Peter Hudson. How may I help you? F: Hello, Peter. This is Fiona from C.E.M. P: Hello, Fiona. How are you?
F: I am very well, thanks. I’m calling about our meeting, Peter. I am afraid I won’t be able to make it in two-weeks’ time. The CEO has just scheduled a meeting on that Thursday, and I’ll have to be there. Could we possibly postpone it to the next day? P: Hold on, Fiona. Let me check my diary. … I am attending a meeting on that
Friday morning. However, I think I can reschedule it. Yes, I think I’ll be able to manage Friday. That’s Friday the 16th, right? F: Yes, that’s it. Thanks very much Peter. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience. P: That’s quite all right. Will you be arriving at the same time? F: Yes, I think so. I’ll ask my assistant to book the same flight. If there’s a
change, I’ll let you know. P: I’ll be out of the office the rest of his week. However, I’ll have access to my e- mails. You can confirm your arrival time by e-mail. By the way, did you get my e-mail with our written offer? F: Yes, I did. Thank you, Peter. I am going to show it to my boss tomorrow. I’m quite sure he’ll be happy with your terms.
P: I hope so. I’ve got to be going now. I look forward to seeing you on the 16th. F: Likewise. I’ll confirm my arrival time by e-mail. Have a nice day. P: You too, Fiona. Good-bye. F: Bye.
© 2008, Anglo-Link Language Community