Mathesio s.r.o.

1) Business cards are usually exchanged:

at the initial introduction

during a break in the meeting while having tea, coffee and/or other refreshments

at the end of a meeting

2) When a business person accepts your business card, they usually:

put it away with a cursory glance

give it a glance and comment on the design of the card

study the card carefully and ask you about its details

1) In English, when one person talks, the listener should:

listen quietly without any response.

respond with words, sounds and gestures.

respond with gestures only.

1) When having a conversation with an English-speaking person:

avoid saying the other person's name.

say the other person's name only once or twice.

say the other person's name frequently.

2) When having a conversation with an English-speaking person:

it's usual to speak until the other person starts speaking.

it's usual to say a few sentences and then ask the other person a question.

it's usual not to start speaking until you're asked for it by the other person.

Business English etiquette tip:

Having small talk also differs from country to country. While in English-speaking countries it's essential part of each conversation and often it serves to fill the silent moments, in some other countries (such as Germany or Sweden) small talk is seen as waste of time. Again it's necessary to check the local customs before you go to a meeting in a particular country.

Look at the following topics and tick the ones that are taboo in any conversation with a stranger.

latest gadgets

religion

age

the economy

politics

art

Always start with the biggest strength of your company, which will arouse interest in your product(s). In Petra's case, it's the company history and family atmosphere of the company.
Refer to market research and data about your company. These include customer portfolio, overview of your competition, SWOT analysis, and future development analysis.
Talk about the potential of your product(s).
Introduce the product(s). Make the listener(s) really excited and arouse their interest in hearing more about your product. Petra might say, for example: "Would you like to see the baubles that decorate the Christmas tree in the White House? Here they are!"
Describe your product(s). Petra talks here about the material they use, how they design their products, and what plans they have for new range of products.
Close by summarizing all the competitive advantages of the product(s).
Open questions & answers session unless you allowed the listeners to ask you throughout the presentation.

Complete the following negotiating procedure with the words from the box.

1) create a good

4) explore each other's

5) enter the bargaining

8) reach a

9) call for a

12) discuss the

13) make the final

2) agree on basic

3) state your opening

6) make counter

7) bargain for

10) rethink your

11) return to the negotiating

14) work out the

15) crack open the

“In negotiations you can get what you want if you help the other party get what they want.” Don Herold

1) the form of cooperation:
Petra expected Mark to be her company's commercial agent, while Mark
preferred being a purchasing agent. Read and listen to their dialogue. Choose the
best response in each situation.

"Don't ever slam a door. You might want to go back in." Don Herold

Mark:

To be honest, Petra, I haven't count on that form of cooperation. What we usually do is that we purchase goods from a company and sell them with a margin.

Petra:

No, no, that form is very risky for us and I can't agree with that. Could you change your mind, please?

I'm afraid that it would be very unusual for our company to cooperate like that for several reasons. Could you please reconsider this?

I can't agree with that, unfortunately. Please think about my suggestion!

2) commission:
Mark finally agreed that his company will be a commercial agent for Petra's company
in the UK. What followed was a discussion about Mark's commission. Read and listen to their
dialogue.

Petra:

What sort of commission do have in mind, Mark?

Mark:

I was thinking of somewhere in the region of 25%.

Petra:

This is too much, I'm afraid. Give me another offer.

You must be joking, Mark. This is far too high. I can't give you more than 10%.

To be honest, that would be a little out of our range. Do you think you could go any lower?

3) the range of products Mark is going to sell on the UK market

Mark:

To be clear, Petra, I can see space on the UK market just for your Christmas baubles. I'm afraid the market is full for other home decoration products.

Petra:

With all respect, Mark, all our commercial agents abroad sell more than just one product of ours. If there's market for our products in the USA, why not in the UK?

Mark, no, you don't seem to understand. You just can't sell only one of our products.

Look, I just can't accept that. You will sell more of our products or nothing.

Klikem vyber správné odpovědi

1) Business cards are usually exchanged:

2) When a business person accepts your business card, they usually:

Klikem vyber správné odpovědi

1) In English, when one person talks, the listener should:

Klikem vyber správné odpovědi

1) When having a conversation with an English-speaking person:

2) When having a conversation with an English-speaking person:

Klikem vyber správné odpovědi

1) In English-speaking environment, business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction and very often people don't study them very carefully.

2) Small talk is used only at the beginning of informal encounters.

3) When somebody talks to you in English, you should remain silent.

4) The best way how to start presenting your products it's to use figures, analysis, etc.

5) At the beginning of the meeting, it's advisable to name the chairperson and to set the agenda.

6) When you reach a deadlock in negotiations, it's necessary to continue until you break it.

7) In deadlock situations it's necessary to use highly diplomatic language.

8) 'Vinegar and honey' is one of the most common high-pressure negotiation tactics.