How to Sell and Buy in English

1. What is your experience of trade fairs?

2. Do you think trade fairs are good for business? Why, or why not?

3. What other possibilities are there for establishing new contacts or finding new products?

Generally, the less direct you say something in English, the more polite it sounds. Using the structures and language below will make you appear friendlier, especially to native speakers of English.

In many parts of the world, small talk is an essential part of business. It is seen as an important ‘tool’ to get to know your business partner and to establish rapport, which can be the key to a good business relationship.

Offer is the general term used to describe what the salesperson is willing to give, and at what price.

The terms tender and bid can often be used interchangeably. Purchasers send out an invitation to tender (often shortened to a tender) when they want to receive offers from different suppliers.

This can also be called a request for proposal.Sales people file or submit a tender, often in competition with other suppliers, when they make their formal written offer to supply goods or services at a specific price and under specific conditions.

AIDA: When salespeople think about a client’s reaction to their offers, they often think of these four steps:

A – for Attention: They first try to attract their client’s attention to their products or services. Here first impression count so it’s important to be natural, honest, and professional.

I – for Interest: They then try to spark the client’s interest so that he/she wants to find out more about the product or service. The seller needs to convince the client of the advantages of the product or service and its relevance to him/her.

D – for Desire: If the client has understood the benefits, and also trusts the seller, he/she will start to develop desire for the product or service

A – for Action: Desire result in action, meaning the client makes the decision to find out more or buy.

A request for proposal (RFP) is a document that calls for proposal, often made through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service, or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals.

We write an enquiry when we want to ask for more information concerning a product, service or other information about a product or service that interests us. These letters are often written in response to an advertisement that we have seen in the paper, a magazine, a commercial on television when we are interested in purchasing a product, but would like more information before making a decision.

We write an enquiry when we want to ask for more information concerning a product, service or other information about a product or service that interests us. These letters are often written in response to an advertisement that we have seen in the paper, a magazine, a commercial on television when we are interested in purchasing a product, but would like more information before making a decision.

Remember to place your or your company's address at the top of the letter (or use your company's letterhead) followed by the address of the company you are writing to. The date can either be placed double spaced down or to the right.

Important Language to Remember

The Start: Dear Sir or Madam
To Whom It May Concern - (very formal as you do not know the person to whom you are writing)

Giving Reference: With reference to your advertisement (ad) in...
Regarding your advertisement (ad) in ...

Requesting a Catalogue, Brochure, Etc.: After the reference, add a comma and continue - ... , would (Could) you please send me ...

Requesting Further Information: I would also like to know ...
Could you tell me whether ...

Signature: Yours faithfully - (very formal as you do not know the person to whom you are writing)

An example letter

Kenneth Beare
2520 Visita Avenue
Olympia, WA 98501

Jackson Brothers
3487 23rd Street
New York, NY 12009

September 12, 2000

To Whom It May Concern:

With reference to your advertisement in yesterday's New York Times, could you please send me a copy of your latest catalogue. I would also like to know if it is possible to make purchases online.

Yours faithfully

(Signature)

Kenneth Beare
Administrative Director
X Company

• Tips for successful negotiations

• Stages of the negotiation

Conditional sentences are often used in sales negotiations to discuss terms and conditions. The type of conditional sentence you use depend largely on the message you want to give.

Remember that negotiating styles differ not only from person to person, but also across cultures. There are many factors which may influence how your partner behaves, so be prepared for situations which might not be typical in your country.

In a negotiation, both parties are looking to get the best result for their company.

Many negotiation experts have suggested that parties should look for solutions where both will benefit – this is called the ‘win-win’ situation.

1. How often do you place/take an order? Do you mostly deal with companies in your country or abroad?

2. What are the steps involved in placing/taking an order for your company? What forms do you have to complete?

3. When working with foreign companies, what are the most difficult aspects in placing/taking orders

When handling orders, it is important for the salesperson and the purchaser to exchange all relevant information such as:

• Specifications (for material, quality, etc.)

• Quantity

• Contact person

• Place of delivery

• Delivery date

• Method of payment (e.g. cash on delivery (COD), invoice, direct debit)

• Other terms and conditions

• Paperwork needed (signed order, confirmation by fax, etc.)

In sales and purchasing, the terms part number, item number, and article number are often used interchangeably. A more technical term is SKU, stock-keeping unit. Like the other terms above, this sequence of numbers and letters is used to refer to and identify a specific product for both sales and inventory purposes.

Note that the abbreviation for number is no. (or sometimes #).

We are going to look at the list of problems which have been mentioned by people working in sales and purchasing.

When making a complaint, it is helpful to use the following three-step approach:

1. Describe the problem.

2. State your request clearly (what, when, how, who).

3. Confirm agreements.

When dealing with complaints, it is helpful to follow a four-step approach which I call “CASH”:

• Confirm

• Ask

• Serve

• Help

Now I would like to give you a few useful expressions and phrases which may come in handy when you want to make complaints, talk about consequences, offer apologies or refer a future action.