Task Vocabulary Exercise Match the expressions

Self study 13
Task 1. Vocabulary
Exercise 1. Match the expressions (1-5) to the functions (a-e).
1 If you order more, we'll give you a discount.
c) Making offers and concessions

2 What exactly do you mean?

e) Checking understanding

3 I'd like to think about it.

b) Playing for time

4 I'm not sure about that.

a) Refusing an offer

5 Right, I think we've covered everything.

d) Closing the deal

Exercise 2. Match the sentence halves.

1 If they didn't offer such good terms,
d) we wouldn't do business with them.

2 If you ordered a larger quantity,

e) we could negotiate a better price.

3 If we offer them a 10% discount,

f) they say they'll place an order today.

4 If you don't confirm your order soon,

a) we'll have to cancel it.

5 As long as we get the parts in May,

c) we can start production as scheduled

6 Provided that it is sent by air,

b) the consignment will reach us in time

Task 2. Reading

HOW TO MAKE PERSUASION
The ability make others believe what you believe is important for success in many fields. There is often a fine line between convincing somebody your views are valid and annoying them. In this article we’ll look at some of the techniques you can use if you want to convince another individual to believe what you believe.
Steps:
Do the homework. Make sure you understand your own viewpoint. If you are going to try to convince somebody that the Eiffel Tower is taller than the Statue of Liberty, find out the facts first, don’t make assumptions.
Learn the field. For certain areas you will need to know more than just the facts, as some subjects are subjective. For example, if you wanted to convince somebody that the Statue of Liberty was prettier than the Eiffel Tower you will need to know enough about architecture and aesthetics to argue about that subject, as well as the facts, like how tall they are. If you are selling something, like a car, you will need to know all there is to know about the car you are selling. Likewise, you will need to know all about the other cars that are in competition with your vehicle.
Engage the person politely. Maintain eye contact where possible, but don’t be annoying about it. Establish mutual respect. You will never convince anybody of anything if they believe you do not respect them, so show the person you respect them and be good enough to gain their respect. Gain trust. To convince people of most things you will need their trust. They don’t have to trust you as a person, but they do need to trust that what you are saying makes sense, that you know your “stuff’. The best way to do this is to do your homework and fieldwork, that way you know a lot about the subject. Listen carefully to what your debate partner has to say.
Respond thoughtfully to their point of view. When you can, back up what you say with real facts. Lying will only convince somebody until they find out about the lie, then you will never be able to convince them of anything again.
Be willing to be convinced. Sometimes accepting one point from the other person and showing that you can change your mind when you are wrong will help them to be the same, and change their mind about the subject you care about.
Practice active listening. Active listening helps you control a conversation and keeps it on track. Active listening techniques include: Non-verbal feedback. Nodding your head as the other talks etc. Paraphrase what the other person has said to make sure you understand it.
Make sure you understand the other person’s objections and respond to them in an intelligent manner. Keep vigilant about your belief, but always respectful of the beliefs of others. Explain why your belief is important to you.
Understand the other person’s motivations. If you know what another person wants, you are more likely to be able to give it to them. Periphrase your beliefs in a way that the other person is better able to understand.
Follow up. Ask questions to make sure the other person understands their new views completely.
Tips
To hold the eye of a crowd select individuals in the crowd and hold their eyes on-and-off through your presentation.
Always be friendly and respectful even if the other person does not change their mind.
Beliefs fade. You may think you have changed somebody’s mind but find that in a day or two, perhaps a week, they are right back to where they were before. Buy and read some books on sales technique.

Exercise 1. Find the words in the text with the similar meaning .

1. opinion __ view
2. disagree __ assumption
3. express___ argue
4. obtain__ gain
5. quality___ sense
6. discuss___ debate
7. careful ___ thoughtfully
8. fully __ only
9. alter__ then
10. bleach____ fade

Exercise 2. Decide if the statements true (T) or false (F ).

1. In some areas you needn’t to know more than just the facts, as some subjects are subjective____F
2. Keep eye contact where necessary , but don’t worry about it much.____T
3. You must show respect if you are going to convince the people around you__T
4. It is not always possible to understand objections and respond to them in an intelligent manner. ___F
5. Be positive and kind even if the other person does not change their mind. __ T

Task 3. Grammar

Exercise 1. Complete this text about a pharmaceutical company with the correct tenses of the verbs in brackets.
We like to think we are an ethical company. but we had (have) a problem last year when we were launching (launch) our new product.
Let me give you the background to the problem. The new product was selling (sell) very well. we were getting (get) good feedback. and sales was increasing (increase) month by month. Everyone was happy.
Then it all went (go) wrong. In August. We started (start) to get complaints from
some doctors about one of our salesmen. They complained (complain) about the methods that the salesman used (use) to persuade them to endorse the product. He offered (offer) them expensive gifts and took (take) them to expensive restaurants. The doctors felt (feel) under pressure to promote the product.
By the end of the year. we have received (receive) over 30 complaints about that particular salesman. In December. articles started (start) to appear in the press about our unethical sales methods. In the end, fired (fire) the salesman. As a result of this, we have recently issued (recently issue) guidelines to all sales staff about appropriate gifts.

Task 4. Writing

What is the purpose of a business. in your opinion? Is it just to make money?
(about 150-200 words)
Well, I think that the main purpose of a business is to maximize profits for its owners, and in the case of a publicly-traded company, the stockholders are its owners. Others contend that a business’s principal purpose is to serve the interests of a larger group of stakeholders, including employees, customers, and even society as a whole. Philosophers often assert that businesses should abide by some legal and social regulations. Observers would hold that concepts such as economic value added are useful in balancing profit-making objectives with other ends. They argue that sustainable financial returns are not possible without taking into account the aspirations and interests of other stakeholders such as customers, employees, society and the environment. This concept is called corporate social responsibility.
This conception suggests that a principal challenge for a business is to balance the interests of parties affected by the business, interests that are sometimes in conflict with one another. In a sense, corporate social responsibility highlights the fact that business, consumers and society are part of a shared ecosystem, and that the long-term health of this ecosystem must be maintained.
Some people believe that a business is essentially someone’s property, and, as such, that its owners have the right to dispose of it as they see fit. But anyway everyone thinks differently.