HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

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

CLOSING
A DEAL
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1 Warm up

In pairs, read the definition and discuss the following questions.

close a deal - agree on and complete a negotiation in a business situation

1. Have you or anyone you work with ever had to close a deal before? If so, what happened?
2. How many ways can you think of to close a deal?
3. Do you think you are someone who would be good at closing a deal? Why / why not?

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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CLOSING A DEAL

2 Vocabulary focus

Part A: Look up the vocabulary in the box and use it to complete the gaps in the following sentences.

1. He normally jokes around, but this time I could tell from his that he was entirely
serious.

2. After some discussion, we’ve all come to the that we should definitely invest in
this business.

3. I decided to buy the car in the end, especially when they offered me free servicing for the first five
years as a .

4. He was pushing me to make a decision too quickly and I’m not comfortable with his
method, so I just said I wasn’t interested.

5. As a small company, we don’t have very much , but we still managed to negotiate
some really good prices.

6. I think working with them will be genuinely for both companies as we can learn
a lot from each other.

7. We have a to supplying them with parts for their products for the next five years
now.

8. Everyone helps everyone else in this department. It’s a very place and we share
our successes together.

Part B: In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Has anyone used a hard sell method on you in sales? What was your reaction? Do you think it is
an effective way to increase sales?
2. What kind of a bonus has been offered in the past when buying a product as a customer?
3. Does your company have a lot of bargaining power in negotiations in your opinion? Why / why
not?
4. How are decisions made in your department? Do you need to reach a consensus? Or does one
person make the decisions? Why?
5. Would you say your company or department is a collaborative place to work? Why / why not?
6. What commitments do you have in your personal and professional life?

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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CLOSING A DEAL

3 Reading - Part 4
Read the article below about closing business deals. Are sentences 1 - 7 ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’? If there
is not enough information to answer ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’, choose ‘Doesn’t say’.

How to ...
Close the deal
There are a number of ways to close business deals. One popular way is to make an offer that has an added bonus
or a special feature which only lasts for a limited time. This has the effect of making an agreement feel urgent, but
can put people off by seeming like a hard sell.

A second approach is a question, such as: What do you need for us to reach a deal today? This will help you
determine your bargaining power and how serious the other side is while also being more collaborative in tone.

A gentle method is to summarise all the points of the agreement you have made so far, placing emphasis on ‘we
decided...’ rather than ‘you said ...’ to encourage the other person to feel as though consensus has been reached
together. Here, focusing on how beneficial the agreement will be to them encourages a feeling of teamwork rather
than being on opposite sides.

The soft close allows the other side to follow up with you when they’ve had time to consider their options. This is a
useful method if you think they are not sure about making a commitment and want to make them feel understood
and more trusting.

1. Trying to close a deal by adding value to the deal for a limited time can cause a negative reaction.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

2. Directly asking about the other side’s position can help you understand their level of interest.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

3. Questioning them to close the deal is considered to be the most effective sales method.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

4. Focusing on what they said rather than your shared agreement is a good way to involve them.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

5. Explaining the benefits that you will receive from the deal will help them feel it was collaborative.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

6. The soft close involves more risk than the other methods.

a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

7. Allowing them to come back to you when they have had a chance to think about the deal can
improve their confidence in you.
a. Right b. Wrong c. Doesn’t say

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CLOSING A DEAL

4 Editing Writing - Part 2

When answering the Writing questions in BEC Preliminary, it’s important that you spend some time
checking your work for any spelling and grammar mistakes. Read the following question and look at
the answer given.

Write an email reply to Patricia:

• Saying you received her email

• Saying you understand her problem but that it will mean delaying your deliveries.
• Ask her if she can increase the discount to 40% to cover the loss that you will make.
• Tell her you would like to attend the summer party and ask for more information.
• Write 60 - 80 words.

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CLOSING A DEAL

Read the following example answer and find eight spelling mistakes.

5 Writing - Part 2

Read the email from Justin Hayworth who is asking about ordering furniture from you. You are Sales
Executive, Sheila Pearson and had a successful meeting with him last month which resulted in his
company buying their office chairs from you.

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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CLOSING A DEAL

Write an email reply to Justin:

• Saying you enjoyed doing business with him last month too
• Offering to come to his office personally with a brochure to see what they would like to order
• Saying you would be able to offer a 30% discount on orders over £2000
• Asking him when would be convenient for you to meet
• Write 60 - 80 words

6 Self assessment

Complete the following table to decide what you have learned in today’s lesson.

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