Business skills & communication

B2B & B2C

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Introduction
The objective of this pack is to give you opportunities to improve your practical business English skills
through speaking and writing activities. There are exercises, videos, listening activities and lots of speaking
exercises to help improve your business skills in the following areas: meetings, presentations, e-mail,
negotiating, sales, socialising and phone.
There are also vocabulary activities in areas such as marketing, legal English, finance, technology, retail,
business and lots, lots more. All of this will help you speak and write confidently and fluently in B2B
(Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) situations.

Index
Find out what’s inside this pack.

1. Debts & loans

2. Event planning

3. Selling a product

4. Project problems

5. The investment pitch

6. The rental agreement

7. The coffee machines

8. The land purchase

9. The performance review

10. Customer complaints

11. The order mix-up

12. Bank complaints

13. Setting up a meeting

14. Placing an order

15. The sales call

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 B2B NEGOTIATION & PHONE

Demanding a payment!
This lesson will teach you lots of useful language for talking about talking about debt in English.

Discussion: Debts & loans!

Ask and answer any of the questions.
• What loans or debts does your company have?
• What top tips do you have for collecting bad debts?
• Have you ever had to call about a debt? What happened?
• Has your company ever used a debt collecting agency? Why? What
for?
• Why do some companies get into debt?
• Why do some companies have problems paying their bills?
• What can be done to help a client pay their bill?
• Why do some companies need loans?
• What is a loan shark?
• What do you think about the public debt? How can it be reduced?
• What’s the difference between the public debt and public deficit?
• What monthly expenses does your company or business have?
(phone, electricity, mortgage, utilities, car, internet…
• How could your company cut back on expenses?
• What are your top tips for avoiding payment issues with clients?
• How important is it to send clients any terms and conditions
documents regarding paying bills? What should this document include information on?
• How important is it to ask for an upfront payment before supplying a client with goods or services?
• What do you think about discounts for the early payment of bills?

Public debt is the total amount, including total liabilities, borrowed by the government to meet its
development budget.

Listening: The cheque’s in the post!

In this dialogue, Gloria, the credit controller for Masters Meat Products is phoning up to demand a payment
for some goods that were delivered recently. Listen to the phone conversation and answer the questions.

1. What’s the June payment for that Gloria’s phoning about?

2. When does Reginald say that he sent the cheque?
3. How does Gloria know that he’s lying about this?
4. What’s the next excuse he gives for not paying?
5. What doesn’t Gloria want to hear any more of?
6. When does Reginald say that he can guarantee payment by?
7. How does Gloria end the call?

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Audio script
Accountant: Reginald Smooth here.
Gloria: Oh, hello. This is Gloria Banks from Masters Meat Products, I was just phoning in relation to the
June payment for a batch of sausages we delivered to you.
Accountant: Ah, yes, do you have the reference number to hand?
Gloria: No, I don’t. Look, this is the third time we’ve spoken to you about this payment and…
Accountant: …the cheque’s in the post.
Gloria: Is it?
Accountant: Yes, I sent it yesterday.
Gloria: Did you?
Accountant: Yes, I sent it registered post.
Gloria: Are you sure?
Accountant: Yes, quite sure.
Gloria: Really, because yesterday was a public holiday…
Accountant: OK. I’ll be honest with you. We’ve got a few cash-flow problems.
Gloria: Look, all I want is for you to give me a date when you will pay the money back. Frankly, I’m tired of
calling up.
Accountant: OK, I’ll need to check those figures again…
Gloria: Stop right there! I don’t want to hear any more of that accountant-speak. Just give me a date.
Accountant: OK, I can guarantee you’ll receive payment… erm… by the end of the month.
Gloria: OK… erm, which month?
Accountant: Look, I can’t be that specific. Can we offer you something in return for the payments?
Gloria: Right! That’s it. You will be hearing from our solicitors. Goodbye.

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Exercises
Here are some exercises with words from this lesson. Good luck!

1 Gap fill
Complete the sentences with the words from below.

affect figures cash outstanding owe issues taking times

1. There’s an ________ bill to pay.

2. We’ll be ________ this further.
3. We’re going through tough ________.
4. This will ________ your credit rating.
5. You ________ us a total of $40,000.
6. I’ll need to check those ________ again.
7. We have a number of ________ with the bill.
8. We have been having a few ________-flow problems.

2 Sentence completion
Read over the sentences. Then, see if you can do the sentence completion exercise on the following page.
1. Please give me a date when you will pay the money back.
2. I’d like to discuss an unpaid bill you currently have with us.
3. I’d like to discuss a pending payment you have with us.
4. If you pay it all by the end of this month, we’ll give you a 10% discount.
5. If it would help, you could pay us 5% this month, and the other 50% next month.
6. All our bills should be paid 60 days after the invoice is sent – as it says on the bill.
7. If you pay all future bills within 15 days, we could give you a 5%
discount.
8. I was just phoning in relation to the June payment.

3 Gap fill
Complete the sentences with the prepositions from below.

from as to up on in to by

1. This is Gloria Banks _______ Masters Meat Products.

2. Do you have the reference number _______ hand?
3. This is the third time we’ve spoken _______ you about the payment.
4. I’m sorry about the delay, but the cheque’s _______ the post.
5. I can guarantee you’ll receive payment _______ the end of the month.
6. We could set _______ a payment schedule if you want.
7. I’ll deal with it as soon _______ possible.
8. We’re keen to carry _______ working with you in future.

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4 Sentence completion
Read over the sentences. Then, see if you can do the sentence completion exercise on the following page.
1. You’ll be hearing from our solicitors very soon.
2. There’s a late payment charge if the invoice isn’t paid on time
3. Could you confirm that in writing, please?
4. We normally ask for a part of the payment upfront.
5. We could offer you an early payment discount in future.
6. We could offer you a 3% discount in future for any early payments.
7. You could pay it in instalments if you want.
8. You’ll be hearing from our debt collection service.
9. I think it’s in our interests to resolve this as amicably as possible.
10. I’ll need to check those figures. Can I get back to you tomorrow?

Speaking: role play: Debt collection!

Where possible, use the words and expressions from this lesson. Feel free to add in
any new or different information – improvise whenever you want.

Student A – The supplier (demanding payment)

You work in a sausage factory. You’re calling up a customer to ask about an unpaid bill. Try to get a firm
payment date. Good luck!
Start the conversation: Hi, I was just calling to ask about an unpaid bill. Do you have a moment to talk
about it?

Here are some things you could say:

• We’re tired of constantly calling you to… • If you want, you could pay the amount in
• We need the payment by… instalments.
• You signed a contract with us to… • If you do this, we’ll have to charge you an
• You agreed to… / You promised to… interest rate of…
• This is the third time I’ve called you about… • I’d just like to remind you that…
• If you don’t make the payment, we’ll have to… • Please give me a date when you can pay…
_______________________________________

Student B – The customer (with an outstanding bill)

You recently received shipment of some sausages that you sell on to retailers. The bill was due a while ago,
but you still haven’t paid it. The supplier has just called to ask about a payment date. Try to distract, confuse
and manipulate them as much as possible, or make some vague promises about when it will be made.

Here are some things you could say:

• I spoke with your boss last week and he/she
said… • We weren’t sure whether the total amount was
• I think there was a problem with the bill correct because…
because… • I think we made the payment yesterday.
• We’ve been having a few cash-flow problems. • I put the cheque in the post two days ago.
• The sausages aren’t selling very well. • We’ll try to make the payment…
• It was an inferior batch of sausages. Etc.
• The economy isn’t very strong at the moment.

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Test 2 Sentence completion
1. Please give me a da________
when you will pay the money back.
2. I’d like to discuss an unp________ bill you currently have with us.
3. I’d like to discuss a pe________ payment you have with us.
4. If you pay it all by the end of this month, we’ll give you a 10%
di________.
5. If it would he________, you could pay us 5% this month, and the
other 50% next month.
6. All our bills should be paid 60 days after the in________ is sent – as it
says on the bill.
7. If you pay all future bills within 15 days, we could gi________ you a
5% discount.
8. I was just phoning in re________ to the June payment.

Test 4 Sentence completion

1. You’ll be hearing ________ our solicitors very soon.
2. There’s a late payment charge if the invoice isn’t paid ________ time
3. Could you confirm that ________ writing, please?
4. We normally ask ________ a part of the payment upfront.
5. We could offer you an early payment discount ________ future.
6. We could offer you a 3% discount in future ________ any early
payments.
7. You could pay it ________ instalments if you want.
8. You’ll be hearing ________ our debt collection service.
9. I think it’s ________ our interests to resolve this as amicably as possible.
10. I’ll need to check those figures. Can I get back ________ you tomorrow?

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