In this Business English Podcast lesson, we’re going to look at the “classic sales” approach to selling products and services using the FAB technique. FAB stands for features, attributes and benefits and is a commonly used approach for presenting and selling products such as clothes (apparel) and household items.
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In many countries and cultures around the world, informal occasions – such as a friendly meal or a game of a golf – are more important to the sales process than a formal presentation in the boardroom. And so in this episode, we’ll be studying language for presenting our products in such casual situations (often called “soft selling”). In particular, we’ll see how you can sell your products in relation to your customers’ needs with a few soft-sell techniques.

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Study Notes	Phrases & Practice	BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Listening Quiz BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Gap-fill Exercise BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Dialog & Vocabulary BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Turning Questions Around BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Raising Points of Interest BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Talking About Benefits BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Making Comparisons BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Vocabulary Review BEP 85 INT – Informal Presentation – Flashcards

Listening Questions:

1) Were Matt and Paula able to go to the tunnel face, that is, the end of the tunnel?

Yes. The tunnel had been filled with groundwater, but the water got pumped out the day before Matt and Paula’s visit.

2) What is the main point of interest that Matt and Paula pursue in the discussion?

Matt and Paula are interested in groundwater because this seems to be a problem in Stanley and Bill’s tunnel and because their device, the Vision Wireless Sensor, is excellent at detecting groundwater.

3) What are the advantages that Matt and Paula’s device have over traditional surveying methods?

Traditional surveying methods require a lot of cables, which get in the way; Matt and Paula’s device is wireless. Also, traditional methods usually require the use of high explosives (such as dynamite) and a large piece of a equipment, called a seismograph; Matt and Paula’s device is easy to use. Finally, the survey using Matt and Paula’s equipment can be conducted quite quickly, as opposed to older methods which take a long time and disrupt construction work.