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BEP 392 – Project Management English: Scoping a Project (2)

BEP 392 - Project Management English: Scoping a Project 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on pricing strategy. This is the second of a pair of lessons on project management English and scoping new work for a client.

Every project is its own animal. Sure, you might run different projects with similar tools and approaches, or apply standard processes. But with different clients, at different times, and with even small differences in inputs, each project is different. And that means pricing is different.

Once you’ve talked with a client to clarify and nail down the project scope, what happens next? Well, the client will want something on paper – whether that’s a full-blown proposal and bid or a simple quotation. And one of the most important things they’ll be looking at is price. So as a team, you need to figure out a strategy to bid on each project.

Your pricing strategy is going to depend on a few things. First off, it’s going to depend on your capacity and the client’s perception of value. Then you’ll have to figure out your bid strategy, which may work upward from a minimum viable product. Or you may take a different approach like hourly pricing. And there are always intangibles you need to take into account when deciding how to price your bid.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Jill and Martin, who work for a software development company. They are working out a pricing strategy for a project that Jill has already scoped. They’re trying to figure out the right approach for the two options they’re proposing to the client.

Listening Questions

1. What is the first concern Jill expresses during the conversation?
2. How will they direct the client toward their alternative approach?
3. How will the client’s timeline affect their pricing strategy?

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BEP 391 – Project Management English: Scoping a Project (1)

BEP 391 - Project Management English: Scoping a Project 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to scope a project. This is the first of a pair of lessons on project management English and scoping new work for a client.

So what does it mean to “scope” a project? We use this word “scope” to describe what’s included and what’s not included in a project or agreement. So when we “scope” something, we’re asking questions and trying to understand what’s involved in a project.

There are many obvious questions you might ask when scoping new work. But you’ll likely find yourself having to educate the client about technical issues and costs. You may have to dig deep into assumptions and address client concerns. And you may have to present different solutions for the client to consider. In this way, scoping isn’t just about asking for simple project details. It’s both factual and relational.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to Jill, a software developer, talk with Ivan. Ivan works for a large retailer that wants to make significant changes to their HR software. Jill is asking questions to try to understand the company’s wants and needs so she can scope the project and put together a proposal.

Listening Questions

1. What does Jill believe Ivan is suggesting about their current approach?
2. What does Jill say about the cost of what Ivan is asking for?
3. At the end of the conversation, what does Ivan ask Jill to include in her proposal?

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Business English News 51 – Energy Costs

Business English News 51 - Energy Costs

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to energy costs.

Consumers around the world are feeling the pinch as inflation bites. And it’s not just at the grocery store. Prices are going up across the board. A key factor driving this rampant inflation is the cost of energy, which impacts all industries and translates into even higher prices for the average consumer.

A global surge in wholesale power and gas prices means households across Europe face higher energy bills this year and beyond. In the worst-case scenario, many of the region’s most vulnerable are facing fuel poverty according to consumer groups. Prices started to rise above historical levels last September and have soared further this year.

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925 English Lesson 43 – Phrasal Verbs for Investigating

925 English Lesson 43 - Phrasal Verbs for Investigating

Welcome back to 925 English for another lesson on English phrasal verbs. In today’s lesson we’re going to look at phrasal verbs for investigating.

In case you forgot, a phrasal verb is an expression with a verb and a preposition. You hear them used all the time by English speakers. In fact I just used one: “to look at,” meaning to examine something. And in this lesson, we’ll be looking at other phrasal verbs related to investigating or examining an idea or situation. Later, you can check out some of our other lessons on phrasal verbs.

925 English is a series of English video lessons for beginners (CEFR level A2). With 925 English you can learn business English expressions and phrasal verbs.

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BEP 390 – English Collocations: Online Marketing (2)

BEP 390 LESSON - English Collocations: Online Marketing 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English collocations for discussing online marketing.

The world of ecommerce is extremely competitive. Millions and millions of people are shopping online every day, viewing millions of options. How can businesses stand out in this sea of competition? How can they ensure their potential customers can even find their website? They turn to online marketing. So it’s no wonder there’s so much time, energy, and money put into marketing and measuring performance.

If you’ve ever had a discussion with an online marketing expert, you’ll know there’s a whole new language built up around it. Think about an expression like “search engine optimization,” or SEO. That’s a good example of a type of expression that we call a “collocation.”

A collocation is just a group of words that go naturally together to form an expression. You’ve already heard me use a few English collocations. Consider “measuring performance,” as an example. The verb “measure” and the noun “performance” go together frequently and naturally. By looking at collocations you can learn words together, not in isolation.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Eduardo, Emma, and Neil, who work for a kitchenware retailer. Last time, they discussed content marketing. Today, we’ll hear them talking about search engine optimization and some ways of measuring success. During their conversation, they use many English collocations, which we’ll explain later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. At the start of the conversation, what does Eduardo hope has increased?
2. According to Emma, what have they invested a lot in?
3. What does Neil say about their English site that might not be true about the German version?

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BEP 389 – English Collocations: Online Marketing (1)

BEP 389 - Business English Collocations: Online Marketing 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English collocations related to online marketing.

Every year, ecommerce accounts for an even bigger chunk of retail sales around the world. How big of a chunk? Almost 5 trillion dollars. And with so much selling happening online, it’s not surprising online marketing has become a hot topic.

With this increasing importance has come a ton of new words and expressions. If you find yourself confused, you’re not alone. And as you navigate this new lexicon, it can be very helpful to focus on a type of expression called “collocations.”

Collocations are simply natural combinations of words. For example, you may know that we use the word “traffic” to talk about how many people visit a website. Well, did you know we normally say “drive traffic” when we talk about techniques for bringing people to a website? We don’t say “make traffic” or “move traffic.” It’s not a grammatical rule. It has just become a natural combination of words.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Eduardo, Emma, and Neil, who all work for a retailer that specializes in cooking equipment. They’re discussing their company’s online marketing performance. During their conversation, they use lots of English collocations, which we’ll explain later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Eduardo regularly do to understand their online marketing performance?
2. What does Neil say is becoming harder, especially with new privacy rules?
3. What does Emma say is not a good technique for reaching younger audiences?

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925 English Lesson 42 – Phrasal Verbs for Changing Topics

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Welcome back to 925 English for another lesson on English phrasal verbs. In today’s lesson we’re going to look at phrasal verbs for changing the topic.

Remember, a phrasal verb is just a combination of a verb and a preposition with a special meaning. Last time we looked at some phrasal verbs related to beginnings. Today, I want to turn to phrasal verbs for changing the topic of conversation.

925 English is a series of English video lessons for beginners (CEFR level A2). With 925 English you can learn business English expressions and phrasal verbs.

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Skills 360 – Adapting your Communication Style (2)

Business English 360.90 - Adapting your Communication Style (2)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on how to adapt your communication style to different situations.

No doubt you’re aware of different communication styles, but do you think everyone has just one style? More likely your style on a good day looks different from your style on a bad day. Your style during a regular staff meeting might be different from a meeting where you’re going to read the riot act. Indeed, your style in a crisis should be different from your day-to-day communication.

Clearly, different situations require different approaches and different kinds of language. And underlining everything here is the importance of relationships. If you’re a solo entrepreneur working with your own money and with no staff, well, chances are you’re not listening to a podcast about communication styles!

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Skills 360 – Adapting your Communication Style (1)

Skills 360 - Adapting your English Communication Style to your Audience (1)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on adapting your communication style to your audience.

Think about the different conversations you had at work yesterday, with your boss, with colleagues, with clients, and with your direct reports. Think about how those people spoke to you. Guaranteed, you will notice that these different people had different communication styles. One person might have been cheery and chatty while another was brusque and efficient.

Now, think about how you responded to these people. Was your communication style consistent in all situations? Probably not. And it shouldn’t be! The best workplace communicators are adaptable. They change their style to suit the situation and the audience. And that adaptability is critical for success.

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BEP 388 – Business Development 6: Discussing a Proposal

BEP 388 LESSON - English for Sales - Business Development 6: Discussing a Proposal

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business development and discussing a proposal with a new client.

In business development, as you build relationships with prospects, you’re on the look-out for problems you can solve or gaps you can fill. And when you find one, you’ll likely want to submit a proposal to the potential client. But clients rarely come back and accept your proposal as it is.

Indeed in the consulting world, it can take a lot of work just to get from the proposal to signing the contract. You need to discuss your proposal and close the deal. To help you get there, it’s a good idea to show enthusiasm for the project and invite questions. And during this process you’ll most likely need to educate the client about costs. You may also find yourself managing client expectations and asking some of your own questions.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a conversation between Nick, an HR consultant, and Andria, an HR manager. Andria’s company is experiencing high turnover, and she’s looking for an outside perspective. Nick has submitted a proposal to help Andria’s company understand staff engagement. Now they’re discussing the specifics of the proposal with the aim of coming to an agreement.

Listening Questions

1. When Nick invites questions, what does Andria ask about?
2. What does Nick say to manage Andria’s expectations about the timeline?
3. What important information does Nick ask for at the end of the conversation?

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