BUSINESS CALLS

If you don’t have much experience of making phone calls in English, making a business call can be a worrying experience. If you have to call someone you already know, you may actually enjoy making the call but remember that long distance calls are expensive.

Or you may have to make a first-time business call to a prospective client: not easy in English! Making a phone call to a stranger can be quite stressful, especially if they speak English better than you.

Most business people, unless they feel very confident, prepare for an important phone call in a foreign language by making notes in advance. And during the call they make notes while they are talking to help them to remember what was said.

Although it is quick and convenient to phone someone to give them information or to ask questions, the disadvantage is that there is nothing in writing to help you to remember what was said. It is essential to make notes and often when an agreement is reached on the phone, one of the speakers will send a fax to confirm the main points that were made.

As it is so easy to be misunderstood when talking on the phone it is a good idea to repeat any important (especially numbers and names) back to the other person to make sure you’ve got it right. Always make sure you know the name of the person you are talking to. If necessary, ask them to spell it out to you, so that you can make sure you’ve got it right – and try to use then name during the call. And make sure they know you name too.

It’s important to sound interested, helpful and alert when answering the phone. You may have to make or receive calls to or from regular customers and prospective customers, so a good telephone manner not only makes an impression in business, but it also helps to make money.

When you’re talking on the phone, remember that the person you’re talking to may be having difficulties too. In short don’t forget that the other person:

1. wants to understand you easily, so try to speak clearly; 2. can’t see your reactions, so always confirm that you have (or have not) understood each point that’s been made;

3. can’t see you and doesn’t know what a nice person you are, so make sure you sound polite and agreeable; 4. hasn’t got all day, so make sure your call is brief; 5. is getting an impression of your firm while talking with you, so make sure that you sound efficient – your firm’s image may be at stake, even if you’re just taking a message.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
XIII. A letter of application. Write these parts of the letter in the correct places in this letter.	\|	IV. Complete the following sentences and translate them into Russian.

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