Part Ⅰ Situational Dialogues

Situational Dialogue 1

Ellen，sales representative of TT Company，is showing the products to Nelson from an American firm.

Nelson：How’s your product better than the competitors’？

Ellen：We can offer a superior product at the same price as our competitors’ product.

Nelson：Please explain it.

Ellen：You see，compared with competing products，ours is smaller and lighter. Besides，it’s easier to operate.

Nelson：What are other selling points？

Ellen：The design is cute and colorful. Teenagers would like it.

Nelson：Sounds impressive. How about its quality？

Ellen：We guarantee its quality，we strongly recommend this product. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with it.

Nelson：Remember we only handle the best products.

Ellen：We always sell the best.

Practice 1

Task 1：Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2：Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Li Ning，sales representative of Rong Li Textile Company showing an easy-to-care-for cloth to Mr.Brown from a foreign firm at the Guangzhou International Home & Household Show.

Situational Dialogue 2

Mr.Jackson，representative from an American firm，is visiting a bicycle showroom. Mr.Fang accompanies him.

F：Mr.Jackson，what do you think of these racing bicycles？

J：Oh，they really look smart.

F：You said it. They are so cool that they have become a great favorite with the young people. And they are much lighter than other models.

J：How much do they weigh？

F：16 to 17.5 kg.

J：That’s great. What’s your model range？

F：We have bicycles for both gentlemen and ladies size 19，21，23，25 and 27. And the colors vary according to the client’s requirement. Do you think they have a chance on your market？

J：Mm…，they may interest our end-users. But as you know，our buyers are rather discriminating. What they appreciate most is a reliable machine.

F：That’s true. But you can be assured of reliability of our bicycles. It’s just our strong point. Our bikes have been sold to many countries and proved satisfactory to users abroad.

J：Mr.Fang，I’d be willing to give your racing bicycles a try，but you have to guarantee continuous production，and adequate supply of spare parts.

F：You needn’t worry about that.

J：I think I still need more information. Do you have any pamphlets that can tell me about the factory’s organization and production？

F：Here are some publicity brochures. Or would you like to go on an inspection tour to the factories？

J：Yes，if it wouldn’t be an inconvenience to you. Anyway，first-hand information is more valuable than reading pamphlets.

Practice 2

Task 1：Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2：Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Liu Jing，sales representative of TEC Company，and you come to Heat Times Co.Ltd，to do door to door promotion of the newly developed building material. Firstly，you have to make a call to confirm the appointment with Mr.Evans，manager of Heat Times Co.Ltd. Then you will talk with him in the meeting room with your sample product “Fastock”.

Situational Dialogue 3

Li Ming and Wang Fang are discussing the promotional events they choose to promote their new product.

Ming：What kind of promotional events are scheduled for the new product？

Fang：Marketing Department has us set up with product launches in five major cities，as well as some sponsoring events throughout the year. All together，there will be 15 events.

Ming：What kind of sponsoring are we talking about？I don’t know how effective sponsorship really is.

Fang：It’s not what you’re thinking. These events will give us wider exposure than most. Take the tri-city marathon for starters. This is a highly publicized event. The television exposures alone will nearly double our customer awareness.

Ming：Other than the marathon，what else is on the list？

Fang：We’ve got a spot in the Olympic Stadium sponsoring one of the team’s equipment，then a rally for funds in cancer research，and a connection to the inner-city education program.

Ming：Sports，medicine，education… seems kind of random. Don’t you think so？

Fang：It might seem that way，but these events were all carefully chosen based on marketing research. These are the events that our customers and potential customers care about.

Practice 3

Task 1：Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2：Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Jane. You are talking with your colleague，Robert about the promotional activities for your new products.