BEC Wizard

Writing a Sales Report The chart and handwritten notes below illustrate the sales performance for a company over a period of 12 months. Complete the sales report by selecting the most appropriate word for each space indicated. Report on Sales: Benton Electronics Our sales from January to February stayed the same at €90,000. However, in March, (1) _____ to our advertising campaign, sales increased by €50,000 to reach a level of €140,000. This trend continued in April, with sales of €160,000. Unfortunately, between April and May, we had a price war with our competitors, and this (2) _____ in a fall in sales of €40,000. However, during May, our competitor, Zanec, went bankrupt, and this (3) _____ to an increase over the next two months of €50,000. At the end of duly, most of our customers went on holiday, and this (4) _____ a fall in sales of €90,000. However when they returned in September, sales recovered, reaching a level of €160,000. As a (5) _____

Business Vocabulary Customer Loyalty In the text below, select the best word to fill each gap. As every manager knows, 'the customer comes (1)_____ ' and 'the customer is always right’. Despite these phrases being repeated so often, it is remarkable how many organisations (2)_____ essential training in customer care. All too frequently when (3)_____ front-office staff, customers are met with rudeness, lack of interest or (4)_____ of stress, and these all give a negative (5)______ of the organisation itself. Many customers have come to (6)_____ treatment of this kind, and as a (7)_____ behave aggressively or irritably themselves. These customers very often are the ‘awkward customers' whom even well-trained customer service staff find hard to (8)______. Many experts believe that not (9)_____ in an organisation has the right personality for a customer-service position and that this should be taken into (10)______ when recruiting front-line staff. Even wi

Business English Vocabulary Writing an email Look at the following email related to making arrangements for a business trip. Select the correct word from the options given to complete the email. Dear sirs, Please [1].......... a single room [2].......... bath for me for the nights [3].......... 18 and 19 March. If possible, I would like the room to [4].......... in a quiet part of the hotel. I shall [5].......... to meet a [6].......... of clients on the morning of 20 march, [7].......... could you make a meeting room available [8].......... me on that day from 9 am to 2 pm? I do not expect to arrive until about 11p.m. on 18 march, so please [9].......... my room for me. Also, please email me as soon as possible to [10].......... that these bookings have been made. If you [11].......... me to send a deposit in [12].........., let me know and I shall be happy to do so. Yours faithfully, 1. hold reserve get give 2. with including consistin

Business English Quiz | Business Conference Vocabulary Look at the following sentences related to business conferences. Select the correct word from the options given to complete each sentence. 1. Phil davies works for a _____ making organisation whose aim is to encourage local people to start their own business. no profit non profit no benefit unprofitable 2. There are great opportunities for our company in _____ markets where products like ours haven't been sold before. opening appearing emerging arising 3. You should study the market _____ if you want to know how the market is going to behave in the future. indicators signs signals indications 4. One of the best ways of _____ company image is to provide first-class customer service. enhancing bettering growing increasing 5. This course will provide trainees with _____ experience of business travel-booking procedures. touching contact ha

This is an example of an introduction to a business presentation about an investment opportunity in a new company. Complete the text by choosing the correct word from the list given. You can check your answers when you finish. Business Presentation: An investment opportunity Good morning, and welcome to the Grand Hotel. Thank you all very much for (1) _____[come]; some of you (2) _____ [travel] a long way (3) _____ [hear] us today, and I hope you (4) _____ [all have] good journeys. So let me (5) _____ [introduce] myself: my name is Robert De Souza, and this is my associate Martin Dawes. The purpose of this presentation is (6) _____ [explain] our business plans to you and hopefully to get you interested in (7) _____ [invest] in our new company, Express Business Solutions. In my presentation, I (8) _____ [hope] to do three things. First, I (9) _____ [give] you a short summary of our main business idea. Then I (10) ____ [tell] you the findings of our market research

How good is your Business English vocbulary? Can you complete the following short text using the words in the box?. teams, budgets, deadlines, launch, performance, projects, targets, team leaders After graduating, I got a job in a multi-national company. The majority of the work is carried out in , and most of the managers are . This was nothing new for me, because while I was studying at Business School, very often we had to work together on , and I became used to working towards goals and and having to meet . My current position is in the Research and Development Department, which is responsible for the creation and development of new products. It’s very satisfying being able to take new products from the initial concept stage right through to the which is typically one or maybe two years later. I’m a financial manager, which means that most of my time is spent ensuring high in all our projects but also making sure they stay within their - and that means str

Business English Vocabulary Quiz | Staff Training Look at the information given in the table about professional staff training courses provided by an agency. Read the report below regarding staff training needs written by an employee and select the correct word to complete the report correctly. Professional Development Agency Skills Programme Course Basic ComputerSkills Advanced Computer Skills Introduction to Accounting Length 4 weeks 6 weeks 10 weeks Hours per week 4 6 8 Timetable Fri 4 - 8pm Mon and Fri 9 - 12am Mon - Thur 8 - 10pm Trainees per class 8 max 6 max 20 max Price (per student) €200 €300 €150 Business English Vocabulary The Professional Development Agency provides three courses (refer to table above) which might cater for some of our staff-training requirements for the coming year. The course which appears to be 1 __________ (useful) is the Basic C

B2 Business Vantage Vocabulary Quiz - Talking about your company Business English Vocabulary Quiz My firm uses the services of a specialist agency to 1 __________ all new 2 __________ . I work in a management consultancy firm so most of the new workers that start here are graduates with a university degree even though they may have little or no relevant work experience in this specific 3 __________ . It's quite usual for people who end up working here to have had other kinds of jobs during their 4 __________ before they apply to become management consultants. The firm 5 __________ around 1,000 people in total in various regional offices. During the first eighteen months new workers are normally put on a temporary 6 __________ , and then if everything goes well, they are made permanent. Personally, I believe my firm is a good 7 __________ because new employees receive a comprehensive induction 8 __________ when they first start work with us, and then continual on-th

Use the business-related nouns below to complete the short paragraph, selecting the most appropriate word for each blank space. You can check your answers by clicking on ‘answers’ at the end of the quiz. bill brand budget Business English Vocabulary | Nouns A recent report stated that many small businesses fail in their first year due to a lack of proper financial management. One of the most common problems highlighted by the report was how many small business owners failed to plan for their end of year tax (1) __________. This can cause major problems in terms of cash flow if a small business is struggling to survive its first year of trading. It is essential that small businesses employ strict controls over all financial processes such as invoicing, costing and collecting payments, in order to ensure they work within the set (2) __________. The report concluded that most small business owners put much more effort into marketing and (3) __________ building

Business English Vocabulary Quiz | Marketing & Branding How good is your Business English Vocabulary? Try this quick quiz to find out! (1) _____ the market with a new invention can be a challenge, especially when facing established giants with massive marketing (2) _____. Small inventors can overcome this hurdle by conducting thorough (3) _____ beforehand. This research should identify their (4) _____ – the people who would most (5) ______ or (6) ______ the product, and determine a competitive (7) _____. Instead of expensive advertising campaigns, smaller companies can leverage the power of their existing customer base. By (8) _____ customer satisfaction and building (9) _____, they can turn these customers into brand advocates. Positive (10) _____ recommendations are one of the most cost-effective ways to expand your reach. Before resorting to pricey (11) _____ like brochures or ads, get creative! Consider low-cost marketing tactics like ta

Busness English Vocabulary - Hotels and Business Travel Look at the graph below and the paragrapgh which describes the information given. Choose the corrrect answer from the options given to complete the paragraph. In our [1].......... of 600 business travellers, we [2].......... that 42% considered preferential service was the most important [3].........., whereas 35% [4].......... good food and drink as the most important, and 23% valued comfortable seats most [5].......... . 1. selection investigation survey 2. realized found believed 3. amenity merit improvement 4. pointed scored rated 5. important highly exceptionally Score = Correct answers:

Business English Lesson How to Use Business English Modal Verbs 1. We __________ look again at our corporate social media strategy, it’s not performing very well, and although it’s not essential in terms of sales, it isn’t producing the results we anticipated. can should may 2. I don’t know what the competition will do with regard to this current financial crisis, they __________ decide to try and cut costs, but then that would harm their level of service to their clients. must should may 3. We __________ have a meeting as soon as possible. It’s absolutely essential we prepare a strategy to deal with this latest problem with production. may could must 4. Be careful when you’re negotiating with them, they __________ be very tricky to deal with sometimes. can must should 5. It’s been interesting talking to you, but I’m afraid I __________ go now. I have a client meeting in 10minutes. have to can might 6. If yo

Written communication is very important in a business context. It is essential to develop good business writing skills to score well in Business English exams and learn to write clearly and concisely. Here is some practice identifying some errors made in a business fax. This is an example of a typical business fax communcation. There is one extra word in each numbered line of this fax. Read the fax carefully and try to decide which of the words is not necessary? When you have finished, you can check your answers at the end by clicking on the [+]. Good luck! Business English BEC Vantage Writing | Identify the unnecessary words in this business fax [+] [-]   Answers 1. being 2. my 3. a 4. then 5. is 6. not 7. also 8. to

Business Vocabulary Quiz: People & Companies Here are some people describing the type of organization or work they do. Can you select the correct vocabulary from the options below to complete each sentence. entrepreneur family firm/business freelance multinational self-employed state-owned The company I work for is (1)______. People often say that these organizations aren’t run very well, but there are many initiatives now to try and make all our departments more efficient and effective. 1. entrepreneur family firm/business freelance multinational self-employed state-owned For me, the biggest benefit of working for a (2)______ company is the opportunity to get work experience abroad. Last year I was working in Germany, this year I’m back in the UK, based at our head office. 2. entrepreneur family firm/business freelance multinational self-employed state-owned I