82 English Conversations for Business and Trade
[Music]
business negotiations
one sail agency
dialogue one we’re interested in
locating an exclusive agent to sell our
electrical appliances are you interested
in representing us what benefit can we
get if we act as your agent we’ll offer
our sale agent reasonable quantities of
marketing and technical literature and
other marketing materials free of charge
anything else we also would provide
training free of charge that sounds
really attractive yes if you can confirm
that you wish to proceed with a
distributorship of our company we’ll
send you a letter of appointment and can
also discuss the signing of a full
distributor contract what will be the
minimum annual sales you’d like us to
complete at least 100,000 un well if
prices are reasonable we’re ready to
become your agent as to the prices we
will send you a list all right we’ll
make close study about it and give you a
reply as soon as possible dialogue -
will you consider our proposal to act as
your sole agent could you give me some
idea of your monthly quantity guarantee
1000 sets per month how do you think of
that don’t you think this monthly
turnover is rather conservative for a
sole agent no for this new product
that’s the reasonable figure we are
experienced in marketing products
similar to yours you have to consider
other factors that affect sales maybe
you are right did you just say that you
represented other suppliers in this line
yes
if you appoint us as your sole agent the
turnover will be greatly increased but
as our agent you are not to handle the
same or similar product of other origins
of course that’s the general practice
but we expect our principals to offer
advertising support and spare parts
service of course that’s the general
practice as well we believe you are the
right one to be our sole agent in your
country as your sole agent will make
greater efforts to push your products
you
to
processing trade dialog one we’re
thinking of having products processed in
China we are glad to hear that as it’s
known to all that assembly in our
country can reduce costs sharply that’s
why we come here may I know what type of
products you intend to process computers
to be processed with our materials and
designs what’s the process to mount ten
thousand sets how long will it be
required to process this amount of goods
it will take fifty to sixty days to
process the goods from the day we
receive the material how much is your
processing charge 30 US dollars percent
I think the processing fees shall be
fixed on the basis of world labor price
with a discount of 20% that depends on
the labor needed and the quantity to be
processed we can’t give you that much
considering your quantity isn’t large
enough alright we will supply you the
material on time but you must guarantee
you make delivery of the finished
products to us on time we shall ship the
assembled finished products to you at
the port destination as instructed by
you all the shipping expenses shall be
borne by you should you fail to deliver
in time all losses thus incurred shall
be borne by you okay
dialogue - what about the damage rate of
parts and components in case the damage
rate exceeds two percent you shall
provide at its own expense for the
excessive shortage of parts and
components needed for assembling 2% is
too low as we all know 3% is the
international practice well we agree to
that the supplied materials shall be
delivered to our warehouse at your
expense
if any defect is found in the materials
supplied by you we will advise you of it
immediately and you will send over
replacements in time I think we may
accept it you shall process in strict
accordance with the design and deliver
the finished products in conformity with
the contract terms respecting the time
of delivery quality and quantity we
agree
you
three compensation trade
dialogue 1 we want to import some disk
production equipment through
compensation trade but compensation
trade is a kind of loan you have to pay
interest every year yes we know that but
on the condition of the limited funds we
have to consider this trade form
compensation trade is good for both of
us yes of course
which would you prefer buy buy back or
counter purchase buy buy back buy back
is more convenient than counter purchase
that means we should supply technical
know-how and equipment and you pay us
through successive deliveries of the
resultant product that’s right what do
you think about it how many sets of the
equipment do you want and how long can
we expect you to pay off the loan
we’d like to import two sets and plan to
pay off the loan in two years what’s
your plan based on the production
capacity of your disc production
equipment and current price of discs
this is the detailed information please
look through it
well I believe the feasibility of this
project is excellent I will go back and
to have a careful study that’s great
hope to hear something favorable from
you soon
dialogue - are you interested in
compensation trade we are very
interested in the deal
I think the compensation Trade Agreement
suits you better
same here but we’d prefer the counter
purchase to buy back that’s acceptable
but I’d like to know what products we
will counter purchase there are two
choices for you
one is that you counter purchase our
sheets and the other is that we can
process or assemble products for you
we would like to counter purchase your
sheets as compensation I really
appreciate that we guarantee the quality
of the sheet how long do you suggest the
time limit one year we shall reimburse
you the total value of the entire
equipment by installments in a year but
the price of the sheet shall be fixed on
the basis of the world market price good
we agree
you
for consignment trade dialog one
do you accept consignment Goods yes as
an importer we can make a consignment
arrangement how can I help you
great we are looking for a consign II
what can you supply canned food
including canned fish canned fruit
canned meat canned mushrooms canned
vegetables and other canned food good
how do we make a start then very easy at
the beginning we will send you a small
quantity to you for a trial you sell at
prices given on the price list as soon
as we find that this small quantity
answers our expectation we will make you
consignment of some considerable
quantity your proposal is completely
workable if it were successful this time
we hoped to repeat it from time to time
but what if we failed on sale or return
basis okay we will try the best we can
with the consignment
dialogue to
shall we talk about the period of time
okay
usually we signed the contracts with
other consignees based on 12 months will
you follow the suit yes we’ll follow the
suit what about from the beginning of
next month
that means the sales commenced on May
1st 2009 and continued through May 1st
2010 and we suggest that after starting
the operation we two sides meet around
December 1st to decide on acceptable
sales for the remainder of the
consignment period ok do you have any
idea about the dispatch we will inform
you as soon as we are short of stock in
that case we will suffer great
inconvenience for the shipment we’d
prefer being noticed quarterly I believe
it will certainly benefit both of us
alright
five invitation of tender and bid
dialogue 1 we are going to make an
international bidding for rare metal
exploitation are you interested in our
invitation to tender for the project yes
we are very interested and we have the
qualifications to accept the project
glad to hear that when will you start
the invitation of the tender we will
start it two weeks later is it a secret
opening bid or a public one a public
opening bid what’s the time set for the
bidders to submit their bids one month
from May 5th to June 5th where can I get
the tender documents you have to come to
our office for the tender documents ok I
will send someone to get it at once
dialog - would you please tell me your
terms of tender the project has been
listed to the state annual plan and
we’ve got the working drawing and the
project budget are they made by the
design organization approved by the
relative authorities of China of course
they are made by a design organization
approved by the competent Department
under the State Council what about the
land for construction it has been
requisitioned already do you have the
building permit yes the competent
construction administrative Department
issued the license I see thank you
you
six joint venture
dialogue 1
what type of joint venture do you
usually accept we usually accept an
equity joint venture that means each of
the two firms will invest a certain
portion of the capital and share the
profits or losses in proportion to our
respective contributions yes oh
are there any regulations on the foreign
proportion of investment our joint
venture law provides that the lowest
foreign investment proportion shall be
25 percent but there isn’t an upper
limit doesn’t the Chinese side always
want to hold a bigger portion not always
is that a joint venture can operate only
after having obtained approval of your
government that’s correct is the income
tax on joint venture heavy no you can
enjoy preferential treatment
dialogue - what would be the total
amount of the investment the total
amount of investment would be twenty
million dollars how much would you be
prepared to invest in this venture will
lay out about fifty five percent of the
total investment this includes seven
million dollars in cash four million
dollars for factory buildings the right
to use the site etc then we’d like to
contribute the rest forty five percent
including five million dollars in cash
four million dollars for production
equipment and testing instruments the
cash figure is large enough to provide
the construction funds and circulation
capital I think so
how long will joint venture last I would
suggest three years to start with how do
you like it alright as long as we can
run it well the period can be prolonged
in the future
seven cooperative venture
dialogue 1 we are pleased to know you
want to produce digital cameras in China
we have to lower the cost as the
financial crisis is so grave we can
produce your product with lower cost and
find quality I’m sure of that
as nearly everything is made in China
this also prompts this decision of my
firm so shall we talk about the details
we’d like this cooperative enterprise
not very big for the total investment 5
million un is enough then how much would
the registered capital be how about 2.5
million un sounds reasonable now what’s
the percentage of your contribution 50%
of the total investment that includes
cash machinery and equipment so we will
provide the balance 50% which would
include the factory premises and right
to use the site deal
dialogue - how will the value of
contribution other than cash be
determined as to the patents and
trademarks they shall be assessed by a
group of experts and confirmed by the
Chinese side what kind of group of
experts the group of experts must be
from a qualified asset appraisal company
good will the land the existing
workshops and the new building be
assessed by them as well yes the
properties shall be assessed and then
checked verified and recorded by the
state-owned assets supervision and
administration Department the assets
appraisal is really a system project so
it is
you
eight
merger and acquisition dialogue 1 are
you interested in holding merger talks
considering the current financial
condition of our company I’d say yes but
I’m not sure whether it will be accepted
by the majority of shareholders so far
the major shareholders of our company
have said they will consider the merger
offer that’s inspiring news if we could
join together both our firms would
benefit a lot and a win-win situation
would occur I agree our merger can
enhance our competitiveness so you’d
better make a proposal for the merger
and deliver it to every shareholder for
review good idea I’ll get down to it
right now dialogue - what do you think
about the merger offer between our two
firms
I’m afraid the merger offer is
inadequate can you say something about
that our accountant estimates the value
of our form at 1 million u.s. dollars
and of your firm at five hundred
thousand US dollars through the merger
it would be a huge boost for you but
little benefit for us but both of us are
now facing a fierce competition pressure
in the global market
so merger is the best choice otherwise
we’ll have to enter into competition
with each other what do you want me to
do a little deliberation would have
deterred your idea well then I will give
you my final decision
in 10 days
ix technology transfer dialog 1 we are
considering buying the patent do you
plan to transfer the patent right to
Chinese companies yes we are thinking
the same in what form will you transfer
the patent we’d like to transfer the
right to use the patent in the form of
license will the license be exclusive or
non-exclusive non-exclusive and I’d like
to know how much tax the Chinese
government imposes for using patent
rights 20% but the license only gives
one the right to manufacture the
equipment what about the technology not
included in the patent don’t worry we’ll
provide you with all the information and
also five technicians needed to
manufacture the equipment ok how long
will you allow us to use the patent
three years how much will you ask for
$50,000 as initial payment and 3 percent
of the sales price on each product sold
the price is so high I’m afraid that we
cannot accept that dialogue - are you
interested in transferring your
trademark to us you mean the commercial
franchising kind of but only for the
trademark not include trade name and the
business model I see you name your
products after mine right does that mean
we have to provide you with the full
information about the technology of our
products that won’t be necessary as we
have the capability to produce the
product but you also need to send
specialists to give us on-the-spot
guidance we’ll consider it
you
ten drafting a contract dialog one let’s
talk about drawing up a draft of the
contract okay how long will it take you
to draw up a contract
I’ll have the contract drawn up this
week we expect to have a final contract
ready in a week in that case I will try
to send the draft to you on Wednesday
and I think we should try to meet early
next week to sign the contract and go
over a few final details that would be
fine I’ll give you a call at the end of
the week to set up an appointment all
right by the way is it likely to sign
the contract then I hope so
dialogue - there are a few points which
I’d like to bring up concerning the
contract I’d like to hear payment terms
is important in a contract we insist on
confirmed and irrevocable letter of
credit that’s fully acceptable to our
side and we shall make the contract more
specific on the delivery okay I’ll see
that you get the delivery on time
shipping by SS American as usual is that
right good and please make sure the
place of delivery the transport route
are included take it easy
this deal is as important to you as it
is to us
you
you
eleven checking a contract
dialogue 1 here is the draft of the
sales contract for the watch as you are
going to buy you’ve made such an
efficient work you flatter me please go
over it and see if everything is in
order
ok but I need a few minutes to read it
would you like to have a seat
and drink some coffee thank you take it
easy well I’ve read all the terms
carefully hmm you’ve done a pretty good
job it’s well prepared does that mean we
can prepare the originals of the
contract yes our next step is to sign
the contract dialog - good morning mr.
Smith I’m calling about the draft of the
contract you sent me I made a very close
study of it do you have any questions
yes first question is the packing as the
verbal agreement says that you will use
wooden cases but you still write cartons
don’t you remember that sorry will amend
that next one is the term of payment you
choose da but we also want to get the
terms of the contracts more in our favor
we prefer to have the payments made by
LC through a negotiating Bank in Sweden
I’m not qualified to make decisions for
this term and anything else and the last
one is the place of arbitration could
you tell me why you wish to have it
carried out in your country it should
take place in a third country that’s
international practice we can’t break it
okay I’ve written down all your
questions and I need to report to my
boss
you
twelve before signing a contract dialog
one here are the two originals of the
contract we prepared are they written
both in Chinese and English yes we’ll
sign two originals each in Chinese and
English language are they equally
authentic in terms of law of course the
Chinese and English texts are equally
authentic what if there is inconsistency
or conflict between English and Chinese
version if there is any inconsistency or
conflict between English and Chinese
versions the English version shall
prevail dialogue - what will be the
effective date of this contract the
effective date will begin from July 6th
2009 what’s the term of this contract
this contract is valid for one year I’m
afraid that one year is too short and
this contract must be valid for at least
three years if everything’s going
satisfactorily it could be extended for
two years
alright we accept your suggestion
you
13 signing ceremony
dialogue 1 what time will the contract
be ready for signing it’s ready now
shall we sign it with pleasure
I suggest we sign the original of the
contract with the attachment I agree
where should I sign sign on the dotted
line well it’s done let’s counter sign
it okay
dialogue 2 now that it’s all down on
paper there shouldn’t be any problem
great I’m glad our negotiation has come
to a successful conclusion thanks again
it’s been good working with you my
pleasure I hope this will lead to
further business between us I hope so
I think both of us deserve a good rest
after the long negotiation yes to
celebrate the signing of our contract
and our first cooperation our general
manager wants to host a dinner would you
like to join us yes I’d like to
you
you
14 terminating a contract
dialogue 1 what should we do if either
one of us desires to terminate the
contract during the one year trial
period the contract can be terminated
with only one month prior to notice and
after the one year trial period
if you notify us 6 months beforehand you
can cancel the contract will there be
any claim damages for that of course
either party shall be liable for its
breach of contract and indemnify for all
losses thus incurred to the other party
ok dialogue 2 we’d like to contract out
of the project if you don’t mind but the
contract still has one year to go can
you give me the reason you’ve failed to
honor the contract so we are entitled to
cancel it that’s the reason you mean the
notice of shipment but I’ve told you
that’s a misunderstanding
your explanation won’t go down well with
us we insist on cancelling it what about
the subsequent work after the
termination we’ll have a representative
to do all the subsequent work that’s
really a pity we cannot go on I feel the
same
you
fifteen expiration of a contract
dialogue 1 the expiration of the
contract is coming would you like a
renewal I’m afraid we don’t want to
renew it well in that case the contract
will become void automatically when time
comes yes I see nice working with you
for the last three years same here we
hope to do business with you in the
future
absolutely we will dialogue - we’ll be
discussing the renewal of our contract
with hardware what are your conditions
for renewal the same as before I’m
afraid we cannot accept that we have
done a market price survey for major raw
material and got to know the price of
the raw material has been half lower
during the last year what do you suggest
then we’d like you to make a reduction
in half we feel it is necessary to
discuss your proposals in more detail
how far you’re willing to go with these
negotiations will depend on you
imports and exports
one asking for materials
dialogue 1 hello is that mr. keys yes
who it that nice to speak to you mr.
keys this is wang jian from ABC trading
company
oh nice to hear from you mr. Wang well I
called because I’m interested in a new
product you have advertised in a trade
journal and I want to say it seems like
a promising item glad to hear that then
what you know I have not seen any
details about it yet so I think if oh I
see I will send you some brochures just
tell me your address
that will be good thank you for your
trouble
my address is number 2 for 6 Newton
Avenue I can send the related
information to you this afternoon after
I study them would I have an opportunity
to discuss the possibility of selling it
in our market fine let’s do that and see
how it goes
shall we ok dialog - hello may I speak
to mr. Frank yes it is Frank speaking hi
mr. Frank this is Will Smith from Peak
injectors I get your name on an article
in the December issue of the British
Medical Journal nice to speak to you
what can I do for you we know that your
company manufactures injectors of
various sizes we would like to have some
real information about your products
you mean you like to see the samples
exactly the samples are now available
and will be sent free of charge would
you please tell me the dress of your
company that’s great our address is 36
Sayer Street to me please got it you’ll
receive it in 3 or 5 days
to formal inquiry dialogue one what
price per set do you suggest of article
number one to 7/8 with Lisbon as the
destination port in what currency would
you like us to give the price better in
dollars would you please give us an
approximate idea of the quantity you
require the size of our order depends
greatly on peace I think it’s better for
you to quote us your price first let me
see
it’s $600 per CIF Lisbon isn’t it
possible to give us a discount if your
order is a large one that’s probable
what do you mean by a large one I mean
that we’ll consider giving some discount
only when the order exceeds a total
amount of $10,000 or over how much is
the maximum or minimum discount our
maximum is 10 percent and the minimum is
3 percent okay I see I will try to buy
in a bulk dialogue - here is my inquiry
list I would like to have your lowest
quotation thank you for your inquiry
here are our CIF price lists are they
the lowest prices of course they’re only
for old friends like you all the prices
in the lists are the lowest prices but
could you quote us f OB prices okay
we’ll have f OB prices worked out by
this evening and let you have them
tomorrow morning by the way can you
quote in Australian dollars since the
exchange rate for US dollars has been
strong recently I can do that for you as
well thank you very much
three replying to the inquiry
dialogue 1 are you ready to quote us yes
I’ve just worked it out the price for
this commodity is 500 dollars per piece
CIF San Francisco is this your fo B
quotation no this is our quotation sheet
are the prices on the list firm offers
all the quotations on the list are
subject to our final confirmation that
means you may grant me huh well it
depends you’d better give the quantity
you’d like to order dialog - are the
prices your firm offers yes this is our
firm offers I can assure you that the
prices are highly competitive how long
will you keep the offers open it’s valid
within 5 days could you extend your
offers for 3 days longer I have to call
home for further decision three days is
a little longer what about two days as
there is a rush orders at present we can
hardly meet all the requirements fine
let me see
Wednesday that’s September 3rd is that
right yes looking forward to your reply
for bargaining
dialog one that’s a high price we can
hardly make a counteroffer you know in
our product there are natural herb
ingredients this adds to the cost but
makes the quality much superior I agree
with you there but 10% is too big a
difference
well we’ll reduce the price by 3%
I hope this sets the ball rolling I’m
afraid we can’t accept that
I’d suggest another 2% I’m afraid that
won’t do
hey 3% cut is really the best we can do
my offer was based on a reasonable
profit not on wild speculations that’s
why we prefer to order from your company
so how about another 1 percent discount
for an order exceeding 5 thousand
bottles to help us develop a new market
for your products can’t you cut your
price any more sorry we cannot alright
I’ll try to persuade my boss to accept
the price dialog too I have studied your
offer carefully and consulted our home
office we find your price 10% higher
than those offered by other suppliers
better quality usually means a higher
price
there is acute competition on the world
market and we need to do some sales
promotion for this new type well then
can you give us an idea that you
consider workable we can’t accept your
offer
unless the price is reduced by 10%
I appreciate your counteroffer but find
it too low to accept it’s unwise for
either of us to stick to our own price
how about meeting each other halfway and
in that way the business deal can be
concluded you certainly have a way of
talking me into it
alright let’s meet each other halfway
then the gap will be closed and our
business completed that
means $95 per piece it seems reasonable
we’ve kept the price close to the costs
of production
five ordering and accepting dialog 1
what is the minimum quantity of an order
for your goods the minimum quantity for
this product is 200 cartons do you have
that on hand will you wait while I see
if we have them in stock yes we will
submit further orders if this one is
completed to our satisfaction thank you
very much for the order hope this is a
good start for both of us
dialogue 2 we intend to book a trial
order with you glad to hear that we are
in a position to accept a special order
we’d like to place a very small order
will that work for you
usually the order we accept will be
substantial but as a new customer like
you we’d say it’s alright I would
appreciate that if possible we are going
to order 10 SEC’s good your order shall
have our prompt and careful attention
and one more question we have to discuss
with you what is it as a trial order if
we sell all the products in 3 months we
will pay for them if not we will send
them back to you well I agree with you
but the repeat order can’t have the same
terms
six mode of delivery dialog one the time
of delivery is very important to us
let’s discuss the delivery date next
please tell me your requirement first
I’d like to know how long it usually
takes you to make delivery delivery
would be a month from receipt of your LC
can you make the delivery before the
beginning of November we hope to keep up
with the Christmas rush okay I can
assure you we will deliver it to you on
time on condition that you should open
the LC as soon as possible we will do it
right away
by the way may I inspect them before
shipment sure will inform me before the
shipment dialog - what’s your earliest
delivery they may be delivered in a
month I’ll tell you the date as soon as
they are ready could you possibly affect
shipment more promptly I’m sorry to say
that we can’t advance the time of
delivery getting the goods ready making
out the documents and booking the
shipping space all these take time you
know you cannot expect us to make
delivery in less than a month
I see so will you confirm that you can
execute our order before the end of
April of course seven mode of payment
dialogue one in what currency will
payment be made we would prefer you to
pay for your imports in USD what’s your
regular practice concerning terms of
payment we usually accept payments by
irrevocable LC payable against shipping
documents could you make an exception
and accept DP for this transaction
occasionally we accept for trial order
but yours is a normal case isn’t it as
you know it doesn’t pay to open an LC
with a bank for such a small amount
I see only for this time I hope after
the first supply you will place regular
orders you bet
dialogue - is it possible to find
alternative terms for our future
business well it is only under very
special circumstances that we agree to
other payment terms it would help me
greatly if you would agree to da but we
will take more risks I’d like to think
it over please all right in view of our
long friendly relations we agree to your
requirement this time once and for all
thanks a lot
eight opening and Elsie
dialogue 1 hello anything I can do for
you hello mr. white this is Wang bin I’m
now calling to tell you that we have not
yet received the covering LC to date I
know the date of delivery is approaching
you must feel worried about that yes we
are so worried as we’ve come to an
agreement that you should open an LC 15
to 20 days before delivery yes I see our
letter of credit is bound to be opened
before March 1st that would be great
please call me as soon as you do that oh
I almost forgot that is the wording of
confirmed necessary for the letter of
credit I think so I’m always waiting for
your call bye dialogue - hello is that
mr. Connor this is Sarah yeah what’s the
matter
you sound like very anxious sorry we are
unable to guarantee shipment by the
agreed date due to a strike at our
factory oh what a pity what shall we do
then will you please explain our
situation to your customers and secure
their consent to extend the LC to
September 30th it’s a hot potato but I
will try if possible we will instruct
the Beijing City Commercial Bank to
extend the LC up to September 30th I
really appreciate that
nine packaging details dialog one I
would like to hear your requirements
about the product packaging issues
well the wrapping certainly should be
attractive and good quality too so
please pay attention to the design of
the inner packing all the packages must
be ready for window display we have
thought of that you can rest assured
that for this time we plan to use a
polythene wrapper for inner packaging
good waterproof material is usually used
for inner packing and in order to
accommodate to the American consumers
taste
we plan to print color embroidery
patterns on the exclusively designed
wrapping bag our packing will be on par
with that of other competitors if not
better great idea a wrapping that
catches the eye will certainly help push
the sails same here but don’t forget
that the barcodes should be marked on
the inner packing no we won’t
dialogue - do you have anything to say
about the outer packaging we intend to
use cartons for outer packing
are they standard export cartons yes
it’s cardboard cartons with stenciled
shipping marks but these goods will have
to go a long way before they arrive at
our ports
what if dampness gets into the packages
all the cartons are lined with plastic
sheets so they’re absolutely waterproof
I can assure you
then how many for one box - dozens
I’m afraid it’s over wait for that kind
of box will reinforce the box with metal
straps why not use the wooden case
wooden case is too heavy to handle
anyway the outer packing should be
suitable for long distance ocean
transportation please make sure that the
packing is strong enough to stand rough
handling certainly please
set your mind at rest do you have more
questions about packing no I will leave
it to you
ten making shipment
dialogue 1 would you tell me how you
intend to ship the goods to make it
easier for us to get the goods ready
we’re willing to ship them in two Lots
when will it be for each lot the first
lot is in September and the second one a
month later if so can you assure me of
shipping on time of course we assure you
that shipment will be made before
September 30
as soon as shipping space is booked
we shall advise you of the name of the
ship good I’m waiting for your good news
dialog to
how would you like us to ship the goods
as the goods are seasonal goods
you’d better ship them in one lot but it
will cause a lot of problems in our
shipment and it is very difficult to
book so much shipping space at one time
I understand your position but you
should try your best to make everything
go smoothly we will contact the shipping
company to meet your need I will phone
you in the afternoon to tell you the
results good
eleven about insurance dialogue one do
you mind telling me what kind of
insurance we’ve got for this order of
goods we generally cover insurance WPA
and war risks in the absence of
instruction from our clients WPA and war
risks are too narrow for a shipment of
this nature
what other insurances would you like to
add we want to add the risk of breakage
if broader coverage is required the
extra premium is for the buyers account
yes we know that what’s the extra
premium this kind of additional risk is
coverable at a premium of 2% okay please
cover the insurance for us dialogue - we
hope to have the goods insured at your
end okay for orders on CIF basis we
usually effect insurance against all
risks for 110 percent of the invoice
value with the people’s insurance
company of China will you arrange to
plus ten percent sorry as for the
percentage above the invoice value our
usual price is to accept 110 percent for
the sake of long and friendly business
relations with you we hope our request
will meet with your approval if we
comply with your request for covering
120 percent of the invoice value the
extra premium arising therefore will be
borne by you it does not matter what we
want to have is peace of mind
13 trade complaints one
dialogue one what’s wrong with the goods
some component parts were found covered
with rust on opening the package by
inspectors at the destination how many
of them are rusty nearly 10% of all are
there any possibilities that the long
distance transportation caused the rusty
the experts have reasons to believe the
rust had been there before the finishing
process but we also hold the inspection
certificate from our commodities
inspection bureau which states the
consignment was up to the standard for
export the only possibility is your
inspection bureau may select a few
packages at random
I’m afraid we only can give our opinion
after we have them rechecked dialogue -
we found a short weight in your last
consignment this kind of incident has
never occurred before how much is the
short weight - tonnes short weight on
the arrival have you got any proof here
is the copy of the inspection
certificate let me see it seems like we
had a mistake on the shipment we are
extremely sorry for that well it happens
what we need is quick shipment for the
two tonnes we will send them in this
week and we will inform you of the
details of the shipment as soon as
possible
14 trade complaints to
dialogue one sales department Zhang Jun
speaking what can I do for you good
afternoon mr. Zhang this is Michael I’m
calling to ask you about the shipment
the goods are now two weeks overdue oh
sorry we are doing everything possible
in our power to guarantee the delivery
within two days your delay in delivery
has caused problem on both our customer
and us we should appreciate if you could
make the arrangement for the shipment by
June first take it easy we promise you
I’m afraid if you are unavailable to
deliver within this period we shall be
compelled to cancel our order that won’t
happen
you are surely bound to receive it
within two weeks dialogue - hello is
that mr. Wang this is Peter yes speaking
Oh mr. Wang I have to make a complaint
to you for the delay
what’s the matter haven’t you received
the goods oh yes we have received but
five weeks went by before the goods
arrived instead of three weeks and we
lost a wonderful opportunity of sales
how can that be it is true on inquiry we
found that the goods were not shipped
until two weeks after the date of
dispatch oh sorry for the inconvenience
the delay has caused you but this delay
must due to the shipping company as we
have sent the goods to them on time
anyway we have to ask you to make us
allowance corresponding to our loss
please give us some time we must inquire
into the matter all right
but reply to me as soon as possible
please
fifteen claim and settlements
dialogue 1 hello Robert nice seeing you
hi good to see - I’m sure you will come
today I’m here to settle the claim for
last shipment I see we made
investigation and found that the goods
had not been packed as stipulated in the
contract that caused the breakage in
transit I do apologize for that so what
will you deal with this matter
the repacking did take a long time and
cost a lot and we’d like to know how
much the repacking cost you the expenses
amounted to five thousand dollars we
expect compensation for this amount
certainly we will compensate you for any
expenses you may have incurred hope this
unfortunate error will not affect our
future relations I hope so be careful
next time
dialogue - I think the problem can be
solved by friendly consultation without
referring to arbitration quite right
then how much would you like to
compensate for the losses we are going
to compensate a part of the losses can
you name the reasons as we have stated
in the contract should any loss or
damage occur party a shall lodge claims
against the insurer and pay a part of
the indemnification received from the
insurer to party B which shall be in
proportion to the payment party a has
not made for the part of machinery
involved in the loss or damage that
sounds ok one of my people will go to
your company tomorrow to talk about what
replacements are needed and the money
for your future losses we apologize for
the trouble caused to you and will take
steps to avoid such a mistake again in
the future I hope so I hope you’ll
seriously consider our claim
trade show
one extending invitations
dialogue 1 hello is this the Pacific
mechanical company yes may I know who’s
calling it’s Lily
from the organizing committee of the
annual international high-tech industry
exposition 2009 glad to hear from you
can I be of any help to you I’m calling
to invite you to visit our annual
international high-tech industry
exposition this is an excellent
opportunity to show your company to the
world who else may I know will you
invite we are going to invite a crop of
scitech specialists with high academic
achievements and lots of international
exhibitors oh I see will you invite
Madison industries yes
do you need me to send you the expo
information ok
our email address is P MC at 1 6 3
dot-com got it please take a peek at
your mailbox in 5 minutes
dialog - your computers have a high
level of quality now and your prices are
good so why not I think it will really
be worthwhile what you said is right we
must demonstrate it so you accept the
invitation is that right yes we will
attend the expo you seem excited about
it well you know computer originates
from America
so maybe the thought of going back there
to promote our brand is kind of exciting
to me wish you a good result thank you
for inviting us
to applying to the fair
dialogue 1
may I know the purpose of holding such
an exhibition the purpose of this
exhibition is promote the development of
industrial sectors strengthen industrial
communication and cooperation and
prosper industrial economy nice theme
when and where will the exhibition be
held it’s in Beijing on August the 5th
and 6th when is the deadline for
registration the deadline is Friday
however we can make exceptions for
overseas companies what about the
accommodation will help you reserve the
hotels and arrange cars to pick you up
at the airport do we need to pay the
deposit yes you need to prepay for the
rent
50% dialogue - we have an idea of
joining the exposition you are welcome
to participate in the exposition what
shall we do with the registration form
and registration fee you need to fill
out the application form and agreement
with official stamp and submit it to the
organising committee
the address is room 1 2 1 2 wait on
building Yonghwa Road 1:05 Chao yo
district Beijing can I transfer money by
bank of course our account number of
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
is six to two two zero two three six
zero two zero one eight three zero three
eight three four is it necessary for us
to provide you other documents please
provide samples and photographic
materials in English and Chinese
three decorating the booth dialogue one
today we need to make the display of the
exhibition let’s make a unique display
yes a unique display so where shall we
start the work well I think we should
start from measuring the floor for a new
carpet and the walls for new wallpaper
the color of the floor and the wall must
match our products how do you like green
good idea I was thinking the same thing
myself what about the tables they are
all the same color in the hall we can
spread the tables with some colorful
clothes just like the flowers in the
forests I’m sure it will look decorative
dialog - what can we do with the door
just put some posts on it all right with
you you do what you like
it makes no odds to me okay do it then
after that you need to put the logo of
our company on the wall ok but just tell
where you’d like I’ve no idea ask Helen
for some advice but remember we should
put the logo at the very obvious place I
will oh I almost forget the posts also
should be pasted up on the walls in the
surrounding hallways don’t worry I will
make them on
for registration
dialogue 1 welcome to the exhibition as
the registration begun yes would you
like to check in yeah can you tell me
the registration process you should show
your ID card the invitation letter and
the receipt to the exhibition registry
they will give you a guest card then you
need to get the meal vouchers okay could
you tell me how to get there you can go
to the room 2 1 1 and there will be
someone to help you to finish the
registration thank you dialog - hello
I’d like to sign the register
good morning would you show me your
documents here they are well excuse me
for a moment
all seemed right here is your ticket to
the hall your booth is in number 3 Hall
is it far from here it’s so spacious
here here is the floor plan of the
exhibition hall oh good I think it must
be a good helper if you need any help
please let me know
five applying for other services
dialogue 1 good morning sir
can I help you I wonder if you can
arrange an interpreter for us you know
we cannot speak Chinese very well yes we
can
there are many English major students
who can translate for you that is great
how much do they charge each day it is
$15 an hour for a minimum of four hours
I see well I need a three day service
that will be twelve hours altogether
would you like a girl or a boy a girl
please I think girls will be more
considerate okay I will arrange one for
you at once dialogue - good afternoon
mr. Houston good afternoon I’d like to
arrange a meeting for some business do
you have a conference room we could use
certainly sir we have a conference room
for ten people at $150 an hour or a
larger room for 20 people for $250 an
hour I’d prefer the smaller room can I
book it for tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.
yes that would be fine
could you tell me where it is let me
take you there thanks a lot you were so
kind
six welcoming the clients
dialogue 1 welcome to the China export
commodities fair how do I address you
nice to meet you
I’m Tom Bailey the business
representative of ABC company nice to
meet you too mr. Bailey is this your
first visit to the fair yes this is my
first visit I’ve heard that it is famous
all around the world yes you have come
to the right place what would you like
to see I’d like to see the handmade rug
here we’ve got a series of latest ones
do you feel interested ok show me please
see those on the wall behind me those
are the new ones oh they look nice would
you like to have a further negotiation
with our manager oh I’m afraid not at
the moment
I’d better go have a look at the others
I’ll come to you if necessary here is a
catalog and brochure take a look
dialogue - hi mr. Morris nice seeing you
again
oh hello Ralph haven’t run into you for
a long time it really is you’ve changed
so much how was your business it’s just
all right what about yours
it is looking up so I came here how is
the market going for last consignment
very well I’m going to place an order
again glad to hear that I wish a brisk
business for you all and a continued
development in our business dealings the
same to you oh I have to go and have a
brief look excuse me for a moment take
it easy
see you soon
seven establishing contacts
dialogue 1 good afternoon sir may I know
what company you are from I’m Matt Brown
from the import manager of Atlantic
Industries Ltd Sydney Australia
good afternoon mr. brown my name is
Juliet Anderson manager of the sales
department nice to see you miss Anderson
do you find anything interesting I’m
just arriving here I haven’t seen as
much as I could would you mind leaving
your business card here no I’d be glad
to here is my card
thank you and here is mine please call
me anytime if anything I can do for you
dialog - oh by the way I would like you
to know my friend Ming Ming this is my
buddy Tim nice to meet you I’m Wang Ming
me too I’m Tim Alexander just call me
Tim well Tim’s company is doing business
with importing toys maybe you can seize
the opening of course thank you so much
John and I think we should have a
further talk sometime later do you think
so Tim good idea it suits me then let’s
make it tomorrow morning
say 10:00 okay I will come to the booth
to meet you
eight introducing the business
dialogue 1 what kinds of treat are you
generally in we are engaged in export
what countries do you trade with we
mainly trade with Japanese and South
Korean firms what’s your business scope
our business scope includes clothes
stationaries toys household electric
appliances and medical devices dialogue
2 what kinds of products do you mainly
handle we mostly handle office furniture
could you say something about the
product category it includes sofa filing
cabinet executive desk computer table
and office chair what about the quality
and price we supply first-class
furniture the material is superior and
with all the latest styles the prices
are competitive against the similar
products can you give me some idea about
what you’re looking for
oh I’m just looking around
9 showing samples
dialogue 1 could you please let me have
it look okay here is the model good it’s
indeed of attractive due to the limited
space we cannot demonstrate all the
models these are some samples of the
products well these are enough really
did you find anything interesting oh yes
we are especially interested in these
three models we are glad to hear that
dialogue - I would like to see the
samples first okay here it is these are
our new models oh it looks really
attractive what are their strong points
there’s a lot to be said for them
firstly they are more durable than any
similar ones in the market why does it
take longer to wear out than others the
yarn is carefully selected for quality
and woven very tightly in this fabric oh
I see
may we hear your comments on our
products we find the quality of your
samples well up to standard and suitable
for our requirements
ten presenting related materials
dialogue 1 what items are you
particularly interested in women’s
dresses we are looking for something
fashionable and suitable for Australian
women oh we just got some new dresses
would you like a brochure yes please
that will be good this is the brochure
of our latest products here you are oh
thank you I surely will have a close
study of it our phone numbers and email
address are on the booklet I gave you
will be glad to hear from you ok I hope
so dialogue - well here we offer you
with a catalogue of the newest products
for reference oh thank you and here is
the price list please take a look at it
oh thank you so much would you like
something else Oh better not I’m full
with my hands oh I will fetch you a bag
we have some bags free of charge
thank you for trouble
11 moving out
dialogue 1 the show is coming to the end
we better start moving out at 2:00 in
the afternoon it’s finally over
I have yearned for home so we’ve got
lots of things to do now could you go to
the hotel and check out with pleasure
but what should we do with the display
items we can sell some of the display
items for the others we can find a
transportation company to ship them back
to our country I’ll follow your advice
the organizers of the exhibition have
already appointed a few transportation
companies here are their telephone
numbers ok I will call them in a moment
dialogue - hi miss Wong hi mr. Kennedy
nice seeing you anything I can do for
you no I’ve just come to say thank you
for your help
during the show it’s my pleasure I
appreciated your work methods if there
is anything else I can do for you please
don’t hesitate to let me know deal I’m
looking forward to cooperate with you
next time
me too by the way is everything ready
for going home yes everything is ready
we’ll move out in the afternoon then
have a nice trip
twelve contacting after the show
dialogue 1
is this mr. Jones yes that’s right who’s
calling I’m just calling to introduce
myself my name is Tong the buyer on PC
program of high-tech company I’m glad to
hear from you mr. Tong we’ve met at the
exhibition right yes we’re very
interested in the product you exhibited
at the international exhibition I would
be happy to learn more about export
business terms the price varies somewhat
according to the size of your order
would you tell us the quantity you want
so that we can work out an offer well I
will send you a list of my requirements
for which I’d like to have your lowest
quotations CIF Vancouver dialog - hello
is there Susan speaking yes who is that
genuine Oh
nice to hear from you well Susan I’m
calling to know if you have any interest
in our samples yes we are very
interested in the Cotton Chun Psalms
especially the ones with the traditional
Chinese patterns and characters glad to
hear that so is it possible for us to do
business we are just thinking about this
great hope we can get your order soon
you