Making a Phone Call
This lesson focuses on making a phone call, including introducing yourself, stating your purpose, and leaving a clear message.
Part 1
Pre-Reading
Answer the questions
What things do you buy that have prices that go up?
Have you ever tried to buy something and the price was higher than you expected?
What things can you bargain for—in other words, try to get a lower price?
Is negotiating acceptable in your country?
What skills do you need to be a good negotiator?
Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.
post ___
agreeable, good
budget ___
final agreement
up-to-date ___
to discuss and bargain
call back ___
to put something up for others to see (often online)
stick to ___
to agree on a price
acceptable ___
the most recent
negotiate ___
to lower
strike a deal ___
to return a phone call
come down ___
to solve a problem
meet halfway ___
to keep, to maintain
make something work ___
to find an agreeable middle price
it’s a deal ___
a spending limit
Part 2
Reading
Practice reading the telephone conversation out loud with your teacher.
Underline any words or phrases you don’t understand.
Mandy is calling Lee.
Mandy
Hello, this is Mandy speaking.
Hi, Mandy. This is Lee from River Education Books. Thanks for your voicemail earlier.
Lee
Mandy
I’m glad you called back. How can I help you?
You said the price of my order was 50 dollars more than what I expected to pay.
Lee
Mandy
Yes, the prices of some of our items went up recently.
I ordered from the most recent catalog.
Lee
Mandy
I understand your concern, but we always post our most up-to-date pricing online.
I didn’t know that. I’m new, and I have a budget I need to stick to. The new prices are not acceptable.
Lee
Mandy
I see. Your company is a good customer, and I want to keep our good business relationship.
Can we negotiate?
Lee
Mandy
Let’s try to strike a deal. The price difference is 50 dollars. What if I come down by 10?
That’s 40 over the original price and still 15 dollars over my budget. How about meeting halfway?
Lee
Mandy
I think we can make that work. If you come up by 25 dollars and I come down by 25, the total would be $280.99.
Great. It’s a deal.
Lee
Mandy
Great. I’m glad we could make this work. I hope we can continue to work together in the future.
I’ll let Mr. Michaels know about the new prices for the next order.
Lee
Mandy
Thanks, Lee. I’ll have your order shipped right away.
Part 3
Comprehension
Read the statements below. If the statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is false, write F.
According to Lee, the price of his order was 60 dollars more than he expected to pay. ____
Lee did not know that the most up-to-date pricing can be found online. ____
When the negotiation started, Mandy offered to lower her price by 10 dollars. ____
Both Lee and Mandy decided to meet halfway on the pricing. ____
Part 4
Vocabulary Review
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from Vocabulary Preview section.
You may need to change the word forms.
Many companies ____________ job openings and company information on the Internet.
I always check for prices online because websites have more ____________ information than printed catalogs.
The teacher said we have to ____________ the rules for the final project.
I left a message for my brother to ____________.
The new boss gave Leonard a list of ____________ clothing to wear to the office.
They had to ____________ for an hour before they could agree on a good price.
We didn’t agree on a price at first, but we decided to ____________.
I didn’t want to argue with my boss anymore, so I’m glad we ____________.
I said “It’s a deal!” when the supply company ____________ in price.
Gregory could not afford to buy such an expensive desk. He needed to stick to his ____________.
Part 5
Speaking
Write your own dialogue. Work with your teacher and write your own conversation using at least four words or phrases from today’s lesson. Choose an item and negotiate the price. Practice the dialogue, and then present it in front of the class.
Part 6
Writing
Create an invoice for the items and prices you discussed in the Speaking activity. Below is a sample invoice from the Main Supply Company for Lee’s order. Use this sample invoice as a guide for creating your own invoice.
Part 7
Listening
Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recordings.
Mandy is calling Lee.
Mandy
Hello, this is Mandy speaking.
Hi, Mandy. This is Lee from River Education Books. Thanks for your voicemail earlier.
Lee
Mandy
I’m glad you ____________. How can I help you?
You said the price of my order was 50 dollars more than what I expected to pay.
Lee
Mandy
Yes, the prices of some of our items went up recently.
I ordered from the most recent catalog.
Lee
Mandy
I understand your concern, but we always post our most ____________ pricing online.
I didn’t know that. I’m new, and I have a ____________ I need to ____________. The new prices are not ____________.
Lee
Mandy
I see. Your company is a good customer, and I want to keep our good business relationship.
Can we ____________?
Lee
Mandy
Let’s try to ____________. The price difference is 50 dollars. What if I ____________ by 10?
That’s 40 over the original price and still 15 dollars over my budget. How about ____________?
Lee
Mandy
I think we can ____________. If you come up by 25 dollars and I come down by 25, the total would be $280.99.
Great. It’s a deal.
Lee
Mandy
Great. I’m glad we could make this work. I hope we can continue to work together in the future.
I’ll let Mr. Michaels know about the new prices for the next order.
Lee
Mandy
Thanks, Lee. I’ll have your order shipped right away.
Part 8
Correspondence Building
The correspondence below is not in the right order. Cut up the strips, and then work alone or with your teacher to rearrange them into the correct order. Then read the correspondence out loud.
A. Email
| a) Lee: I ordered from the most recent catalog. |
| b) Mandy: Great. I’m glad we could make this work. I hope we can continue to work together in the future. |
| c) Lee: Your experience and education are what the company needs. |
| d) Mandy: Thanks, Lee. I’ll have your order shipped right away. |
| e) Lee: I think you’ll be an asset to our team. |
| f) Lee: Dear Lee, |
| g) Mandy: Yes, the prices of some of our items went up recently. |
| h) Mandy: I understand your concern, but we always post our most up-to-date pricing online. |
| i) Lee: I didn’t know that. I’m new, and I have a budget I need to stick to. The new prices are not acceptable. |
B. Phone Call
| j) Mandy: I’m glad you called back. How can I help you? |
| k) Mandy: I see. Your company is a good customer, and I want to keep our good business relationship. |
| l) Mandy: Let’s try to strike a deal. The price difference is 50 dollars. What if I come down by 10? |
| m) Lee: Thanks, Lee. I’ll have your order shipped right away. |
| n) Mandy: I think we can make that work. If you come up by 25 dollars and I come down by 25, the total would be $280.99. |
| o) Lee: I’ll let Mr. Michaels know about the new prices for the next order. |
| g) Mandy: Yes, the prices of some of our items went up recently. |
| p) Lee: Great. It’s a deal. |
| q) Mandy: Hello, this is Mandy speaking. |