Episode 01

Philip is the CEO of WebWare, an IT company. He needs to hire a new sales director as soon as possible.

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. You can also read the transcript.

Preparation

Transcript

Philip: You what? What do you mean? You've lost the DollarMart contract? Oh, Brian, tell me you're joking! That's our biggest contract and you've lost it! OK ... OK ... yes, I know you've had some personal problems recently. Yes, sure ... yes, I know our competitors have improved their offer, but really, Brian, these are just excuses. Oh, Brian, come on – you failed to meet agreed targets for the entire last quarter. We talked about this in your last performance review and I told you then it had to improve, and to be quite honest – it hasn't. Losing the DollarMart contract is the last straw. No, I'm sorry, Brian, that's it. That's your last chance. I'm going to have to let you go. Let you go. Yes, that's what it means, Brian. You're fired.

Hi, Jess. Can you put me through to Marcia in HR, please? Thank you.

Hi, Marcia. It's Philip here. Listen, I've had to let Brian go. He lost us the DollarMart account. Yeah, but it had been going on for a while, and he just wasn't pulling his weight any more. He'd been warned. His last performance review was really bad. He knew it was coming. So, we'll be looking for someone new and we'll need to decide on who that is. 

Who are we looking for? Good question. I was hoping you might be able to help me with that! Here's what I'm thinking and let me know if you agree. Well, obviously, they'll need to have a first degree. Doesn't matter what subject. And then a master's or an MBA, I'd say. 

Experience? At least five years' relevant experience in an international company. I want somebody with a proven track record. Oh, they have to be a team player – Brian never was – so strong interpersonal skills. Oh, and I want someone with vision ... yes, 'vision'! Well, I know it’s difficult to define. What I mean is, someone who knows we're in a rapidly changing market, and they can use it to our advantage.

Experience with online sales, perhaps but ... yes, I'd be interested in that. Oh, language skills. I can't emphasise that enough. Not necessarily a native speaker, but they must be very good at English. And another language as well – Spanish, or Mandarin is best.

Does that sound OK to you? Great. OK, can you get an ad out on the website as soon as possible? Oh, and the trade press as well. OK, great. Thanks, Marcia. I want a new sales director by the end of the month. Bye!

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.1 (38 votes)

Submitted by smga22 on Tue, 21/01/2020 - 16:18

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It was really real-life experience for me.

Submitted by Htet Wai Lynn on Mon, 20/01/2020 - 12:31

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Although I cannot understand very well, I appreciate british council.

Submitted by MAYHOW on Fri, 03/01/2020 - 07:33

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Hi, everyone here I am a new member, dont know what shall i do. can someone adive?

Hi MAYHOW,

Welcome to LearnEnglish!

Have you explored our front page yet? You can find it here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

You'll see links to checking your level and to our Getting Started page, which should be just what you're looking for!

 

LearnEnglish is not organised as a course, though we do have courses available. Rather, most of the site is like a library of materials which you can dip into as you find useful. On most pages you can find comments sections so you can express your opinions, talk about your experiences, interact with other users, or ask questions of the team here.

 

Good luck with your learning!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I am also new here. This comment was helpful for me. Thank you.
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Submitted by munasinghe on Sat, 30/11/2019 - 12:53

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I am from Sri Lanka . It is very hell full for me. Thank you.

Submitted by Nelson Camilo … on Mon, 11/11/2019 - 08:20

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Thanks for video has been very helpful.