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第三十一集：Sign on the dotted line 签约

Episode 190607 / 07 Jun 2019

本集内容简介

安娜需要就公司在欧洲的营销计划提出一些策略，但她该从哪里开始呢？看上去老板 Paul 对销售策略没有什么头绪，所以让安娜提议该怎么做。 安娜提出了什么样的销售策略？

听力挑战 – 问题

老板 Paul 要和安娜 “touch base”, 这是什么意思？

文字稿

Anna
Help, help!

Tom
Help us! We're locked in.

Narrator
Oh, dear. 你还记得 Tom 和 Anna 被反锁在文具柜里了吗？ 那可怎么办？ 别人会怎么说呢？ 我们马上就要知道答案了…

Denise
Goodness, what's that? Anna, is that you? And is that you, Tom?

Anna
Yes, help! We're locked in.

Denise
Don't panic! I've got the key. There. How on earth…?

Tom
…it's not how it looks, Denise. We were just… erm…

Anna
…just looking for envelopes.

Denise
Really?!

Anna
Yes, yes, really. The door slammed shut and locked from the inside when Tom walked in.

Tom
Yeah, she's right. Just walked in, shut the door and bang.

Denise
Hmm. Let's just keep it our little secret, shall we? I thought you had better taste, Anna!

Paul
Ah, there you are, Anna, I need a word with you. Oh, you look like you've been caught doing something you shouldn't! Ha ha.

Anna
But I haven't.

Paul
Just joking, Anna. Now, could you step in to my office? We need to touch base about the European marketing strategy.

Anna
Are we playing baseball?!

Narrator
No, Anna! Touch base 是一个比喻。他想和你碰碰面，讨论一下工作进展怎么样了。Go on, Anna. Let's see what he has to say.

Anna
Oh, I see. That door doesn't lock, does it?

Paul
No, I don't think so. Right, Anna. Biscuit? These new peanut ones are quite nice. So how are things with the project?

Anna
Well, I've done some cold-calling and have an order from a company in France.

Paul
I see. Very impressive – but have they signed on the dotted line yet?

Anna
The dotted line?

Paul
Have they actually signed the contract yet?

Anna
Well, no but…

Paul
…that's the problem. There's a rival company who's also targeting the European market called Tutti Fruity - and they'll do anything to steal our customers.

Anna
Oh, I see.

Paul
So to keep our head above water, we need a clear strategy… and that's why I've put you in charge. So, what shall we do?

Narrator
我感觉 Paul 好像是一无所知，所以他还指望着你能想出些好主意呢！

Anna
I think you're right – but I don't know what to say.

Narrator
告诉他需要把价格压到市场最低价。“Price the rivals out of the market.” 这样竞争对手都没法跟你竞争，不得不退出市场。你可以说：“corner the market”，意思是 “垄断市场”。

Anna
Oh, thanks. That's very useful.

Paul
So, Anna, any thoughts?

Anna
Lots, Paul. I think we've got to compete on price.

Paul
Oh, yes.

Anna
We need to price Tutti Fruity out of the market. We need to corner the market so that everyone knows we are the best choice for good quality, good value plastic fruit.

Paul
I like it! 

Anna
And… and…

Narrator
告诉他和客户建立好的合作关系非常重要。“Build good relationships with our customers.” 给客户们提供好的服务。

Anna
We need to build good relationships with our customers. Talk to them regularly, send them gifts… go and meet them face-to-face.

Paul
Face-to-face! Yes, great idea – just what I was thinking. If we follow this strategy, I reckon there could be a bonus for us all by Christmas.

Narrator
恭喜你，安娜！干得不错。很有说服力。如果能把你的建议和想法实现的话，那就能挽救公司了。那让我们来复习一下刚才你用到的那些和扩大欧洲市场战略计划有关的词汇和表达。

We've got to compete on price.
We need to price the rivals out of the market.
We need to corner the market.
We need to build good relationships with our customers.

Narrator
不错，看起来事情进展的还很顺利，不过这会不会仅仅是表面现象？

Denise
Anna! Anna! That man from France has called again and left a message. He's not happy this time. Something about us trying to rip them off!

Anna
What? Rip them off?

Denise
It means overcharging them or giving them poor quality goods.

Anna
That's not fair. I'm going to have to sort this out.

Narrator
That's it, Anna! 快去和客户沟通一下，保持良好的合作关系可是太重要了。我们下次节目再会。

听力挑战 – 答案

老板 Paul 要和安娜 “touch base”, 这是什么意思？

“Touch base” 的意思是 “与某人交谈，了解他们的近况或他们对于某事的想法”。              

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