Grab your coffee cup and I’ll grab mine.
The fact that you’re here reading this post means you’re ready to move up to mastering advanced business English.
As you know, English is fast becoming a requirement for anyone to work, communicate and compete in the international market.
Maybe you want to impress a potential employer, or you have a job that requires frequent international business travel. Or maybe you’ve set your sights on joining a multinational company. For these and any number of other situations, you need to be able to communicate at an advanced level of business English.
Before we get to the list of 25 very important business English words, here are some simple tips to help you add these new words to your everyday vocabulary.
Improving your business vocabulary takes more than just learning new words. You need to find out how they’re used. The fastest way for an advanced learner like you to do that is to read and watch business news often.
One easy way to start keeping up with the latest business news is to subscribe to The New York Times and try to read at least one article every day. Their Business Day section includes articles on a wide variety of business topics, and covers both U.S. and international business news.
1. Organize
The verb
to organize means to arrange something in an orderly way (such as reports or products) or to plan for a certain function (such as
business meetings or events).
Sample sentence:
Our sales and marketing team will organize the upcoming Annual Sales Convention in Las Vegas.
2. Guidance
The noun guidance comes from the verb to guide, which means to direct or lead the way. Therefore, guidance refers to the act of giving direction or help.
Sample sentence:
Martha, our manager, tells us we can go to her for guidance any time.
3. Expand
The verb to expand means to increase the size or amount of something. In business, we often talk about expanding a department or a business.
Sample sentence:
I hear that your company plans to expand to Europe and China next year.
4. Clause
In business law, the noun clause refers to a statement or term in the contract.
Sample sentence:
Our legal team has raised some questions about a couple of clausesin the contract.
5. Null and void
The phrase null and void refers to a contract or clause that’s invalid, non-binding or which has no legal force.
Sample sentence:
Our lease will become null and void in 30 days if we don’t renew it now.
6. Competitor
The noun competitor refers to another business that is trying to perform better than your business and others in the same market. You can also refer to all of your competitors as the competition.
Sample sentence:
Management is concerned about the number of new competitorsentering the market this year.
7. Invoice
The noun invoice refers to an itemized bill showing the list of goods sold or services provided, their prices and the total amount to be paid.
Sample sentence:
Don’t forget that we need to pay within 45 days of receiving the invoice.
8. Counter offer
A counter offer is an offer you make in response to an offer made by another party. If you’re unhappy with an offer someone has made to you, you may make a counter offer.
Sample sentence:
John offered to sell me his used car for $15,000. It’s a nice car but that’s a little too expensive. So I’m going to make him a counter offer.
9. Trademark
Sample sentence:
One of the most famous trademarks in the world today is the “Golden Arches,” the symbol of McDonald’s.
10. Consensus
The noun consensus refers to an idea or opinion that’s been agreed on by everyone.
Sample sentence:
After a four-hour meeting, the committee still couldn’t come to a consensus, so they’ll be meeting again next week.
11. Public relations
Public relations refers to the activities used to promote and create a good public image of your company so that people will view it in a positive way. It’s also common to use the abbreviation PR.
Sample sentence:
I feel that sponsoring the Fitness For All program will be an excellent public relations move.
12. Agenda
The noun agenda refers to a list of things to be discussed or done at a meeting or business event.
Sample sentence:
Are you sure we can cover everything on today’s agenda in 2 hours?
13. Visual aids
Visual aids are things like charts, pictures, maps, etc. that make it easier for your audience to understand something. You commonly use
visual aids if you’re
giving a presentation or when you’re in a meeting.
Sample sentence:
Your visual aids really helped me get a better picture of this complex construction project.
14. After-sales service
After-sales service refers to the service, such as maintenance and repairs, that you continue to provide after your customer buys your product or service.
Sample sentence:
Our company’s after-sales service is considered one of the best in the electronics market.
15. Strategy
The noun strategy in business refers to a plan that’s been carefully put together to achieve a certain goal.
Sample sentence:
Our corporate department is developing a strategy to place our company at the top of the tourism industry.
16. Estimate
The noun
estimate refers to a general idea about the value, size or cost of something based on a rough calculation.
Estimate can also be used as a verb, but the pronunciation is a bit different;
click here to hear the differences.
Sample sentence:
The finance team is requesting
estimates from several
information technology companies to get an idea of the project cost.
17. Equipment
The noun equipment is used to talk about a set of tools or devices you need for a special purpose. For instance, office equipment may include photocopiers, cabinets, etc.
Sample sentence:
My manager thinks we should sell off the unused office equipmentto create more space.
18. Branch
The noun branch refers to the local office or shop of a company.
Sample sentence:
Our bank will be opening many new branches in smaller cities next year.
19. Dress code
The phrase dress code refers to a set of company rules about what clothing may and may not be worn at work.
Sample sentence:
Our company has a strict dress code that requires all customer service staff to wear a suit.
20. Guarantee
The verb
to guarantee means to make an assurance, usually in written form, of the quality of your product or service. The noun
guarantee refers to the assurance itself. If the guarantee also involves a physical document,
that document is often called a warranty.
Sample sentence:
Don’t worry, all our products come with a guarantee against major defects.
21. Market research
The phrase market research refers to the research you do to collect information about what your customers need or prefer in a certain product or service.
Sample sentence:
New market research shows that food manufacturing is one of our country’s top income earners.
22. Authorization
The noun authorization comes from the verb to authorize, which means to give someone the legal or official approval to do something. Authorization refers to the approval itself.
Sample sentence:
A manager’s authorization is required for refunds over $500.
23. Penalty
The noun penalty refers to an official punishment, usually through a fine or other payment, for breaking a contract.
Sample sentence:
If you don’t pay your suppliers on time, there will be a penalty of 15%.
24. Headquarters
Sample sentence:
25. Commercial
The noun commercial refers to a paid advertisement on radio or TV.
Sample sentence:
Our marketing department has a brilliant idea for our next Super Bowl commercial.
Remember, if you want to master this advanced business English vocabulary, you need to practice using the words in your daily work.
Apply the tips I mentioned and you’ll soon be adding even more new advanced vocabulary to what you’ve just learned here.
Keep up your good work!
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