Selling in English – Sales Team Training for Poland & Germany

Why good salespeople lose conversations in English

🗣️ Pronunciation and numbers

The buyer hears “thirty” when the seller says “thirteen”. With prices, dates and quantities, one syllable matters.

🔨 Too direct

Direct questions are normal in Polish and German. British and Irish buyers expect softeners — without them a polite seller sounds pushy.

🎭 Cultural context

In British English “quite good” often means “OK”, and “I'll bear it in mind” can be a polite no. Miss that and you misread the call.

📚 Textbook language

Under pressure, sellers fall back on simple, predictable questions — and get predictable answers: “we're fine, just looking”.

What we work on

Every team gets a different mix, depending on your markets, your buyers and where you lose conversations today. A few examples from each area:

🗣️ Pronunciation and sound

Numbers and prices	THIRty vs thirTEEN, FIFty vs fifTEEN — stress tells the numbers apart; critical in negotiations.
TH	think ≠ sink, three ≠ tree — the sound that gives most Polish and German speakers away.
W / V	Polish “w” is English /v/: wine comes out as vine, west as vest.
Word endings	Polish and German devoice final consonants: prize sounds like price, bed like bet.
Word stress	a PREsent / to preSENT, an INcrease / to inCREASE, a REcord / to reCORD.
Intonation	An open question that rises at the end sounds unsure; a gentle fall sounds calm and confident.

🎭 Context and conversation culture

“Quite good”	In British English, often “OK” rather than “very good”.
“Not bad”	Can be a genuine compliment.
“I'll bear it in mind”	Often a polite “probably not”.
“With the greatest respect…”	Usually means the speaker is about to disagree.
Softeners	Could you possibly…? · I was wondering if… · It might be worth… — standard in the UK and Ireland, not weakness.
Small talk	A few lines about the weather or the weekend at the start of a call is normal in the UK and US, not wasted time.

💬 Idioms and business phrases

ballpark figure	a rough number — Can you give me a ballpark figure?
touch base	get in touch briefly, check in
on the same page	sharing the same understanding
the ball is in your court	it's your move now
a deal-breaker	a condition without which there's no deal
let's take this offline	let's discuss this separately, outside the meeting

⚠️ False friends

actual	≠ Polish aktualny / German aktuell (= current) — “actual” means “real”
eventually	≠ Polish ewentualnie / German eventuell (= possibly) — “eventually” means “in the end”
offer	a sales oferta / Angebot is usually a proposal or quote; “offer” sounds like a promotion
become	≠ German bekommen (= get) — “become” means “turn into”

🤝 The sales conversation in English

Opening, questions about the buyer's situation, talking about price, objections and agreeing a next step — techniques and phrases chosen for your sales process and practised on your real deals.

How your programme is built

1 · Needs analysis

A call with the manager: markets, buyers, typical calls and goals. A short English assessment of each participant. If you can share them — a look at your proposals, emails and presentations.

2 · Tailored programme

Topics, industry vocabulary and examples from your products. The mix of pronunciation, context, idioms and conversation technique depends on the analysis.

3 · Sessions

60-minute sessions, usually weekly, on site or online. Between sessions: tasks on real calls.

4 · Review

Role-plays on your real opportunities, comparison with the starting point, and a plan for the months ahead.

Example: “Selling in English” — 6 weeks for a team selling into the UK

Week 1: needs check and starting point · weeks 2–5: e.g. opening calls and finding needs, buyers who already have a supplier, price and objections, pronouncing numbers, prices and product names · week 6: role-plays on real deals and a plan. For another team these weeks look different — it's an example, not an off-the-shelf course. I'll show you the sample workbook on a free call.

Industries we work with

💻 Software houses

Outsourcing and dev teams for UK, US and Nordic clients.

🚚 Logistics

Freight forwarding and transport between the EU and the UK.

🏭 Manufacturing

Industrial and automotive components for UK and US plants.

🛋️ Furniture

Manufacturers selling ranges to UK and Irish retailers.

☁️ SaaS

Software subscriptions sold to international teams.

🥫 Food & FMCG

Private-label and branded products for UK distributors and supermarkets.

Another industry? The programme and examples are built around your product and buyers.

Format and price

Who it's for	Salespeople, account managers and customer teams in Poland and Germany who sell in English (roughly B1 and above)
Format	60-minute sessions · groups of up to 4 (max. 6) or 1-to-1 · on site in Poznań or online
Length	Agreed after the needs analysis — most often 6 weekly sessions
Price	350 PLN per session for up to 4 people, +85 PLN per extra person · example 6-week programme: 2 100 PLN per team of up to 4 (+510 PLN for a 5th and 6th person) · 1-to-1: 200 PLN per session · price list
Materials	A workbook prepared for your team: your scenarios, industry vocabulary with pronunciation, exercises
Invoice	VAT invoice for the company
Getting started	A free 20-minute call — then the needs analysis and a proposed programme

Frequently asked questions

Is this an off-the-shelf course or built for us?

Built for you. We start with a needs analysis, and only then choose the topics, the mix of pronunciation, context and conversation technique, and the examples from your industry.

What does the needs analysis include?

A call with the manager about markets, buyers and goals, a short English assessment of each participant and — if you can share them — a look at your proposals, emails and presentations.

Can we see sample materials?

Yes — I'll show you the sample workbook from a sales-team programme on a free call. Your own materials are written after the needs analysis.

Is the training in English?

Yes — delivered by a native speaker, just like your team's real calls. Language notes focus on the mistakes Polish and German speakers make.

What level of English do participants need?

Enough to hold a sales conversation already (around B1). It's not a grammar course — it's about what to say, and how, to move a deal forward.

Do you work with companies in Germany?

Yes — online, in English. On-site sessions are available in and around Poznań.

How much does it cost?

350 PLN per 60-minute session for up to 4 people (+85 PLN per extra person, max. 6). An example 6-week programme is 2 100 PLN per team of up to 4; 1-to-1 is 200 PLN per session.

How do we start?

Send the form below or call +48 880 404 168. We start with a free 20-minute call.

Sales English, tailored to your team