Investigate a product, explain its value and defend a practical test. Your business experience is welcome; every personal question also has a fictional alternative.
a problem or requirement a customer wants to address.
selling point
a reason someone might choose this product.
value for money
how worthwhile something seems for its price.
customer feedback
comments from people about a product or experience.
objection
a concern or reason that makes someone hesitate to buy.
product demonstration
showing a product being used.
Lesson aims and timing · 65 minutes
Distinguish a feature from its customer benefit.
Explain three possible reasons for weak sales using cautious language.
Respond to a buying objection.
Recommend a small test and explain a trade-off.
Give a 60–90-second answer about improving sales.
Both games are included in the 65 minutes. For 60 minutes, shorten chapters 1 and 7 by five minutes in total. For 75 minutes, add the ten-minute retailer extension.
Chapter practice is saved on this device when storage is available; it is not synced to your account.
CHAPTER 1 / 8 · 5 MINUTES
Would you buy it?
You need a bottle for your journey to work. Both fictional listings show the same product at €24. Which helps you decide? Choose one and give two reasons.
Reveal three possible questions
Will it fit in my bag?
How does the lock work?
Why does it cost more than another bottle?
Teacher challenge: Your customer says, “I already have a bottle.” What would you ask before trying to sell this one?
Teacher notes / answer guidance
No automatically correct favourite: B explains a use more clearly, while A still supplies useful specifications. Ask about the buyer’s current bottle and needs before making a sales claim.
CHAPTER 2 / 8 · 10 MINUTES
From product to customer
Match four situations at a time. These labels identify the main purpose in this activity; a feature can also be a selling point.
Teach terms in two groups of four. Features and selling points are not mutually exclusive business categories. Ask the learner to explain the communicative purpose rather than memorise rigid labels.
CHAPTER 3 / 8 · 8 MINUTES
The product people had to try
Ordinary scrap paper, a book and an illustrated removable note. Original diagram; not historical packaging or advertising.Open the Post-it reading after your prediction
At 3M, scientist Spencer Silver developed a type of glue that stuck lightly and could be removed. But what could people use it for? His colleague Art Fry had a practical problem: the paper bookmarks in his songbook kept falling out. A removable sticky bookmark offered a possible solution.
The idea developed into notes for leaving messages. An early launch in four cities, under the name Press 'n Peel, produced mixed results. Later, 3M put samples directly into people's hands in Boise, in the United States. According to the company, 90% of those who tried the notes said they would buy them. That was a statement about their intentions, not proof that they all bought a pack. Post-it Notes were introduced across the United States in 1980.
For a marketer, the case raises a question: can customers recognise a product's value before they experience it?
Reveal the visual sequence
Problem: loose bookmarks fall out.Possible use: a removable sticky bookmark.Customer trial: samples help people experience the notes.
A. Put three events in order
Tap an event to add it to the sequence.
Which statement does the reading support?
Reveal 3M’s decision
3M distributed samples in Boise. According to 3M, 90% of people who tried the notes said they would buy them. This does not establish the number of paid purchases or prove that sampling alone caused later success.
‘3M distributed samples in Boise.’ Is this a fact or an interpretation?
‘Using a sample may have made the benefit clearer.’ Is this a fact or an interpretation?
Teacher notes / answer guidance
Keep prediction before revelation if using prediction mode. The initial four-city Press ’n Peel launch had mixed results, followed by sampling in Boise and the US national launch in 1980. Do not convert intention into actual purchases.
CHAPTER 4 / 8 · 6 MINUTES
Show me the benefit
Use a real removable sticky note and a book, or these illustrated steps. No video or physical materials are required.
1. Write a reminder2. Attach it to a page3. Move it to another page
Round 1 · 20 seconds You are a sceptical buyer. The teacher describes the product without showing how it works.
Round 2 · 20 seconds The teacher demonstrates the product. You may ask two questions.
Let me show you how it works.
You can … without …
This is useful if you …
Challenge: “I understand it now, but I still do not need it.” Ask about the buyer’s needs or accept a poor fit.
Teacher notes / answer guidance
A clear demonstration does not make a product suitable for everyone. Reward a useful question or a polite acknowledgement of a poor fit; avoid unsupported promises.
CHAPTER 5 / 8 · 6 MINUTES
Say it more clearly
Connect a feature to a plausible benefit
The backpack has a separate laptop pocket.
The lunchbox has three sections.
The desk lamp has adjustable brightness.
The phone stand folds flat.
Other justified benefits are welcome. Do not invent health, waterproofing or safety benefits that are not in the specifications.
Upgrade the vague sentence aloud
Optional language support
“It may be …” gives a possible explanation. “The feedback suggests …” interprets evidence. “If we …, we could …” gives a possible action and result.
Teacher notes / answer guidance
Accept plausible benefits and precise alternatives, not only the model sentences. Margin stretch: if a €24 bottle costs €12 to dispatch, €12 remains before returns, interventions and other costs.
CHAPTER 6 / 8 · 18 MINUTES
Rescue the product
Investigate the fictional bottle shop, choose two interventions, inspect the outcome and give a short recommendation. Give a spoken reason before each decision. One run is enough for this lesson.
Loading device-local simulation…
Teacher notes / answer guidance
Keep the focus on explaining decisions. All nine paths are scripted alternatives for the same week. B+D meets both goals. Other paths illustrate particular trade-offs; they do not grade the learner’s marketing ability.
CHAPTER 7 / 8 · 5 MINUTES
Experience that counts
Choose one interview prompt. If you have relevant experience, use it; otherwise describe the fictional CarryWell shop and say, “In this scenario …”.
Tell me about a product that was difficult to sell. How did you investigate the problem?
How did you explain the value of a product when a competitor was cheaper?
Tell me about customer feedback that changed something you did.
Situation
Evidence
Action
Result or next test
Teacher follow-up: How do you know that helped?
Teacher notes / answer guidance
Separate observations from causal claims. An experienced learner can discuss their own shop; everyone else can use the fictional scenario. Do not request or store private business details.
CHAPTER 8 / 8 · 7 MINUTES
The product meeting
Teacher · sales manager “Our product gets attention, but sales are disappointing. What would you investigate first?”
Learner · marketing applicant Prepare for 30 seconds, then speak for 90 seconds.
A likely customer need.
A possible buying objection.
One piece of evidence needed.
One small test.
One measure of success.
Reveal the manager’s challenges
Why not just reduce the price?
The new advert gets more clicks. Is that enough?
The teacher gives two language improvements. Repeat the final 30 seconds using them.
Optional 10-minute extension · Sell it to a retailer
The teacher is a local shop buyer. In 60 seconds, explain the bottle’s benefit, show the locking lid and propose a small trial display.
Buyer: “My staff do not have time to explain a complicated lid.”
Propose clear shelf instructions, a short staff demonstration or a limited trial; name one result to monitor. Then replay one simulation path and compare it with the first plan.
Teacher notes / answer guidance
Observe clarity of the recommendation, three relevant expressions, the distinction between evidence and assumption, and response to one objection. Give two targeted corrections and allow a second attempt; this is a speaking checklist, not automatic scoring.
