Corporate Vocabs

Business English vocabulary

It’s important to be familiar with the most common words, and use them in your business conversations. Let’s see what expressions business professionals actually use.

Action points : We might hear this at the end of a business meeting. Actions points are simply things that need to be done, by someone. 

Added value : An increase in the value of a resource, product, or service as the result of a particular process. In marketing, added value is something which makes a product more appealing to the customer.

Agenda : A written list of items or points to be discussed at a meeting.

AGM : An annual general meeting (AGM) is a yearly gathering of a company’s interested shareholders.

At the end of the day : It means when everything is taken into consideration, or ultimately. “At the end of the day, we still need to open up new markets to sell more.”

Ahead of the pack : Someone is ahead of the pack or leading the pack if they are ahead of everyone else in a race or competition

Authorization : Official permission.

Back to the drawing board : It’s time to start again because something isn’t working.

Back to square one : means to start something over again.

Backroom deal : Is an agreement or decision that is made without the public knowing about it.

Bail out : An injection of public money into a failing institution, to help someone with problems. It can also mean to stop doing something.

Behind the scenes : What happens in secret or not in front of the general public is said to happen "behind the scenes."

Benchmarks : Standard for measuring or judging other things of the same type

Best regards : A nice way to finish an email.

Big picture : Everything that is involved with a particular situation is called "the big picture."

Bleeding edge : The newest and most advanced part or position especially in technology.

Blue collar : A "blue collar worker" is someone who works with his hands (manufacturing, construction, maintenance, etc.). its opposite is a "white collar worker." A white collar worker is someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.).

Brand : The term refers to a business and marketing concept that helps people identify a particular company, product, or individual.

Business plan : A document used for raising finance. It summaries the operational and financial objectives of a business.

By the book: To do things "by the book" means to do things according to company policy or the law.

Call it a day : To "call it a day" means to decide to stop working for the day.

Catch someone off guard : To "catch someone off guard" means to surprise someone by doing something that he or she was not expecting.

Close a deal : To successfully agree a business deal.

Competition : When businesses, or people, are trying to be more successful than each other

Coworking : Workers from different companies who share an office space. Also called “shared office” or “flexible workspace”.

Deadline : A date or time by which you have to do or complete something.

Deliverables : Something that a company has promised to have ready for a customer.

Drill down into : To examine or analyse something a bit more, in further depth.

End-user : The person, customer etc who is the final and actual (or “real”) user of a product.

ETA : Estimated time of arrival.

Feedback : Advice, criticism etc about how successful or useful something is.

Fringe benefits : Fringe benefits are additions to employee compensation

Get down to business : To start working on what needs to be done.

Get the ball rolling : To set an activity in motion; make a start.

Gig economy : gig economy means there’s always last-minute scheduling

Helicopter view : A general survey of something; an overview of a situation without any details.

Influencer : Someone with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product

Key point : The most important part.

Know-how : Practical knowledge or skill

Loop : Special knowledge or power that belongs to a particular group of people.