Business English Vocabulary to Sound Senior

cash flow noun

The net amount of money moving into and out of a business over a given period.

The company was profitable on paper but nearly collapsed because its cash flow dried up.

working capital noun

The money a business has available for its day-to-day operations, calculated as current assets minus current liabilities.

Rapid growth strained our working capital, so we negotiated longer payment terms with suppliers.

liquidity noun

The ease with which an asset can be converted into cash without affecting its market price.

During the crisis, funds rushed into government bonds because of their high liquidity.

leverage noun

The use of borrowed money to increase the potential return on an investment.

The buyout was funded with high leverage, which amplified both the upside and the risk.

margin noun

The percentage of revenue that remains as profit after costs are subtracted.

Cheaper materials pushed our gross margin up by four percentage points.

valuation noun

An estimate of the total worth of a company or asset.

Investors pushed back on the founder's aggressive valuation during due diligence.

due diligence noun

The thorough investigation of a business or asset carried out before a transaction is completed.

The deal fell through when due diligence uncovered unrecorded liabilities on the balance sheet.

burn rate noun

The speed at which a company, typically a start-up, spends its cash reserves before reaching profitability.

At the current burn rate we have eighteen months of runway before we need to raise again.

concession noun

Something you give up or agree to in order to move a negotiation towards a deal.

We made one small concession on delivery dates and they closed the same afternoon.

sticking point noun

A specific issue on which the parties disagree and which is holding up agreement.

Payment terms remain the main sticking point in the contract.

deal-breaker noun

A condition or issue so unacceptable that it would cause a party to abandon the deal.

An exclusivity clause is a deal-breaker for us; we won't sign with it in.

common ground noun

The areas of shared interest or agreement that the parties can build a deal on.

We spent the first hour finding common ground before touching the numbers.

counteroffer noun

A revised proposal made in response to an offer that was not accepted.

Their counteroffer came back five per cent higher with a shorter payment window.

walk away verb

To end a negotiation without a deal because the terms on offer are unacceptable.

If they won't move on liability, we're fully prepared to walk away.

BATNA noun

Your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, which sets the standard against which any offer should be judged.

Their BATNA is weak because no other vendor can hit that deadline, so we hold the cards.

delegate verb

To assign responsibility or authority for a task to a more junior person while retaining accountability.

A good leader learns to delegate the execution and hold on only to the decisions that genuinely need them.

accountability noun

The obligation to answer for the outcomes of one's decisions and actions.

You can delegate the task but not the accountability; the buck still stops with you.

buy-in noun

Genuine agreement and commitment to a decision or plan from those affected.

You can impose the target, but without buy-in the team will comply rather than commit.

stakeholder management noun

The practice of identifying and actively managing the expectations and interests of everyone affected by a project.

The delivery was flawless, but weak stakeholder management meant the board still felt blindsided.

psychological safety noun

A team climate in which people feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes and take risks without fear of humiliation.

Without psychological safety, your status meetings will only ever surface the good news.

constructive feedback noun

Feedback framed to help someone improve rather than simply to criticise.

Constructive feedback names the behaviour and its impact, not the person's character.

empower verb

To give someone the authority, confidence and resources to act and make decisions on their own.

We want to empower frontline staff to resolve complaints without escalating every case upward.

touch base phrase

To make brief contact with someone to share updates or check on progress.

Let's touch base on Friday to see where we are with the client proposal.

circle back phrase

To return to a topic or person at a later time once more information is available.

I don't have the figures yet, so let me circle back to you this afternoon.

loop in phrase

To include someone in a conversation or email thread so they are kept informed.

I'll loop in Legal before we send the contract to the supplier.

align on phrase

To reach a shared position on a decision, priority, or approach.

Can we align on the messaging before the press release goes out?

action item noun

A specific task assigned to someone as an outcome of a meeting.

We captured six action items in the notes, each with an owner and a deadline.

take it offline phrase

To move a detailed or tangential discussion out of the current meeting into a smaller conversation later.

That's a good point but it only affects two of us, so let's take it offline.

manage expectations phrase

To make sure people have a realistic understanding of what can be achieved and by when.

I want to manage expectations early: this feature won't be ready before the summer.

next steps noun

The specific actions to be taken following a meeting or decision.

The next steps are clear: I'll draft the contract and you'll brief the client.