Sales and marketing

What is marketing?

People talk about the marketing mix. This consists of (= it is formed from and includes):

choosing the right product (= what a company produces/makes or offers)

selling it at the right price (= what it costs to the buyer/consumer)

using the right kind of promotion (= the ways to make the product popular and well-known; this includes advertising.)

making it available in the right place (= where you sell the product and how it reaches the consumer; also known as distribution)

This 'mix' is often referred to as the four Ps, and marketing people have the job of matching these things to the needs of consumers (= the people who buy and use products). People who buy the products of a particular company are that company's customers/clients.

'Sales' and 'market'

There are a number of words which combine with sales and market to form compound nouns and word partnerships which are very common in marketing.

sales figures: the amount you have sold

sales target: the amount you would like to sell in a future period

sales forecast: the amount you think you will sell in a future period, e.g. next year

sales representative: a person who sells a company's products; abbreviated to sales rep

sales/marketing manager: the person who runs the sales/marketing department

market research: collecting and studying information about what people want and need

market share: the % of a market that a company has, e.g. a 20% market share

market leader: the company or product with the biggest market share

Competition

Ford Motors is the market leader in the UK car industry. Its main competitors (= the most important companies in the same market) are Vauxhall and Rover, and it has had to work very hard in recent years to maintain its market share. Every time a competitor launches a new product (= introduces a new car onto the market), it is harder for Ford to stay in front.

A company's image

T

he image of a product/company (= the picture or idea that people have of the product/company) is very important in sales and marketing. Some companies want a fashionable image (= modern and up-to-date), others do not. For example:

mass-produced (= made in large numbers), reliable (= you can trust it), good value (= good for the money), functional but boring.

young; exciting, glamorous (= exciting + attractive); often fashionable, dangerous; not very practical.

high quality (= high standard/ very good), luxury (= expensive and giving great comfort), high status/prestige (= important; driven by important people).

Complete the following exercises:

1. The 'marketing mix' consists of the four Ps. Can you remember what they are? Write them down and then check in the text.

2. See how many different compound words and word partnerships you can form from the

words in the box (you can use a word more than once), then complete the definitions below.

sales market manager share figures marketing leader research department forecast

1. A sales ……………. is what you think you are going to sell during a future period.

2. The marketing……………. will be responsible for all the activities in the marketing ……………

3. Sales ……………. tell you how much you have sold of a product.

4. The market ……………..is the company with the largest market …………. in a particular market.

5 Market ………………… gives you information about what people want, need and buy.

3. What knowledge is necessary to be a good sales rep? Complete this text and then try to add a further sentence of your own.

First of all a good sales …………… needs to have an excellent knowledge of their company's .………………….. Secondly, he or she needs to know all about the ………….. of their main ……………….. Thirdly, a sales representative should be familiar with the needs of ………… in their particular market, and should obviously be very familiar with the needs of their company's most important ………………..

4. Complete this word-building table. Use a dictionary to help you.

Noun	Adjective	Noun	Adjective
	Exciting	prestige
	Glamourous	luxury
competition			reliable
fashion			dangerous

5. Which nouns or adjectives from exercise 4 (or any others from “A company’s image”), do you associate with these companies and products?

Rolex Benetton

Coca Cola Sony

Ferrari Levis

Swatch mobile phones

6. Can you answer these questions about your own country? If possible, compare your answers with someone else.

1. Which company is the market leader in the motor car industry in your country?

2. Do you know its approximate market share?

3. Which companies are its main competitors?

4. Write down the names of at least two cars that have been launched in the last six months.

Text 3. Read the text. Write several questions to the information in the text.