Иностранный язык профессионального общения (английский язык). Учебное пособие

all required criteria as listed in the certification scheme, and the decision maker(s) of the product certifier concur with the evaluation, then the product is deemed "certified" and is listed in a directory which the Product certifier is required to keep. ISO Guide 65 requires that the final decision to grant or not grant certification be made only by a person or group of persons not involved in the evaluation of the product.

Products often need periodic recertification, also known as surveillance. This requirement is typically identified within the certification scheme that the product is certified to. Certification bodies may require product suppliers to perform some sort of surveillance activity, such as pulling sample products from the marketplace for testing, in order to maintain their "listed" or "certified" status. Other examples of Surveillance activities include surprise audits of the manufacturing plant, supervision of the manufacturing and/or testing process, or a simple paperwork submittal from the supplier to the product certifier to ensure that the certified product has not changed. Other causes for recertification may include complaints issued against the product's functionality which would require removal from the marketplace, and expiration of the original certification. These lists of examples are by no means all inclusive.

Some certification schemes, or the product certifiers which operate those Schemes, may require that the product supplier operate a Quality Management System registered to ISO 9000, or that the testing be performed by a laboratory accredited to ISO 17025. The decision to set these requirements is most often made by the person or group which owns the Certification Scheme.

Business organizations

Business organizations are established to provide for material wants (i.e. goods and services) and commercial wants (i.e. banking, insurance) in society. The basic forms of private business organizations are sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations.

Sole proprietorship is a business owned and controlled by one person. A single person who owns and runs a business is known as a sole proprietor. Sole proprietorship is the oldest, simplest, and

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most common of all types of businesses. Because the financial resources available to one person often are limited, sole proprietorships are enterprises that require small amounts of capital to start and operate. Many doctors, dentists, lawyers, and bakers organize as sole proprietors to provide professional services.

Partnership is a business that is owned and controlled by two or more people. As in the case of sole proprietorships, partnership is a business that requires relatively small amounts of money to start and operate. A partnership begins when two or more people agree to operate a business together. Partnership can be general or limited. In order to avoid later conflicts, the partners usually formulate a written agreement called a partnership contract. A partnership contract distributes all profits and losses. It also details the specific responsibilities of each partner.

Corporation is a business organization that is owned by shareholders (i.e. the individuals who invest in it by buying shares of stock). Often hundreds and even thousands of small investors own the shares in a single corporation. That is why the owners elect a board of directors. The board of directors hires individuals to manage the corporation. These individuals include the president and other administrators of the company.

A corporation can do everything that a sole proprietorship or a partnership can do. It can, for example, buy property and resources, hire workers, make contracts and produce and sell products. A corporation may be either publicly owned or closed. In a publicly owned corporation shares can be purchased by anyone who chooses to invest in the business. A closed corporation is owned by a limited number of shareholders. People outside of this limited group may not buy shares in the corporation.

Profitability is the main aim of private organizations but it is important to realize that a business will have other aims. These include:

1. Survival: most of the time firms will not be worried about this. However, in times of economic difficulty — such as recession

— surviving will become an important short-term aim of the firm. In order to survive, the firm may have to discharge workers and close some of its factories.

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2.Growth: not all firms want to grow continually but growth is closely connected with survival. Very often, particularly for firms in highly competitive situations, e.g. computing and electronics, growth and development are the only way to survive.

3.Image: how the public at large views a company can be particularly important, and to this end a number of companies have public relations departments that have specific responsibility to improve the image of the company.

UNIT 6.

DESCRIBING A PRODUCT

1. Read the text.

SALES

The essential task of every sales professional in any sales job is to complete the transaction, to make the sale. The process for doing this is different in different companies or sales occupations. It is also a matter of personal style.

Companies rely on their sales force to sell the product, whether it is a sweater, a car or a house. It is helping the customer to the point where they say yes to the transaction itself.

There are tips that are useful in any sales transaction:

1.Know your customers’ needs. Ask the right questions. For big ticket items, this is apparent. For a small item, if a sweater is the wrong size or colour, what harm does it really do to just sell it? Do you think the customer will return to buy from you again?

2.Talk to clients about how the purchase will benefit their lives. A friend bought a house when the real estate salesperson pointed out that her commute to work would be 15 minutes by subway instead of a 45-minute drive. She would save $50.00 a week on parking fees alone! The agent had done her homework.

3.Similar to number two is listening. Listen very carefully. Sometimes you can read between the lines and find out what a customer really wants!

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Personality and style impacts the success of a deal or transaction. Are you a hard sell or soft sell performer? Are you able to be empathetic; do you smile and make eye contact; do you have a firm handshake? Can you stay focused on the sale; think on your feet and most of all never lose your temper? The saying “The customer is always right” is related to selling.

There are also rules related to transactions. These are related to the profession. You need to know that a house deal is final. You can’t get your money back. It is the same with cars. Smaller personal purchases, unless they are final sale items, can be returned with the receipt. The length of time for returns varies company to company. Whether you get credit or money back is also at the discretion of the company.

1.1. Read the following sentences and circle T for true statements and F for false statements.

T F 1. A money back guarantee is offered with the purchase of every house.

T F 2. Customers can always get cash back when they return an item to the store.

T F 3. The transaction is the least important task in sales. T F 4. Listening carefully is critical in sales.

T F 5. A customer will always return to the same salesperson. T F 6. A sales professional needs to believe that the customer is always right.

1.2. Look at the statement and answer the questions. Do you agree or disagree?

Some buyers believe that most salespeople are liars. It is not said out loud but it is believed.

1.Is this only a belief in your country?

2.Have you heard similar sayings in other countries?

3.Why do you think that some customers believe that this is true?

4.What would you do as a sales professional to change the customer’s mind?

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1.3. Discussion.

The four steps of selling.

Selling involves four separate steps no matter what the product is:

1.Approach

2.Discover needs

3.Present goods

4.Close sale

1.Work with a partner. Decide what each of these steps mean to a salesperson. One person will be the customer, the other will sell. Decide on a product. Describe what each of you might do or say in each of the four steps in the selling process.

2.In your opinion, which is the most difficult step to complete? Why?

1.4. Read the text.

COMMON WORK TASKS

Sales professionals have a range of tasks. Some are specific to the area of sales and the company employing the sales person, but there are tasks common to all sales employees.

Using fundamental math: multiplication, division, fractions and factors.

Research skills: finding information for a client or customer (it may be searching for legal documents related to land ownership, or if another store in the chain has an item in the right size or colour, or knowing how to find the resale value of a used car).

Organization and planning: to complete a transaction, you need to follow a process in a timely, organized manner and not miss a step (in real estate it may mean juggling several properties at a time, for the car salesperson it may mean keeping track of loan applications pending approval, and for the retail salesperson, it may mean knowing the steps for giving a refund on a credit card). Problem-solving: if a transaction is blocked, a sales professional needs to quickly come up with a solution or strategy.

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Communication: transactions are legal in nature so they must be clear to the buyer. Reading, writing, listening and speaking skills are all used by sales professionals. Listening and speaking would seem to be the most critical until we look at the documentation that goes with a transaction. Handshake deals are really not used anymore! Computer proficiency (also known as computer literacy): it is important to have basic computer skills. Real estate sales forces probably use more equipment than other sales forces. In many organizations there are specialized software packages you need to learn. The need for these skills continues to grow.

Negotiation: in some ways, the transaction depends on negotiating your way to a successful ransaction or sale. But it goes beyond the transaction. Salespeople, like most workers today, work as part of a team. Negotiation is a relationship skill.

Customer service: salespeople need excellent people skills. You need to enjoy working with people, be interested in them and be quick to respond to their needs.

1.5. Filling in the blanks. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

refund strategy juggling ownership fractions relationship

1.My ______________________ with my math teacher was not a good one. I could not

understand ___________________!

2.Busy people get everything done by _________________ more than one thing at a time.

3.The sweater that I was given didn't fit. I returned it for a

__________.

4.We take ___________________ of our new house in three months.

5.A good _______________ to use in looking for work is to make a list of skills listed in job

ads in your sector.

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2. Classify the work task.

The following is a list of word tasks described in Human Resource Development Canada’s Essential profile for retail sales professionals. Assign a code to the list of work tasks according to the skills needed to perform them. There may be more than one skill involved for each task. You will note that many of the tasks are the same for all sales

F –- ability to understand forms, charts or graphs

IT –- computer skills/information technology

1.Read product labels for information on the care of products and for instructions on the use of products.

2.Read lists of customer entries in a database.

3.Complete purchase orders for inventory replenishment.

4.Refer to assembly drawings of product.

5.Use word processing to write a letter or quote a price to a customer.

6.Refer to product books or catalogues to find the range of items offered in various product lines.

7.Contact another branch by telephone or email to determine the availability of items requested by customers.

8.Use communication software like email.

9.Decide whether to match a price offered by another store if the price difference is not too big.

10.Handle cash, credit card and debit card transactions and provide change.

11.Use a telephone appropriately and efficiently.

12.Read comment cards filled in by customer.

13.Read company guidelines about inventory control.

14.Fill in accident or incident report forms.

15.Write phone messages and record quote information.

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16.Calculate discounts, taxes and currency exchange.

17.Read notices about policies, procedures, benefits.

18.Greet customers and make general conversation.

19.Observe suspicious behaviour by customers. Call security or stick close to person to prevent a probable theft.

20.Read model numbers on products.

21.Prepare invoices for customers.

22.Write delivery information clearly on packages which are to be picked up by courier.

23.Read and interpret sales statistics comparing sales over various periods of time.

24.Interact with customers to explain the features of products, respond to customer enquiries and to persuade them to make the purchase.

25.Organize special events such as fashion shows, special sales.

Additional skills

In addition to the basic skills required in the sales occupations, employers today are looking for skills to fit the new workplace. There are more responsibilities and changing rules and regulations. For example, since November 1999, all new car salespeople must be certified. Here is a list of skills that employers are looking for, both traditional and additional skills and attributes. If you have any of these additional skills, make sure you mention them in resumes and interviews!

Traditional Skills and Attributes

•willingness to learn

•strong organizational skills

•excellent oral and written communication skills

•ability to work on several tasks at a time (multitasking)

•ability to work well with people

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•good judgment

•flexibility

•professional appearance

•business-like approach to work

Additional Skills and Attributes

•ability to prioritize

•experience using the Internet

•writing for different purposes: faxes and email

•product and sector knowledge

•knowledge of sector regulations including taxation and certification

•knowledge of employment standards legislation, health and safety legislation and human rights legislation

•research skills

•personal initiative

2.1 Describing your abilities.

Which of these work tasks are you familiar with? How do you perform them?

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3. Read the text.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SALES Good communication skills are required in any business. To

sell your product you must be able to explain the features and benefits that make the product unique. Often, choosing the right or wrong phrase can make or break the sale. Below are some tips from the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) on choosing your words carefully: Create a positive mindset. Substitute negative or pessimistic words like “rough”, “hard”, “tough” and “difficult” with productive ones like “rewarding” and “challenging”. Avoid using words expressing extremes like “best”, “worst”, “always” and “least”, unless you can substantiate them. Replace them with words like “frequently”, “rarely” and “usually”. Learn your client’s company’s unique terms, acronyms and abbreviations and drop them into conversation. Redirect the client from left-brained analysis to right-brained creativity. Try to sell your product or service by inspiring clients’ passion and interest.

3.1. Reading comprehension.

1.Why do sales professionals need excellent communication skills?

2.What is meant by “make or break the sale”?

3.Who is giving the advice here? Would you trust their advice?

4.What are the four pointers they give?

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