Personal selling

What do I do? I'm a salesman. Well, actually, because there are several women in our sales force, I guess I should say I'm a salesperson or a sales representative, or a sales rep for short. My job is to contact existing and prospective 1__________. Some salespeople are based in companies' offices, but I've always worked " in the field", travelling and visiting customers.

You know, sales reps are often the only person from a company that customers ever see, so we're an extremely important 2__________ of information. Someone calculated a long time ago that the majority of new product ideas come from customers, via sales reps. So our tasks include prospecting for customers, 3__________ information to them about our company's products and services, selling these products and services, helping the customers with possible technical problems, and 4__________ market research information. Since we have to be able to recognize customers' needs and problems, we often 5__________ with engineers, particularly for technical products, and with market researchers.

The trouble with personal selling is that it's the most expensive element in the marketing mix, so most firms only use it sparingly, often as a complement to 6__________ Sales reps like me are more often necessary for 7__________ deals than for providing initial information.

But these days we think about more than making a single deal. I mean, head office keep reminding us of " the marketing concept", and telling us not to think about making short-term sales but about solving customers' problems, bringing back information, achieving long-term sales, and 8__________ profits. We have to know all about the company and its products, about the customers, and about 9__________. Of course, we also have to know how to give an effective sales presentation!

In this company, each salesperson is allocated a particular territory in which to represent our entire range of products. This allows us to cultivate personal contacts, and means we don't have to travel too much. But I know other companies with highly 10__________ products or customers that prefer to have different sales reps for different products, or for different sets of customers.

Like most salesmen, I receive a fixed 11__________ plus commission on the quantity I sell. I'm also set a quarterly sales 12__________that I'm expected to meet, as part of the company's annual marketing plan.

2. Выпишите незнакомые слова и выучите их. Затем переведите следующие слова и выражения:

работник отдела продаж, все работники отдела продаж, потенциальные клиенты, реклама, личная продажа, информационный канал, заключение сделки, вычислять, большинство, собирать информацию, доносить информацию, клиенты, конкуренты, исследование рынка, специалист по исследованию рынка, определить проблемы, система маркетинговых мероприятий, сотрудничать, экономно, в дополнение, главный офис, концепция маркетинга, решать проблемы, краткосрочные сделки, оптимизироватьь прибыли, квартальный план продаж, оклад, распределять район, заводить личные связи, весь ассортимент продукции, комиссионные, выполнять план, годовой план.

3. Прочитайте текст и отметьте высказывания ниже текста как истинные (T) или ложные (F). Переведите текст на русский язык.