LESSON 5

ENGLISH IN SALES AND MARKETING

INTRODUCTION
The course of English in sales and marketing is very specific in the sense that a very
specific vocabulary and "strong" words are used. This lesson is divided into seven
sections, each dealing with a specific topic.

OBJECTIVES
The lesson objectives are the following:

 Acquire specialist vocabulary,

 Communicate effectively in international meetings,
 Developing confidence when dealing with clients,
 Focusing on widening communicative skills,
 Increasing effectiveness in meetings,
 Making effective presentations,
 Mastering the language of negotiations,
 Presenting product and company in a more professional way.

1. WARM UP QUESTIONS:
 What is advertising?
 What are the qualities of a good advertisement?
 How can a product/service be advertised?
 What are the qualities of first-class sales people?
 What is the difference between selling and advertising?
 What is the difference between marketing and sales?
2. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SELLING

It is an activity that engages the whole self with the prospect or customer on a personal
level rather than at a distance.
The sales process is a way of interpersonal interaction. It is often done by a one-on-one
meeting, cold calls, and networking.

3. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKETING

Marketing is the process by which companies advertise products or services to potential

customers. Marketing is used to create, keep, and satisfy the customer.
Marketing organizes and directs business activities during the movement of goods and
services from producers to consumers or users. Marketing functions are to evaluate,
convert customer purchasing power and make customers buy a specific product or
service.
Marketing consists of all the measures used to reach and persuade the prospects the
company is looking for.
It consists of advertising, public relations, brand marketing, viral marketing, and direct
mail.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects for sales.
The sales process is everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement
or contract.
Both are necessities to the success of a business. You cannot do without either process.
By strategically combining both efforts a successful amount of business growth will be
experienced.
If marketing is done effectively, the sales process is very likely to be a successful one.
Without marketing a business would not have prospects or leads to follow up with, but
yet without a good sales technique and strategy it is not succeeding well.
Sales managers coordinate their companies' market research through marketing,
advertising, promotions, and public relations. They also determine marketing strategy,
pricing, product development, and public relations activities.
5. SALES AND ADVERTISING: SPECIFICATIONS AND
FEATURES

“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have on
something they don’t need.” - Will Rogers
What is necessary for a successful advertising campaign?
The elements of a good promotional advertising require a well-planned strategy. It
requires constant focus to succeed in advertising. The goal of advertising is to make sales,
and the only way to do that is to target a narrow group of customers and fulfill their
needs. 
Before starting an advertising campaign, sales people must know their target market.
The target market represents the group of customers or consumers to whom a firm sells
or wishes to sell its products or a sub-group of a larger market chosen as the focal point
for a marketing or advertising campaign.
Sales people need to have a fairly good idea of the age, sex, marital status, and income
bracket of their target audience. They have to identify a need and provide a solution for
customers. It is essential to know who the target market is before the allocation of
advertisements because certain age groups and income brackets respond differently to
different kinds of ads.
Sales people must also know their competition, what products similar businesses are
offering and what advertising strategies they are using. They have to make their products
distinguishable from other brands so that clients can easily tell the difference.

Creation of Brand Awareness

Companies must create brand awareness to stand out from competitors unless they want
to fade away very quickly.
One of the most important elements of a good advertising campaign is creating brand a-
wareness. Its goal is to embed the company’s name and logo into the subconscious of po-
tential customers and consumers so that they remember the offer.
One very successful form of brand-awareness advertising is the use of promotional pro-
ducts, and when customers constantly have the company’s name and logo in front of
them, it serves as a constant reminder of the brand.
Good sales people must continually analyze the results to determine how many potential
customers are responding to each advertisement. The process is often based on trial-and-
error and experimenting with different forms of advertising and different sizes and
placements of ads. Sometimes small changes can bring about some very dramatic results!

Art of Persuasion
Sales people use various techniques to persuade an audience. In addition, they develop an
awareness of how the media works to persuade them as the consumer.
SOME PERSUASION TACTICS FOR SALES PEOPLE
A sale is a persuasive process, so the most successful sales people are those who make
key persuasive habits a part of their normal life and routine.  Here are some simple and
easily applied persuasion hints that may be of help.
1. Sell with conviction
This is a relatively simple step to incorporate into the sales process because all it requires
is that you believe in the product or service you are selling.  The customer has to be con-
vinced that your product/service is the best and wisest solution for him/her.
2. Understand your customer, your product and yourself
You need to look at what you are selling from the customer’s point of view:
 How do they perceive your product/service? 
 What are their expectations of you, as the sales representative?
Immerse yourself in their world and construct your sales presentation around their expec-
tations, applications and questions.

3. You need to know your style and preferences

Play to your strengths and correct or compensate for your weaknesses. Take some time to
discover your strengths and weaknesses:
 Do you have a thorough knowledge of your products/service offering? 
 How do your warranties work? 
 Do you prefer dealing with customers on the phone or face-to-face? 

4. Be polite
This should be common sense but often is not.  You need to operate with complete
integrity, honesty and respect for your customers, clients and prospects.  You expect this
from others and they expect it from you as well. 

5. Be punctual
This is one of the most important rules for anyone to follow, not just sales people.  In
fact, this rule is so important and cannot be ignored at all.  Being on time is a key factor
in building credibility and trust with your clients.

6. Smile
Smiling is single most effective and simple thing you can do. A smile makes you
approachable and people will like you more.  If you want to sell more, have more friends
and be more successful you need to smile more than you frown. 

7. Offer proof
You need to prove that your product or service will do what you say it will do.  There are
a variety of means to do this and you should have all of them at your disposal.
Testimonials, test data and small demonstration kits are all things you can usually carry
with you to show customers that your stuff works. Of course, you can arrange more
elaborate demonstrations whenever necessary.
Some more tips for successful sales people:
 Study your industry and the players.
 Study your existing accounts and important prospects to identify what is
happening within your market.
 Get out into the market and prospect.
 Be prepared to sell.
 Sell Value.
 Practice positive mental programming.
 Manage and measure your performance.
 Get referrals.
 Plan your day every day and make more sales calls.
 Sell smarter not harder!
 Discover secrets for persuasion that show you the fastest way to “Yes”.

6. PRACTICE

Language of persuasion
“Advertising isn’t a science. It’s persuasion. And persuasion is an art.”
- Bill Bernbach

Advertising language of persuasion is characterized by the following features:

1. Hyperbole – exaggeration,
2. Frequent use of adjectives and adverbs,
3. Short sentences for impact on the reader,
4. Ambiguity, since it his may make a phrase memorable and re-readable,
5. Strong persuasive words are often used (naturally, easily, unlimited, realize,
experience, change, during, stop, expand, effectively, readily, need, because, among,
beyond, how, and, before, after),
6. Use of Imperatives,
7. Simple and colloquial language to appeal to ordinary people, though it is in fact often
complex and deliberately ambiguous,
8. Rhyme,
9. Glamorization, (Buying houses on a busy road becomes convenient for transport),
10. Alliteration, the repetition of sounds, e.g. finger of cheat,
11. Unfinished claims and comparisons,
12. Testimonials: celebrities appearing in ads.

7. COLLOCATIONS

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. Some combinations may be
unnatural and just sound "wrong".
Look at these examples:

Natural English... Unnatural English...

the fast train the quick train

fast food quick food

a quick shower a fast shower

a quick meal a fast meal

Why learn collocations?

Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as
single words.

Types of Collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun,
adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
1. Adverb + adjective
 We entered a richly decorated room.
 Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?
2. Adjective + noun

 The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.

 The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
3. Noun + noun

 Let's give Mr. Jones a round of applause.

 I'd like to buy two bars of soap please.
4. Noun + verb

 The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.

 Snow was falling as our plane took off.
5. Verb + noun

 I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed.

 He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.
6. Verb + expression with preposition

 We had to return home because we had run out of money.

 Their behavior was enough to drive anybody to crime.
7. Verb + adverb

 She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.
 I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left
Collocation Lists (Some common verbs)
Have Do Make
have a bath do business make a difference
have a drink do nothing make a mess
have a good time do someone a favour make a mistake
have a haircut do the cooking make a noise
have a holiday do the housework make an effort
have a problem do the shopping make furniture
have a relationship do the washing up make money
have a rest do your best make progress
have lunch do your hair make room
have sympathy do your homework make trouble

Take Break Catch

take a break break a habit catch a ball

take a chance break a leg catch a bus
take a look break a promise catch a chill
take a rest break a record catch a cold
take a seat break a window catch a thief
take a taxi break someone’s heart catch fire
take an exam break the ice catch sight of
take notes break the law catch someone’s attention
take someone’s place break the news to someone catch someone’s eye
take someone’s temperature break the rules catch the flu

Pay Save Keep

pay a fine save electricity keep a diary

pay attention save energy keep a promise
pay by credit card save money keep a secret
pay cash save one’s strength keep an appointment
pay interest save someone a seat keep calm
pay someone a compliment save someone’s life keep control
pay someone a visit save something to a disk keep in touch
pay the bill save space keep quiet
pay the price save time keep someone’s place
pay your respects save yourself the trouble keep the change

Come Go Get

come close go abroad get a job

come complete with go astray get a shock
come direct go bad get angry
come early go bald get divorced
come first go bankrupt get drunk
come into view go blind get frightened
come last go crazy get home
come late go dark get lost
come on time go deaf get married
come prepared go fishing get nowhere
come right back go mad get permission
come second go missing get pregnant
come to a compromise go on foot get ready
come to a decision go online get started
come to an agreement go out of business get the impression
come to an end go overseas get the message
come to a standstill go quiet get the sack
come to terms with go sailing get upset
come to a total of go to war get wet
come under attack go yellow get worried

MISCELLANEOUS

Time Business English Classifiers

bang on time annual turnover a ball of string

dead on time break off negotiations a bar of chocolate
free time cease trading a bottle of water
from dawn till dusk chair a meeting a bunch of carrots
great deal of time close a deal a cube of sugar
late 20th century close a meeting a pack of cards
make time for come to the point a pad of paper
next few days dismiss an offer
past few weeks draw a conclusion
right on time draw your attention to
run out of time launch a new product
save time lay off staff
spare time go bankrupt
spend some time go into partnership
take your time make a loss
tell someone the time make a profit
time goes by market forces
time passes sales figures
waste time take on staff

Exercise 4
Collocations (advertising)
 I Choose the best response for each sentence:
1. We have to create a ______________ for a new deodorant.
a) campaign b) company c) approach
2. Someone once said that "all's ______________ in love and advertising."
a) even b) normal c) fair
3. We got a lot of new customers because of a spot we _____________ on a local
(TV) station.
a) ran b) set c) located
4. A ______________ account = A huge/enormous account
a) block-beater b) block c) blockbuster
5. The last advertising campaign helped us regain the ___________ (= to be
ahead) in worldwide market share.
a) lead b) first c) primary
6. Some people refer to the advertising business as the "______________."
a) ad-biz b) advertise-biz c) commercial factory
7. We have to ______________ the advertisement to this particular need. = We
have to adjust the advertisement to meet/address this particular need.
a) tailor b) tell c) tally
8. Advertising has to be consistent with the brand "______________". ( = the way
the company/advertiser wants the brand to be seen/perceived)
a) sight b) visual c) vision
9. A _______________ campaign = A (very) decisive campaign
a) black-or-white b) make-or-take c) make-or-break
10. If an ad is described as "celebrity-______________", it means that it's full of
celebrities. (= famous people)
a) drowned b) full c) drenched

Exercise 5
Collocations (sales)

1. Have you seen last month's sales ______________?

a) figures b) figurines c) figs
2. We'll be looking to hire a sales ______________ soon.
a) rap b) rope c) rep
3. In much of the business world, the calendar year is divided into four
______________.
a) quarts b) quarters c) cubes
4. To write up a contract = To ______________ a contract
a) drought b) draw c) draft
5. The amount on the ______________ (= an official bill) is higher than what we
agreed on.
a) invoice b) draft c) paper
6. Our company offers a wide ______________ (= variety) of software.
a) assortment b) sort c) assessment
7. I work for a company that does ______________ advertising.
a) outside b) external c) outdoor
8. We plan to launch a new sales ______________ to attract new customers.
a) company b) campaign c) comment
9. The percentage of sales the company has left over as profit after paying all
expenses is called a profit ______________.
a) merger b) margin c) level
10. The most successful salespeople in a company are referred to as its "top
________________".
a) performers b) persons c) personnel

11. Jim wasn't able to ______________________ (= finalize) the deal.

a) produce b) close c) grasp
12. I run a small ______________________ e-commerce company.
a) based from home b) home-based c) home-made
13. A ______________________ is a series of products that are somehow related.
a) product group b) product collection c) product line
14. Outlet stores have cheaper prices because they have eliminated "the
_____________".
a) middle-guy b) middleman c) in-between-man
15. A ______________ sale is generally held by a store going out of business
a) liquidation b) liquid c) liquidity
16. Irregulars or imperfects are goods (often clothes) that don't _____________
the manufacturer's standards for quality.
a) match b) mark c) meet
17. We've got to do an analysis on the length and cost of our sales
_____________________. ( = complete sales process from beginning to end)
a) cycle b) circle c) plan
18. In our company there's quite a ______________________ (= big difference)
between the lower performers and the top performers.
a) vast area b) space c) gap
19. They have many ______________________ trained salespeople.
a) high b) top c) highly