Page 143 - English Vocabulary in Use (Pre & Intermediate)

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
The 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 young; exciting, high quality (= high standard/
in large numbers), reliable glamorous (= exciting very good), luxury (= expensive
(= you can trust it), good + attractive); often and giving great comfort}, high
value (= good for the money) _ fashionable, dangerous; _ status/prestige (= important;
functional but boring. not very practical. driven by important people).
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