Distribution and sales

Listen to Dialogue No 2 between two speakers and answer the questions below. Then listen again and check your answers.

Dialogue No 2

Richard and Sara are discussing personal selling.

RICHARD: Do you know that there is a traditional point of view that salespeople are born, not made.

SARA: Nonsense, I am convinced that good selling can be developed by proper training and experience.

RICHARD: May be you are right but some firms, however, prefer to let a person "prove" himself or herself in the field first, before going through the time and expense nec­essary to give intensive training.

SARA: I, for one, would welcome the chance to prove myself and to know that my good efforts are quickly recognized and rewarded.

RICHARD: It goes without saying that selling jobs are rewarding because in few other types of work can the fruits of one's efforts be so clearly revealed as in direct sales.

SARA: Not only because of that. I like this job because it gives freedom of action. Many sales positions require people who can work effectively on their own with minimum supervision. To my mind, the freedom of selling offers both a comfort and a challenge.

RICHARD: It depends. On the one hand, the freedom of sell­ing is an advantage but on the other hand, it is a signifi­cant responsibility because a salesperson is the major and often the sole contact that a customer has with a company, and by his or her actions, people will form high or low opinion of the company.

SARA: If you ask me, responsibility is not a disadvantage, it gives the salesperson an additional self-respect being the company representative. The sales force can also be proud because selling as a form of personal communica­tion between a salesperson and a customer is an ancient occupation. Trading companies and salesmen were pres­ent in Mesopotamia in 2500 B.C. and Phoenician sales­men sailed the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf from 1500 to 1200 B.C.

RICHARD: I give up!

1. What occupation are the speakers discussing?

2. What main aspects of selling jobs are mentioned in the dialogue?

3. How can the company be benefited or harmed by the sales force?

4. According to you, are good salespersons born or trained?

5. What is meant by freedom of action? Is it equal to freedom of selling?

Unit 3. READING COMPREHENSION

The term "distribution" is not confined to the physical distribution of goods from the producer to the consumer, e.g. road and rail transport. In the business context it also refers to the distribution channels, i.e. the sort of retail outlets that the goods and services are sold in.

Many industrial products and services are sold directly to the consumer or user, e.g. aircraft and lathes. Most consumer products are usually distributed through retail organiza­tions. By tradition many manufacturers sell their products to a wholesaler who warehouses the goods until they are required by the retailer. This so-called full chain of distribution offers advantages to both the manufacturer and retailer. The manufacturer can mass-produce the goods, get the money for the goods straight away, and does not have to worry about storage and distribution costs. The retailer can order goods from the wholesaler and does not have to worry about holding large stocks. The full chain of distribution has disadvantages for the manufacturer and the retailer. The wholesaler does not have any particular incentive to promote the sale of the manufacturer's goods, and the retailer will have to pay a higher price for the goods from the wholesaler than if they were bought directly from the manufacturer. Some industries have cut the "middle-man" (wholesaler), and the manufacturer sells directly to the retailer. In other indus­tries the wholesaler may sell the goods directly to the cus­tomer and no retailer is involved. Finally, the manufacturer may sell directly to the customer without a wholesaler or retailer being involved.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29