Деловой английский (стр. 3 )

People remember best what you say last. You might summarize your main points, or you might complete the statement, "What I want you to do as a result of this presentation is...." But beyond that, make your last words a thought to ponder. For example, I might end a speech on becoming a better speaker with "As Cicero said centuries ago, 'The skill to do comes with the doing.'"

A more modern guide to effective public speaking was penned by some unknown sage: "Know your stuff. Know whom you are stuffing. Know when they are stuffed."

One never becomes a "perfect" speaker; developing public speaking skills is a life-long experience. But the points discussed here will get you started in becoming the speaker you want to be and the speaker your audience wants to hear.

Unit #2. Business correspondence

I. Read the text about fundamentals of business written communication.

Business Letter Etiquette

By: Neil Payne

Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon courtesy and politeness between business personnel. Etiquette, and especially business etiquette, is a means of maximizing your potential by presenting yourself positively.

Writing a business letter is not simply a matter of expressing your ideas clearly. The way you write a letter and the etiquette you employ may have a significant impact on your success or failure in business.

Failure to observe correct business letter etiquette can result in you adopting an inappropriate tone, causing offense or misunderstandings, lack of clarity or purpose and hostility or soured relations.

The foundation of good business letter etiquette is 'Think before you write'. You should be considering who the letter is addressed to, how and why? This will then influence style, content and structure.

Here we cover some of the main issues relating to good business letter etiquette:

Addressing the Letter

Always make sure you have spelt the recipient's name correctly. It may sound simple, but you would be surprised at how many people fail to do so. The recipient's name should include titles, honours or qualifications if deemed necessary.

Many people use the 'Dear Sir/Yours Faithfully' formula when addressing the receiver. Although this is acceptable for routine matters it is impersonal and should not be used when dealing with those you know, queries or complaints. With these the 'Dear Mr…./Yours Sincerely' formula should be adopted.

Once a certain level of familiarity is reached it is not considered bad etiquette to use phrases such as 'Kind Regards' or 'All the best' at the end of the letter.

Confidentiality

If the content of the letter is sensitive, personal or confidential it must be marked appropriately. Marking the letter 'confidential' will suffice in highlighting this fact. If you only want the letter read by the receiver without the interception of a secretary or PA, mark it as 'Private', 'Personal' or 'Strictly Confidential'. If you have received such a business letter it is good etiquette to reciprocate and ensure that all future correspondence is kept at that level of confidentiality.

Style

Proper business letter etiquette requires that a consistent and clear approach, combined with courtesy, be employed. As a rule of thumb, aim to keep all business letters formal in style. Even when the receiver is familiar to you, it is advisable maintain a certain level of business etiquette as the letter may be seen by others or referred to by a third party in the future.

However, this does not mean you should use long or uncommon words to express yourself. This merely looks odd and makes the letter unreadable. It is best to read a letter first and consider whether you would speak to that person face to face in the same way. If not, then re-write it.

Letters should be signed personally. It looks unprofessional, cold and somewhat lazy if a letter is left unsigned. However, having a secretary or PA sign on your behalf is not considered a breach of business etiquette.

Humour

Humour can be used in business letters but only when the writer is completely positive the recipient will understand the joke or pun. From a business etiquette perspective it may be wise to avoid humour. This is because firstly, the letter may be read during a crisis, after receiving bad news or on a sombre occasion. Any other time the humour may have been appreciated but under these circumstances it may dramatically backfire. Secondly, the written word is open to misinterpretation. Your sarcastic or ironic remark may be taken the wrong way. Thirdly, it is possible that the letter may be read by a third party who may deem the humour inappropriate and pursue a complaint of some sort.

Responding

Good business letter etiquette calls for letters to be responded to promptly or within certain guidelines. This may normally be considered as 5 working days. If this is not possible then some sort of acknowledgement should be sent either by letter, fax, phone or e-mail.

Always use reference numbers or clearly state the purpose of the letter at the top, for example, 'Re: Business Letter Etiquette Enquiry'. This allows the receiver to trace correspondence and immediately set your letter within a context.

When replying to points or questions the proper etiquette is to respond in the same order as they were asked.

Managing Conflict

Letters are often an arena for conflicts or disputes. Even in these circumstances there are rules of business letter etiquette that should be adhered to.

If you initiate the dispute then,

1) explain and set out your case simply and clearly to the most appropriate person,
2) offer information that may be required by the other party to help answer questions,
3) indicate a time scale by which you expect a reply or the matter to be resolved.

If you are receiving the dispute then

1) inform senior colleagues who may be affected or who may be able to offer assistance,
2) submit all replies in draft form for a senior colleague to check,
3) stick to the facts and the merits of the case and do not allow emotions to become involved,
4) be polite, patient and courteous.

At the same time there exist some exact business letter-writing rules as the routine business letter lacks variety and has certain ac­cepted phrases which are in general use. The writer should follow the main principles of writing a business letter: to introduce the matter without delay, to give complete information, to avoid repetition and to use the following letter parts which are considered to be conventional:

/. The heading (заголовок/шапка)

The heading includes the company's name (1-a) and address (1-b), its telephone/fax number(s) and telex code (1-е), E-mail (1-d) and the type of business (1-е). There is a growing tendency in Britain to begin every line at the left-hand margin and to avoid punctuation in the date, the name and the address. However, it is considered necessary to put a full stop after abbreviations, as in the case of Co. (Company), Ltd. (Lim­ited) and St. (Street).

There are some differences in address writing between American and British styles.

British style American style

Ms J. Simpson Foreign Rights Manager Chapman & Hall Ltd. 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE England

Ms A. Arafel Product Information Manager McCraw-Hill Book Co 1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, N. Y. 10020 USA

If you write a letter from the USA, pay attention to state codes and abbreviations of states.

2. The date (дата отправления)

The simplest and most common way to put the date is this: 12 No­vember 1999. But there is an alternative way of writing the date:

British style American style

12th November 1Nov. 1999 November 12, 1999 11/12/1999

month/date/year

3. The inside address (адрес получателя)

The name and the address of the addressee are typed on the left against the margin. The number of the office in the address precedes the name of the street. The name and the code of the city are written in the next line and the last line is occupied by the name of the country. If the addressee of your letter is a partnership company, called by family names, it is necessary to use Messrs (an abbreviated form of Messieurs, which is the French word for gentlemen) in front of the name of the company.

4. The salutation (обращение) and the complimentary close (заключительное приветствие)

In England business letters addressed to a company begin with the words «Dear Sirs» (in the USA -- «Gentlemen»). When addressed to an individual within the firm, the salutation may be «Dear Sir (Madam)», or «Dear Mr... (Mrs...)», «Dear Miss...», or «Dear Ms...» (Ms [miz] is the form of salutation of a female addressee without indication of her marital status). The most usual complimentary close is «Yours faithfully», less commonly «Yours truly». If the recipient is addressed by his or her name, then the complimentary close takes the form «Yours sincerely».

The complementary close may be written differently in British and American languages.

British style American style

Yours faithfully, Sincerely yours,

Yours sincerely, Yours truly.

5. The signature (подпись)

The name of the person signing the letter is typed below the space left for the signature, and is followed on the next line by his position in the company or by the name of the department he rep­resents. The complimentary close and the signature are placed against the left-hand margin. If the person in charge cannot sign the letter and some other employee signs it instead, it is necessary to put the word «for» (за) or «p. p» (per pro(c) = по поручению) immediately before the typed name of the person responsible for the letter.

6. Enclosure (приложение)

The word «Enclosure», often reduced to «Enc.» or «End.», is typed against the left-hand margin some distance below the signature and indi­cates that the document or documents are enclosed with the letter.

7. The reference (ссылка на отправителя) and the subject line (строка, в которой обозначают тему переписки)

The reference is typed on the same line as the date, but on the left and consists of the initials of the person who signs the letter (RT) and those of the typist (MS). The subject line is used to indicate the subject matter of a letter and appears below the reference.

Summarizing above mentioned rules, a typical business letter looks in the following way.

Minor peculiarities of business letter writing are pointed additionally and explained after the sample of a letter.

Sample of a business letter

Government of Canada 1 Office of the Chairman Public Service Commission2 Ottawa, Ontario KIA ON7 Attention: P. Smith 3 December 8, 19964 Dear Sir:5 Ref: PC Program analyst6 Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Yours sincerely, A. Robertson A. Robertson7 Director General Services Division Encl. cc: D. Dube 9

1. A lot of business letters are written on the paper of a special form which includes the company name, the company address, the company phone number and other additional information about the company if necessary. The place of this information may vary in the form from company to company: it may be before the heading or after the name and title of the letter sender.

2. The address of the letter receiver is to be put in the left top corner.

3. This line is put in the letter in the case when the letter is sent in a company but addressed to a certain individual personally. It also may be doubled on the envelope in the left bottom corner.

4. The rules of the date writing in British and American business cultures have been mentioned earlier.

5. There is a column or a coma put after the salutation.

6. This line may appear in a letter if the further information is taken from an official document which name is pointed after the sign “Ref:”.

7. Signature, its decipherment, title of the letter sender and the company name follow each other and are written in the right bottom corner.

8. This line refers to the people who are sent with the copies of the letter.

Clichés acceptable for business letters.

Клише и выражения писем-запросов:

— We read your advertisement in... — Мы прочитали вашу рекламу в...

— With regard to your advertisement in ... of... , we would ask you ... — В связи с публикацией вашей рекламы в ... от... мы хотели бы попросить вас...

— We have heard of your products from ... — Мы узнали о продук­ции вашей компании из...

— We have seen your current catalogue showing... — Мы обратили внимание на ваш последний каталог, в котором описаны...

— We are interested in buying (importing, etc.) ... — Мы хотели бы купить (импортировать и т. п.)...

— Please inform us (let us know) as soon as possible... — Просим сообщить нам как можно скорее...

— Would you please inform us if it is possible to deliver... — Просим сообщить нам, сможете ли вы поставить...

— Please let us know what quantities you are able to deliver till... — Пожалуйста, сообщите нам, какое количество вы сможете поставить до..

— We would ask you to let us have a quotation for... — Сообщите нам, пожалуйста, расценки на ...

— Would you kindly quote your prices and terms of delivery (terms of payment, etc.) for... — He могли бы вы установить нам цены и условия поставки (условия оплаты и т. п.) на...

— We would like to have further details about... — Мы бы хотели получить более подробную информацию о...

— We would like to represent your products in the Ukrainian mar­ket. — Мы бы хотели представлять вашу продукцию на украинском рынке.

— Please send us samples of... (your catalogues, leaflets, etc.) — Пожалуйста, вышлите нам образцы... (свои каталоги, брошюры и т. п.)

Клише и выражения письма-предложения:

— We were pleased to learn your interest in... — Нам было приятно узнать о Вашей заинтересованности в...

— We are most pleased that you want to buy... — Мы очень доволь­ны, что Вы пожелали купить...

— We are glad to say that we can reserve you... — Мы рады сооб­щить, что можем оставить за Вами ...

— It is generous of you to take so much interest in our work... — Было очень любезно с Вашей стороны проявить такой интерес к нашей работе...

— We take pleasure to send you the desired samples and offer... — С удовольствием посылаем выбранные Вами образцы и предлага­ем...

— As to your inquiry of... we are informing you that... — На Ваш запрос от ... мы сообщаем Вам, что ...

— We enclose our catalogue with the latest price-list. — Мы прилагаем наш каталог с новейшим прейскурантом.

— Our detailed price-list will convince you in diversity of our assort­ment. — Наш подробный прейскурант убедит вас в разнообразии нашего ассортимента.

— Our proposal is valid till... — Наше предложение действительно до...

— We deliver our goods on CIF terms. — Мы поставляем на услови­ях СИФ.

— The price covers packing and transportation expenses. — Цена включает упаковку и транспортные расходы.

— We can give you a 5 per cent discount. — Мы можем предоста­вить вам 5 % скидку.

— As you can see from our price-list, our prices are at least by 3 % lower than market ones. — Как видно из нашего прейскуранта, наши цены по крайней мере на 3% ниже рыночных.

— / call your attention especially on item ... — Я особенно обращаю ваше внимание на позицию...

— Besides above mentioned goods our company produces also(see...) — Кроме упомянутых выше товаров наша фирма производит

— We would like to recommend you especially the following positions in the price-list... — Мы хотели бы особенно порекомендовать вам следующие позиции в прейскуранте...

— The model... will most meet your requirements. — Для ваших целей вам лучше всего подойдет модель ...

— We ask you to discuss our proposal once more and inform us whether we could expect getting your order. — Мы просим вас еще раз обсудить наше предложение и сообщить нам, можно ли рас­считывать на получение заказа.

— / ask you to make the order faster as the quantity of this product at our warehouse is limited. — Я прошу вас быстрее оформить заказ, так как количество этого товара на складе ограничено.

— We would appreciate if we get the order from you as soon as possi­ble. — Мы были бы очень рады получить от вас заказ как можно скорее.

— If you are not happy with our proposal please inform us about its reason. — Если вас не устраивает наше предложение, просим сообщить нам о причине.

— We are looking forward to hearing from you soon. — С нетерпением ждем ответа.

Клише и выражения писем-заказов:

—  In reply (response) to your letter (fax) of (dated) ..., we thank you for... — В ответ на Ваше письмо (факс) от..., мы благодарим Вас за...

—  We are pleased to enclose our Order No. ... — Имеем удовольст­вие приложить к данному письму наш заказ № ...

—  We enclose (are enclosing) our order for... — Мы прилагаем наш заказ на...

—  We accept your offer and have pleasure in placing an order with you for ... — Мы принимаем ваше предложение и имеем удо­вольствие разместить у вас заказ на...

—  Please confirm that you can supply... — Просим подтвердить, что вы можете поставить...

—  Please send the copy of this order to us, duly signed, as an acknowl­edgement. — В качестве подтверждения заказа просим выслать нам подписанную Вами копию заказа.

—  Please supply/send us... — Просим поставить...

Клише и выражения писем-подтверждений заказов:

— Thank you very much for your order No... of (dated) ... — Благодарим Вас за Ваш заказ № ... от...

—  As requested we enclose (are enclosing) the copy of your order, duly signed, as an acknowledgement. — Как Вы просили, мы прилагаем копию заказа, подписанную нами, как подтверждение Вашего заказа.

—  We confirm that delivery will be made by... — Мы подтверждаем, что поставка будет произведена к... (такой-то дате).

—  We hope that you will have a good turnover, and that we will be dealing with your company in the future. — Надеемся, что вы будете иметь хороший оборот, и мы будем сотрудничать с вашей компанией и в дальнейшем.

—  Delivery will be made in confirmity (accordance) with your instruc­tions. — Поставка будет произведена в соответствии с вашими инструкциями.

Список основных сокращений, используемых в деловой корреспонденции:

А/С, АС, ас, С/А, са (account current) — текущий счет

adsd (addressed) — адресовано

adse (addressee) — получатель

ad (advertisement) — рекламa

a. f. (as follows) — как указано далее

a. m. 1. (above mentioned) — вышеупомянутый;

2. (ante meri­diem) — до полудня

Аррх (appendix) — приложение

Attn (attention) — вниманию

В/Е (bill of exchange) —

переводной вексель

B/L (bill of lading) — коносамент

CEO (chief executive officer) —

исполнительный директор

cf (compare) — сравните

Co. (company) — компания

cont, contr. (contract) — контракт

Corp.(corporation) — корпорация

cur 1. (currency) — валюта;

2. (current) — текущий

CV (curriculum vitae) — краткая биография

dd 1. (dated) — датированный;

2. (delivered) — доставленный

Dept. (department) — 1. — отдел;

2. — министерство

doc, dct (document) — документы (множ. число — docs.)

doz., dz (dozen) — дюжина

EAON — если не указано иначе

e. g. (exempli gratia) — например

enc, end (enclosed, enclosure) —вложение, приложение (к письму)

exc, excl. (except, excluding, exception, exclusion) — исключая

expn (expiration) — истечение (срока)

fig. (figure) — 1. цифра;

2. рисунок, схема

FY (fiscal year) — финансовый год

h. a. (hoc anno) — в текущем году

hf (half) — половина

Hp, Н. Р., h. p., H/P (hire purchase) —

покупка в рассрочку

id. (idem, лат.) — тот же

i. e., ie (id est, лат.) — то есть

incl. (including) — включая

inv. (invoice) — счет-фактура

IOU (I owe you) — долговая расписка

iss. (issued) — выпущенный (в обращение)

I. a. (letter of advice) — извещение

L/A (l. of authority) — доверенность

L. C., L/C (l. of credit) — аккредитив

Ld, Ltd. (limited) —

с ограниченной ответственностью

LOC — гарантийное письмо

mdse (merchandise) — товары

memo (memorandum) — записка

M/P (mail payment) — почтовый перевод

M. T. 1. (mail transfer) — почтовый перевод;

2. (metric ton) — метрическая тонна

MV — торговое (моторное) судно

N/A (not applicable) — не применимо NB (nota bene) — важное замечание

o/l (our letter) — (ссылаясь на) наше письмо

РА, Р/А, Р. А. 1. (personal assistant) —

личный секретарь;

2. (po­wer of attorney) — доверенность

р. а. (per annum, пат.) — в год

pan, para, (paragraph) —

абзац, параграф, пункт

Pic, PLC (public limited company) — открытая акционерная компания с ограниченной ответственностью

РО (post office) — почтовое отделение

p. p. (pages) — страницы

рр, p. p. (per pro, лат.) — от имени и по поручению

qv (quod vide) — смотри (там-то)

R&D (research and development) — научно-исследовательские и опытно-конструкторские работы (НИОКР)

ret, rept (receipt) — расписка, квитанция

re (regarding) — относительно

ref. (reference) — ссылка

RMS (root-mean-square) — средне-квадратический

shipt (shipment) — отгрузка, отправка

sig. (signature) — подпись

tn (ton) — тонна

urgt (urgent) — срочный

v., vs, vers. (versus, лат.) — против

VAT, V. A.T. (value-added tax) — НДС

V. I.P (very important person) —

особо важное лицо

v. s. (vide supra, лат.) — см. выше

v. v. (vice versa, лат.) — наоборот

w/o (without) — без

& (and) — и (союз)

@ — коммерческое at

Unit #3. Marketing

I. Read the text about marketing, translate and explain italicized words

MARKETING

In business, you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.

(Dr. Chester L. Karrass)

The terms market and marketing can have several meanings depending upon how they are used. The term stock market refers to the buying and selling of shares in corporations as well as other activities related to stock trading and pricing. The important world stock markets are in London, Geneva, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. When economists use the word "market" they mean a set of forces such as the supply available for sale and the demand for it by consumers. The term marketing in business includes all of these meanings and more.

In the past, the concept of marketing emphasized sales. The producer or manufacturer made a product he wanted to sell. Marketing was the task of figuring out how to sell the product. Basically, selling the product would be accomplished by sales promotion, which included advertising and personal selling. In addition to sales promotion, marketing also involved the physical distribution of the product to the places where it was actually sold. Distribution consists of transportation, storage, and related services such as financing, standardization, and grading, and the related risks.

The modem marketing concept encompasses all of the activities mentioned, but it is based on a different set of principles. It subscribes to the notion that production can be economically justified only by consumption. In other words, goods should be produced only if they can be sold. Therefore, the producer should consider who is going to buy the product — or what the market for the product is going to be — before the production begins. This is very different from making a product and then thinking about how to sell it.

Marketing now involves first deciding what the customer wants and then designing and producing a product that satisfies these wants at a profit to the company. Instead of concentrating solely on production, the company must consider the mercurial desires of the consumer, and this is much more difficult since it involves human behavior. Here psychology comes into play, and manufacturers often hire specialists in the field.

MARKETING STRATEGIES NOWADAYS

Originally marketing was meant to help to avoid overproduction. Now marketing is considered to be a system of all business activities of a company in respect of coordinating supply and demand for the goods produced.

Before producing and selling the goods, one must do a lot of market research. Useful information for this purpose can be obtained from embassies, consulates and foreign trade representatives, from trade magazines or from specialized consultant agencies, which will do a professional market research job for a certain fee. The information needed is whether there is any demand for your goods, what is the market potential, what sort of competition is to be met (that is what price of the goods, including those produced locally, is considered to be competitive), what domestic preferences, local trading customs and seasonal factors should be taken into account. Actually, marketing covers not only market research, but also planning the assortment of goods, price policy, advertising and promo­tion of sales, controlling the sales and post-sales servicing. So nowa­days general marketing strategy includes such essential elements as planning, market research, new product development, sales, commu­nications and advertising.

Planning. While speaking of marketing planning, one should think first of all of the so-called controllable and uncontrollable factors. The controllable factors are the following: product, price, place and promo­tion; the uncontrollable ones — environmental factors. Both these types are very important when one starts analyzing the market situation.

Research. Market research is concerned first of all with product choice study and the study of competitors' interests and their claims. The most popular methods of conducting marketing research are ob­servation, survey, experiment and public opinion polls through differ­ent channels.

Production. Attitudinal research should affect the product to be produced, so production is inevitably based on marketing intelligence study. Marketing investigates stages before, during and after production and also the stage following sales.

Sales. Sales are always involved with customers service of all kinds. Markets for consumer products are segmented on the basis of demographic and psychographic data research.

Communications and advertising. The communications mix com­prises advertising, public relations, direct mail and special events such as product shows, conferences and exhibitions. Advertising is an impor­tant means of promoting the goods that have been produced already, as well as new lines in business. Nowadays there are special departments and agencies dealing with advertising. Different kinds of mass media — TV, radio, newspapers, cinema, magazines, posters — are used for advertising aims. Special leaflets, booklets and other printed matter" with the information about goods may be published for the same purpose. The choice of media for advertising depends on the kind of goods and on the local conditions and people's habits.

* * *

Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements efficiently and profitably. Customers’ needs are anticipated and identified by marketing research and segmentation and then a marketing mix is employed to satisfy customers.

The marketing mix is the set of controllable marketing variables that a firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The elements of the mix need to be combined into an integrated marketing approach. One of the most common ways of presenting the marketing mix is the Four Ps:

Product The product needs to satisfy customer needs and forms part of the firm’s competitive strategy, especially product differentiation. The quality of the product as perceived by the potential customer needs to be considered. This involves assessing the product’s suitability for its stated purpose, its aesthetic factors, its durability, brand factors, packaging, and associated services.

Price Marketers do not have total control over the price. Cost factors will obviously have a big impact. However, a range of pricing strategies are available, for example, penetration pricing (low prices for a product launch or to increase sales volume) or skimming prices (high prices which can be used to maximise profits — commonly used in early days of high technology products). Aspects which come under this heading include discount structures for the trade, promotion pricing, methods of purchase, alternatives to outright purchase.

Place This relates to how the product will reach the customer. This will include decisions regarding distribution channel, location of outlets, position of warehouses, stock levels, delivery frequency, geographic market definition, sales territory organization.

Promotion The aim of promotion is to gain the potential customer’s attention, generate interest, arouse desire and stimulate action to purchase.

·  Suggest ideas to “gain the potential customer’s attention”.

·  Read the following text and explain the advantages of every promotional step.

Promotion is a term with several meanings. In a broad sense "promotion" is used to refer to marketing activities that create awareness, such as advertising, sales promotion and public relations. These activities promote your product or company and get the word out so customers and prospects know what you have to offer.

Also, the term "promotion" is used in a more narrow sense to describe activities such as community involvement, sponsorship of special events and giving away specialty items (key chains, hats, etc.). Participating in such promotional activities allows you to subtly promote your product or company because the focus is on the event or specialty item; your company's name is simply associated with the event or specialty item. A second marketing benefit of participating in promotional activities is that it offers additional networking opportunities.

The type of promotional activities you choose also helps to create and affirm your company image. For example, if you offer free water bottles (with your company logo on them, of course!) to participants in a 10K race to raise funds for breast cancer research, your company will be associated with caring about health issues affecting women. If you exhibit in a hi-tech trade show, your company will be perceived as a player in the hi-tech arena. From promotions in the context of a high-dollar sponsorship event to key chains with your company logo to pass out at a local fair, the ultimate goal is the same: To create awareness of your company and product. This should encourage customers to buy!

Community Involvement and Special Events

Because your community supports your business, it's a good business practice to support your community. (But first, a quick word about munity is more than a location, such as a town or munity also refers to groups of people, such as the Hispanic community in a city, the small business community in a county, etc.) The great thing about participating in community events and programs is that it's a win-win for both you and your community. When choosing an event or program to support, set specific goals for your participation that provide tangible results. For example, if you choose to serve on the board of directors of a local woman's shelter, your goal may be to network with other board members for business opportunities. Or, sponsoring a "pit stop" for a local fun-run raising money for a non-profit organization puts your name in front of potential athletic customers. You should also look for events and programs with natural tie-ins that reinforce the image you want to have. For example, sponsor a golf tournament if you manufacture golf attire, sponsor local SPCA events if you make unique pet accessories, etc.

You should also consider the resources you have available for community relations, such as time, equipment, products, facilities or money. If all you have is time, find an organization or program that needs your skills. If you have a product or facilities to offer, but no time, find an organization that needs your facility. The avenues open for community involvement are vast. You may choose to align yourself in support of an organization year-round or participate in selected special events.

Types of Community Involvement and Special Events

·  Shows, displays and exhibits - The most typical of these is the trade show at which you host an exhibit, speak, and/or host an event. Choosing trade shows attended by members of your target audience provides you with maximum exposure in minimum time.

·  Road shows - an exhibit or presentation that you take on the road or to several locations in your town.

·  Fairs - consumer job fairs, health fairs, etc.

·  Parades or pageants - Depending on the type of your business, this might be a fun and economical promotional outlet for you.

·  Athletic competitions such as fun runs, bike races, sponsored walks, etc.

·  Entertainment and cultural events like Shakespeare in the Park, a Designer Showhouse, etc.

·  Commercial displays - If you have a storefront, you might use your window display to tie into seasonal themes or community activities.

·  Stunts - Your imagination is the only limit here. But be careful–stunts backfire as often as often as they succeed. Be sure to adequately publicize your stunt and make it unusual enough to gain attention.

·  Banquets, luncheons, style shows or meetings - Sponsor or co-sponsor an event for a local chapter of an organization (whose members are your target audience).

·  Volunteer (or accept a nomination) to serve on the board of directors of a non-profit organization.

·  Participate in community activities such as Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras or Earth Day celebrations.

Other promotional devices include:

Discounts And Premiums Offer a discount or a premium to employees of specific companies or members of an association, and those organizations will promote your business for you.

Business Cards Give everyone you meet a business card – always and with no exceptions. Keeping your business card in your wallet is a waste of money. They don't begin to work for you until they're in someone else’s hands.

The Internet Get on the Net, create a web site and look for other high-tech marketing vehicles.

Referrals Create a referral program. Satisfied customers are your best advertisements. Provide them with incentive to refer their friends and colleagues – perhaps a discount off their next purchase or a gift certificate to a local shop or restaurant.

Coupons Use coupons carefully. They are an affordable way to attract customers, but you need them to be willing to come back and pay regular prices – which they won't do if you're constantly providing them with coupons.

Sponsorship Sponsor something worthwhile. Sports teams, charities and community organizations are always looking for businesses to serve as sponsors, and often the cost is nominal – especially compared to the promotional value you’ll receive.

All these measures will allow customers to quickly and easily identify with your business and bring a lot of profits in your company.

A task for to get a credit in Business English

I. Having studied the previous texts and the information from the extra reading section carefully, divide into small groups (2-4 people) and prepare a presentation of your own company. While preparing your speech stick to the following plan:

1.  introduce yourself;

2.  introduce your company’s name and emblem;

3.  introduce the business you are involved in;

4.  explain your company name and emblem connected directly with your business;

5.  give historical background of your company and its present day work analysis;

6.  point out the main principles of your company organization structure and personnel strategies;

7.  give an example of ads made for your company’s production and reflect upon necessity to be a brand for your company.