Topic 6

Word

Definition

Example

sales revenue

the amount realized by a business from the sale of goods or services

The company spends a tiny 4% of sales revenue on marketing.

turnover

the rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced

High staff turnover left the program with too many young instructors

target

a level or situation that you intend to achieve

100 km per day is my target.

unit sales

the numbers of a particular product or type of product that have been sold

Unit sales of personal computers were up 40% on a year-to-year basis.

sales territory

the customer group or geographical area for which an individual salesperson or a sales team holds responsibility

Online store - a store with the least investment and the largest sales territory.

sales forecast

how much will be sold

Due to currency volatility they had to revise their sales forecast.

sales figures

the value or amount of the total sales of an industry's or company's products for a particular period

Sales figures disappointed investors

sales team

group of people who sell products or services

All members of the sales team will go to Turkey for a four-day training session.

sales rep

(sales representative) someone who travels around, usually within a particular area, selling their company's products

My husband is a sales rep.

salesperson

someone whose job is to persuade people to buy his or her company's products

But if the idea makes you uncomfortable, ask a salesperson to help.

sales executive

also known as sales managers, run departments whose primary function is to offer goods and services to customers so their companies can turn a profit

She works as an advertising sales executive.

distribution

the arrangements and activities required in order to get goods from the manufacturer to the consumer

Distribution is organised via a product list

distribution chain

the series of organizations that are involved in passing products from manufacturers to the public

During the different stages in the distribution chain, distributors and suppliers frequently have conflicting goals.

warehouse

where goods are stored

At present, most of the site is used as a distribution warehouse.

end user

the person who actually uses a particular product or service, rather than someone involved in its production or sale

End users used to get very little say in what software they got.

freight

goods carried in large quantities by ship, plane, train etc

The volume of rail freight is only 8% of the rail-and-road total.

forwarding

performing the service of dispatching documents or goods

In the area of freight forwarding and logistics, most Pacific developing countries face particular challenges.

wholesaler

a person or company that sells goods in large quantities at low prices, typically to retailers

A meat wholesaler and its director have been ordered to pay nearly ?20,000 fine

factory shop

a shop where people can buy slightly damaged goods for less money than the goods would cost in normal shops

We took advantage of visiting the factory shop where you can buy very fashionable shoes at cost prices.

agent

a person or company that arranges services or does work for other people

He's a sports agent who represents top football players.

order

a request by a customer for goods or services

To place your order by telephone, call this number between 8 am and 6 pm.

on order

(of goods) requested but not yet received from the supplier or manufacturer

We have available in stock and on order an exclusive collection of decorative skins.

stock

if a shop stocks a particular product, it keeps a supply of it to sell

We stock a wide range of kitchen equipment.

stock control

the process of making sure that supplies of materials, goods being produced, and finished goods are managedcorrectly

Stock control is the process of making sure that the correct level of stock is maintained.

buying department

a vertical focused on functional activity of buying raw materials, goods and services

Sales, buying department and parts of the production are also situated there.

re-order level

the inventory level at which a company would place a new order or start a new manufacturing run

But the exact nature of the stock-control system and the re-order level will depend upon role of usage of the stock.

work-in-progress

an unfinished project that is still being added to or developed

The book itself is still a work-in-progress.

logistics

the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation

The Logistics Department provides transport and delivery services.

lead time

the time it takes to prepare, make, or deliver something

It takes long lead times to propose and build new nuclear power plants.

vendor rating

is a system used by buying organizations or industry analysts to record, analyze, rank and report the performance of a supplier in terms of a range of predefined criteria, which may include such thing

Transparent procedures should be established for regular vendor performance evaluation and vendor rating.

component

A constituent element, as of a system

And just so you know, we insisted that the vitamin component is OPTIONAL for all winners.

online booking

the activity of booking services such as tickets or holidays via the Internet

For a full description and maximum occupancy, please check our online booking page here.

online shopping

the action or activity of buying goods or services over the Internet

Broadband makes online shopping easier.

shopping channel

a television channel that broadcasts programmes showing products that you can phone the channel and buy

I swear she was on that shopping channel selling earrings last week.

cold call

if someone who is selling something makes a cold call or a blind call, they telephone someone they have never spoken to before to offer them a product or service

I've started to get cold calls from phone dealerships offering me free upgrades for my phone.

sample

a small amount of a product that people can use or look at in order to find out what it is like

He used the product after receiving a free sample in the mail.

loyalty card

a card given by a shop, supermarket etc that gives regular customers lower prices, money back on goods etc

The loyalty card offers a 5% discount on the store's own-brand goods.

direct mail

advertisements that are sent in the post, often to people who are specially chosen because they might be interested in the product

Over three billion items of direct mail were sent in the post last year

direct selling

when a company or manufacturer offers its products, services etc directly to customers, rather than through shops

Exhibitions and trade shows are often used for direct selling.

merchandising

toys, clothes and other products based on a popular film, TV show, etc and sold to make additional profits

Star Wars merchandising made far more profit than the films.

point of sale

the place where a consumer can buy a product or service

New electronic systems can approve credit for customers at the point of sale.

personal selling

when a company employs salespeople to offers its products, services etc to customers

Personal selling is carried out mainly by sales representatives and sales assistants.

retail outlet

a store that sells smaller quantities of products or services to the general public

Their albums are available only online, not at any retail outlets.

retail park

an area outside a town with many large shops and space for cars to park

There are many large out-of-town retail parks.

shopping centre

a group of shops that are built together in one area, often inside one large building

I like shopping at the shopping centre because I can get everything I want in one place.

department store

a large shop stocking many varieties of goods in different departments

He's got a job demonstrating kitchen equipment in a department store.

supermarket

a very large shop that sells food, drinks, and things that people need regularly in their homes

I buy all my food at the supermarket.

bar code

a series of lines printed on products sold in a shop that can be read by a machine connected to a computer to give the price, keep a record of the sale etc

The scanner at the checkout recognises the bar code and charges the correct amount.

checkout

the place in a supermarket where you pay for the things you are buying

A magazine for sale at checkout counters.

mail order

a method of buying and selling in which the buyer chooses goods at home, either from a catalogue

I buy most of my software by mail order.

intermediary

a person or organization that tries to help two other people or groups to agree with each other

Financial institutions act as intermediaries between lenders and borrowers.