Free More business English para Dummies by Varios autores

Frauenkron’s idea. He reacted promptly,
“I went a step further and turned it into a reusable system, using the delivery canisters also for the disposal of used-up oils.”
    Conclusion: By offering his combined product/services strategy, René Frauenkron managed to keep 93 out of 100 new customers,
“If something runs smoothly and serves his convenience, the customer stays with it, and it doesn’t matter if the competition tries to tempt him with low prices.”
     
Palabras para recordar
matching: corresponding, complementing, equivalent, parallel, analogous
to have come up with: to have created, thought up, originated, or conceived
deep-frying: cooking
to dispose of something: to get rid of or discard something, to clear something out
used-up: not being able to make use of again, old
to enable: to allow, to entitle, to empower, to make it possible for, to permit
to put someone in their place: to humble someone, to take someone down a peg or two
to have to grapple with something: to have to struggle with, come to grips with, or deal with something
stinginess is cool: thriftiness is in, parsimony is great
indolence: inactivity, laziness, sluggishness, idleness
copy-cat: imitator, copier
to open up: to develop, to build up
to compare notes: to exchange, share, or pass on information, to swap opinions
to take advantage of something: to make the most of, make use of, or cash in on something
referral: reference, recommendation, good word, testimonial
to approach: to speak to, to talk to, to make contact with, to get in touch with
it was a done deal: everything was accepted, settled, given a positive response, or agreed to
to bear fruit: to show results, to pay off, to be successful, to produce results
to bless: to provide, to bestow, to endow
line of goods: range or assortment of goods, product line, line of merchandise
accessories: attachments, fixtures, add-ons, extras
old hand: veteran, expert, old-timer, master
to not be able to pull the wool over someone’s eyes: to not be able to fool, trick, deceive, or dupe someone
to become obvious: to become clear, apparent, evident, or noticeable
reusable: returnable, multi-use
to tempt: to allure, to attract, to entice, to persuade, to lure
     
Help customers make more sales
    If sales figures are
crumbling
, there is only one solution: Help your customers to sell more.
    Michael P., who
attends to
specialist dealers in the
sanitary facilities
industry, really wanted to know why his sales were
declining
. He started out by comparing his sales
commission statements
of the
past
four years. The results made him think:
“While the number of customers and orders remained constant, the sales figures per order had been shrinking
–
on an average of four to six percent, but with some customers up to 15
%.”
Precise analysis
    Michael P. now asked himself how to solve this problem. He decided on the following
approach
: His first step was to inquire among his “shrinking customers” why their order volume was declining constantly. Theresults were very
enlightening
for him: The majority of his customers had sales problems of their own,
“They bought less because they were selling less.”
Some of his customers were increasingly placing orders with competitors,
“Because they didn’t have much going with their own customers, they tried to take my customers away from me.”
Crucial questions
    After having
gotten to the bottom of the matter
, Michael P. began to develop a
suitable
strategy. He had to ask himself some crucial questions first:
“How can I win back those lost shares in sales?”
and
“How can I help my customers, who have sales problems of their own, increase their sales?”
    It was relatively easy for Michael P. to answer the first question. His customers also bought from the competition because, ultimately, it was irrelevant to them from whom they purchased their products,
“They got pretty much the same and at the same terms from everyone.”
Provide genuine added