Transcript BEC Higher - Guangdong University of Technology

BEC Higher
Unit 3b Researching a market
Useful Terms
•Mailshot (邮寄广告): Most businesses send out
mailshots several times a year, whether they are
large-scale mailings or batches of individualized
letters to a dozen key customers at a time. If the
targeting and the offer are right, you get a positive
response. If you get them wrong, it is junk mail.
Useful Terms
Format of mailshot: Mail, fax and email
give you three distinct options.
•Most mailings consist of a pack of several
items, which are to be printed and sent out
by post.
Useful Terms
•Fax is limited to black and white and costs
money to receive. It will only be welcomed by
people who are keen to hear what you have to
say. For example, special deals for established
customers.
Fax mailshots need powerful content and should
not go beyond a single page.
Useful Terms
•E-mail is instant and almost free, but
looks dull and can be seen as intrusive.
Copy for e-mail mailshots needs to be
brief, factual and emphatic.
Market Research
Market research is a systematic, objective
collection and analysis of data about target
market, competition, and/or environment with
the goal being increased understanding. Market
research is not an activity conducted only once;
it is an ongoing study.
Market Research
•Examine consumption and production of
competitive products, as well as overall
demographic and economic trends in the
target country.
Market Research
•Ascertain the sources of competition,
including the extent of domestic industry
production and the major foreign countries
the firm would compete against.
Market Research
•Analyze factors affecting marketing and
use of the product in each market, such as
end-user sectors, channels of distribution,
cultural idiosyncrasies, and business
practices.
Market Research
•Identify any foreign barriers (tariff or
nontariff/foreign exchange rates) for the
product being imported into the target
country.
Market Research
•Determine whether your product is price
competitive after you've figured in
packaging, shipping, marketing, sales
commissions, taxes & tariffs, and other
associated costs.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
Preparing for a trip for your business involves a
lot more than booking airline tickets and a hotel.
Careful preparation makes the difference
between a trip that runs smoothly and lets you
make the best possible impression with
customers and clients, and one in which you feel,
and appear, harried.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Locate directions: Study the map of the
city you will visit carefully. Ask for
detailed information about the hotel you
will stay and the company you will visit.
Take the local traffic into account as
well.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Prepare a list of key phone numbers:
In addition to having the numbers of all
people you are visiting, it pays to have direct
numbers to their assistants or other people in
the company. These numbers will enable you
to get past security or find someone to speak
to if your primary contact cannot be reached.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Confirm appointments
Few things are more annoying than showing up for a
meeting that someone has forgotten. In the best case,
the person is in the office, but has overlooked the
meeting, which is embarrassing all around. If the
person is out of the office, and the meeting is
cancelled, your visit is a complete waste of time. Call
to confirm appointments several days before a
meeting.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Prepare for meetings
Print out notes from previous meetings and have all
presentations printed out and ready to go. Start this well
ahead of your departure to avoid running out of time
waiting for a slow printer to produce the materials you
need. Also, have a list of attendees when possible to give
yourself a better chance of remembering everyone’s
name when you get to the meeting.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Transfer key files to your laptop
If you usually work on a computer, transfer files
you need on the road to the hard drive of your
portable computer. This will enable you to access
important information and work on existing
documents on the road.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Arrange for transportation
If you are unfamiliar with the area you are visiting,
research transportation options before you arrive. While
a taxi from an airport or train station is almost always an
option, some locations are better served by van services
or public transportation. Factor in (figure in) the time of
day you are arriving to account for the impact of traffic
on your transportation.
Pre-Trip Travel Planning
•Prepare your office
Leave key contact information for your staff including
timing (schedule) for when you will be traveling between
locations. This will enable the office to phone you, send
important documents, and otherwise contact you if a
meeting is cancelled or they need you for some other
reason.