文本

背景提示：Nellie joins the team to work for the launch of a healthy biscuit range. With Kevin setting a good sales pitch, Nellie is going to work out the advertising plan.

【Audioscript】

Malcolm: So, good morning, everyone. Can we settle down, get going?

(After all quietend down)

Malcolm: Right, well first of all I would like to introduce a new member of our team who joined us yesterday. Nellie Hamilton. Nellie came highly recommended from our London office with the specific brief to help us with the launch of the "Country Crumbles" range. Nellie, this is Lee Chung, our Finance whizz-kid.

Lee: Hello Nellie. I’m looking forward to working with you.

Malcolm: And this is Maria Esposito, our PR and Press Officer.

Maria: Hi Nellie. It’s good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you!

Nellie: Oh, nothing bad I hope.

Maria: No, quite the reverse. I hear you did wonders with the image of that old "Energy-Lite" range they still market down in London.

Nellie: Well, it went quite well I guess…

Malcolm: OK let’s get on, shall we? The last member of our team is Kevin Whittaker, head of Sales. And I’m going to ask Kevin to introduce the "Country Crumbles" range and fill us in on where we are so far. This will be new information for Nellie but I'm sure the rest of us will be very interested to see where Kevin thinks we are at the moment and where we’ve got to go. So over to you, Kevin.

Kevin: Right, well, "Country Crumbles" is a new all-organic, all-natural product. There are no additives, no colouring and no E-numbers used in its manufacture whatsoever, so it’s an extremely healthy product. This means that it’s potentially an upmarket product too, with a high price tag. Now I’ve got some charts here that will show the style of the biscuits and the ingredient specifications but...

Nellie: Sorry Kevin but isn’t that going to be a problem? I mean trying to launch an upmarket expensive product at a time when everyone is trying to cut back?

Kevin: Let me finish, Nellie. What I was going to say was that our USP is that we are going to market our range at a much more modest price point than the opposition. We all know that there are several ranges that endeavour to promote the “healthy living” image. Either in upmarket grocers, supermarkets or indeed health food shops. Our unique element is that we can match, or almost match, any of the opposition for healthy ingredients, reduced sugar and reduced fat – and we can do this at a price that is not much more than our standard biscuit range.

Nellie: Isn’t that going to affect our profit margins?

Malcolm: Yes, you’ve got a point there, Nellie.

Kevin: Yes, but we have been extremely canny in our forward buying of wheat and other cereals, and in sweeteners and other ingredients too although not to such a large extent. This is due in the main to Lee and his financial acumen – he really got the better of the futures markets a few months ago. The upshot is that we have a two-to three year supply of most of the essential ingredients at a price our competitors would give their eye teeth for. And that will enable us to bring our costs down significantly, at least in the first year to eighteen months of production. After that we hope the brand will be so well-established that we can gently raise the retail price in line with our materials costs.

Malcolm: Yes, so that’s the theory Nellie. Any initial thoughts?

Nellie: Well, I guest the first one is how much can we spend on advertising? Has anyone worked out an advertising and promotions budget yet?

Lee: Well, initially we have set aside £300,000 for the initial campaign and a further £150,000 for a joint campaign with SuperKor.

Nellie: Superkor?

Malcolm: Ah, yes, the third element in this strategy, Nellie. As you know I’m sure, Superkor is the largest supermarket chain in Scotland. They have 67 branches all over the country, and they are interested in coming in on "Country Crumbles" as a joint venture with us – promoting it in their stores, giving introductory offers to establish the brand, maybe some two-for-ones, that sort of thing. If they did come in with us, it would almost guarantee the success of the brand.

Nellie: But they’re not certain yet?

Kevin: No, I’ve been liaising with them for the last three months but their marketing people really take some persuading. We’re getting there though. Maria, er, excuse me but is it really a good idea to spend a possible £450,000 on advertising a single product? That’s more than the entire advertising budget for last year.

Malcolm: Well Maria, I have talked about it with the MD and the Chairman and they have given the go-ahead on that figure. So they do have quite a lot of confidence in the new range and in us to promote it and sell it!

Maria: Well, we better give them something they can approve of then.

Malcolm: You said it, Maria. So let’s move on to the next item on the agenda.

Lee: An advertising plan – we need one! And that’s the first main job for Nellie.

Nellie: Right.

Lee: Here’s the one from last year, and here’s the end of year report. You can use these as a starting point.

Malcolm: We need to target different buyers. We need to think carefully about where and how we advertise. We’ve got a list of possible places but they’ll need costing, and Nellie, can you get on to that?

Nellie: Yes, but how much time have I got?

Lee: Do you think you could get something together by next Thursday? That’s ten days from now.

Nellie: Yes, I guess so. I’ll start straight away.

Malcolm: Great. Andrea can help you with the initial research and then I’m sure Maria will want to come in on it as well. OK, well on we go. We’ve still got a lot to get through! Now what about the focus group reports on all the different flavours Maria, how are they looking and have you got any…

日积月累

【Glossary】

get going - (informal) to start doing something开始做某事

如：Let's get going, for crying out loud!
我们走吧，真是岂有此理！

brief (n.) - if you are given a brief to do something, you are given the official responsibility to deal with a particular thing. n. 摘要，简报

如：He drew up a brief for his speech.
他起草了一份讲话的概要。

whizz-kid (n.) - used to refer to a very clever and successful young person n. 神童

sb does wonders - if someone does wonders, it means that they have a very good effect on something. 创造奇迹。

如：Hard work does wonders.
苦功能创造奇迹。

fill sb in - (informal) to give people more details or information about something that you know
对某人提供关于 ... 的事实，向 ... 提供最新消息

organic (adj.) - free from the use of artificial chemicals 有机的，根本的，接近自然的

如：The music is organic to the story.
这首乐曲是这个故事必不可少的组成部分。

additive (n.) - you add this chemical to food to keep it fresh and make it taste better n. 附加物

E-numbers - they are the number codes for food additives. E-numbers are usually found on food labels throughout Europe. 条形码

potentially (adv.) - very likely to become something in the future adv. 潜在地

如：Something that separates potentially antagonistic entities, as an area between two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict.
缓冲物，缓冲地带可用来隔离潜在的对抗性因来的东西，如面敌对势力用来减轻冲突危险的地带

upmarket (adj.) - used mainly in British English, upmarket products are expensive and of good quality. They are intended to be used by people who are rich and from a high social class.
adj. 高档的，质优价高的，高级的

price tag (n.) - it is the small piece of paper which is attached to an article and which has the price written on it. If something has a high price tag, it is expensive. n. 价格标签

specification (n.) - a requirement or detailed description which is clearly stated n. 规格，详述

USP - abbreviation for Unique Selling Point or Unique Selling Proposition. When a company markets and advertises a new product, it put forwards the unique selling points of the product to the customers, convincing them to switch brands. n. 美国专利(美国药典)

price point - a term often used in economics, price point is a price at which demand is relatively high. 零售价

endeavour (v.) - to attempt to do something 奋力，尽力

profit margin - a ratio of profitability calculated as net income divided by revenues n. 利润率

canny (adj.) - clever and able to think quickly 精明仔细的

acumen (n.) - the ability to make correct decisions and good judgements 敏锐，聪明

get the better of sb - to defeat someone in a competition 打败

futures (plural n.) - the buying of stocks and shares or commodities or foreign currency at a price that is agreed at the time of purchase for the items to be delivered sometime in the future. 期货

the upshot (n.) - something which happens as a result of other decisions 结果

give your eye teeth for sth - (informal) you want the thing so much that you would do anything to get it 不惜任何代价

retail price - the price charged to store customers 零售价

be in line with sth - to be at the same level as something 和 ... 一致，与 ... 符合

material cost - the cost of the raw materials that go into a product 材料成本

joint venture - a partnership formed between two or more parties to undertake a business project or economic activity together. This also involves the sharing of risks, expertise and rewards in carrying out and completion of a project. 合资

liaise with sb - to work together and exchange information with people in other organisations 联络

MD - abbreviation for Managing Director 常务董事

focus group - it is a group of people who are gathered together and asked about their opinions towards a particular product, service or advertisement. This is a very common qualitative research method used in the marketing field to evaluate services or test ideas. 讨论组

实战商务小结

【Business notes】

Chairing a meeting 主持会议

在今天的短文中，Malcolm先生主持了一场销售会议，一个好的会议主持人可以保证会议能够按时召开，按时结束。并能够将需要说明的事情说清楚，需要落实的落实下去。Malcolm在短文中用了以下几种表达，我们一起来看一下：

首先，Malcolm做的第一件事，就是欢迎每一位与会人员，并让他们就座，以表示会议的开始

他说“So, good morning, everyone. Can we settle down and get going? ”

接着，他又带领与会人员讨论第一个议程，
他接着说“Right, well first of all I would like to introduce … ”

So over to you, Kevin.
It’s important also to acknowledge contributions made by others.
Yes, you’ve got a point there, Nellie.