Sales booster: product

catalogs
 Content list

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3

Mind Map ........................................................................................................................ 3

1. Let’s listen ................................................................................................................. 4

Taking up new challenges: Boosting your company interests ..................................... 4
The importance of product Catalogs ........................................................................... 4

2. Let’s talk..................................................................................................................... 5
Picking the right choice to boost sales: Product Catalogs ........................................... 5

3. Let’s read ................................................................................................................... 6

Getting to know the format - Elements of a Product Catalog ...................................... 6
What’s necessary? ...................................................................................................... 6

4. Grammar Focus ......................................................................................................... 9

Describing routines - Simple Present .......................................................................... 9
Describing states - Simple Present ............................................................................. 9
Present Progressive – Actions happening around now ............................................. 10

References ................................................................................................................... 12
 Introduction

As a Physical Distribution student, you should know the importance of communication

with your current clients and your potential ones. They always need to know what the
current status of your company is and how your company is growing up, besides the
last updates on the goods or services your company provides.

That is why, clarity and concision are key elements for you to have in mind when
communicating. Your potential clients want to make the best of their time and they need
the communication to be effective.

Within the following material, we will work on strategies and vocabulary to communicate
effectively when selling and telling what your company has to offer.

Mind Map

The following mind map will show you what the distribution of topics for this material is:

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 1. Let’s listen

Taking up new challenges: Boosting your company interests

Fuente: SENA

Hi, dear student. Welcome back!

It is really nice to see you again! Esteban, a Physical Distribution Student, one just like
you, has accepted the challenge to be a Physical Distribution Manager assistant at a
SME (Small and Medium Sized Enterprise).

So far, he has done a great job, but the challenges never stop. He has a new challenge
every day and, therefore, a new opportunity to learn. Today we will be with him to see
how he can help the company to grow up.

Within this material you will find useful information to be able to successfully sell a
product.

The importance of product Catalogs

When in hesitation on how to make your company grow, one of the first aspects you
should regard is the way your product is being promoted and how your enterprise is
gaining more clients. This means that your company should always evaluate the
effectiveness of its sales tools in such way that you can ensure the steady increase in
number of customers.

Catalogs, as sale tools are, sometimes, underestimated and their potential is

disregarded. Most of the times, catalogs merely provide straightforward technical

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descriptions of the products - no advantages, no benefits, no motivation for the reader
to call a sales rep, mail a reply card or place an order. That is why, your company needs
to understand what people look at when skimming and scanning a catalog. Surprisingly,
business customers buy for many of the same reasons that consumers do.

So… if in need of growing your numbers, make sure your catalogs properly introduce
your company and effectively motivate potential customers to join you.

In conclusion….

 Product Catalogs are great to help your Company be stable get closer to the final
customer.

 Product catalogs should contain technical information, advantages and

disadvantages of a given product to generate motivation.

 Product catalogs not only introduce a specific product(s), but also the Enterprise
itself.

2. Let’s talk

Picking the right choice to boost sales: Product Catalogs

Fuente: SENA

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 Jane: Hey Esteban, did you listen to the conference about Product
Catalogs?
Esteban: Yes, I did.
Jane: Great! What do you think?
Esteban: Well… I totally agree: I think Product Catalogs are a great tool
to improve sales. I would like to see our current catalogs.
Jane: Hehehe… That is why our CEO wanted you to listen to that
conference. We don’t have any.
Esteban: Oh, I understand. Then, I will do the first one!
Jane: I knew I could count on you. Thanks!
Esteban: No problem!

3. Let’s read

Getting to know the format - Elements of a Product Catalog

Very well, now we know what Esteban’s new assignment is. It is now his responsibility
to write a Product Catalog that properly introduces a product and the enterprise itself for
a future potential customer.

Within this section we will evaluate different examples and we will study the different
steps to do a Product Catalog.

What’s necessary?

Hmmm… Ok, let’s see what I need in order to do a Product Catalog:

1. Find some samples to decide on the format and limit the information I will need to
collect.

2. Research and collect the necessary information.

3. Organize the information.

4. Include extra information to have an appealing Catalog.

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Fuente: SENA

Fuente: SENA

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Fuente: SENA

Fuente: SENA

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 4. Grammar Focus

After learning about the formats and the data you need to include in your catalog, it is
also important to have in mind the use of grammar so your message is completely clear
for the reader.

In this section we will work on the use of simple present to describe routine activities
and present progressive to describe the actions that are happening now or around now.

Describing routines - Simple Present

The present simple tense is used to express repeated, habitual actions in the present.
Adverbs of frequency, such as always, usually, regularly, frequently, often, sometimes,
rarely, seldom, occasionally and never, and adverb phrases, for example, every year,
once in a blue moon and three times a day, are often used with this tense:

 Our Company usually ships the product without charging extra fees.

 We never produce our products overseas. All we produce is home-based.

 Our sales representatives often call our customers to verify their satisfaction with our
product.

Describing states - Simple Present

The present simple is also used to refer to states that exist at the time of speaking:

 We are a SME with plenty of experience in the production of this product.

 We supply more than 100 companies all around our country.

 We know how to handle difficult situations.

 We have the best raw material for our production.

 Our supply chain has the best technology to ensure the delivery of our goods.

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Affirmative
I/You/We/They + V1
He/She/It + V1 (s,es,ies)
I play football.
You play football.
We play football.
They play football.
He plays football.
She plays football.
It plays football.
Simple Present Tense
Negative
I/You/We/They + don’t + V1
He/She/It + doesn’t + V1
I don’t play football.
You don’t play football.
We don’t play football.
They don’t play football.
He doesn’t play football.
She doesn’t play football.
It doesn’t play football.
Question
Do + I/You/We/They + V1
Does + He/She/It + V1
Do I play football?
Do you play football?
Do we play football?
Do they play football?
Does he play football?
Does she play football?
Does it play football?

Fuente: SENA

Rules
Most verbs take -s in the third person
singular.
Verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x and - o
take -es.
Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the
y and take -ies.
Verbs ending in a vowel + y, take -s.
Examples
work - works, dance - dances, read -
reads, speak - speaks.
kiss - kisses, wash - washes, watch -
watches, fix - fixes.
study - studies, cry - cries, fly - flies, copy -
copies.
play - plays, say - says, enjoy - enjoys,
obey - obeys.

Fuente: SENA

Present Progressive – Actions happening around now

We are developing a new product.

The present progressive is used to describe what is happening around now. Sometimes
it is used to describe future events.

We are launching this product next October.

In Spanish, the present progressive is only used to describe an action that is in the
process of taking place. It is not used for future actions.

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Fuente: Fuchs y Booner (2001)

Fuente: Fuchs y Booner (2001)

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 References

Fuchs, M. y Bonner, M. (2001). Grammar Express: Intermediate with Answer Key (For
Self-Study and Classroom Use). Richmond: Pearson Longman.

Document control

Nombre Cargo Dependencia Fecha

Centro de Gestión
de Mercados,
Autor Logística y
Karen Yolima Experta Mayo de
Tecnologías de la
Torres Tafur técnica 2017
Información.
Regional Distrito
Capital
Andrés Felipe Guionista - Centro
Junio de
Adaptación Velandia Línea de Agroindustrial.
2017
Espitia Producción Regional Quindío

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