Beginning a Presentation- Informal Meeting

Shawn: As I said a moment ago, our market share has taken a nosedive in the last year. Why? We think it’s a combination of three things: (one) there’s a lot more competition now than there was a year ago, (two) our product isn’t meeting the needs of the market, and (three) our advertising is speaking to the wrong customers. These are some pretty serious but not insurmountable problems, so let’s take a look at the solutions we’ve come up with.

First, we’re facing twice as many competitors as we were a year ago, so we need to make sure that customers know that Vision Corp. is the best in the business. Second, we need to make sure that our product has all the bells and whistles that our customers have come to expect. And third, we have to revamp our marketing efforts and make sure that our ads appeal to the right group of customers. Hannah, can you please take over now and tell us what you learned from the focus groups?

 GLOSSARY

As I said a moment ago… – a phrase used when repeating something that one said a few minutes ago, usually as a reminder or to stress its importance

* As I said a moment ago, when you repeat information in a presentation, it is easier for people to remember it.

nosedive – a quick decrease, fall, or decline; going down a lot and very quickly

* When the economy took a nosedive, many foreign companies stopped doing business in that country.

to meet the needs – to provide what someone is looking for; to give people what they require

* We could meet the needs of our busy customers better if our stores were open later each day.

insurmountable – without a solution; unable to overcome; unable to fix

* Yessinia’s parents got divorced because of insurmountable differences between her mom and dad.

solution – an answer to a problem; a way to handle a difficult situation

* If you want your sons to fight less, one solution might be to give them their own bedrooms.

to come up with – to create or invent; to think of something new and creative

* Olga came up with a way to save her department $100 each week.

to revamp – to improve; to make better

* The Flores family revamped their home by painting all the walls.

to take over – to take control of something

* When Condi took over the business, sales increased very quickly in the first year.

Beginning a Presentation- Formal Meeting

As I mentioned, our market share has been sliding for the past year. Naturally, Vision Corporation is alarmed by these changes and wants to understand the underlying reasons. The truth is, we’re not entirely sure why we’re losing market share, but we have identified three factors that may contribute to the cause: a growing number of competitors, our product’s features, and poor advertising.

First, the number of competitors in our industry has doubled in the past year. To counter this, we must learn to differentiate Vision Corporation from the other companies. Second, our product lacks some of the features that customers are looking for. We need to improve our product and make it the best market offering. Third, our advertising has been ineffective in reaching our potential customers. We need to rethink our marketing campaigns and make sure that we’re targeting the right market. Now I’m going to turn things over to Ms. Graff, who will discuss the findings of her focus groups.

GLOSSARY

As I mentioned… – a phrase used to refer back to something that was said earlier

* As I mentioned in our meeting last week, our new employee Chantrelle is going to start working here tomorrow.

to contribute – to add to something; to make something stronger, bigger, or better

* A good educational system can contribute to a stronger economy.

competitor – a person or a business that sells a similar product to a similar group of customers as you do

* Hewlett-Packard and Gateway are competitors in the computer industry.

to counter – to work against something; to balance something by working in the opposite direction

* Daniel ate a lot of food during the holidays, but he countered the extra calories by running 10 miles each day.

market offering – a product that is available for sale to customers

* Microsoft has many software programs among its market offerings.

ineffective – not effective; not able to do what something is supposed to do

* Medication is ineffective if patients forget to take it when they’re supposed to.

marketing campaign – a strategy for letting people know about a product or service and making them want to buy it

* The new marketing campaign includes a mixture of television and radio commercials. 

to target – to aim for; to try to reach; to design something for

* The American Cancer Association tries to target smokers by educating them and helping them stop smoking.

findings – results of a research project; outcome of an investigation

* The researchers’ findings showed that exercising 30 minutes each day can help people live longer.

Starting a Meeting (Informal Meeting)

 Okay, everybody. Please take a seat. Let’s get started. I’ve called this meeting of our top salespeople so that all of you get a chance to hear about the new plan to get our company out there in order to reach more of our potential market. First, we’ll hear a presentation from the team that has been working on this. Then, we’ll discuss it to get your feedback and put our heads together to see if there are any other ideas. 

While the team is getting set up, let me say a few words. What does this  new plan mean for our company? First, it’s a reality check on where we are right now in terms of getting our message to our customers. Second, this plan has the potential to move the company forward. One of our main challenges, as you all know, is staying relevant in this changing market. Today’s presentation has some really innovative ideas about how we can do this.

GLOSSARY

to get (something) out there - to make something more familiar to the public; to increase something’s public presence

* We need to get our message out there so that people know what great work our organization is doing.

potential market – the group of people who do not buy a product, but would probably be interested in it

* Our toys are used mostly by girls ages 4-6, but we believe that our potential market includes boys ages 5-7, too.

feedback – positive or negative reactions to an idea or to someone’s work

* At the end of the course, the teacher will ask us to give our feedback about how to make it better next year.

to put (our/their) heads together – to work as a group to think of new ideas or better solutions

* When Brandon and Antonio put their heads together, they are able to think of some very creative new ideas.

to say a few words – to speak about something for a short period of time

* At weddings, the parents of the married couple usually say a few words to wish the couple a happy life together.

reality check – a realistic look at the true situation; an objective and factual analysis; a reminder of the true facts

* Amanda thought that her dog-walking business would be a great success, but learning that there were already 14 other such businesses in her city was a reality check for her.

relevant – important; related to the current situation

* The cost of books is very relevant for college students who don’t have very much money.

innovative – new, creative, and interesting

 * The new CD players have an innovative design that is very popular.