BEC商务英语中级听力unit04a
1 The thing is ,When you buy a car,you're spending a lot of money so you want to get excited about what you're buying.Reliability and after-sales service are all very important,but they're not exactly exciting ,are they? I want my car to say something about me .I want something which looks sporty and attracts attention . I don't mind paying that bit extra for something that makes me look good.
2 A lot of my friends have got e-mail so I wanted to buy a computer. I just didn't know much about them, and I found that all that information you get about performance and so on is totally confusing. And then I saw that advert on TV with those new computers. It showed how easy it is to get onto the Internet and send e-mail. So I went to a computer superstore, had a look at one and bought it straightaway.
3 I thought buying a mobile phone would be easy, but it wasn't .You ask how much they cost and you get all this stuff about monthly service contracts and different tariffs at different times of day .It's almost impossible to work out how much they actually cost! Anyway,I worked out that the best deal for me was a one-year all-inclusive package. So that's what I bought.
4 I used to think that one refrigerator was pretty muck like any other. But then I saw this TV programme about how much energy kitchen appliances use. Fridges are the worst, apparently. That's because they're on all the time so they're really bad for the ozone layer-all those CFC gases or whatever they call them . So I decided to get a fridge that doesn't give off lots of harmful gases .And it's cheaper to run as well .
5 It's not even a particularly well-known make of video recorder but I had one of them before which I was really happy with. I didn't have much money when I bought the first one so I just got the cheapest one. I could find. But it was great.It lasted years and I never had any problems with it .So, of course, I decided to buy the same brand again. I mean, a friend of mine recently bought a really well-known make and it's been back to the shop twice already.
Listening 2 and 3
I Now you've set up Sainsbury's Bank, how do you market its products?
D Well, the core target for Sainsbury's Bank is , quite understandably, the Sainsbury's customer. So, the vast majority of marketing is either instore or through direct mail. We've bought very little advertising space,but we do also use public relations as a marketing tool .
I And how successful has it been ?
D It's actually exceeded all our expectations. We've already attracted over 700,000 customers within 12 months of starting trading .
I Really? And how does a new bank like Sainsbury's succeed in attracting people away form the High Street banks?
D Quite simply by offering value for money and excellent customer service standards. I think Reward Points are another big attraction. With a Sainsbury'a Bank Visa Card, for example, a customer can soon collect a lot of Reward Points, which of course can be exchanged for air miles or other kinds of vouchers.
I And what makes you think you 'll succeed in such a competitive sector?
D Well, our key operational advantage is that, as a telephone-only operation, Sainsbury's Bank doesn't have the high overheads that a branch network does . Therefore, we're able to offer better rates . I think another important point is that Saintbury's experience in retailing means that its bank can apply a retailer's customer-focused mentality to the financial services sector.
I Now some observers say that supermarket chains risk damaging their brands by moving into a sector which they have no experience of. How do you react to that?
D Well, that assumes that supermarket will offer the same poor customer service as the traditional banks and therefore attract the same bad publicity. As I said, customer service is precisely our strength. We firmly believe that our commitment to our customers will prevent brand damage.
I Yes, other supermarkets obviously feel the same way and we regularly see reports about how they 're planning to sell computers, cars and even houses. How do you see the Sainsbury's brand developing in the future?
D Well, the brand is continuously evolving and developing . The move into financial sevices is another stage of that ongoing development . When you look back at the history of the Sainsbury's brand ,it's already been developed in many different ways. Who could have imagined , back in 1869, that a small family dairy would grow into a major retail group operating over 800 stores? I've no doubt that the brand will continue to develop, but it's difficult to say exactly how.
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