Words from the field

The idea

The trade has its own language. The company's officer, the stockist's office and the salesman on the beat must mean the same thing by "primary", "loading" or "bill-to-bill", or orders, claims and incentives go wrong. In Tamil Nadu many of these words are spoken in English, written in Tamil; a few have plain Tamil words that shopkeepers use every day. This page lists both.

The words

Using the list

When a word is used two ways in your office, pick one meaning and write it here. "Return" is the commonest trap: to the salesman it can mean a damaged pack, an unsold pack from the van, or a shop cancelling its order. Each of these goes to a different place in the books.

Train new salesmen with this page in their first week. A salesman who says "loading" when he means "delivery" will be misunderstood by the company's officer, and one who doesn't know what "bill-to-bill" means will hand out credit by mistake.

Check yourself

1. What is the difference between a primary sale and a secondary sale?
2. In Tamil, what do shopkeepers usually call the money they still owe?
3. Why does "return" need one agreed meaning in your office?

Answers

1. A primary sale is the stockist buying from the company; a secondary sale is the stockist selling to shops.
2. பாக்கி (baakki).
3. Because a damaged return, an unsold van return and a cancelled order go to different places in the books and the claim — one word for all three causes mistakes.