Question 1

What are performance attributions? Describe the four categories of performance attributions.

Accepted Answer

The first category is stable internal factor-things that are unlikely to change in the near future such as personal skills and abilities. Second, there are unstable internal factors-things that may vary from time to time, such as effort expended or mood. Third, there are stable external factors-things such as the nature of the task or competitive situation. Lastly, there are unstable external factors-things that might change next time, such as advertising support or lucky timing.

Question 2

The variable that usually has the most impact on the magnitude of instrumentality estimates is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  Mental ability of the salesperson 
B)  Firm's compensation plan 
C)  Estimated lag-time from sales commitment to completion 
D)  Degree of supervisory control 
E)  Informal feedback system 
A)  Mental ability of the salesperson 
B)  Firm's compensation plan 
C)  Estimated lag-time from sales commitment to completion 
D)  Degree of supervisory control 
E)  Informal feedback system B

Question 3

Which of the following is a characteristic of a highly motivated salesperson?

Accepted Answer

A)  Takes initiative 
B)  Expends effort 
C)  Is persistent 
D)  All of the above 
E)  None of the above 
A)  Takes initiative 
B)  Expends effort 
C)  Is persistent 
D)  All of the above 
E)  None of the above D

Question 4

Which of the following statements about the stages in the sales career path is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Salespeople in the exploration stage would typically have high valences for higher-order rewards and higher expectancies than salespeople at other stages 
B)  Salespeople in the establishment stage have the highest valence for promotion and recognition 
C)  The point at which a salesperson would be resigned to remaining in sales would be in the establishment stage 
D)  Job performance is typically poor in the establishment stage 
E)  Personal commitment to the job is usually highest in the exploration stage 
A)  Salespeople in the exploration stage would typically have high valences for higher-order rewards and higher expectancies than salespeople at other stages 
B)  Salespeople in the establishment stage have the highest valence for promotion and recognition 
C)  The point at which a salesperson would be resigned to remaining in sales would be in the establishment stage 
D)  Job performance is typically poor in the establishment stage 
E)  Personal commitment to the job is usually highest in the exploration stage

Question 5

Which of the following statements about how personal characteristics affect a salesperson's level of motivation is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Highly experienced salespeople have higher valences for lower-order rewards than younger, less experienced salespeople 
B)  Salespeople with high internal locus of control are likely to have relatively low expectancy and instrumentality estimates 
C)  Highly educated salespeople are likely to have lower valences for higher-order rewards 
D)  Intelligent salespeople have higher expectancy and instrumentality perceptions than those with less intelligence 
E)  Experienced salespeople have smaller expectancy estimates than inexperienced salespeople 
A)  Highly experienced salespeople have higher valences for lower-order rewards than younger, less experienced salespeople 
B)  Salespeople with high internal locus of control are likely to have relatively low expectancy and instrumentality estimates 
C)  Highly educated salespeople are likely to have lower valences for higher-order rewards 
D)  Intelligent salespeople have higher expectancy and instrumentality perceptions than those with less intelligence 
E)  Experienced salespeople have smaller expectancy estimates than inexperienced salespeople

Question 6

What personal characteristics affect sales motivation?

Accepted Answer

Personal characteristics, incl

Question 7

What individual characteristics affect accuracy and magnitude expectancies?

Accepted Answer

Self-esteem, perceived ability

Question 8

Which of the following statements about plateauing is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  A sales manager that uses job rotation and job enrichment frequently is likely to have his or her entire sales force plateaued 
B)  Plateauing is also called self-imposed attrition 
C)  Plateaued salespeople typically have high expectancy estimates that are inaccurate 
D)  None of the above 
E)  Just prior to the fourth stage of the sales career path, nearly all salespeople plateau 
A)  A sales manager that uses job rotation and job enrichment frequently is likely to have his or her entire sales force plateaued 
B)  Plateauing is also called self-imposed attrition 
C)  Plateaued salespeople typically have high expectancy estimates that are inaccurate 
D)  None of the above 
E)  Just prior to the fourth stage of the sales career path, nearly all salespeople plateau

Question 9

What is motivation (in sales)?

Accepted Answer

Motivation includes salespeopl

Question 10

During the exploration stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

Accepted Answer

A)  Need peer acceptance and challenging positions 
B)  Produce superior results on the job in order to be promoted 
C)  Need achievement, esteem, autonomy and competition 
D)  Develop creativity and innovativeness 
E)  Balance the conflicting demands of career and family 
A)  Need peer acceptance and challenging positions 
B)  Produce superior results on the job in order to be promoted 
C)  Need achievement, esteem, autonomy and competition 
D)  Develop creativity and innovativeness 
E)  Balance the conflicting demands of career and family

Question 11

One criticism of linking pay to financial incentives is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Employees may become less interested in what they do and more interested in capturing the reward 
B)  Many salespeople will make too much money 
C)  Most salespeople are much more interested in quality of life and family-oriented non-monetary rewards 
D)  Environmental conditions will overwhelm the effectiveness of financial rewards unless salespeople are paid poorly 
E)  Personal characteristics make financial incentives sexist 
A)  Employees may become less interested in what they do and more interested in capturing the reward 
B)  Many salespeople will make too much money 
C)  Most salespeople are much more interested in quality of life and family-oriented non-monetary rewards 
D)  Environmental conditions will overwhelm the effectiveness of financial rewards unless salespeople are paid poorly 
E)  Personal characteristics make financial incentives sexist

Question 12

The accuracy of a salesperson's expectancy perceptions indicates:

Accepted Answer

A)  How clearly the salesperson understands the relationship between the effort expended and the resulting achievement 
B)  The ranking of rewards attained as a result of improved performance 
C)  The degree to which that individual believes expending effort on job activities will influence ultimate job performance 
D)  The difficulty assigned to a task in comparison to the reward offered for performing the task 
E)  The degree to which an individual wants extrinsic rewards 
A)  How clearly the salesperson understands the relationship between the effort expended and the resulting achievement 
B)  The ranking of rewards attained as a result of improved performance 
C)  The degree to which that individual believes expending effort on job activities will influence ultimate job performance 
D)  The difficulty assigned to a task in comparison to the reward offered for performing the task 
E)  The degree to which an individual wants extrinsic rewards

Question 13

During the establishment stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

Accepted Answer

A)  Adjust his or her self-image 
B)  Have the lowest instrumentality perceptions and valences for both higher-order and lower-order needs 
C)  Produce superior results on the job in order to be promoted 
D)  Need close and supportive supervision 
E)  Reassess career with possible redirection 
A)  Adjust his or her self-image 
B)  Have the lowest instrumentality perceptions and valences for both higher-order and lower-order needs 
C)  Produce superior results on the job in order to be promoted 
D)  Need close and supportive supervision 
E)  Reassess career with possible redirection

Question 14

Demographic variables like age, family size, and education can all have an impact on an individual's valence for rewards.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

What four stages do most salespeople go through in their careers?

Accepted Answer

Exploration, establi

Question 16

Which of the following is one of the major causes of plateauing?

Accepted Answer

A)  A too-rapid promotion to upper hierarchical levels 
B)  Boredom 
C)  Job enrichment 
D)  A too-detailed job description 
E)  A request to mentor new, inexperienced salespeople 
A)  A too-rapid promotion to upper hierarchical levels 
B)  Boredom 
C)  Job enrichment 
D)  A too-detailed job description 
E)  A request to mentor new, inexperienced salespeople

Question 17

The frequency of communication within an organization has no effect on expectancy, instrumentality, or valences.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

All of the following are examples of individual characteristics that impact the magnitude of a salesperson's expectancy estimates EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  His/her level of self-esteem 
B)  His/her general intelligence 
C)  His/her previous sales experience 
D)  His/her perceived ability to perform necessary tasks 
E)  His/her perception of his assigned sales territory potential 
A)  His/her level of self-esteem 
B)  His/her general intelligence 
C)  His/her previous sales experience 
D)  His/her perceived ability to perform necessary tasks 
E)  His/her perception of his assigned sales territory potential

Question 19

Stephan perceives himself to be a talented, hard-working salesman with considerable self-esteem. As such, it is probable that Stephan:

Accepted Answer

A)  Values annual bonuses more than other salespeople in the organization 
B)  Has a higher valence for higher-order, intrinsic rewards 
C)  Is fooling himself 
D)  Does not concern himself with performance instrumentalities 
E)  All of the above 
A)  Values annual bonuses more than other salespeople in the organization 
B)  Has a higher valence for higher-order, intrinsic rewards 
C)  Is fooling himself 
D)  Does not concern himself with performance instrumentalities 
E)  All of the above

Question 20

The firm's compensation plan has a notable impact on the magnitude of a salesperson's instrumentality.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

What are performance attributions? Describe the four categories of performance attributions.

The variable that usually has the most impact on the magnitude of instrumentality estimates is the:

Which of the following is a characteristic of a highly motivated salesperson?

Which of the following statements about the stages in the sales career path is true?

Which of the following statements about how personal characteristics affect a salesperson's level of motivation is true?

What personal characteristics affect sales motivation?

What individual characteristics affect accuracy and magnitude expectancies?

Which of the following statements about plateauing is true?

What is motivation (in sales)?

During the exploration stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

One criticism of linking pay to financial incentives is:

The accuracy of a salesperson's expectancy perceptions indicates:

During the establishment stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

Demographic variables like age, family size, and education can all have an impact on an individual's valence for rewards.

What four stages do most salespeople go through in their careers?

Which of the following is one of the major causes of plateauing?

The frequency of communication within an organization has no effect on expectancy, instrumentality, or valences.

All of the following are examples of individual characteristics that impact the magnitude of a salesperson's expectancy estimates EXCEPT:

Stephan perceives himself to be a talented, hard-working salesman with considerable self-esteem. As such, it is probable that Stephan:

The firm's compensation plan has a notable impact on the magnitude of a salesperson's instrumentality.

Introduction to Sales Management in the Twenty-First Century

The Process of Selling and Buying

Linking Strategies and the Sales Role in the Era of Customer Relationship Management

Organizing the Sales Effort

The Strategic Role of Information in Sales Management Comprehensive Cases for Part One

Salesperson Performance: Behavior, Role Perceptions, and Satisfaction

Personal Characteristics and Sales Aptitude: Criteria for Selecting Salespeople

Sales Force Recruitment and Selection

Sales Training: Objectives, Techniques, and Evaluation

Salesperson Compensation and Incentives Comprehensive Cases for Part Two

Cost Analysis

Evaluating Salesperson Performance

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Exam 7: Salesperson Performance: Motivating the Sales Force

What are performance attributions? Describe the four categories of performance attributions.

The variable that usually has the most impact on the magnitude of instrumentality estimates is the:

Which of the following is a characteristic of a highly motivated salesperson?

Which of the following statements about the stages in the sales career path is true?

Which of the following statements about how personal characteristics affect a salesperson's level of motivation is true?

What personal characteristics affect sales motivation?

What individual characteristics affect accuracy and magnitude expectancies?

Which of the following statements about plateauing is true?

What is motivation (in sales)?

During the exploration stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

One criticism of linking pay to financial incentives is:

The accuracy of a salesperson's expectancy perceptions indicates:

During the establishment stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will:

Demographic variables like age, family size, and education can all have an impact on an individual's valence for rewards.

What four stages do most salespeople go through in their careers?

Which of the following is one of the major causes of plateauing?

The frequency of communication within an organization has no effect on expectancy, instrumentality, or valences.

All of the following are examples of individual characteristics that impact the magnitude of a salesperson's expectancy estimates EXCEPT:

Stephan perceives himself to be a talented, hard-working salesman with considerable self-esteem. As such, it is probable that Stephan:

The firm's compensation plan has a notable impact on the magnitude of a salesperson's instrumentality.

Introduction to Sales Management in the Twenty-First Century

The Process of Selling and Buying

Linking Strategies and the Sales Role in the Era of Customer Relationship Management

Organizing the Sales Effort

The Strategic Role of Information in Sales Management Comprehensive Cases for Part One

Salesperson Performance: Behavior, Role Perceptions, and Satisfaction

Personal Characteristics and Sales Aptitude: Criteria for Selecting Salespeople

Sales Force Recruitment and Selection

Sales Training: Objectives, Techniques, and Evaluation

Salesperson Compensation and Incentives Comprehensive Cases for Part Two

Cost Analysis

Evaluating Salesperson Performance

Filters