Deck 15: Managing Your Time and Territory

Question 1

Prime selling time should be devoted to nonselling activities such as servicing accounts,doing paperwork,or getting information from the home office,with the rest of the day used to make sales calls.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Account share is the average percentage of business received from a company's accounts in a particular category.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Performance goals are behavioral objectives.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The daily plans of a salesperson should not be revised even if more time at one account will mean better sales results.

Question 5

ABC classification schemes work well only in industries that require occasional contact with the same accounts,such as medical equipment industries and capital products industries.

Question 6

To be effective time planners,salespeople must have a good understanding of their own work habits.

Question 7

If a salesperson can decrease the conversion rate for a product,the overall costs for unsold products will be lower,hence increasing profits.

Question 8

Easy goals are more motivating than challenging goals because of the satisfaction that comes from always succeeding.

Question 9

The purpose of classifying accounts through grid analysis is to determine which accounts should receive more resources.

Question 10

Routing is a method of identifying accounts that should receive the highest level of resource allocation.

Question 11

Salespeople should consider physical resources they manage as investments because they must be managed wisely to produce the best possible return.

Question 12

To plan for the unexpected,a salesperson's first visit of the day should be to a noncustomer with low potential.

Question 13

A salesperson lacking goals will drift around their territory,wasting time and energy.

Question 14

Comparing your performance with the best in your organization is a form of benchmarking.

Question 15

Customer management includes allocating all the resources at a salesperson's disposal in the most productive manner.

Question 16

The first step in the self-management process is to allocate resources and determine strategies to achieve goals.

Question 17

Salespeople should learn to allocate resources in ways that generate the greatest level of sales.

Question 18

Goals relating to outcomes are activity goals.

Question 19

The desire to drop everything else to handle a request is called the "tyranny of the urgent."

Question 20

Putting a deadline on a goal provides more guidance for a salesperson and creates a sense of urgency that can be motivating.

Question 21

Salespeople should not only evaluate each sales call individually but also look at which activity leads to desired outcomes and at what rate.

Question 22

Sales call routing plans vary depending on the demands of the customers and the salesperson's ability to schedule calls at convenient times.

Question 23

Activity analysis helps a salesperson analyze how well each sales call went.

Question 24

The first stage of the self-management process is:

A) setting goals.
B) implementing a time management strategy.
C) allocating resources.
D) designing a time management strategy.
E) evaluating performance.

Question 25

Which of the following is the best example of a performance goal?

A) To increase the number of cold calls from 10 per month to 12 per month
B) To make more sales calls using the telephone
C) To increase the amount of sales revenue by 10 percent
D) To increase the number of sales made relative to the number of sales calls made
E) To increase the number of customer accounts relative to the number of cold calls made

Question 26

Harrison is self-employed.He sells advertising specialty items like calendars,pens,etc. ,imprinted with the name and advertising message of local businesses who give the items to customers and prospects.He has set for himself a goal of earning $180,000 in sales for this year.Harrison's revenue goal is an example of a(n)_____ goal.

A) transformation
B) consequence
C) activity
D) performance
E) conversion

Question 27

Salespeople should set aside a block of prime selling time for paperwork.

Question 28

A salesperson should set his or her _____ first because attaining certain execution levels is of primary importance to both the organization and the salesperson.

A) performance goals
B) activity quota
C) activity goals
D) gross margin quota
E) conversion goals

Question 29

Salespeople need to evaluate performance relative to performance goals set earlier.

Question 30

Customer contacts should always be in the form of in-person sales calls.

Question 31

Variable call patterns occur when a salesperson sees the same customers regularly.

Question 32

Which of the following is the final stage of the self-management process?

A) Revising goals
B) Implementing a time management strategy
C) Allocating resources
D) Completing paperwork on time
E) Evaluating performance

Question 33

A professional salesperson not only looks for specific areas to improve but also evaluates the success of overall sales calls.

Question 34

Marissa,a sales manager with Care Health Systems,has set her targets and goals for the current financial year.Which of the following steps should Marissa take next according to the self-management process?

A) Conducting a productivity analysis
B) Determining whether the goals will be reached and her strategies are effective
C) Allocating resources to meet her goals
D) Implementing the time management strategies by making sales calls
E) Evaluating her own performance

Question 35

Conversion ratios should also be calculated by account type.

Question 36

Larry is a new sales executive with Dr.Eddy's Laboratories.According to the self-management process,he has set his goals and has allocated resources to meet his goals.Identify the next step that he should take.

A) Determine whether the goals can be reached and if the strategies need to be changed
B) Implement the time management strategies by making sales calls
C) Determine the goals to be accomplished before the next financial year
D) Complete his paperwork before beginning his sales strategy
E) Evaluate his performance to date

Question 37

In sales,zoning works best for large territories or for situations in which salespeople call regularly on the same accounts.

Question 38

Goals relating to outcomes are _____ goals.

A) performance
B) consequence
C) activity
D) transformation
E) conversion

Question 39

Identify a true statement about setting goals in the self-management process.

A) Although activities lead to sales,performance goals are usually set last.
B) The effort toward accomplishing a goal matters,not the actual results.
C) To continuously motivate a person,goals set should be challenging and unreachable.
D) Goals should be specific and measurable.
E) Career goals and objectives should be distinct from personal ambitions.

Question 40

Career and sales goals should be challenging so that the:

A) salesperson setting the goals can easily achieve them.
B) probability of achieving the goals will be measurable.
C) salesperson setting the goals will be motivated.
D) time frame in which the goals are to be achieved will be long.
E) salesperson can drag on forever,even if no progress is being made.

Question 41

_____ goals are important because they reflect how efficiently a salesperson uses resources,such as time,to accomplish performance goals.

A) Transformation
B) Consequence
C) Activity
D) Performance
E) Conversion

Question 42

Personal development goals,such as improving presentation skills,are important to long-term professional growth and are a form of _____.

A) focus goals
B) short-term goals
C) activity goals
D) performance goals
E) conversion goals

Question 43

Tracy's company expects her to give no less than three demonstrations per workday.This is an example of a(n)_____ goal.

A) transformation
B) consequence
C) activity
D) performance
E) conversion

Question 44

The sales call allocation grid classifies accounts according to account opportunity and strength of position.Which of the following dimensions is indicated by account opportunity?

A) The attitude of an account toward the company and the salesperson
B) How conveniently a sales executive is able to contact a customer and travel to the customer's location
C) How much a customer needs a product and whether the customer is able to buy the product
D) How strong a company's and salesperson's positions are with a customer
E) The relationship between a salesperson and the key decision makers in an account

Question 45

Performance and conversion goals are the basis for _____ goals.

A) activity
B) transformation
C) consequence
D) terminal
E) collaborative

Question 46

Spence is a sales executive with Diamonds International.To classify his sales accounts,Spence used the sales call allocation grid.He classified each account on the basis of the needs of the customer,the customer's ability to pay,and:

A) the present share of the account's purchases of the product.
B) the time he should spend with the account.
C) the key decision makers in the account.
D) the company's geographic location relative to the customer's location.
E) the customer's geographic location relative to his company's nearest distribution center.

Question 47

Which of the following is the best example of a conversion goal?

A) Increasing the amount of commission checks by 15 percent
B) Increasing the number of telephone sales calls by 12 percent
C) Improving sales presentation skills
D) Improving the average sales generated relative to the number of calls made
E) Decreasing the number of customer complaints by 5 percent

Question 48

Eva is the sales manager of Orange Candies Industries.To classify her sales accounts and allocate resources for them,Eva classifies her customers into three groups.Group 1 constitutes her best accounts that buy the most,Group 2 consists of accounts of moderate value,and Group 3 is comprised of noncustomers or accounts with low potential for sales.Identify the method used by Eva to classify her sales accounts.

A) Analysis paralysis
B) Simple cost-benefit analysis
C) Comparative cost-benefit analysis
D) ABC analysis
E) Pipeline analysis

Question 49

A goal to increase the number of sales calls made in one day from 8 to 9 is an example of a(n)_____ goal.

A) performance
B) consequence
C) activity
D) transformation
E) conversion

Question 50

Which of the following reasons best explains why "To reduce my dependency on a memorized sales presentation within the next six months" is not an effective personal development goal?

A) It is extremely specific.
B) It is not derived from previous goals.
C) It has no impact on career goals.
D) It is not challenging.
E) It is not measurable.

Question 51

Salespeople are often told to "work smarter,not harder." What does this expression mean?

A) Get more sales relative to the number of calls you make.
B) Lower your activity goals,and live with the results;life's too short to let work make you miserable.
C) Don't set your performance goals so high that they cause stress.
D) If you charge more to your expense account,it's like getting a tax-free raise.
E) Spend less time on nonselling activities like travel and paperwork.

Question 52

A salesperson receives $200 commission per sale and has set a goal of earning $3,000 per month.With a conversion rate of 1 out of 8 prospects,he will need to make sales presentations to _____ prospects to achieve his performance goal.

A) 120
B) 100
C) 200
D) 80
E) 250

Question 53

ABC analysis would be of LEAST value to a salesperson selling:

A) clothes to department stores.
B) MRI equipment to hospitals.
C) cereal to supermarkets and grocery stores.
D) pharmaceuticals to pharmacies.
E) cosmetics to retail outlets.

Question 54

According to the self-management process,which of the following statements is true about resource allocation?

A) As a rule,10 percent of a salesperson's sales come from 90 percent of his or her customers.
B) Attending meetings and learning about new products are examples of a salesperson's nonselling investment of his or her time.
C) Since there are no limitations on time,a salesperson should spend all his or her work time making sales calls.
D) The physical resources managed by a salesperson represent a disinvestment for the company.
E) Resource allocation is the third stage of the self-management process.

Question 55

Behavioral objectives such as increasing the number of demonstrations performed are also called _____ goals.

A) transformation
B) conformance
C) activity
D) performance
E) conversion

Question 56

_____ classifies accounts on the basis of a company's competitive position with an account along with the account's sales potential.

A) ABC analysis
B) The product differentiation method
C) Cloverleaf analysis
D) The sales call allocation grid
E) The market basket analysis

Question 57

Mariah is a stockbroker.She knows that to increase her number of clients she must do a lot of prospecting since only about 1 out of 30 prospects she works with will become a profitable client.She believes by doing a better job qualifying her prospects she will be able to persuade 1 out of 25 next month.This goal is an example of a(n)_____ goal.

A) transformation
B) consequence
C) activity
D) performance
E) conversion

Question 58

Karen works for Leather Planet Company.The top salesperson in her company has a sales conversion ratio of 80 percent,while hers is only 55 percent.Karen wants to achieve a conversion rate of 75 percent for the current quarter.Which of the following methods will help Karen see where she is falling short?

A) Benchmarking her performance against the best in the company
B) Conducting life-cycle costing on all her products
C) Using integrated marketing communications for accounts with low potential for sales
D) Incorporating adaptive planning for conducting market survey
E) Adopting the benefit opening approach for managing her nonselling activities

Question 59

Dmitri believes he can increase his income by 10 percent if he makes two more sales calls per week.His goal to increase the number of calls he makes is an example of a(n)_____ goal.

A) transformation
B) consequence
C) activity
D) performance
E) conversion

Question 60

Identify a true statement about sales accounts classification and resource allocation.

A) The proportion of unprofitable accounts is minimal;therefore,all accounts should have equal allocation of resources.
B) As a rule,80 percent of the sales in a territory come from only 20 percent of the customers.
C) Salespeople should avoid classifying customers on the basis of their sales potential.
D) All customers have the same buying potential,just as all sales activities produce the same results.
E) Salespeople should maximize effort spent with the customers who offer little opportunity for profitable sales.

Question 61

Which of the following scenarios exemplifies a routine call pattern?

A) Rueben,a sales executive with Marley Food Products,makes sales calls to supermarkets and grocery shops to sell frozen food products.
B) Ben,a sales manager with Minda Heavy Equipment Co. ,makes sales calls to Race Motors Ltd.to sell motor engines.
C) Cherry,a sales executive with Wood Planet Ltd. ,makes sales calls to flower stores in New Jersey to sell poinsettia tree racks.
D) Mathew,a sales executive with Neige Refrigeration Systems,makes sales calls to supermarkets and hypermarkets to sell display refrigeration units.
E) Betty,a sales executive with Puissance Invertor Systems,makes sales calls to textiles mills to sell emergency power systems.

Question 62

Using a customer relationship management (CRM)software,salespeople can perform _____,which is a process for identifying and managing sales opportunities.

A) vendor analysis
B) pipeline analysis
C) benchmarking
D) customer value analysis
E) circular routing

Question 63

How do computers help international selling organizations operate smoothly?

A) By permitting salespeople to forego their usual sales reports
B) By eliminating the need for videoconferencing
C) By reducing communication barriers between the field and the home office
D) By reducing the need for salespeople
E) By doing all of these

Question 64

Identify a method that will help salespeople handle paperwork and reports efficiently.

A) Salespeople should attend to paperwork at the end of the month when they have gathered all monthly sales data.
B) Salespeople should set aside a block of prime selling time for paperwork.
C) Salespeople should realize that paperwork can increase their productivity.
D) Salespeople should regularly set aside a weekday,when they could be selling,to catch up on paperwork.
E) Salespeople should use nonselling days like Saturdays to complete routine reports.

Question 65

Which of the following statements about making sales calls is true?

A) The days before holidays are seen as good days to call on customers.
B) It is a good idea to avoid making sales calls on days with bad weather when you and your samples are likely to be exposed to the elements.
C) Bad weather increases competition and makes it difficult for salespeople to close deals.
D) Making daily plans and developing efficient routes are important steps toward better time use.
E) The days after holidays are seen as good days to call on customers.

Question 66

Roderick sells restaurant supplies to eateries in western Kentucky.Because his clients do much of their own business at lunchtime,he discovers that they prefer to have him call between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.and between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.This time he devotes to making sales calls is referred to as the _____.

A) sales evaluating time
B) prime selling time
C) downtime
D) target market time
E) niche time

Question 67

As Amy plans her day,the first thing for her to do is to make a list of the activities that should be performed.The next,immediate step for her is to:

A) consult her records regarding how long similar activities took when she did them previously.
B) develop a time schedule for doing those activities.
C) determine the priority for each activity.
D) estimate how long each activity will take.
E) develop long-term sales goals.

Question 68

Iris,a salesperson with Winter Fruits Ltd. ,sells display refrigeration units to supermarkets and vegetable stores.The demand for her products is erratic,and she has to plan her sales calls accordingly.Identify the call pattern that will help Iris plan her sales call more effectively.

A) Straight-line call pattern
B) Circular call pattern
C) Routine call pattern
D) Variable call pattern
E) Leapfrog call pattern

Question 69

The sales call allocation grid is a great tool for analyzing:

A) current customers.
B) time spent on paperwork.
C) time spent on traveling between accounts.
D) the use of the mail and the phone in account maintenance.
E) future prospects.

Question 70

_____ is a method of planning sales calls in a specific order to minimize travel time.

A) Seeding
B) Opening
C) Routing
D) Mirroring
E) Zoning

Question 71

Tyler maintains a calendar in which he notes various tasks he is required to perform in the future and when they are due.He also keeps information about callbacks he is supposed to make.In addition,he has information about many of his customer's birthdays (so he can send a card).This calendar helps him prepare his to-do lists to get things done in a timely manner.Which of the following terms best describes this calendar?

A) Duty box
B) Engagement file
C) Activity index
D) Organizer box
E) Tickler file

Question 72

_____ refers to the average percentage of business received from a company's accounts in a particular category.

A) Market share
B) Account attitude
C) Routing patterns
D) Account opportunity
E) Customer share

Question 73

Zoning works best:

A) for organizations that seldom want to divide their territory.
B) in territories where customers expect regular sales calls.
C) when a salesperson is trying to maximize travel time between sales calls.
D) when a salesperson is looking for leads.
E) for compact territories.

Question 74

In the context of routing,variable call patterns occur when:

A) paperwork regularly requires a full day to complete.
B) a salesperson must call on accounts in an irregular order.
C) computer assistance is unavailable.
D) a particular customer wants to see a salesperson every Monday.
E) the telephone and direct mail are used for prospecting.

Question 75

To salespeople,zoning is advantageous in:

A) minimizing travel time between customers.
B) forming creative combinations within routing.
C) avoiding routine sales call patterns.
D) dividing accounts into groups according to their profitability.
E) scattering sales across a wide geographic area.

Question 76

Which of the following statements about time management is true?

A) Prime selling time depends on the buyer's industry.
B) Prime selling time is the time a salesperson devotes to performing nonselling activities.
C) The time of day when a buyer is most likely to be willing to see a salesperson is called the sales evaluating time.
D) Successful salespeople know that once their daily plan is set,they should not deviate from it.
E) Prime selling time is the same across most industries.

Question 77

_____ is dividing a territory into specific areas,based on ease of travel and concentration of customers,in order to minimize travel time.

A) Batching
B) Assembling
C) Combining
D) Routing
E) Zoning

Question 78

The first step in the activities planning process is to:

A) determine the priority of each activity to be performed.
B) estimate time needed to complete each activity.
C) list the activities that need to be performed.
D) develop a time schedule for performing activities.
E) spend more time on low-priority activities.

Question 79

The sales call allocation grid classifies accounts according to account opportunity and strength of position.The strength of position dimension indicates:

A) the value of resources a salesperson is able to focus on a customer.
B) how conveniently a sales rep is able to reach a customer's office.
C) how much a customer needs a product and whether he or she is able to pay for the product.
D) how strong the salesperson and company are in selling the account.
E) the distribution costs associated with serving a customer.

Question 80

Harriet,a salesperson with GoodGrip Tires,has been given four additional counties in her territory after a corporate restructuring.To minimize her travel time,she needs to plan her sales calls to include these new accounts.Identify the method used by Harriet in this scenario.

A) Mirroring
B) Opening
C) Routing
D) Seeding
E) Zoning