Deck 9: Training the Sales Force

Question 1

Training is a _________ process facilitating the continual growth and productivity of salespeople.

A) short-term
B) long-term
C) discrete
D) continuous

Answer 1

long-term

Question 2

All of the following are benefits of sales training in the long run, except:

A) increased sales
B) better customer relations
C) increased profits
D) higher sales force turnover

Answer 2

higher sales force turnover

Question 3

Sales training should be viewed in all except the following way:

A) as an investment in developing a successful salesperson
B) with the hope of increasing salesperson productivity
C) as a cost that increases salesperson turnover
D) with the hope of increasing salesperson performance

Answer 3

with the hope of increasing salesperson performance

Question 4

Immediate benefits of sales training include

A) faster development of the sales force
B) greater role clarity and job satisfaction
C) improved morale because training makes sales reps more successful
D) all the above

Question 5

In drawing up a checklist for developing a sales training program, which of the following categories would not normally be included?

A) performance needs analysis
B) training needs analysis
C) compensation needs analysis
D) feasibility analysis

Question 6

In drawing up a checklist for performance needs analysis, which of the following categories would not normally be included?

A) why do you think your sales force needs training?
B) what improvements do you expect from the trainees?
C) who will present it?
D) what improvements do you hope for in the organization?

Question 7

In drawing up a checklist for feasibility analysis, which of the following categories would not normally be included?

A) how will training be presented?
B) what are the technical requirements?
C) how long will the training take?
D) does the training have management support?

Question 8

The key attributes for sales training success include the following except:

A) sales training should be tied to measurable performance outcomes
B) sales training should be easy to test and measure
C) sales training should not be embraced by salespeople
D) sales training should be interactive

Question 9

The seven steps in the selling process include the following except:

A) prospecting
B) planning the call
C) building customer loyalty
D) approaching the prospect

Question 10

The seven steps in the selling process include the following except:

A) making the sales presentation
B) increasing customer satisfaction
C) closing the sale
D) following up

Question 11

The first step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) determine training objectives
B) conduct training needs assessment
C) determine responsibility, method of delivery, timing, and location
D) develop content of the training program

Question 12

The second step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) determine training objectives
B) conduct training needs assessment
C) determine responsibility, method of delivery, timing, and location
D) develop content of the training program

Question 13

The fourth step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) determine training objectives
B) conduct training needs assessment
C) determine responsibility, method of delivery, timing, and location
D) develop content of the training program

Question 14

The fifth step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) motivate trainees
B) evaluate training
C) prepare trainees
D) reinforce training

Question 15

The sixth step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) motivate trainees
B) evaluate training
C) prepare trainees
D) reinforce training

Question 16

The seventh step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) motivate trainees
B) evaluate training
C) prepare trainees
D) reinforce training

Question 17

The eight step in developing the sales training development process is:

A) motivate trainees
B) evaluate training
C) prepare trainees
D) reinforce training

Question 18

Developing sound sales training programs is a difficult but necessary task. In developing sales training programs, which of the following is not a common mistake made by sales managers?

A) lack of involvement by trainees
B) build involvement into the sessions by including role-plays, question-and-answer sessions, discussion and brainstorming, written activities, watching recorded sales approaches, and games
C) no instruction on how to apply material learned in the field
D) no encouragement, recognition, or approval

Question 19

When developing sales training programs for salespeople, the following are mistake avoidance strategies except?

A) have trainees write a list of action steps they will practice when they leave training at the end of each session or module
B) set performance objectives before training begins and determine how it will be measured
C) lack of follow-up or measurement of training program effectiveness
D) encourage, recognize, approve, and congratulate participation during training

Question 20

Professional salespeople should be taught to be sales advisors or consultants to customers, not product pushers. Which of the following would characterize a product pusher type salesperson?

A) emphasizes a particular product's benefits regardless of a client's needs
B) wants to participate in training to enhance selling and relationship-building skills
C) ignores headquarters marketing people; thinks they are a nuisance or hindrance to field sales
D) uses high-pressure-sometimes unethical-tactics to close a sale

Question 21

Professional salespeople should be taught to be sales advisors or consultants to customers, not product pushers. Which of the following would not characterize a sales adviser/consultant type salesperson?

A) interested in making an immediate sale
B) often works as a member of a team of specialists
C) uncovers a client's problems and suggests solutions
D) depends on helpful information and service to secure business

Question 22

Professional salespeople should be taught to be sales advisors or consultants to customers, not product pushers. Which of the following would not characterize a sales adviser/consultant type salesperson?

A) develops a long-term relationship with clients
B) identifies the client's problems and suggests solutions
C) works alone and has little special product knowledge
D) follows through to ensure customer satisfaction

Question 23

With regard to sales training objectives, all of the statements below are accurate except

A) objectives should be written so that they can be used subsequently to evaluate the training program's effectiveness.
B) formal job descriptions should be studied to determine the areas in which the new trainees are most likely to require training.
C) the objectives of the initial training program should not be influenced by the company's marketing policies.
D) training programs ought to be developed in line with the skills and experience of the salespeople to be trained.

Question 24

Compared to the initial sales training program, continuing sales training programs (i.e., refresher training) are

A) for experienced salespeople
B) longer in length
C) more comprehensive
D) unnecessary as experience is a sufficient teacher

Question 25

Some of the elements that initial sales training programs should cover include all of the following except

A) company and product knowledge
B) knowledge of competitors and the industry
C) customer and market knowledge
D) none, since all should be included

Question 26

Initial sales training programs for salespeople should cover all except the following

A) company knowledge
B) customer and market knowledge
C) econometric and time series forecasting
D) product knowledge

Question 27

All of the following are important components that should be included in a sales training program to assist sales trainees in creating partnerships except

A) understand your company's products thoroughly
B) understand your customers' buying organizations
C) understand your customers' products
D) understand your competitor's markets

Question 28

The advantages in having line sales executives train in the sales force include all of the following except:

A) the line sales executives are usually highly respected by sales trainers
B) the line sales executives have the time and teaching skills necessary for training sales trainees
C) the line sales executives are usually better able to evaluate each trainee's ability than are trainers who do not understand sales
D) executive's words tend to carry more authority than staff trainers' words

Question 29

The following are traditional sales training methods except:

A) lectures
B) literature
C) essay writing
D) role-playing

Question 30

The following are traditional sales training methods except:

A) simulation games
B) demonstrations
C) mentoring
D) debating

Question 31

The following are emerging sales training methods except:

A) web conferencing
B) kiosks
C) internet
D) intranet

Question 32

The advent of technology has resulted in major benefits in the area of sales training. Which of the following is not a benefit cited in the text?

A) an increase in the satisfaction expressed by sales reps regarding the use of technology in training
B) e-learning based training methods such as RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, and wikis are reliant on technology
C) Technology has also made it easier to gather data necessary to evaluate training efforts, and research
D) customer relationship management (CRM) require salespeople and sales managers to be trained to use the latest information technologies

Question 33

While staff trainers within the organization have several advantages over line sales executives in conducting sales force training programs, the disadvantage in using staff trainers is

A) that they are often not able to obtain the same level of control over trainees as can the line sales executives
B) that the cost of hiring and maintaining staff trainers is often high
C) staff trainers' words tend to carry more authority than company executives' words
D) all the above are disadvantages

Question 34

In comparison to line sales executives and staff trainers within the company, outside training specialists are usually

A) less flexible in being able to handle a part of or the total training program
B) less knowledgeable and inspiring since their livelihood does not depend upon satisfying clients
C) able to help many smaller businesses that cannot afford to have their own sales training departments
D) all of the above are true about outside training specialists

Question 35

Which of the following statements about outside training specialists are incorrect?

A) these specialists also help large companies by implementing refresher training programs and special-purpose sessions
B) outside training specialists offer flexibility because they can conduct the entire training program or handle only the particular part a firm needs the most
C) the outside trainer does not need to understand the company's sales problems, terminology, and sales cycle because as experts they can solve all the firm's problems
D) because their livelihood depends on their clients' satisfaction, outside trainers usually are knowledgeable, interesting, and inspiring in conducting sales training

Question 36

Which of the following is not used as a group training method?

A) role playing
B) lectures
C) on-the-job training
D) group discussions

Question 37

With regard to "role playing" as a sales training technique, it can accurately be said that

A) it is a type of learning by doing
B) it can help trainees learn to handle unforeseen developments in selling situations
C) it gives trainers a chance to work with trainees on voice, poise, mannerisms, speech, and movement
D) all of the above are true

Question 38

Which of the following is a disadvantage to using simulation games as a training tool?

A) simulation games generate enthusiasm
B) simulation games are fun
C) simulation games require professional administrators
D) simulation games are time consuming

Question 39

Several methods can be used to train persons individually. Which of the following statements is accurate regarding individual sales training?

A) a major disadvantage of the "on-the-job" training is that it is very time consuming and costly for both the experienced salesperson and the trainee.
B) experience shows that learning seldom takes place in unstructured situations such as personal conferences.
C) correspondence courses alone are probably the most effective training devices.
D) salesmen are easily motivated to complete correspondence courses.

Question 40

The sales trainee is most likely to obtain his or her first-hand impressions and interpretations regarding the problems and techniques of personal selling in

A) a personal conference with a top sales executive
B) correspondence courses
C) on-the-job training
D) computer simulations

Question 41

Computer based training can achieve which of the following?

A) perform top-level-management training
B) reduce training time and cost
C) replace classroom training
D) teach customer interaction skills

Question 42

Which of the following training methods is most suited for a situation where an outside consultant or a member of senior management wishes to address a large group of geographically dispersed salespeople?

A) computer-based training
B) personal conferences
C) conferencing (video or webinar)
D) videotapes

Question 43

Which of the following statements about decentralized sales training is not correct?

A) decentralized training usually takes place while the trainee is working in the field, so he or she is productive while learning.
B) the primary disadvantage of decentralized training is the branch manager may be ineffective in performing the training function.
C) a major advantage of decentralized training is that trainees quickly become acquainted with each other, top managers from various departments, and key home office personnel who provide support for the sales organizations.

Question 44

Centralized training programs usually include all except the following:

A) organized training schools
B) periodic conventions
C) seminars held in a central location
D) all the above

Question 45

Trainers can motivate salespeople to learn during training sessions in the following ways except:

A) encourage self-evaluation
B) by discouraging discussion among salespeople to reduce commotion
C) encourage goal setting
D) recognize early success

Question 46

Requirements for effective coaching include:

A) managers and salespeople must trust one another
B) salespeople must respect the manager's expertise and ability
C) coaches should have excellent teaching skills
D) all the above

Question 47

An important aspect of a sales manager's job is determining how a sales training program is to be evaluated. Which of the following is not a level at which sales training programs should be evaluated?

A) reaction
B) proaction
C) behavior
D) results

Question 48

Once you've carried out a sales training program, it's essential to evaluate its effectiveness and determine how well you've met your overall objectives and specific goals for the program. The __________________ level method measures trainees' attitudes and feelings toward the training program.

A) reaction
B) learning
C) behavior
D) results

Question 49

Once you've carried out a sales training program, it's essential to evaluate its effectiveness and determine how well you've met your overall objectives and specific goals for the program. The __________________ level assesses how well the trainees learned basic principles, facts, and so on during the training program. (This step requires testing trainees before and after training.)

A) reaction
B) learning
C) behavior
D) results

Question 50

Once you've carried out a sales training program, it's essential to evaluate its effectiveness and determine how well you've met your overall objectives and specific goals for the program. The __________________ level evaluation measures changes in behavior as a result of the training, e.g., are trainees using their new attitudes, knowledge, and skills on the job?

A) reaction
B) learning
C) behavior
D) results

Question 51

Once you've carried out a sales training program, it's essential to evaluate its effectiveness and determine how well you've met your overall objectives and specific goals for the program. The __________________ level measures changes in performance, both individual and company-wide, the training program was able to produce.

A) reaction
B) learning
C) behavior
D) results

Question 52

An important aspect of a sales manager's job is determining how a sales training program is to be evaluated. In using four-level method to gauge effectiveness, which of the following represents the highest level at which sales training programs should be evaluated?

A) reaction
B) proaction
C) behavior
D) results

Question 53

In discussing refresher training and retraining for the sales force, one can accurately state all of the following except

A) when a salesperson's job requirements change, retraining is needed
B) after the salesperson has been in the field for a while, deficiencies in product knowledge, skills, and work habits are largely overcome so that there is seldom any need to deal with such fundamentals in additional training
C) refresher training reinforces the customer-driven approach that characterizes many companies.
D) there is a continuous need to train the sales force in order to keep it abreast of changes in products, markets, and company objectives.

Question 54

Refresher training is to help salespeople do their jobs better by keeping them abreast of changes in technology, products, markets, and company objectives. Some refresher training topics include:

A) research
B) listening skills
C) interpersonal skills
D) all the above

Question 55

Refresher training is to help salespeople do their jobs better by keeping them abreast of changes in technology, products, markets, and company objectives. The following are some refresher training topics except:

A) motivation
B) positive thinking
C) anger management
D) self-esteem

Question 56

The topics that are covered in managerial training programs include the following, except:

A) new approaches to organization
B) new approaches to planning
C) new approaches to motivation
D) new approaches to stress management

Question 57

In international selling, it is important to determine if and when cultural training is needed. The following statements with respect to cross-cultural training are correct, except:

A) cultures have an influence on international selling, so training in cross-cultural differences is necessary
B) more similar the cultures, the more important is training in cultural knowledge
C) more dissimilar the culture, the more important is training in cultural knowledge
D) When executives have extensive cultural experience, they also need less training in negotiating with or managing salespeople with similar language and historical backgrounds

Question 58

When designing sales training programs for their culturally diverse sales force, the following approaches are relevant, except:

A) include international members on the training design team
B) thoroughly research the culture of the host country
C) use idioms, jargon, slang, and humor in class
D) include managers and others given foreign assignments in training

Question 59

Sales training programs often weed out individuals who slipped through the selection process but are not actually fit for the job

Question 60

The systematic process of taking human inputs-salespeople-to develops them into successful, productive members of a marketing team is known as sales training development process.

Question 61

Sales training refers to the process of designing and implementing a sales training program that begins with analyzing needs, setting objectives, developing program content, determining delivery, preparing, motivating, reinforcing, and evaluating.

Question 62

The step in the sales training development process that analyzes the training needs of the sales force to determine the gaps between what they know and what they need to know are called training delivery decisions.

Question 63

What the sales forces should be able to do after training refers to performance objectives. For example, a specific performance objective might be to train new salespeople to sell at least 75 percent of what experienced salespeople sell within one year after they are hired.

Question 64

What the sales forces should know after a managerial training session refers to learning objectives.

Question 65

A type of sales training program that seeks to improve the skills of experienced salespeople refers to a continuing sales training program.

Question 66

Instruction methods-such as lecture, group discussion, role-playing and conferencing-that are ideal for training groups of salespeople are known as group training methods.

Question 67

Instruction methods-such as on-the-job training, personal conferences, and computer-based training-that are ideal when training on an individual basis are called individual training methods.

Question 68

A group method of training in which trainees play different roles in a simulated sales situation and then receive feedback on their performance is known as role-playing.

Question 69

A method of on-the-job training in which a sales trainee is assigned long term to an experienced sales rep or manager for the purpose of transferring knowledge and experiences is known as m-learning.

Question 70

Decisions made during the sales training development process that include who will train the sales force, what method will be used to transfer knowledge, where the training will take place, and when the training will occur refers to training needs assessment.

Question 71

A general term used to describe any learning or training event that uses computers as the primary delivery method, such as CD-ROM, the Internet, intranet, and interactive videodisc is known as conferencing (distance learning).

Question 72

Web conferencing is a fast growing approach where participants use a computer to communicate with several other people via the Internet.

Question 73

A variation on web conferencing, a Webinar is a seminar or web conference conducted over the Internet.

Question 74

A simple, easy-to-use, user-maintained database for creating and searching information is called a wiki.

Question 75

A form of learning using mobile technologies is often referred to as m-learning.

Question 76

RSS is a format typically associated with syndicated news and content of news-like sites, including sites like Wired.com, news-oriented community sites like Slashdot, and personal blogs.

Question 77

Decentralized training is a broad term that refers to computer-enhanced learning, although it is often extended to include the use of mobile technologies such as PDAs and MP3 players.

Question 78

Blended learning refers to a hybrid of correspondence training used in conjunction with face-to face teaching.

Question 79

Using Internet and Web technologies but those accessible only to the company's reps and others, such as supply chain members, who are given permission to access the system refers to the intranet.

Question 80

A pre-training briefing is known as a meeting help before training begins to let trainees know the purpose of training.