Deck 14: Personal Selling and Customer Service

Question 1

About 20 times more people are employed in selling than in advertising.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: In the United States, one person out of every ten in the total labor force is involved in sales work. That's about 20 times more people than are employed in advertising.

Question 2

Order getters are even more important for business products than for consumer products.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Producers of all kinds of products, especially business products, have a great need for order getters. They use order getters to locate new prospects, open new accounts, see new opportunities, and help establish and build channel relationships.

Question 3

Producers of all kinds of products, especially business/consumer products, have a great need for order getters.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Producers of all kinds of products, especially business products, have a great need for order getters. They use order getters to locate new prospects, open new accounts, see new opportunities, and help establish and build channel relationships.

Question 4

A salesperson's main task might be order-getting, order-taking, or supporting, but sometimes one salesperson does all three tasks.

Question 5

Salespeople may represent their company to customers and, in turn, represent their customers within the company.

Question 6

The three basic sales tasks are order-getting, order-taking, and sales prospecting.

Question 7

Good salespeople try to help customers buy by presenting both the advantages and disadvantages of a product-and showing how it will satisfy the customer's needs.

Question 8

Good salespeople try to sell the customer, regardless of other factors.

Question 9

About 10 percent of the total U.S. labor force is in sales work.

Question 10

Personal selling is often a company's largest single operating expense.

Question 11

Sales reps often must plan whole marketing strategies for their own geographic territories.

Question 12

Only the salespeople in a company actually do personal selling.

Question 13

Salespeople often are responsible for representing the customer inside their own company as well as representing their company to the customer.

Question 14

Order getters are concerned with finding new opportunities for the company.

Question 15

Personal selling techniques vary little from country to country.

Question 16

A salesperson who aggressively seeks out possible buyers with a well-organized sales presentation designed to sell a product is a missionary sales rep.

Question 17

The three basic sales tasks are order-getting, order-taking, and supporting.

Question 18

While face-to-face with prospects, a salesperson can adjust what he or she says or does to take into consideration culture and other behavioral influences.

Question 19

In the U.S., almost as many people are employed in sales work as they are in advertising.

Question 20

Although the salesperson's job may change constantly, there are three basic sales tasks.

Question 21

Retail order getters are usually needed for unsought consumer products, and are desirable for heterogeneous shopping products as well.

Question 22

Order getters complete most sales transactions.

Question 23

Homogeneous shopping products need order getters more than heterogeneous shopping products.

Question 24

When a customer service rep works to solve a customer's problem, it often involves taking steps to remedy what went wrong.

Question 25

A producer's order taker may explain details, handle complaints, and train the customer's employees.

Question 26

Poor customer service is likely to reduce a firm's customer equity.

Question 27

A wholesaler's order-getting salespeople are likely to be paid more than its order takers.

Question 28

Developing goodwill and stimulating demand are tasks performed by missionary salespeople.

Question 29

Agent wholesalers-particularly manufacturers' agents and brokers-are often order getters.

Question 30

From a marketing management perspective, it's best to think of customer service as part of Promotion, not part of Product.

Question 31

Customer service reps are more useful for "keeping" customers, rather than "winning" new customers.

Question 32

Customer service involves a breakdown in some aspect of the marketing mix.

Question 33

Providing effective customer service is relatively simple-because it is usually clearer how to repair a negative experience than it is to provide an initial purchase experience that is satisfying to the customer.

Question 34

A good order getter tries to sell solutions to the customer's problems-not just physical products.

Question 35

Order takers should work on improving the whole relationship with the customer, not just on completing a single transaction.

Question 36

A salesperson who completes routine sales made regularly to target customers is an order taker.

Question 37

Scientists or engineers-who may have little interest in sales but do provide technical assistance to order getters-are called technical specialists.

Question 38

Customer service reps are customer advocates, but they need company support.

Question 39

Missionary salespeople usually work for wholesalers and provide special promotion help to producers whose products are widely distributed.

Question 40

Customer service reps are usually specialists who are involved in helping potential customers before a purchase is made.

Question 41

When deciding how many salespeople are needed, the first step is to determine how many sales reps are used by competing companies.

Question 42

One new way to deliver customer service is to set up online communities where customers help each other with problems.

Question 43

Because the use of new information technologies can change how well the sales job is done, their use should be left to individual sales reps.

Question 44

Digital self-service increases costs.

Question 45

Team selling occurs when different people work together on a specific account.

Question 46

Digital self-service is particularly effective when the customer needs routine information on a recurring basis.

Question 47

It is the sole responsibility of the sales manager to decide what types of tools are needed and how they will be used.

Question 48

Sales managers often divide sales force responsibilities based on the seniority of the salespeople.

Question 49

Team selling might involve a technical specialist, an order getter, and a customer service rep all working together on a specific account.

Question 50

Moen, a maker of plumbing fixtures, employs a major accounts sales force and gives special attention and support to the firm's largest accounts such as Home Depot and Lowe's.

Question 51

Digital self-service lowers costs.

Question 52

Telephone selling (telemarketing) to consumers is still extremely popular despite the National Do Not Call Registry.

Question 53

Although telephone selling by an inside sales group can save time and money in business markets, it has been declining in recent years.

Question 54

Even though some sales tasks can be handled effectively and economically using technology, a sales rep is still needed to build relationships.

Question 55

It is primarily the sales manager's job to decide what types of information technology tools salespeople need and how they will be used.

Question 56

Telemarketing can help a firm extend its personal selling efforts to new target markets without investing a lot of time and money.

Question 57

A company that provides its sales reps with information technology tools should expect that reps will do a better job with administrative tasks but that they will be less effective in their actual sales calls.

Question 58

Some firms are adopting new software and hardware technologies to get a competitive advantage in personal selling.

Question 59

Toll-free telephone lines are not very practical for getting direct feedback from final consumers.

Question 60

A major accounts sales force is used when a company wants to be certain that its most important customers get a special selling effort.

Question 61

A sales manager who wishes to supervise and control his salespeople's activities closely should pay them a straight salary instead of a straight commission.

Question 62

A job description is a written statement of what a salesperson is expected to do.

Question 63

The job description should provide clear guidelines concerning (1) who should be selected, (2) how they are trained, (3) how well they are performing, and (4) how they should be paid.

Question 64

Regarding sales force compensation, straight salary gives the most security for a salesperson, while straight commission gives the most incentive.

Question 65

A firm's initial sales training program should cover company policies, product information, building relationships with customers, and selling skills.

Question 66

A salesperson on a commission salary earns the same amount regardless of how he or she spends time.

Question 67

Job descriptions are not necessary for personal selling because all salespeople are expected to do the same task-sell products.

Question 68

Using multiple interviews and background checks to select "born salespeople" works so well that it almost guarantees success.

Question 69

Prospecting involves following all the "leads" in the target market.

Question 70

A company's salespeople are usually paid more than its office help or production workers, but less than top management.

Question 71

A sales quota is the specific sales or profit objective a salesperson is expected to achieve.

Question 72

Most sales managers offer their salespeople a "combination plan" because this method of compensation provides a balance between incentive and security.

Question 73

Prospecting involves following all the leads in the target market to identify potential customers.

Question 74

Using sales reps who are paid a straight commission is similar to using manufacturers' reps.

Question 75

Salespeople usually earn more than top management.

Question 76

Regarding sales force compensation, straight commission increases the firm's need for working capital.

Question 77

Small companies that have limited working capital or uncertain markets often prefer to use straight salary compensation plans.

Question 78

The sales manager's decision to use new information technologies has costs as well as benefits.

Question 79

Incentives that just focus on short-term sales objectives may not motivate sales reps to develop long-term, need-satisfying relationships with their customers.

Question 80

Firms often hire new salespeople and immediately send them out on the road.