Deck 16: Planning, Staffing, and Training Successful Salespeople

Question 1

Caring,joy,harmony,patience,kindness,moral ethics,faithful,fair,and self-controlled are the nine characteristics of a Golden Rule salesperson.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: The manager who cares, likes people, is good to work with, and is patient, kind, and morally ethical is certainly someone who will be faithful in taking care of salespeople and customers. This leader will be fair to all, treating them according to what is the right thing to do. Finally, the leader must be able to control emotions, passions, and desires when leading people to higher sales levels. These nine characteristics comprise the Golden Rule of Sales Management of unselfishly treating salespeople as you would like to be treated; placing their interest first.

Question 2

Organizational structure refers to the varying relationships among jobs within the organization.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Organizational structure is the relatively fixed, formally defined relationship among jobs within the organization. Structure is reflected in a company's organizational chart.

Question 3

Employment planning refers to the allocation of sales staff to various territories and districts.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Employment planning refers to the recruitment and selection of applicants for sales jobs.

Question 4

Organizational design is the formal,coordinated process of communication,authority,and responsibility for sales groups and individuals.

Question 5

Sales force staffing is the process of matching the right people to the right jobs and placing them in the right sales territory.

Question 6

Multicultural organizations typically suffer from higher levels of prejudice,discrimination,and intergroup conflict than organizations that follow cultural consistency.

Question 7

A new manager will be heavily supported by his subordinates and other managers to make the initial adjustments to his new role.

Question 8

The attainment of sales force goals in an effective manner is called sales management.

Question 9

First-line managers spend less time directing the performance of the sales force than higher-level managers.

Question 10

Job descriptions include education,specific aptitudes,personality type,and experience that the organization feels are necessary for successful job performance.

Question 11

The sales force budget is the amount of money available or assigned to a sales manager for a period of time,usually one month.

Question 12

A manager's salary is usually related to the number of salespeople being supervised.

Question 13

The management function of directing is concerned with establishing a broad outline of goals; policies; and procedures that will result in accomplishing the firm's objectives.

Question 14

College recruiting is an expensive process but a major source of high-quality applicants.

Question 15

Steven Howard feels overwhelmed by his new job as a district sales manager.This is the first stage of transformation for someone who has just been promoted from salesperson to sales manager.

Question 16

Job specifications are formal,written statements describing the nature,requirements,and responsibilities of a specific sales position.

Question 17

Typically,sales goals are set slightly lower than sales forecasts.

Question 18

Most sales managers focus on completing assigned tasks in an attempt to earn large commissions,but most salespeople focus on long-term objectives and organizational goals.

Question 19

The move from salesperson to manager involves several predictable stages,including mobilization,which is when they feel motivated to move more quickly than is sometimes good for them and the company.

Question 20

During the 'searching for meanings' stage in the transformational process to managerial job,the person's concern shifts to trying to understand both how and why things are different now.

Question 21

Even the most successful salespeople are not exempted from sales training.

Question 22

Centralized training programs usually involve low-quality facilities and dated equipment,which is why they are infrequently used by sales organizations.

Question 23

Small firms rarely use outside sales trainers because it is more cost effective for them to maintain an internal training staff.

Question 24

On-the-job training includes observation and curbside counseling by the sales manager.Thus,the salesperson gets immediate feedback.

Question 25

Discussion,role playing,and on-the-job training are the three primary training methods.

Question 26

Senior sales representatives and regional sales managers are the primary trainers of the sales force.

Question 27

A successful salesperson was recently promoted to a sales management position,and she is becoming painfully aware of the magnitude of the changes she must make in her habits,customs,and relationships.What stage of the transition from subordinate to boss is she experiencing?

A) Immobilization
B) Depression
C) Acceptance of reality
D) Minimizing change
E) Searching for meanings

Question 28

The letter of application should be based on the sound psychological principle of reinforcement,that is,it should contain most of the information presented in the resume without providing any additional information.

Question 29

The duties of a sales training manager rarely include organization,coordination,or scheduling of the training.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is most likely true about the changes that occur when a person is promoted from a salesperson to a manager?

A) The time spent on actual sales and customer work increases dramatically.
B) The salesperson's primary concern becomes meeting the organization's goals.
C) Personal satisfaction comes from the work rather than watching others succeed.
D) Developing additional technical skills for complex accounts becomes time consuming.
E) Attracting global accounts and developing greater proficiency in selling are new tasks.

Question 31

Physical tests and reference checks are examples of employee selection tools.

Question 32

A company should choose a senior salesperson as a trainer on the basis of sales ability and effective teaching skills.

Question 33

After defining a sales problem during a role-playing activity,a sales trainee is asked to establish the situation by describing the largest potential account and its buyer.

Question 34

Role-playing typically involves analyzing a sales situation rather than acting out selling situations.

Question 35

A person promoted from a selling position to a sales management position goes through a series of phases,the first of which is:

A) denial of change.
B) testing behaviors.
C) evaluation.
D) searching for meanings.
E) immobilization.

Question 36

Salespeople from all geographical areas served by the company can participate in centralized training.

Question 37

One of Hillcrest Manufacturing Company's most successful salespersons was promoted to a sales management position three weeks ago,and he is still feeling overwhelmed by all the changes he is facing.This new manager is experiencing which stage of the transition from subordinate to boss?

A) Immobilization
B) Incompetence
C) Denial
D) Depression
E) Searching for meanings

Question 38

If the recruiter has set a time for notifying the applicant of a decision and if that time has passed,a follow-up letter or call is appropriate.

Question 39

When a salesperson is promoted to sales manager,that individual goes through the transition from thinking and acting like a subordinate to thinking and acting like a supervisor.Which of the following is one of the phases involved in that transition?

A) Incompetence
B) Defiance
C) Depression
D) Inquisition
E) Externalization

Question 40

A major weakness of decentralized training is that the costs associated with it are extremely high.

Question 41

The sales force budget is most likely based on estimates of:

A) industry sales.
B) sales forecasts.
C) long-term staffing needs.
D) training costs and functions.
E) labor market supply expectations.

Question 42

_____ refers to efficiently and effectively reaching sales force goals by planning,staffing,training,directing,and evaluating organizational resources.

A) Performance optimization
B) Sales management
C) Sales forecasting
D) Resource mobilization
E) Sales training

Question 43

Organizational design refers to the:

A) company's organizational chart.
B) type of organizational culture selected by a company.
C) flexibly defined relationships among jobs within an organization.
D) authority for staffing, directing, training, and evaluating subordinates.
E) coordinated process of communication, authority, and responsibility for sales groups.

Question 44

Which of the following is the main goal of a sales manager?

A) Achieving desired level of sales volume, profits, and growth
B) Engaging in long-term strategic demand forecasting
C) Recruiting the best people available for sales jobs
D) Developing job descriptions for filling positions
E) Identifying high-volume sales organizations

Question 45

Which of the following typically links salespeople to the rest of the company?

A) HR manager
B) Regional sales manager
C) District manager
D) Technical manager
E) National sales manager

Question 46

_____ is defined as the management function of establishing a broad outline for goals,policies,and procedures that will accomplish the objectives of the organization.

A) Planning
B) Evaluating
C) Training
D) Directing
E) Staffing

Question 47

Which of the following would most likely be considered an operating cost for a sales force when determining a sales budget?

A) Variable production costs
B) Advertising costs
C) Product samples
D) Development fees
E) Product distribution costs

Question 48

The relatively fixed,formally defined relationship among jobs within an organization is called its organizational:

A) evaluation.
B) function.
C) description.
D) design.
E) structure.

Question 49

A newly appointed sales manager goes through a series of phases in learning to think and act like a boss.The last phase in such a process is called:

A) image reversal.
B) search for meanings.
C) mobilization.
D) internalization.
E) reciprocity.

Question 50

Which sales manager function involves dealing positively and persuasively with people from a leadership position?

A) Training
B) Organizing
C) Staffing
D) Directing
E) Evaluating

Question 51

Which of the following is a major problem commonly experienced by salespeople who are promoted to management positions?

A) Lack of sales knowledge
B) Too much peer support
C) Lack of enthusiasm
D) Conflicts due to sales knowledge
E) Expectation to perform immediately

Question 52

_____ is the definition of a sales position in terms of specific roles or activities to be performed,and the determination of the personal qualifications suitable for the job.

A) Job forecast
B) Task alteration
C) Job formulation
D) Job analysis
E) Job reengineering

Question 53

Which of the following is defined as comparing actual performance to planned performance and determining whether corrective action is needed?

A) Training
B) Organizing
C) Performance forecast
D) Directing
E) Evaluating

Question 54

A manager who is participating in a college job fair to locate potential applicants for his company's entry-level sales positions is engaged in:

A) job forecasting.
B) job analysis.
C) directing.
D) staffing.
E) organizational design.

Question 55

_____ refers to the formal,coordinated process of communication,authority,and responsibility for sales groups and individuals.

A) Functional organization
B) Organizational acculturation
C) Formal organization
D) Organizational design
E) Organizational structure

Question 56

A company's structure is reflected in its:

A) routing map.
B) PERT chart.
C) organizational chart.
D) structural inventory.
E) SWOT matrix.

Question 57

Which of the following helps predict a firm's future revenues when planning the company's marketing and sales force activities?

A) Employee appraisal
B) Organizational design
C) HR optimization
D) Sales force optimization
E) Sales forecasting

Question 58

Which statement about sales force budgeting is most likely true?

A) The sales force budget is the amount of money available for an unspecified time period.
B) Portions of the overall sales force budget may be reassigned to lower level managers.
C) Sales force budgets are typically set for one month periods to allow flexibility.
D) Revenue projections have no influence on sales force budgets.
E) Companies should base budgets on subjective judgments.

Question 59

The most important ingredient in developing a successful sales force is having:

A) the right people.
B) a sizeable budget.
C) a vertical organizational structure.
D) a massive advertising campaign.
E) a premium product to sell.

Question 60

A sales manager who has a learning attitude:

A) seeks help when needed.
B) engages in autonomous supervision.
C) expects subordinates to make mistakes.
D) engages in limited sales training programs.
E) has highly optimistic expectations of employees.

Question 61

To capitalize on the benefits and minimize the costs of a diverse work force,organizations should most likely strive to become:

A) matrix structures.
B) team-driven.
C) parallel organizations.
D) participative units.
E) multicultural.

Question 62

The sales manager for Humphrey Electronics is preparing a written statement that describes what a salesperson is expected to do,how he/she will do it,why these duties are important,and the salary range for the position.The document the manager is working on is called a job:

A) analysis.
B) description.
C) evaluation.
D) posting.
E) metric.

Question 63

_____ is defined as the recruitment and selection of applicants for sales jobs.

A) Employment planning
B) Motivational directing
C) Sales forecasting
D) Corporate leading
E) People planning

Question 64

What do the EEOC and the ADA have in common?

A) Both are established to eliminate gender discrimination outside work premises.
B) Both are responsible for eliminating discriminatory practices at work.
C) Both make sure organizations hire adequate numbers of people.
D) Neither has the real authority to curb recruitment violations.
E) Both are responsible for reducing unemployment.

Question 65

Which of the following is a formal,written statement describing the nature,requirements,and responsibilities of a specific sales position?

A) Job evaluation
B) Job design
C) Job rotation
D) Job specification
E) Job description

Question 66

Julian is writing an application letter for a job as an IT specialist.What should Julian mention in the first sentence of the letter?

A) The position he seeks
B) His major achievements
C) His desire for an interview
D) The college degree he holds
E) His interest in the company

Question 67

According to the text,a(n)_____ organization lacks prejudice and discrimination,and it creates an environment in which all members can contribute to their maximum potential.

A) natural
B) green
C) multicultural
D) individualistic
E) flexible

Question 68

Which government agency has the greatest influence on sales force staffing?

A) EEOC
B) ADA
C) DOL
D) BBB
E) BLS

Question 69

The first step in the breakdown approach of determining appropriate sales force size is to:

A) determine the size of sales territories.
B) determine the number of sales territories.
C) forecast sales and determine sales potentials.
D) determine organizational sales volume.
E) forecast sales volume for each key account.

Question 70

A company is hiring bathroom attendants.The company would NOT be discriminating if it hires employees on the basis of ____________.

A) age
B) ethnicity
C) religion
D) gender
E) national origin

Question 71

_____ enables a salesperson to acquire job-related concepts,rules,and skills that will improve sales performance.

A) Orientation
B) Job analysis
C) Sales training
D) Diversity training
E) Environmental assessment

Question 72

_____ converts the job description into the people qualifications the organization feels are necessary for successful performance of the job.

A) Strategic HR plan
B) Job design
C) Job rotation
D) Job specification
E) Job regulation

Question 73

Which of the following is the best definition of recruitment?

A) Selecting and compensating candidates for specific job positions
B) Posting advertisements to locate competent job applicants
C) Searching for, finding, and interviewing people for a job
D) Identifying the necessary tools for employee selection
E) Designing assessments to compare job applicants

Question 74

Which of the following is most likely to be a bona fide occupational qualification for a job which involves moving heavy furniture?

A) Ethnic background
B) Religious affiliation
C) Physical ability
D) Educational background
E) National origin

Question 75

A court would most likely rule in favor of an employer charged with employment discrimination if the employment decision was based on a(n):

A) unrelated employment practice.
B) non-limiting physical disability.
C) bona fide occupational qualification.
D) compensation for reverse discrimination.
E) regulation against an underrepresented minority group.

Question 76

If you,the job applicant,are invited for a second interview,it is safe to assume that:

A) you are virtually guaranteed a job.
B) the employer seeks a diverse staff.
C) you met the minimum job qualifications.
D) your resume lacked enough information.
E) the interviewers are doubtful about hiring you.

Question 77

The most common tool used in hiring is:

A) intelligence tests.
B) in-depth interviews.
C) detailed examinations.
D) application forms.
E) social networking.

Question 78

Which of the following is identified as a characteristic of a successful salesperson?

A) Passive
B) Reactive
C) Compliant
D) Energetic
E) Cautious

Question 79

A(n)_____ organization values and encourages cultural diversity.

A) centralized
B) multicultural
C) decentralized
D) counter-cultured
E) international

Question 80

What is a drawback of personal interviews?

A) Highly expensive
B) Potentially subjective
C) Too time consuming
D) Overly fact-based
E) Frequently discriminatory