Deck 12: Personal Selling

Question 1

Which type of salesperson is responsible for finding new customers and securing their business,typically by convincing the prospective customer to drop one or more competitors?

A)new-business salespeople
B)order takers
C)consultative sellers
D)missionary salespeople
E)key account sellers

Answer 1

A

Question 2

______ is an important marketing activity as it allows salespeople to represent the firm to customers,gather information on customer likes and dislikes,and provide market feedback on competitors and trends in the macro-environment.

A)Personal selling
B)Publicity
C)Advertising
D)Sales promotion
E)Public relations

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to author Daniel Pink,which of the following can be said of personal selling in the digital era?

A)Technology that should have made salespeople obsolete have in fact transformed more people into sellers.
B)Despite the rapid advances in technology,it has not had a significant impact on salespeople.
C)Technology has forced relationship-minded salespeople into fast-talking,do-anything-for-the-buck salespeople.
D)Because of technological innovations,the U.S.economy will reduce the number of sales jobs by more than 2 million in the coming years.
E)Technological innovations,particularly the Internet,have drastically reduced the need for salespeoplE.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

According to your text,______ serve(s)as the critical link between the firm and the customer.

A)salespeople
B)advertising campaigns
C)publicity
D)the product
E)brand recognition

Question 5

In contrast to tools such as advertising and sales promotion,personal selling is often a much more effective tool

A)for buyers engaging in repeat purchases.
B)for buyers that have thoroughly researched the product.
C)for routine purchase situations.
D)in complex purchase situations.
E)in impulse buying situations.

Question 6

How do salespeople represent the interests of customers within the firm?

A)by offering suggestions for promotional activities
B)by sharing customer likes and dislikes with marketers and product designers
C)by providing market feedback on competitors
D)by providing information to marketers on current trends
E)by gathering sales data on customer purchases

Question 7

Research suggests that nearly 85 percent of all salespeople ,regardless of age or experience,fall victim to

A)overconfidence.
B)self-inflated egos.
C)poor communication skills.
D)a lack of proper training.
E)fear and self-doubt.

Question 8

Checking inventories,stocking shelves,and product delivery are responsibilities of

A)consultative sellers.
B)order-getters.
C)channel salespeople.
D)delivery salespeople.
E)missionary salespeoplE.

Question 9

Which sales role generally requires higher levels of education and prior sales experience in order to establish and maintain partnership relationships with a small number of accounts?

A)missionary salespeople
B)order-taker salespeople
C)channel sales representatives
D)order-getter salespeople
E)key-account sellers

Question 10

Tristan has been calling on the same customer for years.He handles all of the company's orders and quickly resolves any issues that may come up.On occasion,Tristan takes some of the company employees out to dinner and has even given them tickets to local sporting events.Tristan is involved in

A)public relations.
B)relationship selling.
C)loyalty selling.
D)multi-level marketing.
E)publicity.

Question 11

Brett works as a sales representative primarily in the industrial market.He develops long-term relationships with his customers,has a deep knowledge of their business,and helps them find creative solutions to problems.Brett's customers consider him to be a trusted advisor.What kind of sales representative is Brett?

A)a sales manager
B)a channel sales representative
C)a consultative seller
D)a new-business salesperson
E)a missionary salesperson

Question 12

A person with a background in engineering,computer science,or physics might choose to work as a technical specialist in a high-tech sector.This type of support role is referred to as a(n)

A)channel engineer.
B)engineering consultant.
C)missionary engineer.
D)sales consultant.
E)sales engineer.

Question 13

What sales support role contributes to the sales process by providing expertise in the form of product demonstrations and setup,and providing systems integration support?

A)technical specialist
B)sales manager
C)sales engineer
D)consultative seller
E)key-account manager

Question 14

The net present value of a customer's business over the span of their relationship with an organization is referred to as

A)equalized value.
B)relationship selling.
C)sales 2.0.
D)lifetime value.
E)market valuE.

Question 15

Personal selling is more effective when the good or service is

A)simplistic in nature.
B)frequently purchased.
C)not new to the market.
D)not a custom good or service.
E)viewed as risky.

Question 16

All of the following are primary roles of a sales manager except

A)serving as a conduit for disseminating information.
B)establishing sales objectives.
C)finding new customers.
D)working with assigned field reps.
E)recruiting and training employees.

Question 17

The two-way flow of communication between a salesperson and a customer that is paid for by the firm and seeks to influence the customer's purchase decision is referred to as

A)advertising.
B)personal selling.
C)publicity.
D)public relations.
E)sales promotion.

Question 18

What is the function of a channel sales representative?

A)to promote the firm and encourage demand for its products
B)to secure new distribution intermediaries
C)to create customized solutions for customers
D)to handle all aspects of delivery
E)to process customer-initiated orders

Question 19

Jason works in the men's department of a major retail store.He helps customers find what they are looking for and rings up sales that customers bring to the check-out counter.Jason is considered to be a(n)

A)order-filler.
B)order-assistant.
C)order-getter.
D)order-initiator.
E)order-taker.

Question 20

What type of salesperson generates sales by promoting the firm and encouraging demand for its goods and services?

A)route salespeople
B)consultative sellers
C)key-account sellers
D)channel sales representatives
E)missionary salespeople

Question 21

In which closing approach does the salesperson act as if the buyer has already decided to purchase?

A)summary close
B)commitment close
C)alternative close
D)concrete close
E)assumptive close

Question 22

In the FAB approach,attributes or facts relating to the product being sold or demonstrated are referred to as

A)advantages.
B)benefits.
C)values.
D)features.
E)sources.

Question 23

Amy just took a job with a scrap metal collection company.Her job is to search for potential customers that need to get rid of scrap metal or those customers who wish to buy scrap metal.Amy's job fits into the first step of the personal-selling process,that of

A)advertising.
B)sales promotion.
C)gaining commitment.
D)pre-approach.
E)prospecting.

Question 24

Having market-related knowledge helps salespeople in all of the following ways except

A)it allows salespeople to have a greater understanding of the goods,services,and processes within their own firm.
B)it allows salespeople to detail how their products and services can bring value to the customers' business.
C)it allows salespeople to gain a greater share of new accounts.
D)it allows salespeople to gain insider knowledge of competitors' trade secrets.
E)it allows salespeople to understand the key business issues that affect their customers' success.

Question 25

Compare the following statements made by a salesperson and select the one that exemplifies handling objections by denial.

A)Yes,our prices are higher,but our product has been proven to be more efficient.
B)Yes,our service time is slower,but our service staff has won the Best Service in the Industry award for the past 5 years.
C)It simply is not accurate to claim that our product is a copycat of XYZ brand.We have a patent showing how our product is considerably different.
D)We can discuss the product's warranty in a few minutes,but first let me explain one more important benefit of the product.
E)If I may take just a moment to ask about your production needs,we can then talk about the various delivery options.

Question 26

The adoption of the marketing concept at the level of the individual salesperson and the customer is referred to as

A)the personal selling process.
B)customer-oriented selling.
C)social selling.
D)sales 2.0.
E)adaptive selling.

Question 27

In which step of the personal-selling process would you identify key decision makers,review account histories,and prepare a sales presentation?

A)the prospecting step
B)the pre-approach step
C)the presentation step
D)the qualifying step
E)the approach step

Question 28

Highly customer-oriented salespeople do all of the following except

A)recognize the social landscape under which large,complex sales are typically made.
B)understand that the impact on a customer of a bad buying decision is usually greater than the impact on a salesperson of a lost deal.
C)strive to see things from the company's perspective in order to boost sales.
D)engage in behavior that will lead to long-term customer satisfaction.
E)avoid actions that sacrifice customer interest for the sake of short-term benefit to the company.

Question 29

During which step of the personal-selling process does the salesperson establish a rapport that sets a foundation for the relationship and asks questions to learn more about the prospect and his or her needs and wants?

A)the approach step
B)the preapproach step
C)the qualifying step
D)the presentation step
E)the prospecting step

Question 30

To achieve long-term success in professional sales,all efforts must be centered on

A)serving the needs of the customer.
B)beating out the competition.
C)creating a quality product.
D)creating persuasive ad campaigns.
E)gaining a competitive advantagE.

Question 31

The goal of the first step in the personal-selling process is to

A)find qualified prospects.
B)identify a firm's key decision makers.
C)identify a customer's product needs.
D)find as many potential customers as possible.
E)have the salesperson meet the prospective customer.

Question 32

The Dale Carnegie Institute offers tips for building rapport with customers.Which of the following is not one of those tips?

A)Find reasons to compliment your customers.
B)Let the customer know your expertise.
C)Ask questions about your customer.
D)Find out what you can do to help your customer.
E)Have a cheerful expression.

Question 33

Which step of the personal-selling process is difficult because it requires the salesperson to overcome the fear of being rejected?

A)sales presentation
B)handling objections
C)approach
D)preapproach
E)gaining commitment

Question 34

How many steps are there in the personal selling process?

A)three
B)four
C)five
D)six
E)seven

Question 35

According to your text,which step of the personal-selling process is the most important and most difficult?

A)the follow-up
B)the prospecting step
C)the sales presentation
D)the qualifying step
E)the approach step

Question 36

An individual (or group)capable of making the decision on a good or service a salesperson is selling is referred to as a

A)lead.
B)client.
C)prospect.
D)qualifier.
E)customer.

Question 37

Which of the following is not a key point of an effective sales presentation?

A)The sales presentation should reinforce why the organization will be a good partner to the customer.
B)The salesperson should always ask questions and listen to the customer.
C)The salesperson should do the majority of the talking.
D)The salesperson should know what he or she wants the customer to remember about the presentation.
E)The presentation should quickly link the firm's product to solutions that will help the customer.

Question 38

As outlined in your text,all of the following are part of the feature-advantage-benefit approach except

A)it should accurately convey the product's major features.
B)it should describe the products advantages in comparison with alternatives.
C)it should communicate the value of the product to the customer.
D)it should detail how the product will provide benefits for the potential customer.
E)it should refute any complaints or objections about the product.

Question 39

Having to fix billing or customer service issues or communicate to product managers about problems customers are having with the company's products are all tasks involved in

A)handling objections.
B)adaptive selling.
C)team selling.
D)qualifying customers.
E)customer advocacy.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about the follow-up step of the personal-selling process is not true?

A)Building long-term relationships with customers is part of the follow-up step.
B)The follow-up step may uncover new customer needs and wants.
C)Referrals can often be discovered in the follow-up step.
D)The follow-up step is not needed for repeat customers.
E)The follow-up step is critical to creating customer satisfaction.

Question 41

What are companies looking for when conducting lead scoring?

A)the level of brand recognition a customer has regarding the firm's product
B)how a customer reacts to a particular promotional campaign
C)traits that make the customer more likely to purchase
D)customers' awareness of competition in the marketplace
E)unmet customer needs and wants

Question 42

When a salesperson works with sales management and experts across the firm to support new-customer acquisition and ongoing customer relationship management,it is referred to as

A)customer advocacy.
B)Sales 2.0
C)team selling.
D)consultative selling.
E)adaptive selling.

Question 43

Which type of selling alters sales behavior during a customer interaction based on perceived information about the selling situation?

A)social selling
B)consultative selling
C)adaptive selling
D)customer advocacy selling
E)team selling

Question 44

Technology-enabled tools and processes that provide guided selling assistance to various selling roles are referred to as

A)customer benchmarks.
B)sales playbooks.
C)market-related knowledge.
D)mobile SPIN.
E)selling-related knowledgE.

Question 45

Quantitative forecasting methods commonly apply _____ to estimate sales in future periods.

A)production levels
B)sales force projections
C)customer buying intentions
D)algorithms
E)educated guesses

Question 46

What is the term used to refer to how salespeople are using Web 2.0 tools and social media to sell more effectively?

A)FAB approach
B)Sales 2.0
C)customer advocacy
D)consultative selling
E)adaptive selling

Question 47

As noted in your text,a comprehensive analysis of more than 35,000 B2B sales calls found that successful meetings were the result of

A)the salesperson meeting with more than one buyer.
B)the buyer and the salesperson conducting the meeting over a meal.
C)the salesperson prompting the buyer to do most of the talking by asking questions.
D)the salesperson taking charge of the meeting by doing most of the talking.
E)the customer listening to a lengthy sales pitch.

Question 48

Katie wants to be successful in her selling career,so she strives to improve her _____ knowledge by working on her sales abilities and understanding different selling techniques.

A)selling-related
B)market-related
C)customer-related
D)technical
E)industry

Question 49

What is the theory behind the incremental productivity method?

A)estimating the effect of additional sales on the motivation of the salesperson
B)matching the sales force size to a given geographic area
C)estimating the number of products sold in relation to the size of the sales territory
D)tallying the average number of sales calls needed to close each individual sale
E)comparing the additional cost of one new salesperson to expected additional sales revenue

Question 50

As outlined in your text,the use of digital tools in the sales process helps to combat which major drawback of professional selling?

A)having to give sales presentations
B)difficulty in getting leads
C)the high cost involved
D)not having a competitive advantage
E)having too many competitors

Question 51

Which of the following activities is not included in sales force management?

A)evaluation
B)recruitment
C)compensation
D)production
E)motivation

Question 52

According to your text,what is perhaps the most central sales management role?

A)training new sales representatives
B)recruiting new employees
C)justifying employee compensation packages
D)motivating salespeople to be more productive
E)helping to develop the sales forecast

Question 53

When determining the size of the sales force,sizing approaches are broadly categorized as

A)account-based or geographic-based.
B)product-based or territory-based.
C)customer-based or company-based.
D)existing product-based or new product-baseD.
E)cost-based or market-based.

Question 54

What is social selling?

A)creating friendships with customers that lead to social interactions
B)the use of online,mobile,and social media to engage customers,build strong customer relationships,and increase sales
C)engaging customers in the sales process over social engagements such as lunch or dinner
D)acting like a management consultant to solve customer problems
E)generating sales by promoting the firm and encouraging demand for its products

Question 55

Which nonquantitative forecasting approach asks each member of the sales force for his or her best estimate of sales for their individual territories over the coming year?

A)survey of sales intentions
B)generalist sales forecast
C)equalized workload method
D)incremental productivity method
E)sales force composite

Question 56

In what analytics-based application does a company numerically rate its best prospective customers?

A)customer ranking
B)Sales 2.0
C)competitive benchmarking
D)lead scoring
E)equalized workload method

Question 57

What group of people in the company develops the content for sales playbooks?

A)upper management
B)the sales reps themselves
C)the production team
D)the corporate marketing department
E)the sales managers

Question 58

What impact does adaptive selling have on salesperson performance and job satisfaction?

A)It has a strong positive effect on salesperson performance,but a negative effect on job satisfaction.
B)It has a negative effect on salesperson performance,but a positive effect on job satisfaction.
C)It has a strong negative effect on both salesperson performance and job satisfaction.
D)It has no effect on salesperson performance or job satisfaction.
E)It has a strong positive effect on both salesperson performance and job satisfaction.

Question 59

The acronym SPIN refers to the questions that feature most prominently in successful sales calls.Which of the following accurately lists the types of questions represented in the SPIN acronym?

A)sales,price,implication,and negative outcome
B)situation,price,issue,network
C)situation,problem,implication,and need-payoff
D)sales,proposition,implication,and need-payoff
E)situation,proposition,issue,and network

Question 60

When GE utilized lead scoring,the approach led to all of the following except

A)acceleration of the time to get new and inexperienced representatives up to speed.
B)identification of new competitors in the marketplace.
C)identification of new prospects.
D)more effective territory design.
E)better matching of sales approaches and channels to customer needs.

Question 61

The two-way flow of communication between a salesperson and a customer that is paid for by the firm and seeks to influence the customer's purchase decision is referred to as _______ sellling.

Question 62

A _____ specialist contributes expertise in the form of product demonstrations and trials,and by offering recommendations for complex equipment.

Question 63

_____ _____ is considered to be the interpersonal arm of the promotional mix.

Question 64

On the whole,sales turnover for firms in both good and bad times runs between

A)2 and 5 percent.
B)5 and 10 percent.
C)25 and 30 percent.
D)40 and 50 percent.
E)50 and 65 percent.

Question 65

Which of the following is not part of the Sales and Marketing Executive International (SMEI)code of conduct?

A)an adherence to the highest professional standards in both work and personal relationships
B)a concept of selling that includes generating the most profit possible for the firm
C)including the basic principle of mutual benefit to both the buyer and seller in all transactions
D)acknowledging one's accountability to the organization to improve sales knowledge
E)recognizing the sovereignty of all consumers in the marketplace

Question 66

Which market-based approach seeks to match the competitors' sales force size to ensure competitive coverage?

A)equalized workload method
B)incremental productivity method
C)lead scoring
D)Sales 2.0
E)competitive benchmarking

Question 67

Which of the following types of compensation is a per-unit payout paid on sales beyond the salesperson's quota?

A)fixed rate
B)base salary
C)piece-rate
D)bonus
E)commission

Question 68

A sales force's need for generalists or specialists is guided by two factors: market considerations and

A)the organizational hierarchy of the firm.
B)financial projections.
C)the number of competitive offerings.
D)the firm's overall production capability.
E)the firm's overall marketing strategy.

Question 69

Which specialist sales force cultivates existing accounts and current customer relationships to drive revenue growth and minimize churn?

A)hunters
B)prospectors
C)generalists
D)gatherers
E)farmers

Question 70

Roger works for a firm that has many levels in its organizational hierarchy.At each level of management,the number of subordinates is small so that managers can spend more time with each employee.The span of control at Roger's firm is said to be

A)vertical.
B)narrow.
C)wide.
D)flat.
E)high.

Question 71

_____ selling is the core of all modern selling strategies.

Question 72

Whether they sell directly to customers or seek to secure new distribution intermediaries,all new-business salespeople may be accurately described as _____ _____.

Question 73

Generating sales by promoting the firm and encouraging demand for its products is the role of a _____ salesperson.

Question 74

Delivery salespeople are also known as _____ salespeople.

Question 75

Corinne is responsible for hiring new sales employees,establishing sales objectives and making sure senior management is kept informed of market trends and competitive actions.Corinne works as a _____ _____.

Question 76

Personal selling is more effective for products that are purchased ______.(frequently/infrequently)

Question 77

In a study of sales and marketing executives,what percentage believed that their salespeople have lied on a sales call?

A)less than 20 percent
B)about 35 percent
C)more than half
D)nearly 75 percent
E)almost all

Question 78

Sales territories are typically defined on the basis of

A)seniority.
B)number of accounts.
C)market offerings.
D)product group.
E)geography.

Question 79

The emphasis on keeping customers for long periods of time is the central focus of ______ value and the reason firms focus on customer relationships.

Question 80

Which of the following is true regarding sales training programs?

A)Sales training programs should be customized to the needs of the representative and changing market conditions.
B)Research shows that digitally mediated training creates better interpersonal bonds between the salesforce and the sales manager.
C)The most effective training method uses the same approach for everyone to promote consistency.
D)Sales training is an activity that happens only once-when the employee is hireD.
E)Sales training is a job that is better left to the human resources department.