Question 1

Which of the following factors most affects the contributions made by salespeople to their employers?

Accepted Answer

A)  knowledge of the competition 
B)  direct contact with customers 
C)  coordination with customer service 
D)  technical knowledge

Question 2

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of fragmentation of traditional customer bases?

Accepted Answer

A)  sales specialists for specific customer types 
B)  more focus on creating and delivering customer value 
C)  more emphasis on sales dialogues rather than on sales pitches 
D)  team selling

Question 3

How does need satisfaction selling differ from the stimulus-response and mental states approaches to selling?

Accepted Answer

A)  Need satisfaction selling focuses on the salesperson and his or her product offerings. 
B)  The salesperson utilizes statements, questions, and actions to elicit desired responses. 
C)  The method focuses on the buyer and his or her needs. 
D)  The salesperson uses persuasion much earlier in the interaction.

Question 4

According to the textbook, how are the steps in the sales process best characterized?

Accepted Answer

A)  highly interrelated, often overlapping, and not necessarily a strict sequence of events 
B)  discrete and strictly sequential 
C)  highly dependent, sequential, and context specific 
D)  asymmetrically aligned, nonsequential, and often interdependent

Question 5

The new generation of salespeople will face demands from sophisticated buyers, economic uncertainties, and new technologies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Public trust in the sales profession has been enhanced by widely available professional certification programs similar to the CPA designation found in the accounting profession.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Lina's customers tell her that they are concerned about what they are receiving in exchange for what they are paying. In other words, what are they concerned about?

Accepted Answer

A)  return on investment 
B)  discounted cash flow 
C)  customer value 
D)  amortization rate

Question 8

What role is being played by a salesperson who spends time to learn a customer's business so that he or she can then better advise the customer on how the selling firm's products compare to competitive offerings?

Accepted Answer

A)  a strategic orchestrator 
B)  a business consultant 
C)  a long-term ally 
D)  a sales adviser

Question 9

Stimulus-response selling is most effective in situations involving important purchase decisions and when time is not critical.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

According to its creator, what was the premise behind the invention of the canned sales presentation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Selling is a learned skill, not a personality trait. 
B)  A sales presentation should be tailored to the unique situation of each customer. 
C)  An unplanned sales presentation is rarely successful. 
D)  A structured sales presentation allows for the most customer feedback.

Question 11

John H. Patterson of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) is generally credited with the invention of the canned sales presentation. How is it best characterized?

Accepted Answer

A)  as a sales presentation that does not contain material that will require continual updating 
B)  as a sales presentation that is prepared for direct mailing to prospective clients 
C)  as a sales presentation that is unplanned and developed in response to the needs of the customer 
D)  as a sales presentation that is very structured and generally based on a written script

Question 12

In the evolution of personal selling, why were early salespeople often treated with contempt?

Accepted Answer

A)  due to their frequent use of deception in the selling process 
B)  because redistribution of goods at a profit was considered dishonourable 
C)  due to low entrance requirements to the profession 
D)  due to the high tax rates on business transactions at the time

Question 13

Which of the following roles is the source of support for the idea that salespeople are the most important people within an organization?

Accepted Answer

A)  salespeople as revenue producers 
B)  salespeople as sources of market information 
C)  salespeople as candidates for executive positions 
D)  salespeople as relationship developers

Question 14

In the textbook, what term is used to describe the series of conversations between buyers and sellers that take place over time in an attempt to build relationships?

Accepted Answer

A)  the personal selling process 
B)  sales dialogue 
C)  need-based questioning techniques 
D)  marketing communication

Question 15

The primary focus of trust-based relationship selling is achieving sales in the short term.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

What is the premise of the need satisfaction approach to personal selling?

Accepted Answer

A)  Satisfied customers tend to come back and refer others. 
B)  The customer needs to know what products the firm offers. 
C)  Customers are motivated to satisfy their needs in a particular order. 
D)  Customers purchase to satisfy a particular need or set of needs.

Question 17

Unfortunately, the need satisfaction approach tends to increase the defensiveness of some prospects because the salesperson rapidly moves to the persuasive part of the sales message after quickly establishing the buyer's needs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

According to the textbook, why do salespeople often experience conflict when performing their jobs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Salespeople must serve the often-conflicting demands of their customers, their employers, and society. 
B)  Buyers expect salespeople to pursue corporate objectives while balancing competing demands. 
C)  Good performance in sales leads only to increasingly difficult sales objectives in the future. 
D)  Buyers expect salespeople to contribute to the success of the buyer's firm.

Question 19

According to the textbook, which of the following is a potential disadvantage of using the problem-solving selling approach?

Accepted Answer

A)  The approach can often take more time than either sellers or buyers are willing to spend. 
B)  Buyers tend to become resentful when an outsider recognizes problems that exist within their organization. 
C)  Problems are considered a negative aspect of business that sellers are advised to avoid whenever possible. 
D)  The approach requires an experienced salesperson who can handle a high degree of ambiguity.

Question 20

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of intensified competition?

Accepted Answer

A)  increased use of technology 
B)  more focus on creating and delivering customer value 
C)  more emphasis on sales dialogues rather than on sales pitches 
D)  more emphasis on customer-oriented sales training

Exam 1: Overview of Personal Selling

Which of the following factors most affects the contributions made by salespeople to their employers?

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of fragmentation of traditional customer bases?

How does need satisfaction selling differ from the stimulus-response and mental states approaches to selling?

According to the textbook, how are the steps in the sales process best characterized?

The new generation of salespeople will face demands from sophisticated buyers, economic uncertainties, and new technologies.

Public trust in the sales profession has been enhanced by widely available professional certification programs similar to the CPA designation found in the accounting profession.

Lina's customers tell her that they are concerned about what they are receiving in exchange for what they are paying. In other words, what are they concerned about?

What role is being played by a salesperson who spends time to learn a customer's business so that he or she can then better advise the customer on how the selling firm's products compare to competitive offerings?

Stimulus-response selling is most effective in situations involving important purchase decisions and when time is not critical.

According to its creator, what was the premise behind the invention of the canned sales presentation?

John H. Patterson of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) is generally credited with the invention of the canned sales presentation. How is it best characterized?

In the evolution of personal selling, why were early salespeople often treated with contempt?

Which of the following roles is the source of support for the idea that salespeople are the most important people within an organization?

In the textbook, what term is used to describe the series of conversations between buyers and sellers that take place over time in an attempt to build relationships?

The primary focus of trust-based relationship selling is achieving sales in the short term.

What is the premise of the need satisfaction approach to personal selling?

Unfortunately, the need satisfaction approach tends to increase the defensiveness of some prospects because the salesperson rapidly moves to the persuasive part of the sales message after quickly establishing the buyer's needs.

According to the textbook, why do salespeople often experience conflict when performing their jobs?

According to the textbook, which of the following is a potential disadvantage of using the problem-solving selling approach?

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of intensified competition?