Q&A Hero

Q: Which type of salesperson would routinely be involved in an industrial straight rebuy situation? A. an outside order taker B. an order getter C. a missionary salesperson D. a sales engineer E. an inside order taker

Q: During the presentation stage, a salesperson may encounter objections. What are the six basic techniques for handling objections?

Q: Salespeople called __________ typically answer simple questions, take orders, and complete transactions with customers. A. managers B. inside order takers C. directors D. outside order takers E. go-getters

Q: Describe the need-satisfaction presentation format. In the answer, include the two selling styles that are common with this format.

Q: Inside order takers are also referred to as __________. A. managers B. directors C. missionaries D. salesclerks E. go-getters

Q: What are the keys to effective need-satisfaction presentations?

Q: A Frito-Lay salesperson who is taking inventory of available Doritos and Tostitos products at a supermarket would be considered a(n) __________. A. inside order taker B. interactive order taker C. outside order taker D. inventory clerk E. outside order getter

Q: What assumption does the stimulus-response presentation format make?

Q: John Whitaker works for American Greetings. His job description includes the following responsibilities: (1) stock and arrange point-of-purchase displays of present customers - 60 percent of his work week and (2) receive orders from customers and complete the transactions - 40 percent of his work week. Whitaker is primarily engaged in which type of selling? A. outside order taking B. relationship selling C. inside order taking D. outside order getting E. missionary sales

Q: Explain the difference between the stimulus-response presentation format and the formula selling presentation format.

Q: Salespeople called outside order takers __________. A. arrange point-of-purchase displays B. sell products tailored to the needs C. help design the product displays D. train the personnel management E. solve most of the technical problems

Q: Explain the difference between a lead, a prospect, and a qualified prospect.

Q: Salespeople called outside order takers visit customers and __________. A. solve most of the technical problems B. sell products tailored to the needs C. help design the product displays D. train the personnel management E. replenish inventory stocks of resellers

Q: Figure 17-2What are the six stages of the personal selling process? What is the objective of each stage?

Q: Salespeople called __________ visit customers and replenish inventory stocks of resellers, such as retailers or wholesalers. A. inside order takers B. outside order takers C. inbound telemarketers D. outbound telemarketers E. management order takers

Q: Explain the difference between order takers and order getters.

Q: Among order takers, __________ visit customers and replenish inventory stocks of resellers, whereas __________ typically answer simple questions, take orders, and complete transactions with customers. A. inside order takers; outside order takers B. inside order takers; outside sales clerks C. outside order takers; inside order takers D. salesclerks; inbound telemarketers E. inside order clerks; outside order takers

Q: Explain the difference between relationship selling and partnership selling.

Q: The primary responsibility of order takers is to A. preach the benefits of a new product or service to a customer rather than close the sale. B. build market share in a sales territory. C. convince a customer from a competitor to switch to the firm's product or brand. D. preserve ongoing relationships with existing customers and maintain sales. E. create a sense of goodwill not only to the brand but also to the entire product mix of the firm.

Q: What are the three major roles of personal selling in a firm's overall marketing effort?

Q: A salesperson who processes routine orders or reorders for products that were already sold by the company is referred to as a(n) __________. A. order getter B. missionary salesperson C. order taker D. sales engineer E. order processor

Q: Explain the difference between personal selling and sales management.

Q: An order taker refers to a A. salesperson who specializes in identifying, analyzing, and solving customer problems, but who does not actually sell products and services. B. salesperson who processes routine orders or reorders for products that were already sold by the company. C. salesperson who identifies prospective customers, provides them with information, persuades them to buy, closes sales, and follows up on their use of a product or service. D. a person on the selling team who is responsible for obtaining qualified leads. E. member of the sales support team who does not directly solicit orders but rather concentrates on performing promotional activities and introducing new products.

Q: Perhaps the most well-known component of Xerox's sales management process is its A. stellar business reputation. B. sustainability programs. C. sales representatives training program. D. challenging and dynamic environment. E. use of information technology.

Q: Broadly speaking, there are three types of personal selling: _________, order getting, and customer sales support. A. consumer getting B. order processing C. online telemarketing D. order taking E. suggestive selling

Q: At Xerox there is a passion for winning that provides a key incentive for sales reps. Xerox has a recognition program called the __________ where the top performers are awarded a five-day trip to one of the top resorts in the world. A. President's Club B. Keener's Club C. Prestige Club D. Triumph Club E. Kudos Club

Q: The three types of personal selling are order taking, order getting, and __________. A. customer sales support B. order fulfillment C. order management D. order processing E. order shipment

Q: Personal selling assumes many forms based on the __________ and the __________ to perform the sales task. A. size of the salesforce; financial outlay B. complexity of the product; amount of sales training C. amount of selling done; amount of creativity required D. amount of creativity; amount of sales training E. complexity of the product; financial outlay

Q: The Xerox salesforce is divided into four __________ organizations. A. product B. geographic C. customer D. market E. product life cycle

Q: A salesperson who is guided by the notion, "I try to sell customers all I can to convince them to buy, even if I think it is more than a wise customer would buy," has which type of orientation? A. sales B. cognitive C. emotional D. customer E. compensatory

Q: Figure 17-2The sales process at Xerox typically follows the six stages of the personal selling process. During the sixth stage, the salesperson continues to meet and communicate with the client toA. remove all competitors' products from the clients' offices.B. sell ancillary and complementary products.C. provide assistance and monitor the effectiveness of the installed solution.D. request leads for other potential sales.E. offer special price incentives for future pre-buys.

Q: A salesperson who is guided by the idea, "I try to align customers who have problems with products that will help them solve their problems," has which type of orientation? A. sales B. cognitive C. emotional D. customer E. compensatory

Q: There are __________ genetic marker(s) that is correlated with a salesperson's predisposition or willingness to interact with customers and learn about their problems in order to meet their needs. A. one B. two C. three D. four E. five

Q: Recent research indicates that a salesperson's __________ to be customer-oriented exists. A. VALS profile B. country of origin C. genetic predisposition D. education E. social class

Q: The primary way in which relationship selling creates customer value is by A. assigning a single sales representative to a single customer. B. maintaining a long-term relationship that allows for tailoring of solutions. C. guaranteeing fair and equitable prices for each client regardless of the size of the purchase. D. providing cumulative discounts based on customer loyalty and the length of the customer relationship. E. guaranteeing fair and equitable sales practices for each customer regardless of the frequency of the purchase.

Q: The practice of building ties to customers based on a salesperson's attention and commitment to customer needs over time is referred to as __________. A. order processing B. order taking C. customer value creation D. relationship selling E. partnership selling

Q: Relationship selling refers to A. the assignment of a single salesperson to a single customer throughout the entire sales process. B. when suppliers and sellers combine their expertise and resources to create customized solutions; commit to joint planning; and share customer, competitive, and company information for their mutual benefit, and ultimately the customer. C. the practice of building ties to customers based on a salesperson's attention and commitment to customer needs over time. D. the practice of using an entire team of professionals in selling to and servicing key customers. E. the practice of maintaining contact with a customer on a regularly scheduled basis following the initial sale of a product or service.

Q: In 2001, Xerox began a shift to a __________ that focused on helping customers solve their business problems rather than just placing more equipment in their office. A. multi-tiered sales system B. salesforce automation system C. product-oriented sales organization D. geographic-oriented sales organization E. consultative selling model

Q: Hewlett-Packard recently shifted its entire U.S. salesforce into home offices and saved millions in staff salaries and office rent despite the expense of equipping each home office with a notebook computer, fax/copier, mobile phone, two phone lines, and office furniture. Such decreased selling costs are among the benefits of __________. A. direct selling B. inbound teleselling C. salesforce networking D. account management policies E. salesforce communication

Q: Which of the following statements regarding the role of salespeople is most accurate? A. Salespeople can identify creative solutions to customer problems. B. Salespeople have little say in a company's account management policies. C. Salespeople truly know their customers and therefore are the best resource for segmenting and selecting target markets. D. Salespeople are the most highly trained of all a firm's employees and therefore have the greatest job security. E. Salespeople are traditionally given greater authority than other company employees and therefore can offer customers the best financial terms for their purchases.

Q: Perhaps the greatest impact on salesforce communication is the application of __________ technology. A. Internet B. facsimile C. voice-mail D. smartphone E. web camera

Q: Personal selling serves three major roles in a firm's overall marketing effort. Salespeople: (1) are the critical link between a firm and its customers; (2) __________; and (3) may play a dominant role in a firm's marketing program. A. play a key role in research and development B. are the company in a consumer's eyes C. play a dominant role in implementing an organization's pull strategy D. provide the most valuable resource for segmenting and selecting target markets E. are one of many people in a firm that contacts potential customers

Q: Facsimile, e-mail, and voice mail are common __________ technologies salespeople use today. A. tablet device B. communication C. cutting-edge D. computer E. social media

Q: Personal selling serves three major roles in a firm's overall marketing effort. Salespeople: (1) are the critical link between a firm and its customers; (2) are the company in consumers' eyes; and (3) A. play a key role in research and development. B. are the ultimate channel of distribution. C. provide the most valuable resource for segmenting and selecting target markets. D. are one of many people in a firm that contacts potential customers. E. may play a dominant role in a firm's marketing program.

Q: A salesperson at Toshiba America Medical Systems uses a laptop computer with built-in DVD capabilities to provide interactive presentations for their computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. With it, the customer sees elaborate three-dimensional animations, high-resolution scans, and video clips of the company's products in operation as well as narrated testimonials from satisfied customers. The technology enables both sales presentations and training salespeople. This would be an example of the use of A. specialized order taker. B. sales management principles. C. customer relationship management. D. salesforce technology. E. account management policies.

Q: Virtually every occupation that involves customer contact has an element of personal selling in it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that about __________ people are employed in sales positions in the U.S. A. 5 million B. 10 million C. 14 million D. 18 million E. 24 million

Q: Salespeople for Timex watches use their laptop computers to process orders, plan time allocations, forecast sales, and communicate with Timex personnel and customers. The use of __________ helps the Timex salesforce provide customer service. A. time management software B. order processing software C. technology D. proposal generation software E. WebEx software

Q: "Everyone lives by selling something" was an observation made by __________. A. Steve Jobs B. Ralph Waldo Emerson C. Donald Trump D. Robert Louis Stevenson E. Lindsey Smith

Q: Salespeople for Godiva Chocolates use __________ to process orders, plan time allocations, forecast sales, and communicate with Godiva personnel and customers, thus providing better customer service. A. laptop computers B. tablet devices C. order processing software D. presentation software E. smartphones

Q: The tasks involved in managing personal selling include: (1) organizing the salesforce; (2) __________; (3) recruiting, selecting, training, and compensating salespeople; and (4) evaluating the performance of individual salespeople. A. identifying potential target markets B. using customer input to make product modifications C. designing new promotional campaigns for the purpose of generating new sales D. setting objectives E. maintaining open communications between sales representatives and all other stakeholders

Q: All of the following are forms of sales automation EXCEPT: A. sales training. B. memos from a sales manager to her salesforce. C. sales presentations. D. account analysis. E. order processing.

Q: The tasks involved in managing personal selling include the following: (1) setting objectives; (2) organizing the salesforce; (3) recruiting, selecting, training, and compensating salespeople; and (4) A. identifying potential target markets. B. evaluating the performance of individual salespeople. C. using salesforce input to make product modifications. D. maintaining open communications between sales representatives and all other stakeholders. E. designing new promotional campaigns for the purpose of generating new sales.

Q: Salesforce automation is the use of __________ to make the sales function more efficient and effective. A. avatars B. emotional intelligence C. account management policies D. technology E. suggestive selling techniques

Q: SFA is an acronym for __________. A. sales force automation B. sales factory automation C. sales flexible automation D. sales functional automation E. sales frequency automation

Q: Sales management refers toA. the planning of the selling program and the implementing and evaluating of the personal selling effort of the firm.B. the process of allocating funds for direct selling.C. only the recruiting, hiring, and training of a company's salesforce.D. the segmentation and selection of target markets to be addressed by a company's salesforce.E. the two-way flow of communication between a buyer and seller, often in a face-to-face encounter, designed to influence a person's or group's purchase decision.

Q: The use of computer, information, communication, and Internet technology to make the sales function more effective and efficient is referred to as __________. A. automated selling B. direct selling C. salesforce automation D. salesforce computerization E. salesforce networking

Q: Planning the selling program and implementing and evaluating the personal selling effort of the firm is referred to as __________. A. relationship marketing B. team selling C. personal selling D. sales engineering E. sales management

Q: Salesperson Performance Tracking Marketing Dashboard at MooreChemConsider the Marketing Dashboard above, which includes metrics for salesperson performance tracking for MooreChem. As a MooreChem sales manager, you note that one of your salespeople has exceeded his sales target but is well below his profit goal. The best explanation for this performance isA. the salesperson has not been working hard enough.B. the salesperson is selling too many high margin products.C. the salesperson's sales quota is too low.D. the salesperson is selling too many low margin products.E. the salesperson's sales quota is too high.

Q: Personal selling include all of the following modes of communication EXCEPT:A. video teleconferencing.B. Internet-enabled links between buyers and sellers.C. a face-to-face encounter.D. over the telephone.E. social networks such as Facebook.

Q: Salesperson Performance Tracking Marketing Dashboard at MooreChemMoore Chemical created a marketing dashboard for each of its sales representatives. These dashboards included seven measures - sales revenue, gross margin, selling expense, profit, average order size, new customers, and customer satisfaction. Each metric was gauged to show actual salesperson performanceA. in terms of company rank.B. relative to the rest of the sales team.C. relative to target goals.D. plus expectations for the next two years.E. based upon previous years of experiences.

Q: Personal selling requires the __________ flow of communication between a buyer and a seller, often in a face-to-face encounter, designed to influence a person's or a group's purchase decision. A. direct B. indirect C. one-way D. two-way E. recursive

Q: About 60 percent of U.S. companies now include customer satisfaction as a __________ measure of salesperson performance. A. demonstrative B. sensitive C. cognitive D. emotional E. behavioral

Q: The two-way flow of communication between a buyer and seller, often in a face-to-face encounter, designed to influence a person's or group's purchase decision is referred to as A. sales management. B. personal selling. C. sales promotion. D. direct selling. E. marketing management.

Q: About 60 percent of U.S. companies now include __________ as a behavioral measure of salesperson performance. A. the ability to read body language B. customer satisfaction C. suggestive selling skills D. emotional intelligence E. cold canvassing skills

Q: Lindsey Smith's selling success is due in large part to her A. developing relationships with CEOs and CFOs. B. using a team of sales personnel, technical specialists, and health care professionals in selling to and servicing key customers. C. continually reinforcing GE Healthcare's competitive advantage. D. simplifying sales presentations for technical products. E. staying on top of marketing trends for business-to-business selling.

Q: About __________ percent of U.S. companies now include customer satisfaction as a behavioral measure of salesperson performance. A. 30 B. 40 C. 50 D. 60 E. 70

Q: Lindsey Smith's task in Molecular Imaging Products at GE Healthcare is toA. simplify sales presentations for technical products.B. increase the importance of the advertising element of the company's promotion mix.C. develop a team of professionals in selling to and servicing key customers.D. create value in customer relationships by emphasizing the company's product innovations, solutions, and service.E. establish brand recognition for Molecular Imaging Products as distinct from GE Healthcare.

Q: Behavioral measures used to evaluate salespeople include assessments of a salesperson's __________, attention to customers, product knowledge, selling and communication skills, appearance, and professional demeanor. A. attitude B. patience C. intelligence D. personal values E. personal ethics

Q: According to Lindsey Smith of GE Healthcare, all of the following are necessary skills to be successful in serving her customers EXCEPT: A. having an MBA degree. B. strategic thinking. C. product knowledge. D. communication. E. analytical.

Q: All of the following are behavioral measures that are used to evaluate salespeople EXCEPT: A. attitude B. product knowledge C. sales D. communication skills E. appearance

Q: According to Lindsey Smith of GE Healthcare, all of the following are necessary for a successful sales career EXCEPT: A. motivation. B. compensation. C. team orientation. D. integrity. E. trust.

Q: A sales quota contains goals, such as sales produced, accounts generated, profit achieved, or A. sales of specific products. B. new clients contacted. C. reports filed. D. complaints received. E. customer enquiries.

Q: A sales quota refers to A. the ratio of sales calls made to actual sales closed. B. the minimum number of sales that must be made before a salesperson can be paid. C. the maximum threshold for satisfactory performance during an annual performance evaluation. D. the maximum number of sales that can be made before receiving a commission on sales. E. the specific goals assigned to a salesperson, sales team, branch sales office, or sales district for a stated time period.

Q: A __________ contains specific goals assigned to a salesperson, sales team, branch sales office, or sales district for a stated time period. A. sales call report B. selling expense report C. sales quota D. sales audit report E. salesforce plan

Q: All of the following are output-related measures used in quantitative assessments of sales performance EXCEPT:A. new accounts generated.B. dollar or unit sales volume.C. sales of specific products.D. selling expense related to sales made.E. current sales ratio.

Q: Quantitative assessments of sales performance may be based on output-related measures, such as A. dollar or unit sales volume, last year/current year sales ratio, and new accounts generated. B. sales calls, selling expenses, and account management policies. C. selling expenses, profits generated, and emotional intelligence quotient. D. new lead generation, sales quotas, and sales increases over the previous evaluation period. E. recruitment, selection, and training of new sales representatives.

Q: Quantitative assessments of sales performance may be based on input-related objectives set forth in the sales plan, such as those involving A. new sales, new lead generation, and customer billing. B. sales calls, selling expenses, and account management policies. C. selling expenses, profits generated, and account management policies. D. new lead generation, sales quotas, and sales increases over the previous evaluation period. E. recruitment, selection, and training of new sales representatives.

Q: __________ gives its outstanding salespeople some unconventional rewards that include new pink Cadillacs and jewelry. A. Avon B. General Motors C. Tiffany & Co. D. Fran Wilson E. Mary Kay Cosmetics

Q: Which of the following statements regarding salesforce compensation plans is most accurate? A. The most preferred compensation plan among sales people is the straight commission plan. B. Nonmonetary rewards are not very effective as salesforce motivators. C. New recruits are often more productive than seasoned professionals. D. Ineffective practices often lead to costly salesforce turnovers. E. The expense of training a new salesperson, including the cost of lost sales, is still lower than having to use a salary plus commission plan.

Q: White Chemical Company is examining its selling strategy and one of the issues it believes needs attention is the role its sales staff has in undertaking sales support (non-selling) activities; yet it wants to keep the salespeople directed towards increasing sales for the next year. If you did not know which plan the firm presently uses, what advice would you give? A. Provide a base salary and a commission on sales generated. B. Give a raise to every salesperson as a motivational incentive. C. Provide year-end bonuses to reward the salesforce personnel who perform the best. D. Offer straight salaries and give raises if the sales go up. E. Offer straight commission and if sales improve, raise the commission rates.