79. Salespeople at Janie’s Cookie Company want to draw the attention of their customers through blogs, Twitter, and LinkedIn, rather than using more
traditional activities that require making a sales call. As the marketing manager, you understand this activity to be
80. Hiro sells building materials to local contractors. He wants to build long-term relationships with his contractors through effective follow-up. After
delivering the materials ordered, Hiro can demonstrate __________ by checking with his contractors right after the delivery and addressing any
problems promptly.
81. Sales representatives are often compensated, at least in part, on a percentage of the sales revenue. This percentage is known as a
82. While ethical and legal issues are associated with all aspects of marketing, personal selling presents unique issues because
83. Katerina is told by her sales manager, “Do whatever you need to do to get the sale,” yet the company has ethical selling standards. Katerina faces the
84. The best way for sales managers to instill ethical behavior in the sales force is to
85. __________ involves the planning, direction, and control of personal selling activities, including recruitment, selection, training, motivation,
compensation, and evaluation of members of the sales force.
86. When Motorola first entered the Mexican marketplace, the company wanted direct control of salespeople in major urban markets but was not as
concerned about control in less populated areas of the country. Motorola probably used _____________ in major urban areas and ______________ in
less populated areas of Mexico.
87. Miles worked selling products to industrial users, and spent most of his time working on customers’ new buy and modified new buy situations. Miles
was primarily a(n)
88. Most beverage distributors have their delivery people act as the firm’s sales representatives. The delivery people primarily function as
89. Sue spends much of her time checking inventories, processing straight rebuys, and making sure that everything is going smoothly. Sue is primarily
a(n)
90. The most important activity in recruiting salespeople is determining what the salesperson will be doing and
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91. The attitudes that Ryan’s customers develop after they have purchased his yearly lawn care service will become the basis for determining whether
they renew each year. He needs to demonstrate the ____________ dimension of service quality by showing consistently well-maintained yards with
92. Bhakti was recently promoted to a sales management position. She had been an effective representative, but her strengths and educational
background were in management. She was about to begin her first salesperson recruitment campaign. The most important thing Bhakti can do to ensure
that she recruits the right people is to
93. Managers and sales experts agree that certain personal traits are necessary to be a successful salesperson. All of the following traits are necessary
except
94. All of the following are considered typical financial compensation for sales representatives except
95. Justin is a sales manager at Hewlett Packard. He is responsible for evaluating the sales, profits, orders, and sales ratios of each of the sales
representatives in this territory. Justin is evaluating _________ measures.
96. Salespeople should be evaluated and rewarded only for those activities and outcomes that
97. Which of the following best describes a company sales force?
98. A small office supply company may have a person whose primary responsibility is to process routine orders, reorders, or rebuys of products for
clients. This employee is known as a(n)
99. The process of salespeople creating blogs to draw customers in and generate leads is a process known as
100. David’s firm had grown steadily and the products and systems had become more and more complicated. He had been a star representative and had
personally serviced and developed all his accounts. In the past year or so, David and his sales colleagues have been changing their approach due to the
sales growth and increasing product complexity. Customer relationships are now being handled more and more by __________—whose primary duties
are order getting, order taking, or sales support—which is typical of firms experiencing this kind of growth.
101. Johnny works at an electronics store. In addition to his salary, he receives 2 percent of the sales dollars he brings in each month. This extra 2
percent is called a
102. Every Monday during the month of December, salespeople who had the highest sales the previous week participated in a package surprise, where
each would receive a package containing either a $50 or a $100 bill. This short-term incentive is known as a
103. All of the following are steps in the B2C personal selling process except
104. The internal monthly magazine and blog at the cosmetics firm Mary Kay serve as _____________ for employees; the magazine and blog are
outlets for not only selling advice but also company-wide recognition of individual salespeople’s accomplishments.
105. Experts estimate that the average cost of a single B2B sales call is about
106. Tara made sure that her customers felt comfortable contacting her when they needed something, and she focused on the long term in her dealings
with them. Tara is a ________-oriented salesperson.
107. The Consumer Electronics Show is an example of a(n)
108. Telemarketing and cold calls have become less popular as sales tools because of all of the following reasons except
109. When Pat was talking with his customer about the new accounting system, his customer mentioned that she thought the new system was not going
110. All of the following are service quality dimensions related to follow-up except
111. Tasha was selling siding and her boss told her that she could hide an extra charge for trim in the total, even though the customer was told he would
not be charged for trim. Tasha was told this was standard practice for the siding company. If the customer takes legal action for this, who is most likely
liable?
112. To maintain trustworthy customer relationships, companies must take care that they respect customer privacy and respect the ________—that is,
the amount of information a customer feels comfortable providing.
113. When her salespeople bring in five new customers, Marissa gives them a $1,000 payment. This is an example of a
114. ________ training is excellent for communicating selling and negotiation skills, because managers can observe the sales trainees in real selling
situations and provide instant feedback.
115. Harvey enjoys a successful sales career. He is a go-getter, gets up early every morning to check his schedule, and arrives at appointments early so
he can get in the right mental frame of mind. Which personal trait does Harvey exhibit?
116. A salesperson’s compensation can be made up of some combination of salary, commission, and __________, which are payments made at a
manager’s discretion when the salesperson achieves certain goals.
117. When Barbara realized she didn’t have all of the technical information she needed to answer the customer’s questions, she made a call to her office.
Who would be most likely to provide appropriate assistance?
118. Since Al’s Auto Parts has had trouble with its windshield wiper manufacturer in the past, it is requesting a guarantee from the company before it
will place another order. Which of the service quality dimensions is being addressed in this scenario?
119. Getting a commitment from the customer to purchase your product is also known as
120. Von told the sales rep he wasn’t buying his product because it cost too much. In terms of the personal selling process this is called a(n)
Essay Questions
121. Your best friend is considering a career in sales. What benefits of a sales career would you explain to your friend?
122. Warren is debating between spending the money needed to hire a sales force and using advertising and promotion to sell his products. What
benefits of hiring a sales force will Warren weigh in his decision?
123. How can sales representatives save time for customers?
124. Garrett is a sales rep for a line of golf equipment. He has been trying to get his sales manager to allow him to rent a booth at the upcoming PGA
(Professional Golfers’ Association) Show held every January in Orlando. Garrett is putting together a list of the benefits of displaying his company’s
products at the show. What benefits should his list include?
125. Tabatha sells office networking systems. She is putting together a sales presentation for a new customer. What advice would you give Tabatha
about making her sales presentation?
126. Alex has trouble closing sales with new customers but not with existing customers. What advice would you give Alex?
127. Arden, a sales manager for a Best Buy electronics store, is putting together a training seminar for his sales force. He wants to use the five
dimensions of service quality to emphasize the importance of follow-up in the selling process. Provide an example of each of the five service quality
dimensions that Arden could use in training his Best Buy sales staff.
128. What kinds of ethical problems can be created by corporate sales policies?
129. Trent is creating a sales force for his new hydrogen-powered vehicles company. What questions will Trent will need to address when creating a
sales force?
130. Why is recruitment such an important part of sales management?
131. You are offered a sales position and given a choice of salary plus a small commission or straight commission. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each?
132. Why are nonfinancial rewards important?
133. What is relationship selling?
134. For a car salesperson, what are good ways of generating leads?
135. Warren has just finished his sales presentation. He knows that half the battle is asking questions. What is the other half?
136. Merl, an architect, made his presentation to the potential customer and handled objections. What does Merl need to do next, and why is this stage
so stressful?
137. After installing a new HVAC system, what should Frank’s Heating & Air Conditioning do, according to the personal selling process?
138. What is the difference between an order getter and an order taker?
139. On weekends, Everett often finds himself thinking about his customers and their problems. Sometimes Everett will figure out a potential solution
and e-mail or call his customer. What personal trait does Everett have that is important to sales success?
140. What basic rule should be used in creating sales evaluation criteria?
141. What is the advantage to the firm of paying salespeople based on straight commission?
142. Sales experts have identified five key personal traits that are often found in successful salespeople. List and define these five traits.
143. At one time, CRM systems were the exclusive domain of wealthy companies. With costs running into hundreds of thousands of dollars, CRM
systems represented a massive investment in both money and the time required to establish them. Each system needed its own servers and support from
vendors to ensure its maintenance and consistent functioning. Explain how a smaller company, unable to invest a massive amount of money, but in need
of a CRM system might solve this issue.
144. Explain the ethical and legal issues that may arise between a salesperson and the customer.
145. Describe the objective and subjective measures that can be used to evaluate a salesperson’s performance. When should each be used?
146. Fred really wanted the sales position and he was qualified, but the hiring manager didn’t think men could sell hair products, so she decided to hire
a less-qualified woman instead. Is this legal?
147. When Deena was hired for the sales position in Austin, she found that the previous rep had laid the foundation for several sales that resulted in half
a million dollars in sales, even though Deena never called on those customers. Noreen had only a $200,000 increase, but she took over a territory that
had not been called on for two years. How would you handle their evaluations and bonuses at the end of the year?
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148. Imagine that you are a sales manager at IBM. What sales training techniques will you use to train your sales force? Explain the benefits of each of
the options presented in the text.
149. A computer salesperson at Staples may spend an hour with a customer educating him or her about the pros and cons of various systems and then
make the sale. The next customer might simply need a specific printer cartridge. A third customer might bring in a computer and seek advice about an
operating system problem. Why might Stapes consider a team selling approach?
150. Describe a company that would be likely to use a company sales force, and a second company that would be likely to use manufacturer’s
representatives. Explain why these companies would make these choices.
Category # of Questions
AACSB: Analytical Thinking 109
AACSB: Communication 2
AACSB: Ethics 12
AACSB: Knowledge Application 29
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation 120
Blooms: Analyze 7
Blooms: Apply 37
Blooms: Remember 63
Blooms: Understand 42
Difficulty: 1 Easy 64
Difficulty: 2 Medium 44
Difficulty: 3 Hard 42
Learning Objective: 20-01 Describe the value added of personal selling. 20
Learning Objective: 20-02 Define the steps in the personal selling process. 72
Learning Objective: 20-03 Describe the key functions involved in managing a sales force. 45
Learning Objective: 20-04 Describe the ethical and legal issues in personal selling. 13
Topic: Compensation 16
Topic: Define Personal Selling 18
Topic: Ethical Issues in Marketing 11
Topic: Functions of Sales Management 35
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Topic: Steps in the Personal Selling Process 70