There are several different types of presentations, and the salesperson should choose the
one most likely to influence the prospect.
The first stage in the typical buying process is evaluation of solutions.
Salespeople have assumed an important and expanding role in differentiating products.
Advertising directed toward a mass market is usually a good way to position a complex
product.
The presentation strategy should be developed before the relationship, product, and
customer strategy in order to have an effective plan.
There are three types of organizational buying situations: new-task buy, straight rebuy,
and modified rebuy.
Sociability reflects the amount of control we exert over our emotional expressiveness.
Which of the following questions is LEAST relevant when developing a job description
for a sales position?
A) Will the person be developing a new sales territory?
B) Is the product well established in the marketplace?
C) What is the average rate of employee turnover?
D) Will the salesperson work independently?
E) What amount of travel will be required?
Clyde, the owner of Quick-Clean, a laundromat, notices that the laundromat across the
street, E-Z Clean, offers free pick-up and delivery of laundry from Monday to Friday,
9-5. Clyde has observed that many Quick-Clean customers seem frazzled and
overburdened both when they drop clothing off before work in the morning and when
they pick up their clean laundry after work.
Clyde realizes that to improve sales he needs to fully understand the services and value
offered by E-Z Clean and other laundromats in the area. Which of the following would
be the LEAST useful resource for Clyde?
A) competitors’ Websites
B) competitors’ press releases
C) appliance brands used by the competition
D) marketing materials used by the competition
E) pricing and service structures of the competition
Nordic Fox Heavy Equipment imports heavy machinery used in regions of Europe and
North America where heavy snowfall is an issue. This machinery is used by
municipalities to clear roads during snowstorms. John Alexander is the senior regional
sales manager for New England.
John goes into a meeting with the sanitation director of a large city that got slammed by
a snowstorm a month previously. During the cleanup, operators of the city’s plows
destroyed a significant amount of city and personal property, which triggered public
inquiry into the competence of the sanitation staff and director.
How is servicing the sale going to be the major way for John Alexander to create value?
A) Post-sale service from John and other Nordic Fox employees will make sure the
sanitation employees can operate the machinery well, which will solve the sanitation
director’s problem.
B) By keeping in touch with the sanitation director after the sale, John may lower
development costs.
C) John will personally train the employees on operating the machinery to ensure that
safety is a priority.
D) By providing excellent post-sale service, John can charge more for the equipment,
which increases profits for Arctic Fox.
E) The more service John provides to the sanitation director, the less likely that
reminder presentations will be necessary.
Raj, a sales representative for a software firm, Orion, is giving a sales presentation to
Marion, a buyer for a large manufacturing firm, Global-Tech. A sales agreement
between the two firms would establish a partnering relationship and a strategic alliance.
Which of the following questions is most important to Marion as she makes a buying
decision?
A) Is Raj a well-qualified sales representative?
B) Can Raj be trusted to offer viable solutions?
C) Will Raj’s product be delivered in a timely manner?
D) What competencies can Orion provide to Global-Tech?
E) Are the values and principles of Orion and Global-Tech similar?
Salespeople with families can most likely balance work and family obligations by:
A) traveling on the same days every month
B) working for firms that sell services instead of products
C) working for an organization that offers maternity leave
D) delaying marriage and children until establishing a career
E) maintaining a home office and communicating with clients remotely
The CEO of SwiftLink spends one week each month going to sales appointments with
various salespeople in the company. In addition to assisting the salespeople with
presentations, a likely reason the CEO goes on sales calls is to:
A) gather information on customer needs and preferences
B) deduct mileage on his vehicle as a way to offset taxes
C) undercut the salespeople in underperforming divisions of SwiftLink
D) ensure that the salespeople do not give volume discount pricing
E) trade information to customers in exchange for information on competitors
The “invisible” customer who receives a salesperson’s written proposal should most
likely be considered a(n):
A) ideal customer
B) current customer
C) neutral party
D) competing salesperson
E) decision maker
The evolution of strategic selling can most likely be traced to:
A) a need to use fewer salespeople to sell more products
B) the growing demand for less expensive products
C) the need for salespeople to master sales force automation practices
D) new sources of raw materials
E) several trends that resulted in a more complex selling environment
PowerPoint enables salespeople to provide customers with:
A) product brochures
B) interactive demonstrations
C) numerous product samples
D) professional-looking presentations
E) valid and reliable research summaries
Reciprocity, as a corporate policy, is:
A) always a breach of ethics
B) illegal in the U.S., but not in other countries
C) only a worry if the heads of the companies know each other personally
D) easier to navigate if the companies are in different industries
E) occasionally a form of corporate blackmail
In the partnering-style seller/buyer relationship, what is the foundation for creating
value?
A) emotional intelligence
B) communication skills
C) customer-oriented strategies
D) organizational policies
E) ethical decision making
If you view your employer’s instructions or influence as improper, then you should most
likely:
A) report your company to your industry’s governing body
B) do what everyone else is doing
C) compromise your values in order to keep your job
D) voice opposition to the practice if it is in conflict with your value system
E) follow the lead of your colleagues
The Ferrante Company sells custom music mixes to retail stores for the purpose of
creating a specific mood and increasing sales. Ferrante’s major innovation is the ability
to correlate sales activity, customer movement, and customer behavior to the songs
playing in the background.
Jeff Baliyut, a sales representative with Ferrante, is meeting with the merchandising
director of a major retail chain that sells kitchen accessories and specialty foods.
Which of the following is a need-satisfaction question Jeff can ask the merchandising
manager?
A) If I understand you, knowing only the song playing when the customer reaches the
register doesn’t take into account patterns of shopping, purchasing triggers, or waits in a
checkout line?
B) Do you have point-of-purchase software that allows you to track time and amount of
purchase?
C) How does your current music provider track the correlation between songs and
purchases?
D) Would it help you to be able to track songs as customers browse and shop, as well as
tracking mixes that lead to the actual purchase, to be able to mix songs for better sales?
E) Does knowing the song playing at the moment the customer gets to the register give
you the information you really need to create an effective mix?
An indication, either verbal or nonverbal, that the prospect is preparing to make a
buying decision is called a(n):
A) assumptive close
B) trial close
C) approach
D) direct close
E) closing clue
Achieving a marketplace advantage by teaming up with another company whose
products or services fit well with your own is referred to as a:
A) marketing strategy
B) customer strategy alliance
C) sales strategy
D) strategic selling alliance
E) successive sales alliance
Account managers from Dentsply International help add value for their dentist
customers by:
A) giving them cheaper prices for larger orders
B) selling more products than the competition
C) helping them solve a workplace safety issue for hygienists
D) providing various payment options
E) expediting shipments during busier months
In recent years, the “fax attack” model of car shopping has become popular. In a “fax
attack,” a customer sends a fax to every car dealership within a certain radius listing the
make and features of the car they would like, along with the price they are willing to
pay, and asks dealerships that will match that price to contact the customer. In essence,
the customers set both the features and the price for the car. McCall Automotive has
experienced a sharp increase in the number of fax attacks, and Phil, the sales manager,
is seeking methods for addressing the situation. Phil is also concerned about the
dealership€s positioning strategies and market share.
Phil has observed that today€s car buyers are more knowledgeable than car buyers in
the past, primarily due to the Internet. Such car buyers gather information on all aspects
of a car, from the manufacturing process to service contracts, and they respond best to a
value-added selling strategy. What adviceshould Phil most likely give to his sales team
when they are faced with such knowledgeable buyers?
A) Drop the price significantly under the list price.
B) Create rapport with the buyer to build instant customer loyalty.
C) Tailor the product to the buyer’s needs and provide superior service.
D) Augment the product by adding extra features for only a minimal fee.
E) Appeal to the buyer’s sense of style and luxury through differentiation.
Which of the following is a true statement regarding the appropriate use of the
telephone in selling?
A) The telephone is an ineffective and time-consuming way to keep the customer
informed.
B) The telephone provides instant communication at a lower cost than other methods.
C) The telephone is beneficial for building customer goodwill after a sale.
D) The telephone is preferred over email by nearly all customers.
E) The telephone should rarely be used to thank a customer.
A(n) ________ works for the manufacturer. This salesperson must have detailed and
precise technical knowledge.
Within most cultures are groups whose members share value systems based on common
life experiences and situations. We call such a group a(n) ________.
A(n) ________ is a portable case or loose-leaf binder containing a wide variety of
sales-supporting materials.
A(n) ________ is a weekly action plan that is used to record planned and completed
sales calls.
The term ________ can be defined as a mutual exchange of benefits, as when a firm
buys products from its own customers.
One way to empathize with the client’s objection and turn objections into sales is to use
the “feel-felt- ________” strategy.
The ________ method of negotiating an objection is popular with customers because
they can get fully acquainted with the product without making a major commitment.
Convention center sales managers, investment securities brokers, and real estate
salespeople all have one thing in common€they sell a(n) ________.