Generally, negotiators cannot anticipate buyers’ negotiating position.
For field sales managers, the easiest method of evaluating performance is to determine
the salesperson’s product knowledge.
It is important to qualify the lead quickly in a cold call.
A reseller does not necessarily want to increase inventory turnover by reducing the
amount of inventory carried.
In general, salespeople should begin customer interactions at the public zone.
Appointments dignify salespeople and help get the sales process off to a good start.
In win-win not yet negotiating, the buying team achieves its goals while the selling
team doesn’t.
For people categorized as “amiables” in the social style matrix, loyalty toward suppliers
is based on personal relationships.
The multiattribute model is usually not used in complex decisions involving several
vendors.
The most important step in planning a sales call is to set objectives for the call.
Assuming proper expectations were set, customers can be disappointed when the
product performs poorly, is used improperly, or the terms of the contract are not met.
Global sourcing is a key factor in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.
Mirroring is the act of practicing one’s own nonverbal signals in front of a mirror.
Shared goals help sustain the partnership when the expected benefit flows are not
realized.
Because salespeople’s activities in the field cannot be closely monitored, their
employers trust them to act in the company’s best interests.
After making a sale, the salesperson should avoid a follow up, as the customer might
get annoyed.
Internal partnerships should be dedicated to satisfying customers’ needs.
A sales quota is the minimum sales revenue necessary for acceptable performance.
All sales objectives should be either specific or measurable.
Direct denial should be used by salespeople when a prospect’s objections are based on
inaccurate information about the seller’s firm.
The most common type of discount is the quantity discount.
Satisfied customers, particularly those who are truly partners with a seller, are the most
effective sources for leads.
Although likability is not as important as other dimensions, salespeople should still
attempt to find a common ground or interest with all buyers.
Customer value proposition outlines the value of a particular customer to the selling
firm.
Both marketing and sales are concerned with providing the right product to the
customer in the most efficient and effective manner.
Joshua represents a large drug manufacturer and calls on physicians to explain the
benefits to them of prescribing his firm’s products for their patients. Joshua is a
missionary salesperson.
A customer recognizes a sales representative giving a customized presentation as a
professional who is helping solve problems, not just selling products.
Because most salespeople ask closing questions, the final close is a natural part of the
ongoing dialogue.
Sales to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers are based on direct
demand rather than derived demand.
Commitment requires that all employees be empowered to handle the needs of a
customer.
Many sales jobs do not involve building long-term partnerships.
Sales can take place even without the buyers’ commitment.
Activities such as prospecting for new customers, making sales presentations,
demonstrating products, negotiating price and delivery terms, writing orders, and
increasing sales to existing customers are only part of a sales job.
Tying agreements stipulate that a seller is only allowed to sell products to a single
buyer.
A noncompete clause prevents employees from leaving the company until a specified
amount of time has passed.
Open and honest communication is a key building block for developing successful
relationships.
An RFP typically does not communicate details about budget.
To truly have effective impact on their organization, salespeople need to be skillful at
disseminating the knowledge they have acquired from customers to other people in
their companies.
A salesperson can maximize the impact of his or her presentation by:
A. providing a lot of numerical data for a client to process and understand.
B. using tables instead of graphs, charts, and pie diagrams.
C. using current and accurate information.
D. designing the slides using a standard red and white template for all clients.
E. using a lot of transition effects, clip art, and sound clips.
A floral supplies salesperson walked into the office of Gregg Katz, owner of
KCFlorist.com and said, “Congratulations on being voted Floral Management’s 2008
marketer of the year. Your Internet sales must be doing great if your industry recognizes
you as its best retailer.” The salesperson was using the _____ opening in this scenario.
A. introduction
B. curiosity
C. product
D. compliment
E. referral
A hospital is considering changing its supplier of replacement joints. While surgeons
make the final decision, the hospital’s purchasing department is promoting Kyocera
because it manufactures one of the cheapest and most durable hip joints on the market.
In terms of the buying center, the purchasing department is a(n):
A. decider.
B. influencer.
C. judge.
D. user.
E. demand deriver.
What is wrong with the following statement: “The prime selling time, anywhere in the
world, is between 9 A.M. and 4 P.M.?”
A disadvantage of salespeople categorized as “drivers” according to the social style
matrix is that customers perceive them as being:
A. pushy and dominating.
B. friendly and unstable.
C. cold and calculating.
D. undisciplined and inflexible.
E. irrational and passive.
Jessica has been answering questions from the buyer throughout her sales presentation
and received positive signals from her prospect. When she gets to the final close,
Jessica should:
A. push harder to get the commitment.
B. expect the final close to be a natural part of the ongoing dialogue.
C. offer to restate all the benefits so that the prospect can take the issue into
consideration.
D. anticipate further objections and answer them in advance.
E. do or expect none of the above.
Which of the following methods of handling an objection is NOT appropriate to deal
with a valid opinion or objection expressed by a prospect?
A. Direct denial
B. Compensation
C. Revisit
D. Acknowledge
E. Referral
Alcium Aluminum has one sales force for handling tubing and extruded products,
another for handling cans and rolled products. This best exemplifies a sales force that is
organized on the basis of _____.
A. activity quota
B. sales quota
C. customer types
D. geographic location
E. product specialization
Carla’s responsibilities include dealing with customers, vendors, and finance. Carla is a:
A. strategic sales rep.
B. boundary-spanning employee.
C. customer relationship manager.
D. solo exchange monitor.
E. behavioral loyalty specialist.
When P.C. Logic, a fax machine manufacturer, purchases ceramic printing heads from
Kyocera to install in its fax machines, it is acting as a(n):
A. reseller.
B. original equipment manufacturer.
C. “out” supplier.
D. end user.
E. acquisition expert.
(p.323-324) The best situation, from a negotiation standpoint, would be for both teams
to have members who generally:
A. use a collaborating mode to resolve conflicts.
B. are high in cooperation and low in assertion.
C. are low in both cooperation and assertion.
D. use an accommodation mode to resolve conflicts.
E. use a compromising mode to resolve conflicts.
At times a buyer voices opinion or concern more to vent frustration than anything else.
When this occurs, the best strategy to use would be the _____ method.
A. direct denial
B. acknowledge
C. postpone
D. referral
E. compensation
Which of the following is a major disadvantage associated with a combination
compensation plan?
A. Its inability to be used as a motivation tool
B. Its complexity
C. Its inability to include a draw
D. Its lack of flexibility in the context of motivating salespeople
E. Its lack of flexibility in the context of controlling the activities of salespeople
The two critical dimensions used to understand social behavior under the social style
matrix are:
A. assertiveness and responsiveness.
B. passiveness and aggressiveness.
C. positive and negative.
D. aural and verbal.
E. domestic and international.
Baxter Healthcare is a leading supplier of hospital products. It has entered into a
strategic partnership with many of the hospitals it serves. Baxter supplies them with
one-day delivery service of quality products and inventory management assistance. In
return, the hospitals give Baxter all of their business. The foundation of their
relationships is trust, which is based on:
A. Baxter’s perceived dependability.
B. Baxter’s ability to supply quality products on a one-day notice.
C. the concern of both parties for each other’s needs.
D. Baxter’s inventory management expertise.
E. all of the above.
Even though Vincent has an analytical orientation, he is able to modify his sales
presentations to accommodate the styles of his customers. This means that Vincent has
a high degree of:
A. expressiveness.
B. rigidity.
C. versatility.
D. assertiveness.
E. maneuverability.
When Grant visited his supplier’s Web site, he entered a code provided to him and went
to a customized site listing his recent purchases, sale items, and complementary
products he might need. Grant was most likely visiting a(n) _____.
A. spam filter
B. extranet
C. blog
D. sponsor
E. intranet site
Salespeople are often told to “work smarter, not harder.” What does this expression
mean?
A. Get more sales relative to the number of calls you make.
B. Lower your activity goals and live with the results; life’s too short to let work make
you miserable.
C. Don’t set your performance goals so high that they cause stress.
D. If you charge more to your expense account, it’s like getting a tax-free raise.
E. Spend less time on nonselling activities like travel and paperwork.
The _____, which determines the amount a salesperson is paid, is expressed as a
percentage of the commission base.
A. activity quota
B. straight salary
C. bonus point
D. straight commission
E. commission rate
Proposals that a buyer receives as a result of issuing an RFP should include:
A. a positioning map.
B. a postscript.
C. an index.
D. an executive summary.
E. all of the above.
The Frito-Lay salesperson who drives a truck to a store, checks the store’s stock of
Frito-Lay products, determines what the store needs, and gets the manager’s permission
to place that stock in the store is a _____ salesperson.
A. production
B. inside
C. missionary
D. manufacturer’s industry service representative
E. field
Ever since Alain was chosen as the sales rep to deal with Premier Meat Packers, he has
had trouble with its purchasing agent who seems to resent the fact that Alain was born
in France and speaks with a French accent. Alain lost a sale because the Premier agent
contended that he couldn’t understand Alain’s accent. The agent thought Alain had
promised delivery in two weeks, and the agent needed the order filled in two days. Due
to problems like this and other condescending remarks made by the agent, a _____ is
the best option for Alain’s company.
A. pressure transfer
B. conversion
C. turnover
D. clean sweep
E. territory waiver
With the _____ method of responding to objections, the salesperson turns the objection
into a reason for buying the product or service.
A. submissive
B. bounceback
C. revisit
D. postpone
E. backfire
When responding to a buyer’s objection, a salesperson should:
A. listen as though he or she has never heard that objection before.
B. hand the buyer a testimonial or other visual aid refuting that point as soon as he or
she recognizes the objection.
C. interrupt the buyer’s objection with an answer as soon as the objection is apparent.
D. raise his or her hand and stop the buyer’s objection as soon as it is recognized.
E. do none of the above.
Salespeople who spend most of their time selling their company’s products in the
customer’s place of business are:
A. missionary salespeople.
B. inside salespeople.
C. obsolete in the partnering era.
D. field salespeople.
E. none of these.
Which of the following is a primary role of salespeople in an organization?
A. Drafting an expense budget
B. Determining the mission statement of the company
C. Correctly designing administrative organizational structure
D. Initiating succession planning in an organization
E. Carrying the customer’s voice across the organization
TECAmerica, Inc. sells electronic scales used for weighing meats and vegetables. A
salesperson for TECAmerica is calling on the headquarters of Kroger supermarkets. He
has set his sales call objectives to meet the members of the buying center, to have his
product brochures sent to the appropriate geographic division managers of Kroger, and
to be allowed to demonstrate the superiority of his company’s scales. If he truly expects
to achieve his objective of meeting the members of the buying center, then the others
would be classified as _____ call objectives.
A. ideological
B. primary
C. visionary
D. secondary
E. minimum
Which of the following statements best describes someone engaged in personal selling?
A. The governor directs the state’s legislature to enact a law that provides more legal
protection to abused children.
B. Jackson’s parents loan him $1,000 to repair his car.
C. A mother assigns a chore to her child.
D. Vivian attends an interview for a job she really wants.
E. Your professor gives you a choice of essay or multiple choice questions.
Which of the following is the most important characteristic of successful sales
representatives?
A. Opening each sales call with a product demonstration
B. Handling positive reviews from customers
C. Being able to discover client needs
D. Using closing techniques effectively
E. Handling objections
Selling a new and different good, service, or idea is called:
A. ambush marketing.
B. pioneer selling.
C. advocacy marketing.
D. original selling.
E. guerrilla marketing.
The manufacturer of Fancy Feast cat food has purchased “can sheets” for making its
cans from Altum Aluminum for years, but it has recently decided to become more
environmentally friendly. In doing so, it plans to talk to Reynolds Aluminum about its
recycling project. In this instance, the purchase of can sheets from Reynolds would be
an example of a _____ situation.
A. new-task
B. straight-rebuy
C. direct demand
D. value-added
E. modified rebuy
_____ are more important in situations where the sales cycle is long and sales are few
because what a salesperson does can be observed more frequently than sales.
A. Activity quotas
B. Revenue quotas
C. Gross margin quotas
D. Sales commission rate
E. Sales quotas
To promote its products, Valerie’s firm has always depended solely on advertising in the
local newspaper and occasional direct mail programs. Valerie suggests using integrated
marketing communications because:
A. no single communication vehicle is free of weaknesses.
B. it would reduce their advertising costs.
C. a sustainable competitive advantage can only be derived from alternative advertising.
D. it will lengthen their channels of distribution.
E. it will serve as a competitive intelligence tool.
Ed works as a salesperson in a garment manufacturing company. Which of the
following departments in Ed’s company is most directly responsible for seeing that the
orders he gets from customers are properly entered into the company’s computer, and
that he gets his commission for the orders?
A. Marketing
B. Manufacturing
C. Administration
D. Shipping
E. Customers service
In her role as change agent, a salesperson who wants to convince a long-term partner to
adopt a more environmentally-sound practice for disposing of its production wastes
needs to develop a time-based strategy. Describe the timeline that she should use if she
hopes to implement her visionary objective.
A source for leads is purchasing lists containing individuals’ mailing addresses and
phone numbers. You can even buy a list as specific as Catholic postal employees
between the ages of 25 and 40. Even though lists are easy to obtain and use, many
salespeople avoid using them. Why?
How can advertising and direct mail assist in sales prospecting? Provide an example.
What is the benefit of repeating information to customers during a sales interaction?
What are the drawbacks (if any) of this technique?
How can customer relationship management (CRM) software help salespeople develop
strategies to allocate resources?
What two things should you look for in a job posting?
Discuss the best time for a salesperson to call on a prospect.
The best way to begin a relationship is for each party to be aware of what the other
expects. What do customers typically base their expectations on?
What is the difference between a bonus and a commission?
List and define the two dimensions of the social style matrix.
What is the term used for people who can influence a purchase decision and are
opposed to the seller’s company?
Why do salespeople need to ask both open and closed questions during a sales
presentation?
Who are boundary-spanning employees?
Is there a right time to obtain commitment? How do customers let salespeople know
they are ready to buy?
Henry attended a course in which he was trained to apply the social style matrix in
order to help him make better sales presentations. When he got home from the two-hour
course, he tried to apply the techniques he had learned to determine his customers’
social styles. How successful do you think he would be? Why?
Give three reasons why salespeople need to become proficient in obtaining
commitment.
Discuss the economic and quality criteria that may influence buying decisions.