Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value, 14e (Manning/Ahearne/Reece)
Chapter 16 Opportunity Management: The Key to Greater Sales Productivity
1) Opportunity management consists of all of the following areas EXCEPT:
A) records management
B) territory management
C) time management
D) stress management
E) needs management
2) Salespeople are most likely similar to entrepreneurs in that both of them must practice:
A) long-term financial planning
B) effective recruiting abilities
C) multiplatform operations
D) presentation skills
E) self–management
3) Julio Melara, top seller and motivational speaker, feels that growth and success are facilitated
by having:
A) plenty of luck, and the ability to act on it
B) strong mentors who spend time with you
C) natural talent, and the discipline to maximize it
D) written goals, both personal and professional
E) a strong organization in which to grow
4) According to self-management experts, every moment spent planning saves how many
minutes in execution?
A) one to two
B) two to three
C) three to four
D) four to five
E) five to six
5) Opportunity management consists of managing different areas of sales tasks, so that a
salesperson doesn’t:
A) spend more time on sales activities and not enough time on keeping records of sales activities
B) miss opportunities to identify prospects, make sales, and service customers
C) take customers from territories that are serviced by other salespeople in the company
D) allocate time to building relationships with unqualified prospects that could be spent
elsewhere
E) have an unfair advantage over other salespeople in the company or salespeople for competitor
companies
6) Salespeople need to know what their goals are to be able to manage their time effectively.
7) Time management is a crucial part of opportunity management.
8) A sales territory is a group of customers and potential customers assigned to a team of
salespeople.
9) ________ is a four-dimensional process consisting of time management, territory
management, records management, and stress management.
10) List and describe the four areas of opportunity management.
11) The two major methods for salespeople to increase their sales volume are by improving
selling effectiveness and:
A) spending more time in actual selling situations
B) dispensing with tedious recordkeeping
C) saving time with telephone calls
D) developing a series of personal goals
E) increasing prospecting activities
12) When drawing up a daily “to do” list, a salesperson should most likely:
A) refer to the previous day’s log for unaccomplished activities
B) avoid listing more than five items for one day
C) record more tasks than can be completed
D) list activities in priority order
E) rank items alphabetically
13) One of the best ways to gain more time is to:
A) delegate all recordkeeping activities to subordinates
B) record how time is spent during a typical week
C) reduce time spent on prospecting for new clients
D) reduce time spent with each prospect by half
E) engage frequently in long-term sales strategies
14) 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 e-mail by nearly all customers.
E) The telephone should rarely be used to thank a customer.
15) On average, salespeople spend most of their work time on:
A) sales meetings and conference calls
B) administrative tasks and travel
C) face–to–face selling
D) customer follow-up
E) prospecting
16) One of the simplest ways a salesperson can practice time management skills is to create a:
A) daily “to do” list
B) personal Web site
C) written file card system
D) mentoring relationship with a senior salesperson
E) support group of salespeople to keep each other on track
17) 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
18) Which of the following would most likely help Victoria manage her time effectively?
A) preparing a “to do” list each day and prioritizing tasks
B) creating a monthly sales log to submit to her manager
C) making notes of customers she calls each week
D) contacting customers by e–mail and text
E) maintaining a separate home office telephone
19) Which of the following would answer the phone for Victoria when she is having a
conference with a client?
A) fax machine
B) electronic mail
C) voice mail system
D) audiovisual equipment
E) personal digital assistant
20) Because Po is not meeting with prospects, her time is divided into 2-3 day blocks of
attending trade shows or training resellers. Which of the following is most likely true?
A) Po has a flexible job so maintaining a schedule is unrealistic.
B) Po should rely on floaters to record appointments and deadlines.
C) Po’s situation is too unusual to fit into appointment calendars.
D) Po should return e-mails promptly but return calls every few days.
E) Po should plan to return e-mails and calls within her larger time blocks.
21) Po has a bigger challenge in keeping track of brochures and literature than do other types of
sales representatives. Which of the following would most likely enable Po to organize her selling
tools better?
A) CRM system
B) territorial organization
C) portable filing system
D) computer scanning equipment
E) strategic partnership planning
22) The starting point for effective time management is forming a new attitude toward time
conservation.
23) Keeping a time log is an ineffective method of time management.
24) There is a close relationship between increased sales volume and spending more time in
face–to–face selling situations.
25) A daily “to do” list is a waste of time for the salesperson who has a good memory.
26) The telephone has proven to be a good method of making appointments, keeping customers
informed, and expressing appreciation, but it is an ineffective tool for building customer
goodwill.
27) It is best to begin time conservation by picking one or two of the least wasteful areas and
correcting those problems first.
28) Sound time management techniques can pave the way to greater sales productivity. List and
discuss four time-saving techniques used by time-conscious people in all walks of life.
29) One of the most stressful aspects of Jameson’s life is scheduling his required work travel and
still being present at home for his wife and children, who have expressed that they hate not
knowing for sure when he will be home. Which of the following would most likely enable
Jameson to balance home and career better?
A) working part of the week from a home office
B) relying on the inside sales team to develop prospects
C) sending form letters to customers and prospects
D) segmenting his territory into two smaller sections
E) seeking a mentor on the sales team
30) An unfortunate by-product of working from home is that Victoria’s work can blend into her
personal space and time. In order to minimize stress, she should most likely:
A) maintain a sales call report to ensure long–term job satisfaction
B) ignore minor and major problems to avoid being overwhelmed
C) hold a realistic outlook about task management duties
D) consider working fewer hours or accept a demotion
E) establish strict working hours in a home office
31) Which of the following is a guiding principle used in establishing a sales routing and
scheduling plan?
A) Develop a routing plan that gives equal attention to each customer.
B) If your territory is quite large, consider organizing it into two smaller zones.
C) Develop a schedule that best accommodates your personal and professional needs.
D) Avoid scheduling tentative calls, which may be distracting and costly.
E) Ask for assistance from other salespeople if you cannot complete your route.
32) Sales territories should, in most cases, be established on the basis of:
A) seniority of salespeople
B) prospects for new accounts
C) mature product lines
D) number of customers
E) sales potential
33) The primary objective of a sales routing and scheduling plan is to:
A) increase actual selling time by reducing travel time
B) have a written record of where you have been and where you are going
C) determine the geographical distribution of customers
D) initiate new contacts with potential customers
E) visualize your territory on a map
34) The sales manager most likely uses information from the routing and scheduling plan to
develop a:
A) to-do list
B) weekly sales report
C) sales call plan
D) customer contact card
E) call record
35) Which of the following is true of doing business in Belgium?
A) Speaking Dutch will help you in the Flanders area.
B) Speaking French will help you north of Brussels.
C) One selling strategy will work for the entire country.
D) Dutch is spoken in the Wallonia area in the south of the country.
E) Belgians prefer to communicate in business English.
36) Which of the following guidelines regarding territory management is most suitable?
A) Develop a routing plan that is based primarily on visiting new accounts.
B) Develop a routing plan that is based solely on potential sales volume.
C) Develop a routing plan that is based solely on geographical considerations.
D) Develop a routing plan that is based on a combination of potential sales volume and
geographical considerations.
E) Visit only your best customers and ignore those with low potential sales.
37) Many salespeople schedule routing by using the 80/20 rule, meaning:
A) 80 percent of their time on calls from the office and 20 percent on face-to–face calls
B) 80 percent of their time on face-to–face calls and 20 percent on calls from the office
C) 80 percent of their time on larger accounts and 20 percent on less profitable accounts
D) 80 percent of their time on calls and 20 percent on prospecting
E) 80 percent of their time on sales activities and 20 percent on paperwork
38) Victoria needs to organize her territory. Which categories would make the most sense for
Victoria to use to organize her territory to schedule her calls most efficiently?
A) zip code and type of organization
B) time zone and size of organization
C) time zone and zip code
D) zip code and contact’s position in the organization
E) area code and contact’s position in the organization
39) Jameson’s territory stretches over eight states and two time zones. What is the first step
Jameson should take to manage his sales territory?
A) develop a routing plan
B) classify his customers
C) create a scheduling plan
D) identify potential prospects
E) create a sales call plan for management