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Chapter 07 Planning the Sales Call Answer Key
True / False Questions
1.
Planning a sales call helps salespeople avoid wasting a prospect's time.
2.
The more information a salesperson has about a prospect, the higher the probability of
meeting the prospect's needs and developing a long-term relationship.
3.
Collecting information about a prospect before making a call is a waste of the
salesperson's time as this does not help him or her make a sale.
4.
It is important to learn and maintain current knowledge about both the prospect as an
individual and his or her firm.
5.
An influential adversary is a competing salesperson from another company.
6.
Analysis paralysis refers to a situation where a salesperson cannot extract data about a
prospect from the prospect's company's records because of the defective customer record
system.
7.
As part of the process of gathering precall information, salespeople must understand the
policies and procedures followed by a prospect's firm.
8.
The Marine Corps' 70 percent solution lays down that one must act as soon as they have
70 percent of the required information.
9.
A buying center consists of all the people in the selling organization who participate in a
selling opportunity.
10.
The first place to look for information on the Internet about a prospect company would be
the prospect company's Web page.
11.
When setting sales call objectives, salespeople should discover what customers value and
then find ways to improve customer value relative to their own products or services.
12.
One of the best sources of precall information is a prospect's own salespeople because
they empathize with the salesperson's situation.
13.
Call objectives should be developed while taking into account the firm's goals, the sales
team's goals, and the salesperson's goals.
14.
The statement "spend quality time with prospects and customers" is a measurable call
objective.
15.
The first step in setting objectives for a sales call is to review what has been learned from
the organization's mission statement.
16.
A simple way to help ensure that call objectives are measurable is to set objectives that
require a buyer's response.
17.
To be effective, a call objective must be generic and non-measurable.
18.
All sales objectives should be either specific or measurable.
19.
It is recommended that salespeople avoid including suggested order quantities or dates
for closure of a deal in their specific objectives.
20.
For a sales call objective to be effective, it needs to be easy rather than specific.
21.
The statement "sell a minimum of 10 boxes of a product to the customer" is a specific
sales objective.
22.
"Get better acquainted with the prospect" is a measurable sales objective.
23.
Ben, a salesman, would like to sell his prospect three dozen handheld mixers. However, he
would be willing to settle for selling just six of them—that would be his minimum sales call
objective.
24.
Multiple sales objectives reduce salespeople's fear of failure.
25.
It is possible to have more than one primary call objective for a single call.
26.
It is important for salespeople to consider the company's overall promotional campaign
when developing multiple call objectives for a prospect.
27.
A customer value proposition is a written statement that lists the call objectives for a
salesperson.
28.
After gathering precall information and setting objectives, a salesperson's next step in
planning the sales call is generally to make an appointment.
29.
Videoconferencing or Webcasting has lost its popularity as a result of downsizing.
30.
Seeding is the process of finding the key decision maker within a buying center.
Multiple Choice Questions
31.
As a result of failing to plan her sales call, Glenda is likely to do all of the following
EXCEPT:
32.
Which of the following statements about obtaining precall information is FALSE?
33.
Which of the following statements would be of value to insurance salespeople collecting
information about prospects?
34.
In which of the following types of buying situations is it usually unnecessary for a
salesperson to educate a prospect about the common features of a product?
35.
Jason and his son Ryan supply laptop accessories to customers in their neighborhood.
They have been approached by a salesperson for a laptop manufacturing firm that wants
to sell them laptop products and accessories at a huge discount. Unfortunately, the owner
of the laptop manufacturing firm had once refused to work with Ryan because he was
inexperienced. While Jason may want to buy the products, his son will act as a(n) _____ in
this situation.
36.
A farm machinery salesperson has spent the last three weeks gathering information about
a prospective customer. He has researched the customer's existing machinery and buying
potential. However, he delays the actual meeting with the customer because he feels that
he requires a couple of weeks more to gather enough information to make the sales call.
In this scenario, the salesperson is experiencing a(n):
37.
Kenneth is a new salesperson in a firm. He collects all relevant data about his prospects,
including their needs, buying behavior, and ability to buy. He thinks too much about these
data points and never calls his prospects because he is never sure whether he has enough
information to initiate a sales call. Kenneth is most likely experiencing the phenomenon
known as:
38.
Brandi, a sales trainee, watched as her sales supervisor chatted with a prospect's
secretary in a very friendly manner. Brandi felt that such behavior was inappropriate in a
business situation and she did not understand why her supervisor was asking the
secretary about what sports the prospect follows closely. Brandi is unable to understand
her supervisor's actions. Which of the following statements would help her understand the
functional value of such interactions in a sales situation?
39.
If a salesperson does not know the basics about a prospect's company, then the:
40.
The most important step for a salesperson in planning a sales call is to:
41.
Which of the following statements about sales call objectives is FALSE?
42.
As the first step in setting sales call objectives, a salesperson should:
43.
Which of the following statements about sales call objectives is true?
44.
Effective call objectives must be:
45.
Gary, a new salesperson for a reputed cellphone manufacturer, meets the owner of a
transport company that employs 50,000 people as cab drivers. On his first meeting, he
plans to sell mobile phones to all the 50,000 cab drivers because he believes his firm's
mobile phones are the best in the market. Which of the following is a drawback of this
primary call objective?
46.
Jonah, a salesperson, hears of a lead and decides to pursue it. He determines getting
acquainted with the client to be his call objective for the first sales call. As he reviews his
notes after the sales call, he realizes that he does not have much information about the
needs and the business potential of the lead despite having met most members of the
buying center. Which of the following drawbacks of his call objective is most likely to
explain this shortage of information faced by Jonah?
47.
Which of the following is a realistic sales call objective for a first call regarding a product
that would require a large capital investment?
48.
Tom, an experienced salesperson for road construction equipment, has been hired as the
sales representative for Caterpillar Tractor Corporation in the state of Ohio. Tom is aware
that his company makes products of high quality but is fairly new in the market. Which of
the following objectives for Tom's first sales call on Faulkner Paving, a key prospect,
meets the criteria of being realistic?
49.
Which of the following best exemplifies a measurable sales call objective?
50.
As a salesperson, a simple way to ensure that the sales call objectives determined are
measurable is to:
51.
Ivan's actual goal from his sales call is to get 10 people to buy his firm's insurance policies.
Ivan hopes to get more than 25 people to buy his insurance policies, get their relatives and
friends to buy the policies too, and develop a long-term relationship with these customers.
This long-term relationship that Ivan hopes to build in the future is an example of his:
52.
While setting objectives for a sales call, the actual goal a salesperson hopes to achieve is
known as:
53.
Veronica's goal for her upcoming sales call is to sell 70 chairs to an IT company. She
would be willing to sanction an order for 30 chairs if the owner of the company is ready to
make a small investment. She is also hoping to convince the manager of the IT company
for 200 chairs and to sell them at a 15 percent discount. For Veronica, the sale of 70 chairs
is her _____.
54.
Victor is calling on Meridian Cabinetworks. His goal is to close a deal for a customized
profile sander valued at about $3,500. He'd be willing to accept if Meridian purchases one
of his firm's ready-made sanders, which costs about $2,000. Victor wants to convince the
owner of Meridian to use the sander and to provide his company with a testimonial that
would help him approach other local wood workers. For Victor, the sale of the less
expensive ready-made profile sander is his _____.
55.
Norah's goal for her upcoming sales call is to sell 10 cases of anchovies to Darby's Diner,
though she would be willing to accept an order for just five cases, too. Additionally, she is
planning to approach the owner to enter into an agreement to purchase anchovies only
from her supplier. For Norah, setting up a straight rebuy situation with Darby's Diner is her
_____ in this scenario.
56.
Jeff is an experienced salesperson in a firm that manufactures agricultural equipment. His
goal is to sell five tractors to farmers in a particular village. He is willing to accept orders
for two tractors if the farmers are first willing to make a small payment of 10 percent on
the cost of the tractor. Jeff would ideally like to sell more than 15 tractors and develop a
long-term relationship with these customers. Nevertheless, he accepts the order for two
tractors. This sales call objective, where Jeff is willing to adjust his actual goal, is most
likely an example of his _____ call objective.
57.
Andrew, who works for TeaTree, is going for his first sales call to Dynamo Motors.
TeaTree leads the market in the vending machine industry for beverages. Andrew hopes to
meet the members of the buying center first so he can estimate the demand for beverages
and engage them in a presentation regarding his products. Additionally, he would like to
get permission to give a demonstration at the MNC so its employees can taste TeaTree's
beverages and provide their feedback. Obtaining the permission to provide a
demonstration of his vending machine is a(n) _____ for Andrew's sales call.
58.
A salesperson who routinely accomplishes his or her _____ objectives most likely sets his
or her objectives too low.
