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Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value, 14e (Manning/Ahearne/Reece)
Chapter 8 The Buying Process and Buyer Behavior
1) According to the text, Ashley Pineda of the PulteGroup needs to do which of the following
before meeting with customers?
A) Rehearse her sales presentation until she has it memorized.
B) Conduct research to determine each customer's specific needs.
C) Contact the home office to confirm the customer's address.
D) Meet with her sales manager about her flagging sales.
E) Implement a systems selling strategy director.
2) The concept "Treat different customers differently" is based on the idea that:
A) segmenting customers based on statistics and behavioral data leads to a higher rate of closing
sales
B) understanding a customer's needs and motivations as an individual allows you to sell them the
correct solution
C) creating a persuasive sales presentation requires understanding customer motivations
D) customer strategy is a natural outgrowth of product strategy
E) pipeline management requires understanding statistics and data of large and small groups of
customers
3) Part of the customer strategy is understanding how a given customer plans to make a
purchase, because:
A) how the customer plans to buy tells us why the customer wants to buy
B) the salesperson also needs to have a strong prospect pipeline and new account base
C) the salesperson won't know what product to sell the customer without knowing the customer's
buying process
D) the selling process should be aligned with the buying process to make the sale go smoothly
E) the buying process is something the salesperson should decide, not the customer
4) Terrence needs to rework his customer strategy to focus on:
A) why customers buy
B) how customers buy
C) building a strong customer base
D) collecting customer information
E) increasing product knowledge
5) The three prescriptions for developing a customer strategy focus on (1) the customer's buying
process, (2) why customers buy, and (3) negotiating the transaction.
6) Customers have so much power in the buying process now because they have instant
information from the Internet, immense choice, and real-time price comparisons.
7) A(n) ________ is a carefully conceived plan that will result in maximum customer
responsiveness.
8) The three major types of organizational buying situations are:
A) new task buy, rebuy, and limited task buy
B) new task buy, straight rebuy, and modified rebuy
C) habitual buying decisions, variety-seeking buying decisions, and complex buying decisions
D) transactional buy, consultative buy, and strategic alliance buy
E) transactional buy, product buy, strategy buy
9) Which type of selling appeals to buyers who prefer to purchase a packaged solution to a
problem from a single seller, thus avoiding all the separate decisions involved in a complex
buying situation?
A) modified selling
B) bundled-option selling
C) straight selling
D) transactional selling
E) systems selling
10) Which type of consumer buying situation requires very little consumer involvement and
brand differences are usually insignificant?
A) habitual buying decision
B) straight rebuy decision
C) complex buying decision
D) modified rebuy decision
E) partner buying decision
11) Which is most likely true regarding the differences between consumer and organizational
buyers?
A) Consumer buyers focus on complex, technical specifications, while organizational buyers
focus on brand reputation.
B) Consumers purchase for household consumption, while organizational buyers purchase for
personal consumption.
C) Consumer decisions are usually made by individuals, while organizational decisions are
frequently made by several people.
D) Consumer purchases are based primarily on rational criteria, while organizational purchases
are based primarily on emotional responses to products or promotions.
E) Consumers mostly engage in a lengthy decision process, while organizational buyers make
quick decisions.
12) Which term refers to a cross-functional team of decision makers who often represent several
departments in a company?
A) value chain
B) task force
C) reference group
D) buying center
E) virtual group
13) A consumer who purchases the RealPlan product for the first time would most likely be
engaging in a ________ buying decision.
A) straight rebuy
B) variety-seeking
C) modified rebuy
D) habitual
E) complex
14) What should the sales director of RealPlan most likely do before sending salespeople out to
call on business buyers for the first time?
A) Make sure the salespeople have talked to businesspeople before.
B) Ask the salespeople to rehearse the standard customer presentation.
C) Adjust the sales forecast using the normal sales cycle for customers.
D) Build long-term strategic alliances by creating systems selling appeals.
E) Discuss the differences between consumer buyers and business buyers.
15) The sales director of RealPlan has developed a sales team training session to address the
differences between consumer and business buyers. Which of the following is a true statement
that should be included in the training session?
A) In business sales, the initial contact is almost never the actual purchaser.
B) In business sales, more than one person may be involved in the purchasing decision.
C) In consumer sales, emotion plays a more significant role than logic in decision making.
D) In consumer sales, a new-task buy is the most common type of purchasing situation.
E) In consumer sales, even low-cost items involve significant consumer involvement.
16) The sales director of RealPlan has observed that during the selling process the sales team
primarily focuses on promoting product features and benefits to customers. Although the sales
team has a high closure rate of initial sales, the team has a low rate of repeat business. Which
stage of the typical buying process should RealPlan salespeople most likely focus on to improve
customer retention rates?
A) needs awareness
B) building rapport
C) presentation skills
D) purchase procedures
E) self-actualization
17) On a customer satisfaction survey, which answer most likely suggests that RealPlan
salespeople should focus on needs awareness?
A) "The product was not as sturdy as the salesperson said it would be."
B) "The product did not solve my primary problems."
C) "The product is not a good value for the money."
D) "The product arrived torn in the box."
E) "The product had a strange color."
18) Managers at Swim-Tex have informed members of the purchasing department to change
straight rebuy situations to modified rebuys. What does this most likely mean for members of the
Swim-Tex purchasing department?
A) renegotiating prices with vendors
B) simplifying the buying process
C) building strategic alliances
D) forming a new value chain
E) focusing on a decision in the process that is not an issue for the customer
19) A habitual rebuy is characterized by perceived brand differences and high customer
involvement.
20) One difference between organizational and consumer buyers is that organizational buyers'
purchases are made for some purpose other than personal consumption.
21) There are three types of organizational buying situations: new-task buy, straight rebuy, and
modified rebuy.
22) Systems selling appeals to buyers who prefer to purchase individual products from a variety
of sellers.
23) The three types of consumer buying situations are habitual buying decisions, complex buying
decisions, and modified buying decisions.
24) A first-time purchase of a product or service by a business-to-business customer is a(n)
________ buy.
25) List and describe the three types of consumer buying situations.
26) Which stage in the typical buying process occurs after a customer has evaluated solutions but
before a purchase is made?
A) resolution of problems
B) needs awareness
C) solution selling
D) pre-purchase
E) implementation
27) Salespeople should most likely think of needs in terms of:
A) the product
B) the industry as a whole
C) the typical customer
D) each specific customer
E) the competition
28) Which step in the buying process most likely adds customer value after the sale?
A) need awareness
B) evaluation of solutions
C) resolution of problems
D) purchase evaluation
E) implementation
29) RealPlan marketers have developed advertisements that show images of families spending
quality time together enjoying fun activities. The implication of the ads is that the RealPlan
product enables families to organize their busy schedules so well that more time is available for
bonding. What are the RealPlan marketers most likely trying to do with these advertisements?
A) Stimulate emotional buying motives.
B) Examine rational buying motives.
C) Appeal to working and single mothers.
D) Engage common reference groups.
E) Develop lifetime customer value.
30) Terrance has noticed that many of his customers become very frustrated with him when he
attempts to use needs assessment, problem solving, or relationship building techniques. These
customers typically know what product will meet their needs. What should Terrance most likely
do when faced with this type of customer?
A) Highlight product benefits more than product features.
B) Ask the customer questions to identify unspoken wants.
C) Focus on the purchase stage of the buying process.
D) Spend more time building rapport with the customer.
E) Rework the presentation script to focus more on emotion.
31) How would Terrance most likely benefit from aligning the sales process with the customer's
buying process?
A) lower advertising and marketing costs
B) greater efficiency with fewer salespeople
C) lower travel expenses due to fewer customer visits
D) greater success in making sales due to understanding how buyers buy
E) fewer returns from customers who felt pressured into making transactional purchases
32) The first stage in the typical buying process is evaluation of solutions.
33) Transactional buyers are well aware of their needs and usually know a great deal about the
products or services they intend to purchase.
34) ________ is the first stage in the buying process.
35) List the five steps in the typical buying process.
36) Which buyer behavior theory focuses the salesperson's attention on five important factors
that the customer is likely to consider before making a purchase?
A) buyer-action theory
B) compulsive buying theory
C) need satisfaction theory
D) buyer resolution theory
E) feature benefit theory
37) According to the buyer resolution theory, which of the following is an important factor that
the consumer is likely to consider before making a purchase?
A) Where should I store the product after purchase?
B) What is a fair price?
C) How many sellers are in the market?
D) When should I make the payment?
E) From whom should I ask advice about the purchase?
38) Which of the following is an important limitation of the buyer resolution theory?
A) Salespeople find the theory too complex.
B) Customers already know what they should buy.
C) Few customers ask the question, "What is a fair price?"
D) Knowing which decisions are difficult for buyers is difficult.
E) Answers provide little insight into customer buying strategies.
39) In which value creation selling approach do salespeople focus a great deal of attention on
customers' needs awareness?
A) transactional selling
B) strategic alliance selling
C) consultative selling
D) new task selling
E) system selling
40) The biggest limitation of using the buyer resolution theory to guide the sales process is:
A) there is no way to know in advance which one of the five questions will be harder for the
customer to answer
B) the salesperson cannot always convince the buyer to answer the questions in the correct order
C) buyer resolution theory only applies to transactional sales, so more complicated sales
processes don't conform to the theory
D) salespeople require too much training in buyer resolution theory to be able to use it with
customers until they have been with their companies for several years
E) it only helps customers decide to buy, it doesn't help them decide not to buy
41) Sarah, a RealPlan sales representative, recently sold a software package to Mario, the owner
of a small business. How can Sarah most likely create value for Mario now that the sale is
complete?
A) send Mario product brochures
B) become personal friends with Mario
C) continue to contact Mario to ask for referrals
D) provide additional software training to Mario
E) explain the many software benefits to Mario
42) Terrance relies on the buyer resolution theory to pursue sales. Terrance is most likely
vulnerable to which of the following factors?
A) increasing the time it takes to close the sale
B) spending too little time building rapport with the customer
C) losing focus on the features and benefits of the product
D) shifting all the power in the transaction to the customer
E) focusing on a decision in the process that is not an issue for the customer
43) "When should I buy?" is a consideration in the buyer resolution theory of personal selling.
44) Buyer resolution theory says that the buyer can only decide to buy after having answered a
series of five questions about the purchase.
45) The idea that a customer needs to answer a set of five questions about the buying process
before he or she can make a purchase is called the ________.
46) The buyer resolution theory states that buyers need to resolve the answers to which five
questions?
47) In order for a customer to arrive at a buying decision, the salesperson should present the
product according to:
A) the individual customer's needs
B) the salesperson's point of view
C) a standardized procedure or presentation
D) the buyer profile based on industry research
E) the chronological timeline of the product
48) Which influence on buying decisions is defined as a set of characteristics and social
behaviors based on the expectations of others?
A) reference group
B) social class
C) role
D) culture
E) process
49) Which of the following motives would most likely make a customer buy from the same
business they have been buying from?
A) systems buying motives
B) emotional buying motives
C) brand loyalty motives
D) product buying motives
E) patronage buying motives
50) A customer will tend to screen out or modify stimuli. This process is known as:
A) conscious input
B) selective attention
C) discrimination
D) selectivity
E) sensation
51) In Maslow's theory, after physiological needs have been satisfied, the next need level is
likely to be:
A) self-actualization
B) psychological awareness
C) freedom from danger
D) worthiness in the eyes of others
E) food and shelter
52) When a teenage girl asks her best friends for their opinions on a career opportunity, she is
most likely seeking support from which of the following groups?
A) culture
B) subculture
C) social class
D) reference
E) mastery
53) Which of the following statements about social class is most likely true?
A) People in lower social classes purchase items less impulsively than upper social class
shoppers.
B) Social scientists agree that there are an unlimited number of social classes.
C) Self-made millionaires possess inherited wealth, often acquired several generations before.
D) It is virtually impossible to move from one social class to another.
E) Social class is determined by a combination of factors such as income, education, occupation,
and accumulated wealth.
54) A study of buying behavior reveals that most people make buying decisions based on:
A) a combination of emotional and rational buying motives
B) emotional buying motives only
C) rational buying motives only
D) social buying motives only
E) group theory motives only
55) Product buying motives include:
A) engineering preference
B) social preference
C) method preference
D) purchase preference
E) frequency preference
56) According to Abraham Maslow, self-fulfillment is achieved through satisfaction of which of
the following needs?
A) esteem
B) social
C) safety and security
D) self-actualization
E) fullness
57) What most likely leads a prospect to purchase one product instead of another?
A) product buying motives
B) patronage affiliations
C) buyer resolutions
D) group emotional needs
E) physiological concerns
58) When products are indistinguishable or there is a prior relationship between customer and
vendor, a purchase is most likely based on a(n):
A) product buying motive
B) patronage buying motive
C) rational buying motive
D) emotional buying motive
E) group buying motive
59) A purchase based on the result of an objective review of available information is based on
a(n):
A) product buying motive
B) patronage buying motive
C) rational buying motive
D) emotional buying motive
E) stable buying motive
60) A purchase based more on feelings than on logic is a(n):
A) product buying motive
B) patronage buying motive
C) rational buying motive
D) emotional buying motive
E) group buying motive
61) Which of the following is a factor that would motivate a rational buyer?
A) prestige
B) nostalgia
C) celebrity endorsement
D) durability
E) branding
62) An aroused need, drive, or desire is referred to as a(n):
A) buying motive
B) undifferentiated motive
C) compelling motive
D) rational motive
E) personal motive
63) Cross-generational selling is most likely a challenge because different generations:
A) have different basic emotional needs
B) prefer different forms of contact
C) have different physiological needs
D) feel mistrust for each other
E) have power dynamic issues
64) When giving a sales presentation to new customers, Terrance strives to convey that he is
highly ethical and trustworthy and that Swim-Tex products are safe and will perform as
expected. Terrance is most likely addressing which aspect of Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
A) security needs
B) social needs
C) esteem needs
D) general needs
E) physiological needs
65) Terrance has identified that a customer strongly identifies with social groups and is
influenced heavily by her role, reference, social class, and culture. What would be important for
Terrance to do to win the sale from this customer?
A) Position the product as being a luxury product.
B) Position the product as fitting with the groups the customer identifies with.
C) Position the product as being the standard across all groups.
D) Assume the mannerisms of the culture the customer identifies with.
E) Mimic the customer's speech patterns to create rapport.
66) Terrance positions certain swimming pool accessories, such as slides and diving boards, to
appeal to baby boomers with grandchildren. Which influence on buying decisions is most
important in this situation?
A) role
B) culture
C) social class
D) reference group
E) organizational culture
67) Terrance should most likely understand a customer's emotional buying motives because such
motives are:
A) only overcome by nonverbal communication
B) foundations for rational buying motives
C) influential in most buying decisions
D) factors in cost/benefit analyses
E) barriers to most high-end sales
68) Buyer behavior is often influenced by perception.
69) Very few purchases are guided by emotional buying motives.
70) The need to belong is really just an urge, not a basic human social need.
71) The person who withdraws money from a savings account and uses this money to buy
government bonds at a higher return on investment is very likely guided by rational buying
motives.
72) Subcultures typically share value systems based on similar life experiences and situations.
73) Patronage buying motives are particularly important when product offerings from several
companies are very similar.
74) The process through which sensations are interpreted, using our knowledge and experience,
is called ________.
75) Within most cultures are groups whose members share value systems based on common life
experiences and situations. We call such a group a(n) ________.
