Deck 14: Personal Selling and Sales Management

Question 1

The first stage of the personal selling process is prospecting.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

One way the sales force can be structured is by type of customer.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The vice-president of Marketing for Mega brands is assessing the strengths and weakness of the sales force and corporate support for the selling effort. He is engaged in the external situation analysis.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An outside order taker typically calls on business buyers or members of the trade channel and performs relatively routine tasks related to orders for inventory replenishment.

Question 5

The final stage in the personal selling process is closing the sale.

Question 6

Becky, a salesperson for Mega brands is holding a training session for her client's customers so they know how to operate the X-500 she has sold them. This is an example of the follow-up stage of the personal selling process.

Question 7

The need satisfaction presentation technique holds that three different buyer need states can be identified-need development, need awareness, and need fulfillment.

Question 8

One role of personal selling is to get consumers to buy things they may not need but can be induced to want.

Question 9

A source of satisfaction to individual buyers is the source (company) superiority.

Question 10

If the salesperson has correctly followed the personal selling process then the sale will essentially "close itself."

Question 11

A detail salesperson performs relatively routine selling tasks such as working with retailers to place reorders for basic product.

Question 12

The effect of personal selling on sales is more identifiable then the effects of other elements of the promotion mix.

Question 13

One area of responsibility for sales force management is determining the marketing and promotion strategy.

Question 14

System selling entails selling a set of interrelated components that fulfill all or a majority of a customer's needs in a product or service area.

Question 15

Promotional materials-samples, catalogs, product brochures are considered an advertising expense and are not a part of the personal selling budget.

Question 16

A canned presentation has a sales person recite, nearly verbatim, a prepared sales pitch.

Question 17

It is at the initial contact that the salesperson should try to close the sale first. This is known as a trial close.

Question 18

Consultative selling is essentially the same as telemarketing.

Question 19

By controlling the communication a salesperson keeps the customer from asking questions that might be difficult to address. Therefore, by eliminating the problem of overcoming objections, sales are facilitated.

Question 20

An outside order taker, such as a retail clerk, simply takes payment for products or services.

Question 21

Jane asks Jim if he is happy with his insurance agent. Jim answers that he is and offers to introduce Jane to his agent. Jim has just helped his agent with which activity in the personal selling process?

A) initial contact
B) prospecting
C) preparation
D) closing the sale

Question 22

Jack from production, Jane from engineering, Scott from logistics, and Julie from marketing have gotten together with a client to sell their new X-5000 communication/network solutions system. This is an example of

A) missionary selling.
B) system selling.
C) team selling.
D) detail selling.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT one of the types of personal selling?

A) order taker
B) creative selling
C) internal selling
D) All of the above are types of personal selling.

Question 24

______________ involves gathering relevant information about current customers, potential customers, product characteristics, and applications.

A) Preparation
B) Prospecting
C) Initial contact
D) Pre-presentation

Question 25

By listening carefully, a salesperson can

A) accord uniqueness to each potential buyer.
B) manage a set of buying-selling relationship for mutual benefit.
C) control the communication.
D) close the sale.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the roles of personal selling?

A) market analysis
B) communications
C) sales coordination
D) stimulating an immediate, measurable change in behavior (i.e., sales)

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT an objective of personal selling?

A) create a profitable differential competitive advantage
B) accord uniqueness to each potential buyer
C) manage a set of buying-selling relationship for mutual benefit
D) dominate the relationship

Question 28

Overall,____________________________ involves knowing the firm's capabilities in all areas of the marketing mix, competitors' strengths and weaknesses, effects of the external environment, and customer choice criteria.

A) initial contact
B) prospecting
C) preparation
D) closing the sale

Question 29

Jack is presenting to a potential client. He has a polished, rehearsed sales pitch that covers all important sales points. However, when the potential client asks a question focused on his specific situation Jack essentially brushes off the buyer's question and continues his presentation. Jack is using a(n)____________________________presentation.

A) attention-interest-desire-action (AIDA)
B) need satisfaction
C) canned
D) consultative selling

Question 30

Jim visits his local department store and after finding the pants and shirt he wants has his sale rung up by a pleasant selling association who asks him "Did you find everything you needed?" This is an example of

A) missionary salesperson.
B) detail salesperson.
C) inside order taker.
D) system selling.

Question 31

The stages of the personal selling process, in order, are

A) prospecting, preparation, initial contact, presentation, handing objections, closing the sale, follow-up.
B) preparation, prospecting, initial contact, presentation, handing objections, closing the sale, follow-up.
C) preparation, prospecting, initial contact, presentation, handing objections, closing the sale, follow-up.
D) prospecting, initial contact, preparation, presentation, handing objections, closing the sale, follow-up.

Question 32

A corporate buyer fills out a mail-in coupon, providing her name, address, and phone number. The buyer has just helped the selling firm with which activities in the personal selling process?

A) initial contact
B) prospecting
C) preparation
D) closing the sale

Question 33

______________ is designed to reach a group of customers, rather then an individual customer, with information about the firm's products or services.

A) Seminar selling
B) Missionary selling
C) System selling
D) Team selling

Question 34

Jane coordinated the delivery to her customer of the X-5000 Super Unit. She arranged financing and also oversaw installation. Finally she trained the customer's staff in the proper operation of the X-5000. Jane is specifically engaged in

A) sales coordination.
B) market analysis.
C) customer service.
D) customer relationship management.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an element of the personal selling process?

A) prospecting
B) preparation
C) close the sale
D) pre-preparation

Question 36

AIDA stands for

A) attention-interest-desire-action.
B) attraction-interest-desire-accomplishment.
C) attention-income-development-action.
D) attrition-investment-detection-attraction.

Question 37

If a salesperson can____________________________ in the encounter, the potential buyer will be able to learn quickly and accurately what the firm has to offer.

A) control the communication
B) manage a set of buying-selling relationships
C) manage buyer behavior analysis
D) facilitate customer service

Question 38

______________ selling is the type of selling where customers rely heavily on the salesperson for technical information, advice, and service.

A) Creative
B) Detail
C) Order taking
D) System

Question 39

______________ involves providing feedback to the firm on trends in overall demand and competitors activities.

A) Market analysis
B) Sales forecasting
C) Buyer behavior analysis
D) Customer relationship management

Question 40

While______________ selling involves many members of an organization meeting with the client_____________ selling involves many clients meeting with the seller.

A) missionary; outside
B) team; seminar
C) system; seminar
D) inside order taking; outside order taking

Question 41

If there are significant nonselling tasks in a sales job then the most appropriate compensation method is

A) salary.
B) commission.
C) a combination of salary and commission.
D) hourly.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT an area of responsibility for sales management?

A) situational analysis
B) motivation and compensation
C) sales force structure
D) All of the above are areas of responsibility for sales management.

Question 43

Overall, experts suggest that the value of the Internet to the personal selling process relates to building customer loyalty, saving customers money, increasing the speed of the sales process, improving customer relationships with more frequent communication, and

A) lower the sales cost.
B) increasing the rate of closing the sale.
C) improving the tech savvy image of the company.
D) lowering overall compensations costs by reducing commissions rates.

Question 44

Bill is the sales force manager for Mega brands. He is in the process of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the sales force and corporate support for the selling effort. Bill is conducting a(n)______________ .

A) external situation analysis
B) internal situation analysis
C) job description
D) performance evaluation

Question 45

Research shows that______________of the time do salespeople ask for the sale.

A) only 40%
B) over 65%
C) almost 90%
D) only 20%

Question 46

A(n)______________ will identify all the tasks to be performed by salespeople.

A) qualification appraisal
B) situational audit
C) job description
D) internal situation analysis

Question 47

Factors charged to the personal selling budget includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) training costs
B) promotional materials
C) cost-of-goods sold
D) salaries and benefits

Question 48

Mike, the sales manager for Mega brands wants to increase the motivation of his sales force but has a very tight budget and cannot increase compensation. "Well, money isn't everything" he thinks. Mike decides to start posting on the company website the high performing individuals that have exceeded their short-term goals. Which of the following nonmonetary compensation methods is Mike employing?

A) task clarity
B) job/life satisfaction
C) recognition of goal attainment
D) perquisites/perks

Question 49

Typically, a sales force is structured around product lines, geographic territory or

A) type of customer.
B) sales force competency.
C) sales force qualifications.
D) profitability of territories.

Question 50

For many organizations personal selling is the most important element of the promotion mix. Discuss the factors that would lead an organization to emphasize personal selling. When is personal selling useful to an organization and when is it less useful?

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT one of the nonmonetary techniques to increase motivation of the salesforce?

A) task clarity
B) job/life satisfaction
C) recognition of goal attainment
D) perquisites/perks

Question 52

The decision on sales force structure is driven by two considerations:___________________________and .

A) qualitative; quantitative considerations
B) the nature of the product; the nature of the market
C) internal; external resources
D) funds needed; funds available

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT one of the major methods of budgeting for personal selling?

A) percentage-of-sales
B) competitive-parity
C) objective-and-task method
D) commission

Question 54

There are two basic presentation formats available to salespeople for the presentation:

A) canned; AIDA
B) need development; need awareness
C) consultative selling; telemarketing
D) trial close; straightforward

Question 55

Which of the following is not one of the decisions that must be made about training?

A) content of the program
B) duration of training
C) whether to train or churn (i.e., hire and fire)
D) location of training

Question 56

Mega brands has some salespeople that call on wholesalers, large retail chains, and small retailers. Mega brand has structured the salesforce by

A) geographic territory.
B) product lines.
C) type of customer .
D) channel power.

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT one of the changes in the broad business environment that have created a significant new environment for personal selling.

A) increased sophistication of marketing planning
B) sales force automation (SFA)
C) legal challenges to high pressure selling
D) All of the above are changes that have created a new environment.

Question 58

A(n)______________ identifies trends in the industry, technological advances in product categories, economic conditions that may be affecting the firm's customers, competitors' activities and choice criteria being emphasized by buyers.

A) external situation analysis
B) internal situation analysis
C) performance evaluation
D) sales force audit

Question 59

Which of the following is one of the factors that firms reported successful recruiting for salespeople depends on?

A) diverse workforce
B) salary
C) reasonable work hours and holidays/vacation time
D) corporate culture

Question 60

A sophisticated and informed approach to the presentation that relies on the marketing concept is the______________ presentation.

A) canned
B) need satisfaction
C) attention-interest-desire-action
D) need hierarchy

Question 61

What are some of the different types of personal selling? When is one method more appropriate than another?

Question 62

Discuss the need satisfaction presentation method. Identify and explain the three different buyer's need-states considered in this approach.

Question 63

Discuss the affect of Sales Force Automation (SFA) and the Internet on the personal selling function. How can these tools help the salesperson and the customer? Are they any drawbacks to these tools?