Question 1

When deciding how many salespeople are needed, the first step is to determine how many sales reps are used by competing companies.

Accepted Answer

Size of sales force depends on the workload. A manager must estimate how much work can be done by one person in some time period. The manager can then make an educated guess about how many people are required in total.

Question 2

One new way to deliver customer service is to set up online communities where customers help each other with problems.

Accepted Answer

Some firms set up online communities where customers help each other with problems. The searchable communities make it easy to find someone else who has experienced the same problem and see how it was fixed.

Question 3

Because the use of new information technologies can change how well the sales job is done, their use should be left to individual sales reps.

Accepted Answer

Use of new information technology is not a matter best left to the sales reps. These tools change how well the job is done and may be necessary to compete effectively.

Question 4

Digital self-service increases costs.

Accepted Answer

Digital self-service lowers cost.

Question 5

Team selling occurs when different people work together on a specific account.

Accepted Answer

Team selling is when different people work together on a specific account where different specialists handle different parts of the job.

Question 6

Digital self-service is particularly effective when the customer needs routine information on a recurring basis.

Accepted Answer

Emphasis on standardized e-commerce is particularly effective when the customer needs routine information on a recurring basis.

Question 7

It is the sole responsibility of the sales manager to decide what types of tools are needed and how they will be used.

Accepted Answer

It is usually the sales manager's job, perhaps with help from specialists in technology, to decide what types of tools are needed and how they will be used.

Question 8

Sales managers often divide sales force responsibilities based on the seniority of the salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Often companies organize selling tasks on the basis of a sales territory, i.e. a geographic area that is the responsibility of one salesperson or several working together.

Question 9

Team selling might involve a technical specialist, an order getter, and a customer service rep all working together on a specific account.

Accepted Answer

Team selling is when different people work together on a specific account where different specialists handle different parts of the job.

Question 10

Moen, a maker of plumbing fixtures, employs a major accounts sales force and gives special attention and support to the firm's largest accounts such as Home Depot and Lowe's.

Accepted Answer

Very large customers often require special sales efforts and relationships with them are treated differently. A major accounts sales force sells directly to large accounts.

Question 11

Digital self-service lowers costs.

Accepted Answer

Digital self-service lowers cost. This is the role of ATMs for banks. If the customer needs money at an airport in the middle of the night, the ATM provides better support than the customer could get with a real person at the bank.

Question 12

Telephone selling (telemarketing) to consumers is still extremely popular despite the National Do Not Call Registry.

Accepted Answer

The National Do Not Call Registry in the United States and similar laws in other countries have largely eliminated telemarketing to consumers.

Question 13

Although telephone selling by an inside sales group can save time and money in business markets, it has been declining in recent years.

Accepted Answer

Telephone selling is business markets is still very popular and can supplement a good website. Many firms use toll-free incoming telephone lines to make it convenient for customers to call the inside sales force.

Question 14

Even though some sales tasks can be handled effectively and economically using technology, a sales rep is still needed to build relationships.

Accepted Answer

Some sales tasks that have traditionally been handled by a person can now be handled effectively and at lower cost by an e-commerce system or other technology. However, in important selling situations, a salesperson is needed to create and build relationships.

Question 15

It is primarily the sales manager's job to decide what types of information technology tools salespeople need and how they will be used.

Accepted Answer

It is usually the sales manager's job, perhaps with help from specialists in technology, to decide what types of tools are needed and how they will be used.

Question 16

Telemarketing can help a firm extend its personal selling efforts to new target markets without investing a lot of time and money.

Accepted Answer

Telephone selling is used to extend personal selling efforts to new target markets or increase the frequency of contact with current customers.

Question 17

A company that provides its sales reps with information technology tools should expect that reps will do a better job with administrative tasks but that they will be less effective in their actual sales calls.

Accepted Answer

Information technology gives sales reps new ways to meet customers' needs while achieving the objectives of their jobs.

Question 18

Some firms are adopting new software and hardware technologies to get a competitive advantage in personal selling.

Accepted Answer

Sales reps employ an array of software and hardware such as software for CRM, spreadsheet sales analysis, digital presentations, wireless Internet, PDAs, and videoconferencing to gain a competitive advantage.

Question 19

Toll-free telephone lines are not very practical for getting direct feedback from final consumers.

Accepted Answer

Many firms use toll-free incoming telephone lines to make it convenient for customers to call the inside sales force for assistance or to place an order. It also provides a way for the producer to get direct feedback from customers and find solutions to potential problems.

Question 20

A major accounts sales force is used when a company wants to be certain that its most important customers get a special selling effort.

Accepted Answer