Deck 4: Communication Skills

Question 1

A salesperson wishing to uncover a prospect's perceptions and feelings regarding a proposed solution should use which of the following types of questions?

A) Evaluative
B) Reactive
C) Probing
D) Tactical
E) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is not an objective of strategic questioning?

A) Provoke thinking
B) Gather information
C) Generate buyer involvement
D) Gain confirmation
E) Explain Benefits

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A salesperson asking a buyer "How would your productivity be affected if your copier never stopped functioning properly?" is asking a ____ type of SPIN question.

A) Implication
B) Problem
C) Situation
D) Need-Payoff
E) None of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A salesperson asking a buyer "How is your productivity affected when your copier is not functioning properly?" is asking a ____ type of SPIN question.

A) Implication
B) Problem
C) Situation
D) Need-Payoff
E) None of the above

Question 5

With respect to trust-based selling, the purpose of sales communication is:

A) To seek the buyer's agreement.
B) To seek the buyer's commitment.
C) To obtain an order from the buyer.
D) To seek common understanding between the buyer and seller.
E) To help the buyer understand the salesperson.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a closed-end question?

A) How do you determine sales goals for each region?
B) Why are your customers currently unhappy?
C) Is this the primary reason you are interested in switching suppliers?
D) How do you currently process orders?
E) All of the above are closed-end questions.

Question 7

A salesperson asking a buyer "Have you had any trouble with your copying equipment?" is asking a ____ type of SPIN question.

A) Implication
B) Problem
C) Situation
D) Need-Payoff
E) None of the above

Question 8

The acronym SPIN stands for?

A) Situation questions, Problem questions, Implication questions, and Need-payoff questions.
B) Situation questions, Personal questions, Indication questions, and Need-payoff questions.
C) Similar questions, Personal questions, Impersonal questions, and New questions.
D) Speak to the decision maker, Probe for needs, Identify problem, Never take no for an answer.
E) Speak, Probe, Identify, Need-payoff.

Question 9

Which of the following is the best example of an open-end question?

A) How many employees to have?
B) Did you say you are already working with another supplier?
C) How do you currently assess the performance of your suppliers?
D) Are you interested in making a purchase today?
E) All of the above are open-end questions.

Question 10

If a salesperson were to say "that sounds like an important issue, could you give me an example of what you mean?" he/she would be asking which type of question?

A) Evaluative
B) Reactive
C) Probing
D) Tactical
E) None of the above

Question 11

"Do you see the merits of the solution I'm proposing?" is an example of which type of question?

A) Evaluative
B) Multiple-choice
C) Probing
D) Tactical
E) None of the above

Question 12

"Do you typically purchase or lease?" is an example of which type of SPIN question?

A) Speak
B) Identify
C) Implication
D) Situation
E) Indication

Question 13

The question "So, do you understand how this software will make your employees more productive?" is attempting to accomplish which of the following objectives?

A) Gain confirmation
B) Closed-ended question
C) Gather information
D) None of the above
E) Both b and c

Question 14

Kim is a salesperson for ABC Advertising and is having trouble maintaining control of her sales calls. She finds that her customers often go off on tangents and will talk about relatively unimportant things until her time with those customers is up. Kim could probably benefit from ____.

A) Improving her questioning skills
B) Being candid with her customers by telling them they are wasting her time
C) Talking more during the sales call so the customers don't have a chance to go off on tangents
D) Being more formal and less friendly during the sales call
E) All of the above

Question 15

A salesperson wishing to uncover more detailed information should use which the following types of questions?

A) Evaluative
B) Multiple-choice
C) Probing
D) Tactical
E) None of the above

Question 16

Which of the following is not a type of question described in the text?

A) Open-end questions
B) Closed-end questions
C) Multiple-choice questions
D) Probing questions
E) Interrogative questions

Question 17

A salesperson wishing to shift or redirect the topic of discussion should use which of the following types of questions?

A) Evaluative
B) Reactive
C) Probing
D) Tactical
E) None of the above

Question 18

"Do you see the merits of the solution I'm proposing?" is an example of which type of questions?

A) Closed-end
B) Multiple-choice
C) Probing
D) Evaluative
E) Both a and d are correct

Question 19

Which of the following is usually not an objective of strategic questioning?

A) Provoke thinking
B) Gather information
C) Generate buyer involvement
D) Gain confirmation
E) All of the above are objectives of strategy questioning

Question 20

Salespeople need to possess effective communications skills so that they:

A) Can do a better job of asking for the order.
B) Are better able to identify buying needs and accurately convey proposed solutions.
C) Are better able to communicate to the selling organization.
D) Have an advantage over their customers.
E) Both the b and d are correct.

Question 21

"What are the growth objectives of the company?" is an example which type of ADAPT question?

A) Assessment questions
B) Activation questions
C) Transition questions
D) Problem questions
E) Discovery questions

Question 22

Which of the following are likely to result when a salesperson uses poor grammar in either oral or written communications?

A) The meaning and credibility of the message are significantly downgraded
B) The receiver begins to focus on the standard rather than the message
C) The receiver dismisses the sender and the sender's organization as being unable to perform the role of an effective supplier and partner
D) The probability of effective communication is reduced
E) All the above are likely to result

Question 23

Conveying interest and understanding is the objective of which active listening component?

A) Implying
B) Interpreting
C) Sensing
D) Evaluating
E) Responding

Question 24

Receiving both verbal and nonverbal communication is the objective of which active listening component?

A) Seeing
B) Sensing
C) Evaluating
D) Earning
E) Responding

Question 25

"Would you be interested in a system that is easier for your operators to use?" is an example which type of ADAPT question?

A) Transition questions
B) Activation questions
C) Projection questions
D) Problem questions
E) Discovery questions

Question 26

Which of the following is not a type of question found in the ADAPT questioning system?

A) Assessment questions
B) Activation questions
C) Projection questions
D) Problem questions
E) Transition questions

Question 27

Drawing meaning from what the buyer is saying (through both verbal and nonverbal communication) is the objective of which active listening component?

A) Seeing
B) Implying
C) Interpreting
D) Evaluating
E) Sensing

Question 28

The acronym SIER stands for what?

A) Seeing, Interpreting, Earning, and Realizing
B) Sensing, Interpreting, Evaluating, and Responding
C) Sensing, Implying, Earning, and Realizing
D) Sensitive, Interested, Eager, and Responsive
E) None of the above are correct

Question 29

"How will the supplier's inability to deliver on time affect your planned expansion?" is an example which type of ADAPT question?

A) Assessment questions
B) Activation questions
C) Projection questions
D) Problem questions
E) Discovery questions

Question 30

"How would a system that your operators found easier to use affect your business operations?" is an example which type of ADAPT question?

A) Assessment questions
B) Activation questions
C) Projection questions
D) Problem questions
E) Discovery questions

Question 31

The ADAPT questioning system is similar to the SPIN questioning system in that:

A) Both questioning systems are progressive.
B) Both questioning systems seek to uncover needs.
C) Both questioning systems seek to stimulate the buyer's interest in solving uncovered problem.
D) Both questioning systems may utilize open-end and closed-end questions.
E) All the above are correct.

Question 32

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the SPIN questioning system?

A) To involve the buyer in the sales presentation.
B) To uncover the needs of the buyer.
C) To stimulate the buyer's interest in hearing a solution.
D) To gain the buyer's commitment to a purchase.
E) Both b and c are correct.

Question 33

In order to be an effective listener a salesperson must do which of the following?

A) Pay attention
B) Paraphrase and repeat
C) Make no assumptions about what the buyer is saying
D) Monitor the buyer's nonverbal language
E) All the above are correct

Question 34

The cognitive process of actively sensing, interpreting, evaluating, and responding to the verbal and nonverbal messages of present or potential customers is called?

A) Listening
B) Social listening
C) Communication
D) Active listening
E) Really listening

Question 35

In most face-to-face communication, approximately what percentage of meaning is conveyed through nonverbal communication?

A) Less than 10%
B) About 50%
C) Close to 75%
D) Almost 90%
E) Almost none

Question 36

Suppose a salesperson is interested in learning how to listen not only to what the buyer is saying, but how the buyer is saying it. The salesperson should probably work on his/her what?

A) Questioning skills
B) Active listening skills
C) Serious listening skills
D) Nonverbal language interpretation skills (NLIS)
E) Nonverbal communication skills

Question 37

"How well are your current suppliers performing?" is an example of which type of ADAPT question?

A) Assessment questions
B) Activation questions
C) Discovery questions
D) Problem questions
E) Transition questions

Question 38

Within the SPIN questioning system, which questions are designed to serve as a transition from need identification to presentation of solutions?

A) Situation questions
B) Need-payoff questions
C) Implication questions
D) Transition questions
E) Both b and d are correct

Question 39

If the salesperson is successful with projection questions he/she should:

A) Ask for the order.
B) Ask transition questions.
C) Ask implication questions.
D) Begin presenting a solution.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 40

By demonstrating effective listening, a salesperson is able to do which of the following?

A) Help build the buyer's trust
B) Convince the buyer that the salesperson's product is best
C) Always uncover needs
D) Beat out the competition
E) All the above are correct

Question 41

Which the following is a characteristic of nonverbal language?

A) Its meaning is culturally based
B) Its meaning is universal
C) It's a component in all forms of communication
D) It is extremely easy to control
E) It conveys very little meaning

Question 42

If you find that people you speak with often misinterpret your verbal messages, you should probably work on what?

A) Your sales presentation
B) Your listening skills
C) Your voice characteristics
D) Your understanding of proxemics
E) Asking new and different questions.

Question 43

In order to collect important information concerning the needs of the buyer, the salesperson should utilize probing questions.

Question 44

Closed-ended questions encourage the customer to respond freely.

Question 45

Salespeople often combine different types of questions to accomplish multiple and closely related sales objectives.

Question 46

A salesperson with well developed questioning skills is able to control the flow and direction of the sales call through the questions he/she asks.

Question 47

The purpose of sales communication is to seek agreement from the prospective buyer.

Question 48

Each individual type of nonverbal communication carries meaning. However, collectively the pieces of nonverbal communication being expressed at the same time combine to form unique meaning (that is, different from that of the individual pieces). This collection of nonverbal communication is referred to as ____.

A) Nonverbal clusters
B) Nonverbal communication
C) Nonverbal communication qualifiers (NCQ)
D) Collective nonverbal communication (CNC)
E) None of the above

Question 49

In trust-based selling it is more important that the salesperson talks with rather than at the buyer.

Question 50

The S in SPIN stands for situation questions, and they are designed to help the buyer understand the seller's situation.

Question 51

Reactive questions are always open-ended.

Question 52

"SPIN is a progressive questioning system while ADAPT is a regressive questioning system.

Question 53

Suppose you are a salesperson engaged in face-to-face communication with a perspective buyer. You notice that the buyer backs away from you each time you step closer to him/her. Which of the following is most likely?

A) The buyer is not interested in what you are saying
B) You are invading the buyer's personal zone
C) You are invading the buyer's public zone
D) The buyer does not like you
E) You have bad breath

Question 54

Salespeople use evaluative questions to uncover prospects' perceptions and feelings regarding existing and desired circumstances.

Question 55

In order to collect important information concerning the needs of the buyer, the salesperson should utilize tactical questions.

Question 56

Although obtaining information is important, some questions the salesperson may ask are designed only to show interest.

Question 57

Which of the following is not one of voice characteristics described in the text.

A) Pitch
B) Frequency
C) Speaking Rate
D) Intensity
E) Quality

Question 58

"Are you interested in making a purchase today?" is an example of a SPIN question.

Question 59

"Have your employees ever had any trouble managing their time?" is an example of a problem question.

Question 60

After asking problem questions, the salesperson should begin asking need-payoff questions.

Question 61

One of the problems many people have with listening is that they make assumptions about what the other person is saying before that person is finished communicating.

Question 62

Projection questions ask the buyer to describe what life would be like without a problem.

Question 63

An important part of listening is visual rather than auditory.

Question 64

Questions designed to probe information gained in the assessment stage of ADAPT are called Discovery questions.

Question 65

Premature evaluation of what the buyer is saying often prevents the salesperson from being an effective communicator.

Question 66

According to the model of active listening described in the text, after sensing the buyer's message the salesperson is ready to respond.

Question 67

After sensing and interpreting a message, the salesperson should begin evaluating the message before responding to it.

Question 68

Once you get the hang of it, active listening is relatively easy and does not require much effort.

Question 69

Salespeople exhibiting poor grammar will have a tough time earning credibility with the buyer.

Question 70

"Your problem is that you're not working with the right suppliers." is an example of a Discovery question.

Question 71

A salesperson will use Transition questions to move the sales call from the rapport building stage to the needs discovery stage.

Question 72

Need-payoff questions can be similar to Transition questions.

Question 73

Are you interested in making a purchase today?" is an example of an ADAPT question.

Question 74

With respect to SIER, sensing refers to receiving the verbal and nonverbal components of a message.

Question 75

There is really no difference between serious listening and social listening.

Question 76

Active listening is efficient for salespeople because they can actively form responses while the buyer is talking.

Question 77

Pictures are an important part of effective communication because they're usually easier to recall than words alone.

Question 78

Active listening requires both cognition and concentration.

Question 79

After sensing and interpreting a message, the salesperson should respond.

Question 80

An important part of effective buyer-seller communication is the seller's ability to create mental images in the buyer's mind.