Deck 1: Overview of Personal Selling

Question 1

The most important part of marketing communications in terms of money spent by most business firms is:

A) Personal selling.
B) Advertising.
C) Public relations.
D) Sales promotions.
E) Publicity.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Salespeople have contributed to the economic growth of the United States in two basic ways:

A) By stimulating economic transactions and encouraging research and development.
B) By bringing producers news about the state of the market and introducing new products to people in rural areas.
C) By stabilizing economic transactions and assisting in recovery cycles.
D) By sustaining periods of relative prosperity and developing product awareness among consumers.
E) By stimulating economic transactions and increasing the diffusion of innovation.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

According to the text, in considering the responsibility for revenue production, salespeople usually feel the brunt of the pressure along with:

A) The firm's stockholders.
B) The firm's production staff.
C) The firm's management staff.
D) The firm's financial staff.
E) The customer service supervisor.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

As a salesperson, you are expected to:

A) Get to know the buyers on a personal level.
B) Contribute to the success of the buyer's firm.
C) Serve your employer's interests only.
D) Only be concerned with meeting your sales quota.
E) Not get involved with your customers' problems.

Question 5

The part of marketing that relies heavily on interpersonal communication and interaction between buyers and sellers is called _____________

A) Advertising
B) Sales promotion if
C) Direct marketing
D) Consumer behavior
E) Personal selling

Question 6

The desired outcomes in trust-based relationship selling include which of the following?

A) Closed sales
B) Order volume
C) Trust and mutual benefits/profits
D) Profit in the short-term
E) None of the above.

Question 7

True salespeople, those who earned a living from selling, did not exist in any sizeable number until

A) The Industrial Revolution in the United States.
B) After World War I.
C) The Industrial Revolution in England.
D) The United States declared their independence from England.
E) Peddlers began selling door-to-door during the latter phase of the Middle Ages.

Question 8

Jennifer follows the trust-based relationship selling strategy when dealing with her customers. She can expect to be ________________ her customers' decision-making processes.

A) Isolated from
B) Actively involved in
C) Dissatisfied with
D) Uncertain about
E) None of the above are correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is most accurate with respect to post sale follow-up?

A) Transaction-focused selling includes substantial follow-up.
B) Transaction-focus selling includes little to no follow-up.
C) Trust-based relationship selling involves substantial follow-up.
D) Trust-based relationship selling it involves little to no follow-up.
E) Both B and C are correct.

Question 10

While accountants and financial staff are concerned with profitability in ____ terms, salespeople are primarily concerned with profitability in ____ terms.

A) Top-line, bottom-line
B) Accounting, sales
C) Profit/loss, revenue
D) Cost-of-production, cost-of-sales
E) Bottom-line, top-line

Question 11

The series of conversations between buyers and Sellers that take place over time in an attempt to build relationships is referred to as _____________.

A) Personal selling
B) Sales dialogue
C) Sales presentation
D) Sales communication
E) Sales conversation

Question 12

During the early part of the twentieth century there was widespread interest in how to reduce the cost of sales. Many believed that this could be done by:

A) Selling through mass distribution of goods and services.
B) Hiring lower-cost salespeople.
C) Increasing the territory of each salesperson.
D) Increasing the efficiency of the factory production process.
E) Developing advertising to increase demand for the product.

Question 13

Kevin is a salesperson who relies heavily on trust building. The stylus selling is known as?

A) Personal selling
B) Mental states selling
C) Trust-Based relationship selling
D) Canned selling
E) None of the above.

Question 14

Salespeople have the following relationship with revenue in most business firms:

A) Indirect.
B) Direct.
C) No relationship.
D) Parallel.
E) Inverse.

Question 15

The primary focus of transaction-focused selling is the ________________________.

A) Salesperson and the selling organization
B) Customer
C) Product
D) Communication process
E) All of the above.

Question 16

What are the following is most accurate with respect to buyers' expectations of salespeople?

A) Buyers expect salespeople to be self-serving.
B) Buyers expect salespeople to be driven solely by profit.
C) Ultimately, buyers have little to no expectations of salespeople.
D) Buyers expect sales people to contribute to the success of the buyer's firm
E) All of the above are accurate.

Question 17

A canned sales presentation can be described as

A) A sales presentation that does not contain material that will require continual updating.
B) Presentation that is prepared for direct mailing direct prospects.
C) A sales presentation that is unplanned and developed in response to the needs of the customer.
D) A sales presentation that is not working and should be "canned."
E) A sales presentation that is very structured and generally based on a written script.

Question 18

Susan's customers are always concerned about what they're receiving in exchange for what they're paying. In other words, they are concerned about _______________.

A) Marketing
B) Personal selling
C) Customer value
D) Marketing Communications
E) Advertising

Question 19

One of the key roles that salespeople client in society is the distribution of knowledge about new technology. In other words, salespeople helped with the __________________________.

A) Growth of revenue
B) Diffusion of innovation
C) Market research process
D) Distribution of products
E) None of the above.

Question 20

As the evolution of personal selling continues, which of the following is not a predicted sales force response to an expected change?

A) More emphasis will be placed on developing and maintaining trust-based long-term customer relationships.
B) Greater emphasis will be placed on team selling.
C) There will be an increase in the use of technology (e.g., laptop computers, electronic mail, fax machines).
D) More sales dollars will be spent on advertising.
E) There will be an increase in the globalization of sales efforts.

Question 21

Which of the following is not a typical skill required for trust-based relationship selling?

A) Financial planning
B) Information gathering
C) Listening and questioning
D) Strategic problem solving
E) Team building and teamwork

Question 22

The most important part of the salesperson's job is:

A) Tracking accounts receivable.
B) The sales process.
C) Training new salespersons.
D) Maintaining their credibility and integrity.
E) Attending training sessions.

Question 23

Which of the following statements pertaining to the stimulus-response form of personal selling is true?

A) The buyer takes a dominant role in the sales dialogue.
B) The stimulus-response sales strategy cannot be used with a canned sales presentation.
C) The stimulus-response sales strategy must be conducted in person because of the necessity for visual aids.
D) An example of the stimulus-response sales strategy would be the continued affirmation method.
E) The stimulus-response sales strategy has the advantage of flexibility.

Question 24

The sales process is usually described as a series of ____ steps.

A) Ten
B) Cumulative
C) Interrelated
D) Separate but equal
E) Different

Question 25

When practicing trust-based relationship selling, salespeople should do all of the following except:

A) Act as a business consultant and long-term ally.
B) Participate in two-way and collaborative communication.
C) Practice stimulus-response selling.
D) Be actively involved in the customer's decision making process.
E) Provide continued follow-through.

Question 26

Salespeople who are customer oriented, honest, dependable, competent, and likable are in a good position to establish

A) Rapport.
B) Trust.
C) Commitment.
D) Customer feedback.
E) Source credibility.

Question 27

The sales process begins with:

A) The training of the sales force.
B) Locating qualified prospective customers.
C) Planning the sales presentation.
D) The completion of the sale.
E) Making an appointment to see the customer.

Question 28

According to the text, when salespeople alter their sales messages and behaviors during a sales presentation or as they encounter different sales situations they are using:

A) Value-based selling.
B) Response selling.
C) Interactive selling.
D) Adaptive selling.
E) Situational selling.

Question 29

Which one of the following is not a stage in the problem-solving approach to selling?

A) Continue selling until purchase decision.
B) Generate alternative solutions.
C) Follow up sale with additional product offerings.
D) Define problem.
E) Evaluate alternative solutions.

Question 30

David is always willing to support his customers even when an immediate sale is not expected. David is perceived by his customers as a _____________________ one of the roles David plays as a consultative salesperson.

A) Strategic orchestrator
B) Business consultant
C) Long-term ally
D) Business partner
E) Strategic innovator

Question 31

Which of the following is not one of the four basic approaches to personal selling that were identified three decades ago?

A) Stimulus-response
B) Need-satisfaction
C) Contingency-selling
D) Mental-states
E) Problem-solution

Question 32

Which of the roles salespeople play in consultative selling is most it depended upon the salesperson's business, industry, and customer knowledge?

A) Strategic orchestrator
B) Business consultant
C) Long-term ally
D) Business partner
E) Strategic innovator

Question 33

The mental-states, or formula approach, to personal selling assumes that buyers must be led through four mental states, which occur in this order:

A) Interest, attention, desire, action.
B) Attention, desire, interest, action.
C) Curiosity, interest, conviction, purchase.
D) Attention, interest, desire, action.
E) Listening, considering, aspiring, deciding.

Question 34

The problem-solving view of personal selling is an extension of:

A) Needs-satisfaction selling.
B) Stimulus-response selling.
C) Contingency selling.
D) Mental-states selling.
E) Problem-solution selling.

Question 35

Which of the following is not part of the sales process model outlined in the text?

A) Salesperson attributes
B) Selling situation
C) Initiating customer relationships
D) Developing customer relationships
E) Enhancing customer relationships

Question 36

Need-satisfaction personal selling is based on the idea that:

A) Customers need to be told what they want.
B) The customer needs to know what products the firm offers.
C) Salespeople should be friendly because customers need to feel that they are appreciated.
D) Customers purchase to satisfy a particular need or set of needs.
E) Customers have only one need at a time and it must be met before the salesperson can interest them in any other product.

Question 37

All of the following statements accurately reflect factors that pertain to need-satisfaction selling except?

A) This method focuses on the salesperson and his/her product offerings.
B) The salesperson utilizes questioning, probing tactics to uncover important buyer needs.
C) The salesperson waits until relevant needs have been established before discussing product offerings.
D) The customer dominates the early portion of the sales interaction.
E) It is the salesperson's duty to identify the need to be met and then help the buyer in meeting that need.

Question 38

_________________is the role the salesperson plays in consultative selling were he or she arranges the use of the sales organization's resources in an effort to satisfy the customer.

A) Strategic orchestrator
B) Business consultant
C) Long-term ally
D) Business partner
E) Strategic innovator

Question 39

Which of the five views of personal selling is considered to be the simplest?

A) Stimulus-response
B) Need-satisfaction
C) Contingency-selling
D) Mental-states
E) Problem-solution

Question 40

A personal selling approach that involves helping customers reach their strategic goals by using the products, services and expertise of the sales organization is called:

A) Needs-satisfaction selling.
B) Consultative selling.
C) Alternative-solutions approach.
D) Stimulus-response selling.
E) Adaptable response method.

Question 41

Consumers who are likely to be early adopters of an innovation often rely on the salesperson as a secondary source of information.

Question 42

Transaction-focused selling and trust-based selling require similar skill sets.

Question 43

The canned sales presentation was developed by John H. Patterson of the National Cash Register Company and was based on the premise that salespeople are "born, not made."

Question 44

Salespeople are oftentimes referred to as the revenue producers of the firm.

Question 45

Salespeople are expected to be recognized as a key force in executing the appropriate strategies and tactics necessary for survival and growth.

Question 46

Salespeople involved in trust-based relationship selling are often actively involved in the customer's decision-making process.

Question 47

Strategic problem solving is a skill required by trust-based relationship selling but not by transaction-focused selling.

Question 48

In the post-World War II period, firms were expanding because of a surge in demand.

Question 49

Ultimately, customer value is determined by the customer.

Question 50

In 1912, Charles W. Hoyt wrote about the changing role of personal selling.

Question 51

Ultimately, customer value is determined by the salesperson.

Question 52

"Does this salesperson help me achieve my strategic priorities?" can be a question customers ask themselves when assessing customer value.

Question 53

Personal selling and trust-based relationship selling are essentially the same thing.

Question 54

The primary focus of trust-based relationships selling is the salesperson and the selling firm.

Question 55

Salespeople should only be concerned with sales revenue.

Question 56

Salespeople are revenue producers for the company.

Question 57

Post-sale follow-up is an important part of transaction-focused selling.

Question 58

Personal selling is moving from relationship-based methods to transaction-based methods.

Question 59

A customer-oriented sales approach employs truthful, but manipulative, tactics to satisfy the long-term needs of both the customer and the selling firm.

Question 60

The new generation of salespeople will face demands from sophisticated buyers, economic uncertainties, and new technologies.

Question 61

If you were a salesperson using the mental-states approach and your customer was in the action state, you would attempt to close the deal.

Question 62

Business consultant is one of the roles important to consultative selling.

Question 63

The ability to develop appropriate selling strategy is important to trust-based sales process.

Question 64

In stimulus-response selling, the salesperson listens for "cues" from the buyer and adjusts his presentation to match those "cues."

Question 65

Professional buyers expect salespeople to coordinate all aspects of the product and service to provide a total package.

Question 66

Unfortunately, the needs-satisfaction approach tends to increase the defensiveness of some prospects because the salesperson rapidly moves to the persuasive part of the sales message.

Question 67

Salespeople rarely get promoted into management positions because their training makes them too valuable where they are.

Question 68

The ability to understand buyers is one of the selling foundations in the trust-based sales process

Question 69

Business partner is one of the roles and pour into consultative selling.

Question 70

Salespeople are rarely involved in market research because their time is better utilized in sales efforts.

Question 71

The three phases of the sales process are developing, maintaining, and enhancing customer relationships.

Question 72

A problem with the mental states approach to selling is that it forces salespeople to listen very carefully when using this approach.

Question 73

As salespeople serve their customers, they simultaneously serve their employers and society.

Question 74

Common selling approaches for practicing trust-based relationship selling include need-satisfaction, problem-solving, and consultative.

Question 75

Stimulus-response selling is most effective in situations involving important purchase decisions and when time is not critical.

Question 76

When salespeople alter their sales messages and behaviors during a sales presentation or as they encounter different sales situations they are practicing manipulative selling.

Question 77

Consultative selling is more or less the same thing as trust-based relationship selling.

Question 78

The theoretical background for the stimulus-response approach to personal selling originated in early experiments with animal behavior.

Question 79

Careful listening is required when using the mental-states selling approach to determine which stage the buyer is in at a given point in time.

Question 80

In consultative selling, salespeople fulfill three primary roles: strategic orchestrator, business consultant, and order-taker.