Deck 5: Profiling and Recruiting Salespeople

Question 1

Planned decreases in marketing expenditures may indirectly affect the number of salespeople need.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A personal history analysis usually is better adapted for use by a firm with a large sales force that has been in business for several years rather than for newer companies with small sales forces.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The hiring process should not require that a hiring agent convince the applicant that the company offers good opportunities because the applicant should already know this.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Discrimnation charges can be based primarily on the sources that are used to recruit salespeople.

Question 5

A well prepared description will usually include "job demands" such as the amount of travel,autonomy and stress,and the duties and responsibilities related to the job.

Question 6

The easiest way a firm can protect itself against discrimination charges with regard to the sources fir its recruiting is to recruit from the same source all of the time.

Question 7

Determining the qualifications needed to fill a sales job is one of the easier parts of the selection function.

Question 8

Not all companies should use team-building as part of their recruiting criteria.

Question 9

When a sales executive designs a good program for screening and selecting people,that executive has fulfilled his or her responsibility for staffing the sales force.

Question 10

A job description is probably the most important single tool used in operating a sales force.

Question 11

It is a good policy for a company to hire significantly more sales reps than is needed,with the intent of weeding out the poor performers as time goes by.

Question 12

Regarding the law and sales force selection,the burden of proof generally rests with the company to show that it is complying with the regulations.

Question 13

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)regulations regarding hiring salespeople apply only to firms with 25 or more employees.'

Question 14

A job description is critically important as part of the selection process,but normally it is not used in other areas of running a sales force.

Question 15

A good selection process can improve the company's profitability by reducing turnover cost.

Question 16

The laws and guidelines regarding affirmative action require employers to make additional efforts to recruit,employ,and promote qualified members of groups formerly excluded.

Question 17

The job description is only useful for companies which are recruiting continuously.

Question 18

The sales force selection process should be easier in the 2000s because there is a much greater supply of qualified applicants than has been available in the past.

Question 19

When preparing a job analysis for sales positions,a company should include its sales reps among those being interviewed.

Question 20

Recruiting is difficult because only 1 in 100 candidates qualified.

Question 21

Recruiting applicants for sales jobs is not as important an activity as it used to be,because today there are so many more qualified applicants than has been the case in the past.

Question 22

Companies without sales training programs generally should not consider graduating college seniors as a major source of recruits for sales jobs.

Question 23

It is generally recognized that a company should not recruit sales applicants from competitors' sales forces.

Question 24

A company should not recruit salespeople who are presently employed by its customers.

Question 25

A primary reason for a company to use web-based recruiting is the low cost.

Question 26

The percentage of women and minorities in outside sales jobs is far below the percentage in the total population.

Question 27

Companies that are looking for high-caliber salespeople should not use employment agencies as a recruiting source.

Question 28

Graduates of high schools or vocational schools are not good prospects for career selling jobs.

Question 29

Willingness to take risks is related to the salesperson's ability to be innovative.

Question 30

A good recruiting policy to follow is to continue looking for applicants even when there are no current openings on the sales force.

Question 31

Regarding recruiting people for sales jobs,the sales reps working for non-competing companies often are a good source of recruits,particularly if they are selling products related to those sold by the recruiting firm.

Question 32

Companies should avoid using part-time workers as salespeople.

Question 33

The quality of sales-job applicants recruited by advertisements may be raised by careful selection of advertising media and by proper information placed in the advertising copy.

Question 34

Referrals are an infrequently used source of sales recruits.

Question 35

A company's present sales force is a good source for leads to new recruits.

Question 36

A company should not advertise in trade journals if it is looking for high-caliber salespeople.

Question 37

Colleges and universities are especially good recruiting sources for lifetime career sales jobs that are not likely to lead to management positions.

Question 38

It is a mistake to try to get good production or office workers to move into a company's sales force.

Question 39

Emotional intelligence is primarily related to the ability of salespeople to solve problems.

Question 40

A recruiter should try to limit the number of qualified applicants to two or three for each job opening in order to maximize the chances of finding the right person.

Question 41

With one exception,all of the following are reasons why good sales force selection is important.Which one is the exception?

A)There is a scarcity of qualified salespeople.
B)Good selection reduces the dollar volume of lost sales caused by poor salespeople.
C)Good sales managers can overcome any weaknesses or problems caused by poor sales force selection.
D)Good selection reduces the direct costs of sales force turnover.
E)Good selection eases the job of training and supervising a sales force.

Question 42

The essence of the legal concept of "affirmative action" in the sales selection process is:

A)Management must make certain that there is no discrimination in the company's hiring practices.
B)A company no longer has to validate its selection processes.
C)Management must make special,additional efforts to hire and promote women and minority groups who formerly were excluded in the hiring process.
D)A company cannot use psychological testing in its selection process.
E)A company must hire a certain quota of blacks and women in the sales force.

Question 43

Which of the following is not a cost of doing a poor job of recruiting salespeople:

A)Commissions paid to an employment agency.
B)Training costs.
C)Advertising costs.
D)Lost sales.
E)All of these are costs of doing a poor recruiting job.

Question 44

It is important to have a good program for selecting salespeople because:

A)There is a limited variety of sales jobs.
B)A good selection job makes it easier to train,supervise,and motivate these salespeople.
C)Job descriptions are then easier to prepare.
D)Good sales jobs are scarce.
E)A lot of qualified people are seeking sales jobs.

Question 45

It is critical that a sales manager fully understand the scope of sales force selection activities as stipulated by the EEOC and the OFCC because:

A)If caught in a discrimination suit,only the sales manager will bear the sole responsibility for the organization and will lose his job.
B)The burden of proof in a discrimination suit usually rests with the company.
C)No one but the hiring agent is responsible;therefore it is not critical that the sales manager understand these regulations.
D)The issue of discrimination has been long debated and resolved.
E)Discrimination issues are only of concern in the hiring of legal aliens.

Question 46

The best way for a firm to protect itself from charges of discrimination in its use of recruiting sources is:

A)To recruit from only one tried and true source.
B)To recruit from primarily from within the firm.
C)To recruit from multiple sources.
D)To recruit primarily experienced reps.
E)None of these.

Question 47

Regarding the number of sales reps that a company needs to hire:

A)Management should hire many more than are needed with the intent of weeding out poor performers as time goes by.
B)Changing the channels-of-distribution structure in a region does not affect the number of reps needed in that region.
C)Substituting a telemarketing program for 50 percent of the in-person sales calls has no affect on the size of the sales force.
D)A company should hire only the number needed.
E)None of these is correct.

Question 48

A good program for selecting salespeople normally will exclude:

A)Checking applicants' references by telephone.
B)Analyzing personal histories of past salespeople.
C)Interviewing an applicant's spouse.
D)Interviewing present salespeople as a step in preparing a job description.
E)None of these.

Question 49

The Civil Rights legislation affecting sales forces is least likely to apply to:

A)Compensation for men and women.
B)Methods of supervising the sales force.
C)Hiring practices.
D)Promotions from sales jobs to manager's positions.
E)Hiring handicapped workers.

Question 50

Some of the demographic changes that will impact the sales force of the future include all of the following except:

A)The number of Hispanic workers will increase.
B)The average age of the working group will decrease.
C)The number of workers Asian orgin will grow.
D)The number of white,non-Hispanic will grow.
E)All of these will impact the sales force of the future.

Question 51

The process for staffing a sales force include:

A)Planning for recruiting and selection process.
B)Recruiting a large number of applications and selecting those most qualified.
C)Assimilating new hires into the company's culture.
D)A and B only.
E)All of these.

Question 52

All except one of the following points are reasons why a good program for selecting salespeople is important.Which is the exception?

A)Good salespeople are hard to find.
B)A sales manager is no better than his salespeople.
C)Turnover rates will be lower.
D)Training and supervision are not needed if sales representatives are well selected.
E)Well-selected salespeople should be more productive.

Question 53

Which of the following best illustrates the strategic integration of sales force selection with other aspects of sales force management?

A)For standardization purposes the company uses the same supervisory techniques on all newly hired reps,regardless of their experience.
B)Management motivates older salespeople in the same way it motivates newly hired,younger people.
C)If a company has no sales training program,it should not hire inexperienced students who just graduated from college.
D)Management furnishes company-owned cars for all of its sales reps.
E)If a company promotes from within,it should hire older,experienced salespeople.

Question 54

An improvement in the sales rep's selection process should lead to:

A)A switch to on-the-job training programs.
B)More salespeople being paid a straight commission.
C)Fewer sales jobs.
D)Smaller territories,but better quota systems.
E)A reduction in the rate of turnover on the sales force.

Question 55

Sales force selection is most closely related to the _______ stage of the management process.

A)Implementation.
B)Evaluation.
C)Planning.
D)Auditing.
E)Company mission.

Question 56

According to a survey of a class of marketing students,most students typified selling as:

A)A career opportunity with ever-increasing opportunities.
B)Comprised of helpful and informative individuals.
C)Populated by pushy or obnoxious door-to-door salesman types.
D)A highly prestigious job for the next century.
E)An area of marketing they would most like to target for their professional lives.

Question 57

A good program for selecting salespeople usually excludes:

A)Determining the hiring qualifications.
B)Recruiting a group of applicants.
C)Preparing a job description.
D)Determining which applicants meet the hiring qualifications.
E)None of these.

Question 58

The laws and guidelines regarding nondiscrimination emphasize:

A)Elimination of all existing discriminatory conditions,whether intentional or inadvertent.
B)Elimination of discriminatory conditions which are only considered intentional.
C)Only discriminatory conditions pertaining to Afro-Americans.
D)That the spirit of the law but not the letter of the law be enforced.
E)None of these.

Question 59

Which of the following is least likely to be the reason that qualified salespeople are in such short supply?

A)Sales jobs typically don't pay as well as other jobs.
B)Selling jobs are hard work.
C)Many students view selling in a negative way.
D)Selling does not have as much prestige as do some other careers.
E)Many people are not aware of the opportunities provided by sales jobs.

Question 60

Regarding the legal aspects of sales force selection:

A)The EEOC hiring requirements apply to all companies regardless of their size.
B)If the government calls for it,a company has the burden of validating any of its hiring qualifications or selection tools.
C)Civil-rights legislation does not affect a company's choice of selection tools.
D)All of these are true statements.
E)None of these is correct.

Question 61

In determining what constitutes a given job (a job analysis):

A)Only someone from the sales organization should compile the information.
B)The individual conducting this analysis should spend time traveling with several salespeople as they make their sales call.
C)The experienced sales manager who has already hired many sales reps does not require a written job analysis.
D)Rarely will observation or multiple interviews be necessary because sales job descriptions are standard text book material.
E)It is recommended that customers and other executives not be included in the process because it will suggest that the sales organization does not know how to do its job properly.

Question 62

A good job description usually explains:

A)The steps to take in preparing a job analysis.
B)To whom the salesperson reports.
C)The tasks to be performed by the rep in the job.
D)All of these.
E)Only two of A-B-C are correct.

Question 63

The appropriate hiring criteria can:

A)Help design the job analysis.
B)Help avoid misplacement.
C)Be derived from selection tools.
D)Be easily determined.
E)All of these.

Question 64

The job description for a certain sales job is not likely to be used for:

A)Forecasting sales in a salesperson's territory.
B)Determining the content of a sales training program.
C)Evaluating a sales representative's performance.
D)Designing a sales compensation plan.
E)Setting quotas for a salesperson.

Question 65

One useful method for determining the qualifications needed in a sales job is to:

A)Hire only experienced salespeople.
B)Use a merit-rating sheet.
C)Let the field sales managers do the bulk of the interviewing.
D)Give the applicants a battery of psychological tests.
E)Analyze conditions existing in the backgrounds of people who were unsuccessful in their sales jobs with your company.

Question 66

If a company plans to increase the extent to which it practices relationship marketing versus transaction marketing with its current customers,this is likely to:

A)Decrease the number of reps it will need.
B)Have no impact on the number of reps it will need.
C)Increase the number of telemarketers it will need.
D)Increase the number of reps it will need.
E)Increase the number of calls a rep can make in a day.

Question 67

Which of the following areas of hiring qualifications may pose legal problems for a company?

A)Age or appearance.
B)Educational level attained.
C)Personality traits.
D)Membership in organizations or home ownership.
E)Any or all of these may have legal pitfalls.

Question 68

Regarding the difficulty of determining hiring qualifications for a sales job:

A)A rep who fails in one territory is not likely to do well in another area.
B)Traits that make for success in selling are easy to identify,but difficult to measure.
C)Desirable hiring qualifications for sales jobs,once identified,usually are easy to measure.
D)None of these is correct.

Question 69

The most important single tool used in operating a sales force is a:

A)Sales forecast.
B)Job description for a sales job.
C)Series of employment interviews.
D)Sales force organizational structure.
E)Battery of psychological tests.

Question 70

All of the following are used to develop a profile of the successful salesperson except:

A)Marital status and number of children living at home which measures personal flexibility.
B)Employment selection records which register application blanks and interview results.
C)Progress of sales ability which could include criteria such as sales volume percent of sales quota attained,gross margin,and missionary selling activities.
D)General appearance ratings of neatness and appropriate dress for use in measuring personality traits.
E)Differences between good and poor performances in such qualifications as age at time of hiring,previous sales experience,or level of education.

Question 71

All of the following issues should be considered when determining how many sales reps is needed in the sales organization except:

A)The status of the different channels of distribution.
B)Planned territorial expansions and reductions.
C)Promotions out of the sales force.
D)Expected retirements,terminations,and resignations.
E)All of these.

Question 72

According to the text,the most difficult part of the sales force selection function is:

A)Determining how many salespeople are needed.
B)Preparing a job description.
C)Deciding on which recruiting sources to use.
D)Determining the qualifications needed to fill the job.
E)Developing a guided interview form.

Question 73

To determine the qualifications needed to fill a sales job,management is least likely to use an analysis of:

A)Organizational structure used in the sales department.
B)The job description.
C)Personal histories of past and present sales representatives.
D)Exit interviews.
E)What factors caused salespeople to fail.

Question 74

The following traits/ability relationships are true except:

A)Sense of skepticism - ability to be innovative
B)Ego strength - ability to handle rejection
C)Sociable - ability to build relationships
D)Sense of urgency - ability to complete the sale
E)Assertiveness - ability to be firm in negotiations

Question 75

A job description for salespeople is least likely to be used when:

A)Establishing a territorial structure for the sales force.
B)Determining the company's sales potential in new markets.
C)Establishing a sales training program.
D)Deciding on the method of supervising the salespeople.
E)Designing an expense-payment plan for salespeople.

Question 76

According to the text,future selection criteria for salespeople are likely to include the following.

A)Great team-player and high computer literacy.
B)Multi-media skills and highly independent.
C)Great closer and works well under pressure.
D)All of these.
E)None of these.

Question 77

The general theory underlying the use of personal history analyses in sales force selection is that:

A)They are easy and inexpensive to conduct.
B)If a firm finds some traits present in good sales reps and absent in poor ones,it is presumed that these are some of the traits required for success in the job.
C)There are no other methods which can be used to determine desirable traits required for success in the job.
D)Only the traits uncovered in these analyses are important in a sales job.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 78

Which one of the following statements is true?

A)The candidate recruited for team selling should have the same characteristics as those for any other sales position.
B)Candidates for team selling must be very independent.
C)Sales team are formulated with several current salespeople,so recruiting is not an issue.
D)Candidates for sales teams need some characteristics that are different than those for solo sales positions.
E)Candidates for team selling should the same characteristics as those recruited for solo same positions as well as some additional characteristics.

Question 79

With respect to job descriptions for sales jobs:

A)Don't put it in writing because that tends to make it inflexible.
B)They don't have much relevance beyond the selection function in sales force management.
C)The shorter it is,the better it is.
D)A separate description should be prepared for each type of sales job in a firm.
E)None of these is correct.

Question 80

Regarding the selection of salespeople and their past experience:

A)A sales rep who fails in one sales territory will more than likely fail in a different sales territory.
B)A sales rep who fails in one company will often succeed in a sales position with another company.
C)A salesperson who was fired from a sales position with another company should never be hired.
D)None of these are true.