Deck 1: Overview of Personal Selling

Question 1

In the evolution of personal selling, why were early salespeople often treated with contempt?

A) due to their frequent use of deception in the selling process
B) because redistribution of goods at a profit was considered dishonourable
C) due to low entrance requirements to the profession
D) due to the high tax rates on business transactions at the time

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to the textbook, what is the key to effective sales dialogue?

A) focusing on the customer's needs
B) both parties participating and benefiting from the process
C) using need-based questioning techniques
D) using other marketing communication tools to supplement what is said

Answer 2

B

Question 3

John H. Patterson of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) is generally credited with the invention of the canned sales presentation. How is it best characterized?

A) as a sales presentation that does not contain material that will require continual updating
B) as a sales presentation that is prepared for direct mailing to prospective clients
C) as a sales presentation that is unplanned and developed in response to the needs of the customer
D) as a sales presentation that is very structured and generally based on a written script

Answer 3

D

Question 4

With respect to the knowledge required by the salesperson, what is the main difference between transaction-focused traditional selling and trust-based relationship selling?

A) Transaction-focused selling requires a broader range of knowledge on the part of the salesperson.
B) A salesperson using trust-based relationship selling needs to know less about the customer's business and industry than one using transaction-focused traditional selling.
C) Trust-based relationship selling requires less knowledge on the part of the salesperson due to the high levels of trust involved.
D) A salesperson using trust-based relationship selling needs to know more about the customer's business and industry than one using transaction-focused traditional selling.

Question 5

Jennifer follows the trust-based relationship selling strategy when dealing with her customers. Which of the following best describes her role in how her customers make buying decisions?

A) She is largely isolated from the customer's buying decision process.
B) She is actively involved in the customer's buying decision process.
C) She acts as a resource person only when needed.
D) Her role will vary depending on the amount of sales dialogue needed.

Question 6

When did true salespeople, those who earned a living from selling, start to exist in sizeable numbers?

A) just after the Great Depression in the United States
B) after the First World War
C) during the Industrial Revolution in England
D) during the Middle Ages in Europe

Question 7

What is the primary difference between transaction-focused traditional selling and trust-based relationship selling?

A) Trust-based relationship selling takes a long-term approach to adding value for customers.
B) Transaction-focused traditional selling puts more emphasis on follow-up programs.
C) Trust-based relationship selling takes a short-term approach to adding value for customers.
D) Communication in transaction-focused traditional selling tends to be two-way and collaborative.

Question 8

What is the primary objective of transaction-focused selling?

A) creating value through repeat business transactions
B) building a relationship with the customer
C) lowering the cost of goods sold to the customer
D) maximizing sales in the short run

Question 9

What is the essential difference between personal selling and other promotional tools that helps salespeople to create value?

A) greater reach and frequency of contact in the mass market
B) interpersonal communication with buyers
C) more efficient use of marketing resources
D) greater leverage of marketing communications

Question 10

Lina's customers tell her that they are concerned about what they are receiving in exchange for what they are paying. In other words, what are they concerned about?

A) return on investment
B) discounted cash flow
C) customer value
D) amortization rate

Question 11

In the textbook, what term is used to describe the series of conversations between buyers and sellers that take place over time in an attempt to build relationships?

A) the personal selling process
B) sales dialogue
C) need-based questioning techniques
D) marketing communication

Question 12

Which promotional tool of marketing relies heavily on interpersonal communication and interaction between buyers and sellers?

A) advertising
B) sales promotion
C) direct marketing
D) personal selling

Question 13

Isaac's last visit to a new, potentially large customer was spent entirely on getting to know the buyer in an effort to build rapport and trust, so much so that very little business was discussed during the visit. When attempting to set up an appointment for a return visit, the buyer seemed reluctant to make time in his schedule to see Isaac. What is the most likely reason?

A) Isaac must not have built as much rapport and trust with this prospective customer as he originally thought.
B) The buyer did not see any value in continuing a sales dialogue that had no clear purpose or customer focus.
C) Isaac should have used more need-based questioning techniques in the initial visit.
D) The buyer was more than satisfied with other forms of marketing communication from the company.

Question 14

According to its creator, what was the premise behind the invention of the canned sales presentation?

A) Selling is a learned skill, not a personality trait.
B) A sales presentation should be tailored to the unique situation of each customer.
C) An unplanned sales presentation is rarely successful.
D) A structured sales presentation allows for the most customer feedback.

Question 15

In terms of marketing resources spent, which promotional tools do business-to-business marketers consider most important?

A) public relations
B) personal selling
C) direct marketing
D) advertising

Question 16

Kevin is a salesperson who relies heavily on building trust with customers. His style of selling is?

A) reciprocity-based selling
B) mental states selling
C) trust-based relationship selling
D) formula selling

Question 17

With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the middle of the eighteenth century, what economic justification of salespeople gained momentum?

A) to make local economies more self-sufficient
B) to reach new customers in geographically dispersed markets
C) to facilitate growth in specialized markets
D) to provide employment for displaced farm workers

Question 18

Which of the following promotional tools is used to add value for customers by helping them to find ways to improve their bottom line?

A) personal selling
B) sales promotion
C) direct marketing
D) advertising

Question 19

What are the desired outcomes in trust-based relationship selling?

A) number of closed sales
B) high sales per call efficiency ratios
C) trust, mutual benefits, and enhanced profits
D) high gross profits per sales order

Question 20

The practice of professional selling has been changed by the advent of better educated and more sophisticated buyers, better access to information, and intensified competition due to globalization. How should sellers respond to this shift?

A) Sellers must use a balanced push-pull approach that meets the buyer's needs.
B) Sales professionals must adopt a value-based approach to help improve the customer's bottom line.
C) To be successful, sellers must be more focused on achieving their objectives.
D) The practice of professional selling has not changed despite the many changes in the marketing environment.

Question 21

According to the textbook, why do salespeople often experience conflict when performing their jobs?

A) Salespeople must serve the often-conflicting demands of their customers, their employers, and society.
B) Buyers expect salespeople to pursue corporate objectives while balancing competing demands.
C) Good performance in sales leads only to increasingly difficult sales objectives in the future.
D) Buyers expect salespeople to contribute to the success of the buyer's firm.

Question 22

Which factor makes it difficult for sales to be considered a true profession?

A) The sales industry lacks a uniform ethical code.
B) The uniform certification program in place is not strong enough.
C) The amount of decision-making autonomy in sales positions varies greatly.
D) The entrance requirements for most sales positions demand very little education.

Question 23

Susan is a recent graduate with a degree in business and considers herself very career-oriented and ambitious. Why should she consider a position in sales?

A) She can make a lot of money in sales, given the right circumstances.
B) Research has shown that success in sales depends primarily on education.
C) Many companies consider sales the foundation for future assignments, including management positions.
D) Due to its low visibility, the sales department is a good place for new graduates to start.

Question 24

Which approach to personal selling involves salespeople altering their sales messages and behaviours during a sales presentation or as they encounter different sales situations and different customers?

A) stimulus-response selling
B) adaptive selling
C) continued affirmation
D) value based selling

Question 25

What are the two basic ways in which salespeople have contributed to the economic growth of Canada?

A) by stimulating economic transactions and encouraging research and development
B) by disseminating market information and introducing new products to people in rural areas
C) by stabilizing economic transactions and assisting in recovery cycles
D) by stimulating economic transactions and increasing diffusion of innovation

Question 26

What does the extensive direct contact that salespeople have with existing and prospective customers lead many companies to do?

A) rely more on call centre information
B) treat salespeople as key sources of market information and feedback
C) recruit and hire only those people who have extensive retail experience
D) hire outside companies to perform marketing research

Question 27

Which of the following aspects of achieving a market orientation do salespeople have the most opportunity to participate in?

A) gathering information about customers' needs
B) sharing information throughout the organization
C) influencing the market direction
D) ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction

Question 28

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of intensified competition?

A) increased use of technology
B) more focus on creating and delivering customer value
C) more emphasis on sales dialogues rather than on sales pitches
D) more emphasis on customer-oriented sales training

Question 29

Which personal selling approach is considered the simplest?

A) stimulus response
B) need satisfaction
C) contingency selling
D) mental states

Question 30

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of fragmentation of traditional customer bases?

A) sales specialists for specific customer types
B) more focus on creating and delivering customer value
C) more emphasis on sales dialogues rather than on sales pitches
D) team selling

Question 31

According to the textbook, given the increasing importance of building trust with customers and an emphasis on establishing and maintaining long-term relationships, what do today's buyers expect from salespeople?

A) Buyers expect salespeople to be self-serving but empathetic.
B) Buyers expect salespeople to pursue corporate objectives while balancing conflicting demands.
C) Buyers expect salespeople to focus on creating value in the short term.
D) Buyers expect salespeople to contribute to the success of the buyer's firm.

Question 32

In the evolution of personal selling, what characterizes the modern era?

A) selling through mass marketing of goods and services
B) a focus on hiring lower-cost salespeople
C) increased professionalism on the part of salespeople
D) increased efficiency of the factory production process

Question 33

Janice is a sales representative for a firm that develops and manufactures leading-edge products in the electronics industry. As a result, she spends a great deal of time showing prospective customers how her company's new products will better meet their needs. In this regard, how is she contributing to economic growth?

A) by lowering her customers' costs of production
B) by furthering the diffusion of innovation
C) by stabilizing economic recovery cycles
D) by improving the efficiency of marketing communication efforts

Question 34

According to the textbook, which of the following marketing communications tools do business firms spend the largest amount of money on?

A) personal selling
B) direct marketing
C) public relations
D) sales promotions

Question 35

In the continued evolution of personal selling, what is the best response to the challenge of improving sales productivity?

A) increased use of technology
B) more focus on creating and delivering customer value
C) more emphasis on sales dialogues rather than on sales pitches
D) more emphasis on customer-oriented sales training

Question 36

Which of the following factors most affects the contributions made by salespeople to their employers?

A) knowledge of the competition
B) direct contact with customers
C) coordination with customer service
D) technical knowledge

Question 37

According to the textbook, in considering the responsibility for revenue production, who usually feels the brunt of the pressure along with the salespeople?

A) the firm's stockholders
B) the firm's production staff
C) the firm's management staff
D) the firm's financial staff

Question 38

Which of the following roles is the source of support for the idea that salespeople are the most important people within an organization?

A) salespeople as revenue producers
B) salespeople as sources of market information
C) salespeople as candidates for executive positions
D) salespeople as relationship developers

Question 39

What do need satisfaction, problem-solving, and consultative selling approaches have in common that mental states and stimulus-responses approaches do not?

A) adaptive selling
B) value orientation
C) continued affirmation
D) balanced empathy

Question 40

What is the process of helping customers to reach their strategic goals by using the products, services, and expertise of the sales organization?

A) value-based selling
B) continued affirmation
C) consultative selling
D) adaptive selling

Question 41

What role is being played by a salesperson who 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) inside sales adviser

Question 42

David is always willing to support his customers, even when an immediate sale is not expected. How is David likely to be perceived by his customers?

A) as a strategic orchestrator
B) as a business consultant
C) as a long-term ally
D) as a value chain partner

Question 43

The mental states, or formula, approach to personal selling assumes that buyers must be led through four mental states. In what order do these mental states typically occur?

A) motive, intent, commitment, action (MICA)
B) attention, desire, interest, purchase (ADIP)
C) curiosity, interest, conviction, purchase (CICP)
D) attention, interest, desire, action (AIDA)

Question 44

Where can the origins of the stimulus-response approach to personal selling be found?

A) pioneering work in instrumental learning
B) early experiments in animal behaviour
C) Piaget's work in nature versus nurture
D) Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory

Question 45

The textbook suggests that in addition to having certain attributes to inspire trust with customers, being successful requires salespeople to do more. What more must they do?

A) adapt the selling strategy to fit the situation
B) separate true suspects from prospects
C) use knowledge of mental states to advantage
D) apply the right kind of pressure tactics to secure an order

Question 46

According to the textbook, which of the following is a potential disadvantage of using the problem-solving selling approach?

A) The approach can often take more time than either sellers or buyers are willing to spend.
B) Buyers tend to become resentful when an outsider recognizes problems that exist within their organization.
C) Problems are considered a negative aspect of business that sellers are advised to avoid whenever possible.
D) The approach requires an experienced salesperson who can handle a high degree of ambiguity.

Question 47

What is the premise of the need satisfaction approach to personal selling?

A) Satisfied customers tend to come back and refer others.
B) The customer needs to know what products the firm offers.
C) Customers are motivated to satisfy their needs in a particular order.
D) Customers purchase to satisfy a particular need or set of needs.

Question 48

What role is being played by a salesperson who spends time to learn a customer's business so that he or she can then better advise the customer on how the selling firm's products compare to competitive offerings?

A) a strategic orchestrator
B) a business consultant
C) a long-term ally
D) a sales adviser

Question 49

According to the textbook, as a result of its continued evolution, how is the selling process now increasingly viewed?

A) as the co-creation of value
B) as a relationship management process
C) as an adversarial process
D) as strategic problem solving

Question 50

Which personal selling approach involves helping customers to reach their strategic goals by using the products, services, and expertise of the sales organization?

A) need satisfaction selling
B) consultative selling
C) an alternative-solutions approach
D) stimulus-response selling

Question 51

How does need satisfaction selling differ from the stimulus-response and mental states approaches to selling?

A) Need satisfaction selling focuses on the salesperson and his or her product offerings.
B) The salesperson utilizes statements, questions, and actions to elicit desired responses.
C) The method focuses on the buyer and his or her needs.
D) The salesperson uses persuasion much earlier in the interaction.

Question 52

What is the problem-solving selling approach considered an extension of?

A) need satisfaction selling
B) stimulus-response selling
C) contingency selling
D) mental states selling

Question 53

What is the major limitation of the stimulus-response approach to personal selling?

A) reliance on a canned sales presentation
B) requirement for experienced salespeople
C) lack of flexibility
D) customer tending to dominate the sales conversation

Question 54

How is the selling process usually described?

A) as a series of 10 steps
B) as a series of cumulative steps
C) as a series of interrelated steps
D) as a series of separate but equal steps

Question 55

In an effort to sell to a new account, Sarah has spent considerable time learning about the customer's industry, as well as educating the buyer as to how her products compare to competitive offerings. This process has required making numerous sales visits with no immediate prospect of securing an order. Which selling approach is Sarah using?

A) trust-based selling
B) consultative selling
C) need satisfaction selling
D) mental states selling

Question 56

Honesty, dependability, customer orientation, expertise, and compatibility are all factors that salespeople use. When they do so, what is their goal?

A) to master the art of the stimulus-response selling approach
B) to participate in two-way and collaborative communication
C) to earn the trust of customers as the basis for developing a lasting relationship
D) to be actively involved in the customer's decision-making process

Question 57

According to the textbook, how are the steps in the sales process best characterized?

A) highly interrelated, often overlapping, and not necessarily a strict sequence of events
B) discrete and strictly sequential
C) highly dependent, sequential, and context specific
D) asymmetrically aligned, nonsequential, and often interdependent

Question 58

What is the primary difference between the problem-solving selling approach and need satisfaction selling?

A) The problem-solving selling approach requires more time for generating alternative solutions to the problem identified.
B) The problem-solving selling approach requires more emphasis on the competitive advantages of the selling firm to establish credibility with prospective buyers.
C) The problem-solving selling approach requires more time for considering the full impact of the problem identified and how the proposed solution delivers significant customer value.
D) The problem-solving selling approach requires less time overall because the buyer's needs are already known.

Question 59

According to the textbook, when is the stimulus-response approach to personal selling most appropriate?

A) when buyers are unsophisticated and decisions are considered relatively unimportant and are made quickly
B) when the buying decision is considered important but not risky
C) when buyers are professional but not particularly interested in the purchase decision under consideration
D) when the seller is relatively new to the territory and not yet familiar with each customer

Question 60

What is a serious limitation of the mental states, or formula, approach to personal selling?

A) lack of customer orientation
B) prospects getting locked in to one mental state
C) salespeople who stop planning sales calls
D) lack of structure in the sales interaction

Question 61

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

Question 62

Which statement best characterizes the relationship between sales as a career choice and job security?

A) Salespeople tend to have less job security due to fluctuations in performance.
B) Due to the specificity of their skills, salespeople are limited in their career choices.
C) Salespeople have greater job security due to their role as revenue producers.
D) There is no discernible relationship between selling as a career and job security.

Question 63

Companies practising business-to-business marketing spend more on advertising than personal selling due to the large number of buyers that must be reached with marketing communications.

Question 64

In comparison to other positions within an organization, what sort of feedback do salespeople receive on their performance?

A) less feedback
B) constant and immediate feedback
C) greater feedback
D) inconsistent and delayed feedback

Question 65

What is an indication of how determined a person is to achieve goals and overcome obstacles in striving for success?

A) ego drive
B) self-confidence
C) ego strength
D) empathy

Question 66

Huda works for a large pharmaceutical company and spends the majority of her time calling on physicians to promote her company's extensive line of medications so that they will be more likely to prescribe them to their patients in the future. Which type of personal selling job does Huda have?

A) new business
B) inside sales
C) existing business
D) sales support: detailer

Question 67

The biggest advantage of personal selling over other forms of marketing communication is the high degree of customer feedback that results from direct contact with buyers before, during, and after the sale.

Question 68

Customer value will vary depending on whose perspective is being considered, the customer's or the salesperson's.

Question 69

Which statement best characterizes selling as a career choice with respect to occupational prestige?

A) Selling has always been portrayed as low prestige, and this is unlikely to change in the future.
B) The general public's view of selling has deteriorated over time due to unflattering media exposure.
C) Salespeople have always been respected for the contributions they make to society as a whole.
D) Despite negative portrayals in the media in the past, salespeople are increasingly being seen as knowledgeable, well-trained, educated, and capable of solving customer problems.

Question 70

According to the textbook, personal selling and trust-based relationship selling are essentially the same thing.

Question 71

What is the term for a strong belief that success will occur on the job?

A) ego drive
B) self-efficacy
C) ego strength
D) empathy

Question 72

Why do salespeople tend to have good opportunities for career advancement?

A) Many key factors for success in sales are skills that transfer to management positions.
B) As revenue generators, salespeople tend to stay longer with employers.
C) The lack of job security in sales motivates salespeople to work harder.
D) Salespeople tend to get bored with established routines, which motivates them to look for something more exciting.

Question 73

The primary focus of trust-based relationship selling is achieving sales in the short term.

Question 74

Lise works for a large manufacturer of women's casual clothing. Her primary responsibility is to call on retailers who carry the company's lines of clothing to make sure that they have adequate inventories of current products on hand, provide customer service, and solicit orders for the coming season. Which type of personal selling job does Lise have?

A) order-taker
B) missionary salesperson
C) new business: pioneer
D) technical support salesperson

Question 75

Ultimately, customer value is determined by your supervisor.

Question 76

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

Question 77

What is the term for the degree to which a person is able to achieve an approximation of inner drives?

A) ego drive
B) self-efficacy
C) ego strength
D) empathy

Question 78

Customers like dealing with Franco because he is a salesperson who is able to see their point of view and work with them to achieve their mutual objectives. What does Franco have a high level of?

A) ego drive
B) self-confidence
C) ego strength
D) empathy

Question 79

Pierre works in the new business development department of a large plumbing and heating equipment wholesaler. His primary responsibilities are to find new customers and to promote new products that the company introduces to the market. Which type of personal selling job does Pierre have?

A) order-taker
B) missionary salesperson
C) new business: pioneer
D) technical support salesperson

Question 80

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