Question 1

Robert smiles a lot when he makes presentations to prospective buyers of his product. He says he uses the smile to communicate the idea he is a friendly, helpful salesperson. In terms of the communication process, translating this idea into a smile is his way of:
A) decoding
B) deceiving
C) encoding
D) encroaching
E) deciding

Accepted Answer

Encoding refers to the process of converting a message into symbols, such as words or a smile, that can be conveyed to a receiver. In this case, Robert is using a smile as a symbol to communicate his idea of being a friendly, helpful salesperson to prospective buyers, thus encoding his message.

Question 2

To develop a good understanding of each other's needs, sellers must effectively communicate with the buyer and who need to actively listen to the seller.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 3

Two-way communication starts with decoding, the translation of thoughts into words, which are then encoded by the person receiving the communication.

Accepted Answer

Two-way communication refers to a process where both the sender and the receiver not only exchange information but also derive meaning from it. The decoding process involves the interpretation of the message by the receiver, while encoding involves the formulation and expression of the message by the sender. Therefore, the statement in the question is reversed and incorrect.

Question 4

Virginia just saw Carl, with whom she attended high school 15 years ago, driving near her in rush hour traffic so she honks her horn and waves to say "hello." Carl, who does not recognize Virginia, thinks this stranger is giving him a hard time about a lane change he just made. Obviously, there is a problem in the way Carl is _____ the message.
A) controlling
B) nonverbalizing
C) sending
D) decoding
E) verbalizing

Accepted Answer

Carl is not correctly decoding Virginia's message, as he does not recognize her and assumes she is giving him a hard time instead of waving hello.

Question 5

Will Jones recently quit his job as stockbroker and opened a florist shop. He knows how to arrange flowers and has a lot of contacts in the community, but he is inexperienced when it comes to running a retail flower business. A salesperson who sells all the operating supplies needed by florists is making a sales presentation to Jones. When the salesperson told Jones, "You need a flower stripper," Jones wondered why he would want to strip the petals off of flowers. Jones's reaction indicates a problem with:
A) the halo effect
B) jargon
C) word abstraction
D) noise
E) the recency effect

Accepted Answer

Jones's confusion over the term "flower stripper" suggests a lack of understanding of industry-specific jargon.

Question 6

The 80-20 listening differential suggests salespeople should speak 80 percent of the time and listen 20 percent of the time.

Accepted Answer

The 80-20 listening differential suggests salespeople should listen 80 percent of the time and speak 20 percent of the time.

Question 7

When making a sales presentation for her firm's inventory control software, Galene often compares the difficulty of doing her income taxes without a software program to the difficulty of keeping track of inventory without an effective software system. Galene is using a work picture in her sales presentation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When making a sales presentation for her...

Question 8

The speaking-listening differential can be used to predict how many moments of silence will likely occur in the sales presentation.

Accepted Answer

The speaking-listening differential refers to the ratio of speaking time to listening time in a conversation, but it cannot be used to predict moments of silence in a sales presentation. Factors such as the speaker's presentation style, audience engagement, technical difficulties, and interruptions may contribute to moments of silence during a sales presentation.

Question 9

In two-way communication, encoding and decoding refer to ______ and ______ thoughts and interpretations.
A) announcing and denouncing
B) preferring and referring
C) translating and interpreting
D) deciphering and depicting
E) evaluating and influencing

Accepted Answer

Encoding refers to the process of translating thoughts or ideas into a message that can be understood by someone else. Decoding is the opposite process, where the recipient receives the message and interprets or translates it back into their understanding of the original idea. Therefore, encoding and decoding both involve translation and interpretation of thoughts and ideas between the sender and receiver.

Question 10

The salesperson says, "For the money, you will find no better water reclamation system anywhere!" The customer thinks the salesperson has just told him that his product is cheaply made and only fairly successful at cleaning the water so it can be reused. Part of the miscommunication was caused by the customer's secretary who came in during the presentation and asked the customer to sign a letter. In terms of the communication process, the salesperson was _____, the customer was ______, and the secretary created _____.
A) decoding; encoding; feedback
B) decoding; creating feedback; noise
C) encoding; decoding; feedback
D) encoding; decoding; noise
E) decoding; encoding; noise

Accepted Answer

The salesperson was encoding (sending a message), the customer was decoding (interpreting the message), and the secretary created noise (an external interference that interrupted the communication process). The customer's interpretation of the message was inaccurate, but this was not caused by a lack of feedback from either party.

Question 11

Most sales transactions take place in the personal zone.

Accepted Answer

Sales transactions typically occur face-to-face, which takes place in the personal zone, where people interact with friends and family.

Question 12

In a high-context cultural such as found in the United States, lawyers are very important; wasting time is to be avoided; and competitive bidding is very common.

Accepted Answer

In a high-context culture, such as those found in East Asian and Middle Eastern countries, relationships and nonverbal cues are emphasized over explicit communication. In the United States, which is a low-context culture, explicit communication is valued over relationships and nonverbal cues. Therefore, lawyers may not be as important, wasting time may be more acceptable in certain situations, and competitive bidding may not be as common as in high-context cultures.

Question 13

If you elect to dress casually, you will need to pay greater attention to your clothes because casual dress is more revealing of your personality and attitude than business attire.

Accepted Answer

Casual dress is typically more personal and expressive than business attire, so the clothes you choose can convey a lot about your individual style and outlook. It's important to select pieces that accurately reflect your character and intentions.

Question 14

Many consumers have an image of salespeople as loud, fast-talking people. These are standard active listening characteristics of salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Active listening involves attentively and empathetically listening to the other person without interrupting or trying to dominate the conversation. While some salespeople may exhibit these characteristics, it is not a standard trait of salespeople as a group. The image of salespeople as loud and fast-talking may be a stereotype and not reflective of all salespeople.

Question 15

When making her sales presentation to an important customer, Sarah is frequented interrupted by announcements coming through the company's speaker system. Sarah is experiencing noise.

Accepted Answer

Sarah is being interrupted by unwanted sound, which is a form of noise, hence her experience is noise.

Question 16

The salesperson notices the customer's face shows a puzzled look and asks what needs clarification. The customer replies, "I'd like to know more about how you calculated the estimated cost to use this machine." The salesperson then provides the details. This scenario illustrates two-way communication.

Accepted Answer

The scenario shows that the salesperson and the customer are engaged in a dialogue where the customer asks a question and the salesperson responds with information. This exchange of information between the two parties indicates that there is two-way communication happening.

Question 17

What should a salesperson do if a prospect asks him to conduct the sales presentation near a large, noisy piece of assembly line equipment while the prospect watches the line for any malfunctions?
A) Do as the prospect requested and give his or her sales presentation.
B) Ask the prospect if it is possible to reschedule the meeting to a time when the prospect is less distracted.
C) Plan on relying on nonverbal communication to determine the success of the presentation.
D) Assume the prospect will pay closer attention to the presentation because he must listen while he watches.
E) Give up on the prospect; he or she is obviously not interested.

Accepted Answer

It is important for the salesperson to conduct the presentation in an environment that is conducive to effective communication. The noise from the assembly line equipment may distract the prospect and make it difficult for them to focus on the presentation. It is recommended for the salesperson to politely ask the prospect if it is possible to reschedule the meeting to a time when the prospect can devote their full attention to the presentation. This shows professionalism and a concern for the prospect's time and attention.

Question 18

Customers may become annoyed if the salesperson overuses the active listening suggestion of repeating information.

Accepted Answer

While active listening and repeating information are valuable sales techniques, if done excessively, it may come across as insincere or annoying to the customer. It is important for salespeople to find a balance and use active listening in a natural and genuine way.

Question 19

The personal zone is reserved for a salesperson's supervisors.

Accepted Answer

The personal zone is the space surrounding an individual in which they feel uncomfortable if someone enters without permission. It is not reserved for anyone specifically.

Question 20

According to the communication process, when a salesperson develops a sales presentation, he or she is actively involved in:
A) encoding
B) affective stimulation
C) perceptualizing
D) decoding
E) selling

Accepted Answer

Encoding refers to the process of putting a message into a form that can be transmitted to the receiver. In developing a sales presentation, the salesperson is actively encoding the message they want to communicate to the customer.

Quiz 5: Using Communication Principles to Build Relationships

Robert smiles a lot when he makes presentations to prospective buyers of his product. He says he uses the smile to communicate the idea he is a friendly, helpful salesperson. In terms of the communication process, translating this idea into a smile is his way of: