Question 1

Factors that sales managers cannot control or influence-such as role perceptions,skills and motivation-account for the largest proportion of the variance in performance across salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Sales managers can influence factors such as role perceptions, skills, and motivation through training, coaching, and creating a supportive work environment, which can significantly impact the performance variance across salespeople.

Question 2

The educational background of a potential salesperson is one of the most reliable factors that a sales manager can use to predict the subsequent success of an individual.

Accepted Answer

While educational background may be an indicator of certain skills and abilities, it is not a reliable factor in predicting sales success. Other factors such as personality traits, motivation, and prior sales experience may be more relevant.

Question 3

How salespeople are managed is even more crucial to their ultimate success than how they are hired.

Accepted Answer

While hiring the right salespeople is important, effective management is essential for their success in achieving sales targets and contributing to the company's overall success. A good manager can provide training, support, motivation, and leadership to help salespeople overcome challenges and perform at their best, while a poor manager can demotivate them, fail to provide guidance or support, and ultimately lead to poor sales performance.

Question 4

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act applies to all private employers of 15 or more persons.

Accepted Answer

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act applies to all private employers of 15 or more persons, as well as to state and local government employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations.

Question 5

There is no strong correlation between demographic factors and sales performance.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that demographic factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity do not have a strong correlation with sales performance. Other factors such as personality traits, skills, and experience have a greater impact on sales success.

Question 6

Many sales executives have somewhat mixed feelings concerning what it takes to become a successful salesperson.

Accepted Answer

Many sales executives recognize the importance of certain traits and skills, such as persistence, empathy, and product knowledge, in becoming successful in sales. However, they may also acknowledge that there are external factors such as market conditions and competition that can impact their success. Therefore, their feelings may be somewhat mixed.

Question 7

Training and supervision are management actions that primarily attempt to influence:

Accepted Answer

Training and supervision primarily aim to enhance skill levels and clarify role perceptions, ensuring employees understand their responsibilities and have the necessary skills to perform their tasks effectively.

Question 8

Aptitude is defined as learned proficiencies and attitudes necessary for effective performance of specific job tasks.

Accepted Answer

Aptitude refers to the natural talents and abilities that an individual possesses, which can indicate their potential to learn or develop skills in a specific area, rather than learned proficiencies and attitudes.

Question 9

Sales managers should not use sex to explain differences in performances among a cross-section of salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Using sex to explain differences in sales performance is inappropriate, unprofessional, and potentially discriminatory. Sales managers should focus on objective performance metrics and provide constructive feedback and coaching to improve sales performance.

Question 10

All of the selection criteria that provide relevant information for predicting the future success of salespeople can be legally collected through interviews and job resumes.

Accepted Answer

While interviews and job resumes can provide valuable information, not all selection criteria can be legally collected through these methods. For example, collecting information on an applicant's age, race, religion, or disability status is illegal and cannot be used in making hiring decisions. Additionally, some predictors of success, such as personality tests, may be legally questionable and require validation and analysis before they can be used in a hiring process.

Question 11

Research has proven that a salesperson's success rate is directly related to how closely his or her physical characteristics,personality and attitudes are similar to those of the prospect.

Accepted Answer

Research in sales and marketing suggests that while rapport and trust are crucial for sales success, they are not solely determined by similarity in physical characteristics, personality, and attitudes. Effective communication, understanding customer needs, and product knowledge are also key factors.

Question 12

Women have achieved greater acceptance in the construction and primary metals and industries than in the insurance industry.

Accepted Answer

Women have historically faced more barriers and have been less represented in traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction and primary metals industries compared to sectors like insurance, where they have achieved greater acceptance and representation.

Question 13

The most potentially useful approach to defining sales aptitude and evaluating a person's potential is first to determine the kinds of tasks involved in a specific sales job.

Accepted Answer

By determining the specific tasks and requirements of a sales job, a more accurate and tailored approach can be used to evaluate a person's potential for success in that role.

Question 14

Extensive empirical research compares the job performance of minority salespeople with that of other ethnic groups.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Extensive empirical research compares the job performance...

Question 15

Salespeople are born not made.

Accepted Answer

While some individuals may possess certain natural traits or abilities that make them well-suited for sales, sales skills can be learned and honed through training and experience, making salespeople "made" rather than solely "born."

Question 16

Vicon Pharmaceuticals spends considerable effort testing and interviewing candidates for their sales positions,determining which candidates have the traits and characteristics needed for success.Vicon has developed ________________ to use in choosing sales reps.

Accepted Answer

The most appropriate choice is selection criteria, which refers to the specific qualities, skills, and qualifications that companies look for in potential employees. In this case, Vicon Pharmaceuticals is using selection criteria to identify the traits and characteristics that are needed for success in their sales positions. The other choices are not as relevant, as corporate visions and industry guidelines are broader concepts that may not be specific to selecting sales reps, while character references and performance indicators are more focused on evaluating current employees rather than identifying new hires.

Question 17

The ways in which people spend their time outside of their jobs do not appear to be closely related to their likely performance as a salesperson.

Accepted Answer

There is no direct correlation between leisure activities and sales performance. Other factors such as communication skills, work ethic, and product knowledge are more relevant to success in sales.

Question 18

There is no way to integrate and evaluate the findings of the hundreds of different research projects done to determine the relationships between the performance of an individual salesperson and the number of personal and organizational factors that might influence his performance.

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that allows researchers to integrate and evaluate the findings from multiple studies on a given topic, such as the relationship between various factors and salesperson performance, providing a comprehensive overview of the research evidence.

Question 19

Aptitude and personal characteristics are typically thought to place an upper limit on an individual's ability to perform a given sales job.

Accepted Answer

Aptitude and personal characteristics play a significant role in determining an individual's potential success and limitations in a specific sales job. Factors such as communication skills, persistence, motivation, and emotional intelligence can impact sales performance. However, with proper training and development, individuals can improve their skills and potentially overcome some of these limitations.

Question 20

Selecting recruits with personal traits and abilities appropriate for specific selling tasks is an important determinant of their ultimate sales performance but,how those salespeople are managed is even more crucial to their success.

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that while selecting suitable recruits is important, it is even more crucial to manage salespeople effectively for their success.

Quiz 8: Personal Characteristics and Sales Aptitude: Criteria for Selecting Salespeople