MKT 448- Chapter 1

A typical sales management career path might be hired as a district sales manager, then be promoted to regional sales manager to national sales manager and then to the Vice President of Marketing.

False

According to Department of Labor statistics, about 5% of the U.S. work force are employed in sales positions.

False

Advertising is generally more effective than personal selling in closing the sale.

False

As a result of cutting out the middle man to reduce costs and prices, the number of channels through which consumer products can be sold has decreased in recent years.

False

In general, the field sales manager's job is limited to sales forecasting and budgeting, training, and motivating sales personnel.

False

Most sales force automation initiatives have been successful.

False

Public relations is not usually considered one of the elements of the promotion mix.

False

Sales and customer relationship skills are most important during the growth phase (i.e., the middle of the product life cycle) of the product life cycle.

False

Soloutions selling means the sales force emphasizes skills such as communicating product benefits, helping customers make purchase decisions, and making the entire process easier and more convenient for the buyer.

False

The sales force is only responsible for generating revenues.

False

When recruiting on college campuses, companies are looking to hire good candidates directly into a sales management position.

False

The most powerful motivator for salespeople is usually: a. compensation. b. meetings. c. quotas. d. contests. e. awards.

A- compensation

"The planning, organizing, leading, and control of personal contact programs designed to achieve the sales and profit objectives of the firm" is a definition of: a. sales management. b. personal selling. c. sales support. d. the relationship selling model. e. none of the above.

A- sales management

You can rant and rave and threaten, but the most effective way to get results is to show someone what you want done." This statement is most closely associated with which competency: a. team building. b. coaching. c. strategic action. d. self-management. e. both a and b of the above.

B- coaching

In general, which is more effective in "closing" the sale? a. advertising b. personal selling c. selling promotion d. a, b, and c are equally effective

B- personal selling

The most effective way to close a sale and to get the customer's signature on the order form is generally through: a. advertising. b. personal selling. c. public relations. d. sales promotion. e. both a and b of the above.

B- personal selling

An advantage of personal selling is not: a. two way communication. b. reaching a massive number of people quickly. c. detailed explanation. d. direction towards qualified prospects. e. all are advantages of personal selling

B- reaching a massive number of people quickly

According to surveys, the median age of newly appointed field sales managers is: a. 26. b. 28. c. 30. d. 32.

C- 30

People in the sales department will generally start in the following position: a. a sales management trainee. b. customer service representative. c. a field sales representative. d. research assistants. e. an assistant product manager.

C- Field sales representative

Encyclopedia Britannica Corp's recent decline in sales due to CD-ROM technology is an example of problems in which of the following competencies: a. team building. b. coaching. c. strategic action. d. self-management. e. both a and c.

C- Strategic Action

Having a good understanding of the industry is a key aspect of which of the following competencies: a. team building . b. coaching. c. strategic action. d. self-management. e. both a and c.

C- Strategic Action

Personal selling has many advantages over the other promotional tools. For instance, personal selling: a. is perceived by the customer as offering less biased product information. b. is far less expensive than the other promotion tools. c. can adapt the communications message to the needs of the individual customer. d. involves highly effective one-way communication. e. all of the above.

C- can adapt the communications message to the needs of individual customer

Compared to other promotional tools, the most important advantage(s) of person selling is in: a. locating prospects. b. gaining customer commitment c. creating customer value. d. both b and c above. e. all of the above.

D- Both B and C above

_________ is typically designed to "Pull" merchandise through the channel whereas ________ is designed to answer customer questions and to persuade buyers to sign purchase orders. a. sales promotion, advertising b. price, personal selling c. advertising, sales promotion d. personal selling, sales promotion e. advertising, personal selling

E- Advertising, Personal Selling

Which of the following are considered to represent some key customer changes occurring today? a. a desire to purchase from fewer suppliers b. rising service expectations c. increasing negotiating power d. all of the above with the exception of b e. all of the above

E- All of the above

Which is not an important aspect of the sales manager's job? a. recruiting b. training c. motivating d. evaluating e. mass advertising

E- Mass advertising

Which of the following statements are true regarding sales networks? a. Sales networks are needed for successful prospecting. b. Sales networks needed for prospecting are different from those needed for solutions selling. c. In some cases sales networks are needed both inside and outside of the salesperson's company. d. both b and c. e. all of the above are true.

E- all of the above are true

Which of the following are likely to be good reasons for wanting to be promoted to sales management? a. bored with the sales jobs b. the opportunity to make more money c. the opportunity to exercise power over others d. both b and c e. none of the above

E- none of the above

Which of the following is usually not an important aspect of the first-line sales manager's job? a. recruiting. b. training. c. motivating. d. evaluating. e. setting the corporate growth orientation.

E- setting the corporate growth orientation

The advantage of advertising and sales promotion over other elements of the promotion mix is that they involve two-way communication.

False- advertising and sales are non-personal communications where as salespeople talk directly to customers

In general, customer dissatisfaction with the quality of service they receive has been caused by the deteriorating customer service provided by most companies

False- the bar is constantly being raised

Although many sales managers may reach their positions in a firm because of their sales ability, continued success often depends on their administrative talents.

True

An important market change affecting manufacturer sales forces is that channel members are becoming more powerful.

True

Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, came up through the ranks as a salesperson at GE.

True

Listening skills are one of the top five skills needed to be successful in a solutions selling model according to a recent survey of sales executives.

True

One change many sales forces are experiencing is that they are spending more time meeting with people inside their own company.

True

One reason U.S. companies are looking globally for incremental sales growth opportunities is that over two-thirds of the world's purchasing power is outside of the U.S.

True

Procter & Gamble recently adopted more of a solutions selling approach by reorganizing its sales force into teams to represent all P&G product divisions sold to the same retail account, instead of having a separate sales force for each product division.

True

Recent advances in technology have created an explosion of new sales and service channels.

True

Sales management can be defined as the control and implementation of personal contact programs designed to achieve the sales objectives of the firm.

True