MKTG 4030: Chapter 8

In a survey of customers and salespeople, which of the following was considered MOST important in determining whether a salesperson was trustworthy? A. Product knowledge B. Positive attitude C. Well-dressed D. Intelligent E. Asks good questions

A

Jay's primary job for the company is to engage in low-key _____ selling. A. Missionary B. Order-taking C. Technical D. Trade E. Consumer

A

One of the variables affecting sales performance is "personal characteristics". What can a sales manager do to incorporate aptitude in his/her sales force? A. Carefully design recruitment and selection policies B. Improve training and supervision C. Reduce supervisory pressure D. Institute competitive rewards systems E. Organize logical and effective territory designs

A

Research indicates interpersonal skills A. Are not closely related to sales performance B. Are more important than vocational skills C. Are equally as important as general management skills D. Are less important than vocational esteem skills E. None of the above

A

Research indicates which of the following is NOT one of the personal characteristics that sales managers look for when selecting new salespeople? A. Nonverbal communication skills B. Enthusiasm C. Organization D. Persuasiveness E. Ambition

A

Surprisingly, companies continue to focus on hiring sales representatives _____________ even though this does not do a good job in explaining differences in sales performance. A. With prior experience B. Without college degree C. Without aptitude testing D. With close relatives in the company E. None of the above

A

Which of the following characteristics is important for someone who is planning to take a position as a technical salesperson for a chemical company? A. Product and customer knowledge B. Age and maturity C. Customer empathy D. Sales aggressiveness E. All of the above

A

Which of the following personal characteristics appears to reflect a salesperson's emotional maturity and motivation and is, therefore, a relatively good indicator of sales performance? A. The applicant's current marital and family status B. The applicant's educational attainment C. The applicant's scores on intelligence and math ability tests D. The applicant's self-esteem E. None of the above

A

Which of the following statements about how personal characteristics can be used as predictors of sales performance success is true? A. Some personal variables such as personal history, family background, current marital status and vocational skills are related to differences in performance among salespeople B. Sex is an important factor for explaining the differences in performance across salespeople C. Sales aptitude and self-esteem explain the largest portion of the variance in performance across salespeople D. Physical appearance is a strong predictor of whether a candidate for a sales job will be a successful salesperson E. Marital status, family status and financial status cannot be used as predictors of an individual's success in a sales job

A

A characteristic that is important for a salesperson engaged in new business selling is: A. The ability to set up long-term relationships with customers B. Persistence C. Youthful energy and stamina D. Customer empathy E. High-ego involvement in selling

B

Different types of selling situations appear to require salespeople with A. Consistent educational achievement B. Different personal traits and abilities C. A variety of references D. Experience and authority E. Psychological profiles consistent with the work requirements

B

Which of the following statements about the personal variables that produce successful salespeople is true? A. Factors that reflect a person's emotional maturity and cooperative behavior also tend to be good predictors of sales performance B. Matching salespeople with customers on the basis of personality similarities is the most preferred method for assigning accounts C. Salespeople with equal motivation, role perceptions and training will invariably perform equally well since these are the factors that management can influence D. Sales managers should hire salespeople with relatively similar personality traits, aptitudes and skills to minimize the differences within the sales force E. The more similar the salespeople are to their customers, the higher the probability of success

A

You would NOT expect to find a high percentage of women on the sales staff in companies in the _____ industry. A. Steel B. Publishing C. Insurance D. Management consulting E. Television

A

In the area of skills, the variables affecting sales performance the most are A. Sales presentation and interpersonal skills B. Vocational and general management skills C. Interpersonal and vocational esteem skills D. General management and sales presentation E. Responsibility and dominance

B

Individual personality traits A. Include demographic and lifestyle characteristics B. Explain very little of the differences in salespeople's performance C. Show Aptitude and work background are more important than responsibility D. Submissive salespeople are equally effective as dominant salespeople E. Show skill variables explain differences in salespeople's performance

B

One of the variables affecting sales performance is skill levels. What can a sales manager do to incorporate skill levels in his/her sales force? A. Carefully design recruitment and selection policies B. Improve training and supervision C. Reduce supervisory pressure D. Institute competitive rewards systems E. Organize logical and effective territory designs

B

Regarding older salespeople, sales managers now know that: A. Lack energy B. "Stereotypes about them have definitely lost their thunder." C. Are too inflexible D. Are less committed E. None of the above is true

B

Research suggests older salespeople _________________ than younger salespeople. A. Have higher energy levels B. Have greater knowledge of products/services C. Have lower commitment to clients D. Are more adaptive to travel demands E. All of the above

B

Results indicating that demographic factors account for less than 5 percent of the difference in performance among salespeople A. Implies sales managers should hire more women B. Refutes the conventional wisdom espoused by some sales managers in the past C. Suggests managers hire taller and attractive salespeople D. Confirms the idea that lifestyle is less important than gender E. None of the above

B

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act: A. Has been unaffected by political changes in the executive branch of the federal government B. Prohibits withholding jobs or promotions because of either customer preferences for salespeople of a particular race or sex or presumed differences in turnover rates C. Applies to all private employers, no matter what size their organization D. Applies to both public and private employers with 20 or more employees E. Is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice

B

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. A. Corporate visions B. Selection criteria C. Character references D. Performance indicators E. Industry guidelines

B

Which of the following characteristics is most crucial for Jay's sales success? A. Age and maturity B. High energy and stamina C. Empathy D. Ability to deal with stress E. Problem-solving

B

Which of the following characteristics would a sales manager for a company the sells meat process equipment be likely to consider MOST important when looking at potential sales recruits? A. Selling experience in the athletic shoe industry B. Enthusiasm C. Verbal skills D. Well-organized E. Ambitious

B

Which of the following organizations would be most likely to have members of its sales force acting as technical salespeople? A. A manufacturer of baby food B. A manufacturer of road building equipment C. A television network D. A newspaper publisher E. An advertising agency

B

Which of the following statements about the characteristics sales managers look for in potential salespeople is true? A. Company executives typically know what characteristics are needed and direct sales managers to hire individuals with those characteristics B. General sales experience is considered more relevant than specific product or industry experience C. Research has replaced opinions and experience as the primary tool for selecting an individual who will be a successful salesperson D. A study of a large cross-section of salespeople to determine what factors make a salesperson successful would be useless because it would not be industry specific E. All techniques used by sales manager to determine which potential recruits will be successful salespeople are completely subjective

B

After studying the "Summary of the effect of variables on salesperson performance" many sales managers find A. Demographic variables are consistently the most important factors B. Responsibility among salespeople overcomes weaknesses in other areas C. Some traits commonly used to evaluate new recruits have not proven effective in accounting for differences in sales performance D. Sociability and self-esteem are negative variables taking away from sales performance E. All of the above

C

As the technology and customers become more sophisticated, A. Sales managers hire younger workers B. Sales managers hire people with technical backgrounds C. The quality of the presentation must get better D. Industrial buyers are leaving the industry E. Interpersonal skills are becoming less important

C

For people selling business-to-business products, "_________" skills and traits are relatively good predictors of successful performance. A. Basic B. Key C. Professional D. High-level E. None of the above

C

In a survey of customers and salespeople, which of the following was considered LEAST important in determining whether a salesperson was trustworthy? A. Product knowledge B. Positive attitude C. Well-dressed D. Intelligent E. Asks good questions

C

One of the variables affecting sales performance is motivation. What can a sales manager do to influence his sales force's level of motivation? A. Make sure that the company only recruits highly motivated individuals to be salespeople B. Set up extensive and thorough training programs for all salespeople C. Set up a compensation and reward system that directly satisfies the needs of the members of the sales force D. Set up a management hierarchy based on wide spans of control E. Do any or all of the above

C

Research in the area of personality traits indicates A. Willingness to assert oneself is an important indicator of sales success B. Sociability is more important than creativity as an indicator of sales success C. Willingness to cooperate is a key characteristic for sales success D. Self-esteem explains over 15 percent of sales performance E. Needs for achievement is more intrinsic than extrinsic

C

Research indicates that within the category of a salesperson's present marital, family and financial status, salespeople __________________ tend to have better sales performance. A. With a diverse lifestyle B. Who are conservative C. With larger mortgages D. Who are in the process of a divorce E. None of the above

C

What is fundamentally incorrect with the hypothesis: "Salespeople are more likely to be successful when dealing with prospects who are similar to themselves in demographic characteristics, personality traits and attitudes than when their prospects have characteristics different from their own." A. Federal legislation makes it illegal to gather this information about individual salespeople B. The hypothesis is illogical because it is a well-known fact that opposites attract C. Research does not support the similarity hypothesis D. No research has yet been done to prove this hypothesis E. Research has shown there is nothing wrong with this hypothesis which should be widely used by all sales managers

C

Which of the following aptitudes is most relevant to the success of a person who is hired for a sales position? A. Intelligence B. Math ability C. Cognitive abilities D. Sales aptitude E. Verbal intelligence

C

__________ are management actions that primarily attempt to influence aptitude and personal characteristics. A. Interviews and testing B. Aptitude and skill levels C. Recruitment and selection policies D. Aptitude and motivation E. Training and supervision

C

Aptitude tests A. Are a good predictor of sales performance B. Such as general intelligence tests, are highly correlated to sales performance C. Are illegal under Title VII employment law D. That test cognitive ability, are a relatively good indicator of likely sales success E. Are good predictors of aggressiveness

D

Arlene is a _____ salesperson for the company. A. Missionary B. New product C. Order-taking D. Trade E. Technical

D

The chances that a salesperson will quit or be fired in their first five years are: A. 1 in 100 B. 90 out of 100 C. Almost 100 percent D. 50 out of 100 E. Almost zero percent

D

The more skill a salesperson has A. The easier it is to become a sales manager B. The lower his or her creativity is likely to be C. The greater his or her need for extrinsic rewards D. The better his or her performance is likely to be E. The greater his or her sense of responsibility

D

The potentially most useful approach to defining sales aptitude and evaluating a person's potential is to: A. Gain all the demographic information possible about the job candidate B. Establish the person's aptitude and if and where any training is needed for a general sales position C. Match the salesperson in terms of demographics, personality and attitude with the customers he or she will be calling on D. First determine the kinds of tasks involved in a specific sales job E. Rely on managerial opinion and experience in the selection process

D

When asked "What type of sales representative has a tougher time making sales?" sales managers most frequently stated, salespeople who A. Speak too fast B. Have a heavy accent C. Are older D. Dress sloppily E. Are overweight

D

Which of the following personal characteristics is the best predictor of sales success? A. The salesperson's sex B. The salesperson's ethnic background C. The result of the salesperson's intelligence test D. The salesperson's personal history and family background E. Results of sales aptitude tests

D

From the research summarized in the text, which of the following categories of personal and organizational variables has the greatest impact on sales performance? A. Aptitude B. Personal characteristics C. Motivation D. Role perceptions E. No one category has the greatest impact

E

One of the variables affecting sales performance is organizational and environmental factors. What can a sales manager do to incorporate this in their sales management strategy? A. Design recruitment and selection policies B. Improve training and supervision C. Reduce supervisory pressure D. Institute competitive rewards systems E. Organize logical and effective territory designs

E

Research indicates that in jobs involving the sale of services A. Sales presentation skills are important B. Intelligence and self-esteem are good indicators of sales success C. Professional skills and traits are good indicators of sales success D. Being well-dressed is a major predictor of sales success E. Aggressiveness and motivation are good indicators of sales success

E

Training and supervision are management actions that primarily attempt to influence: A. Role perceptions and motivation B. Aptitude and skill levels C. Motivation and aptitude D. Aptitude and motivation E. Skill levels and role perceptions

E

Which of the following background and experience variables is the best predictor of a candidate's potential for sales success? A. Educational attainment B. Educational content C. Sales experience D. General work experience E. Personal history and family background

E

Which of the following characteristics is crucial for Arlene's sales success? A. Empathy B. Age, maturity C. Knowledge of customer D. Knowledge of business methods E. All of the above

E

Which of the following questions CANNOT be legally asked during a job interview? A. Do you have a college degree? B. How long have you worked for your previous employer? C. What characteristics do you have that you think make you suited to a job in sales? D. What kind of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in school? E. How old are you?

E

Which of the following statements about women in sales is TRUE? A. Women have achieved greater acceptance in some industries than others B. Older sales managers often thought women were too emotional for sales C. Some male managers feared having to supervise women D. Some managers thought the turnover rates among women would be higher E. All of the above

E

Which of the following statements is based on research that has been done about the characteristics needed for a successful salesperson? A. Research has shown that a candidate's aptitude for sales is unimportant because aptitude can be taught B. On average, factors that sales managers cannot control account for the largest proportion of the variance in performance across salespeople C. Personal characteristics do not explain and cannot be used to explain individual differences in performances D. The performance of a given salesperson is a function of organizational variables and unrelated to personal traits E. Successful salespeople are both born and made

E

While salespeople indicate ____________ are most critical in building trust with the customer, customers themselves rank ____________________ as the top characteristic needed for salespeople to win customer trust. A. Self-confidence; ask good questions B. Intelligence; good listening skills C. Positive attitude; Likable D. Likable; understands business E. Good listening skills; Product knowledge

E