Quiz #15 (Ch. 17)

Your company wants to expand the specialized market to which it sells athletic gear. The general public may be drawn to your items because they are attractive and popular, but most people will balk at the high price tag for features they consider superfluous. You decide to contact strategic partners who can recommend your product, and help explain the concept behind workout gear that regulates body temperature, and why that feature is not only valuable but worth the extra cost. What personal selling strategy will be beneficial to you in your upcoming marketing campaign?

(​WRONG personalized selling, ​consultative selling)

​You want to improve your performance in field selling, so you have set out to build your skills in the order processing part of the job. Those skills will be related to several tasks, including:

- Pointing out needs to the customer ​- Identifying customer needs ​- Completing orders

​Sue is the daughter of a salesman, but she knows that her job in the same field will be different from her father's. Unlike many sales professionals in the past, Sue is likely to experience:

- ​Prioritizing customer service over quick sales - ​A more dominant role for personal selling in the marketing mix ​- Working in a team

_____ is a sales task in which salespeople use well-planned strategies to seek new customers by proposing innovative solutions to customers' needs.

Creative selling

A sweepstakes chooses winners from a group of people who have purchased the product.

F

Due to intense competition in the market, present-day sales promotion techniques mainly focus on providing short-term incentives to customers in order to obtain a purchase.

F

An effective salesperson uses order-processing techniques to expand an existing business relationship.

FALSE

Listening to customers and using problem-solving skills to meet customer needs is called advisory selling.

FALSE

Precall planning involves making unsolicited sales calls on randomly selected prospects.

FALSE

The effectiveness of a salesperson is measured entirely on the basis of the sales volume and profitability.

FALSE

Creative selling mainly deals with maintaining existing business with customers.

False

Existing customers of a firm whose business problems require complex solutions are likely to be best served by telemarketers in the firm.

False

If a product or service being sold requires relatively little special handling, marketers typically emphasize personal selling in their promotional mix.

False

Most of today's salespeople are limited to performing tasks in a single category.

False

Personal selling is a less important component in the promotional mix when individual orders account for large amounts of revenue.

False

Sales promotions often lead to sales and profit growth in the long run.

False

Team selling is usually a temporary arrangement intended to serve the customer from the initial contact through the initial sale.

False

Which of the following factors will increase the importance of personal selling in the promotional mix?

Increasing emphasis on productivity

Which of the following is true of personal selling?

It is interpersonal and basic to any enterprise.

Which of the following is true of missionary selling?

It is used by salespeople to offer low value sales incentives to their customers for superior performance. ( WRONG It is mostly used by nonprofit-making organizations for educating people about their cause.)

A salesperson from Healthcare Pharmaceuticals provided free samples of the company's latest line of pain relievers to retailers in an effort to promote the firm's goodwill during a sales approach. Later, a wholesaler took orders and delivered the merchandise. Which of the following sales tasks had been performed by the salesperson?

Missionary selling

Which of the following types of personal selling relies on lists of family members and friends of the salesperson who organizes a gathering of potential customers for an in-home demonstration of products?

Network marketing

Which of the following is a characteristic of a corporate culture that encourages ethical behavior?

Open communication exists between employees and managers.

_____ refers to a personal selling approach in which customers comes to the seller's place of business to buy products largely on their own initiative.

Over-the-counter selling

Which of the following is the most effective method to promote products when the customers of a firm are geographically concentrated?

Personal selling

Which of the following is the most effective way for a sales manager to motivate salespeople to give their best?

Recognizing their efforts and offering simple incentives

_____ is a personal selling approach that focuses on establishing a sustained buyer-seller relationship with customers through regular contacts over an extended period.

Relationship selling

Which of the following sales promotion techniques produces a higher response rate than most other promotions?

Sampling

Which of the following is a customer-oriented sales promotion technique?

Specialty advertising

Which of the following is a sales promotion technique that places the manufacturer's name, address, and marketing message on useful articles that are then distributed to target customers?

Specialty advertising

A sales quota is often tied to the compensation system.

T

An assessment center is a testing approach used by sales managers to measure a candidate's skills, knowledge, and ability.

T

An important advantage of personal selling is that it gives the customer the opportunity to try a product before making a purchase.

T

Online sellers can quickly communicate the benefits and features of their products to customers through consultative selling.

T

Sales quotas are specified sales or profit targets that salespeople are expected to achieve.

T

Sales representatives often mimic or imitate the behavior of other sales representatives or managers in their company. If one or more individuals displays unethical behavior and is not reprimanded for their actions, other sales representatives or managers may be tempted to engage in similar unethical actions. ​

T

Salespeople involved order-processing tasks persuade their wholesale or retail customers to carry more complete inventories of their firm's merchandise.

T

The steps in a sales process follow the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) concept.

T

A firm must define its product in terms of what it can do for a customer before beginning its prospecting effort.

TRUE

Creative selling can generate buzz for a product.

TRUE

Direct mail and advertising campaigns are effective in identifying prospective customers.

TRUE

Personal selling is an important component of the promotional mix for a firm that markets to relatively few potential customers.

TRUE

Team selling creates relationships between companies rather than between individuals.

TRUE

Which of the following trade promotion techniques give especially effective opportunities to introduce new products and generate sales leads?

Trade shows

A hotel provides a toll-free number to its customers which they can use to obtain information and make reservations. This is an example of inbound telemarketing.

True

An assessment center is a testing approach used by sales managers to measure a candidate's skills, knowledge, and ability.

True

An expensive gift could be interpreted as a bribe if given in anticipation of doing business with a buyer or company.

True

Cross-selling services and products to existing customers is less expensive than trying to find new customers for the same services.

True

Field selling is more expensive than other selling options and often requires considerable technical expertise.

True

In a cold calling situation, the approach and presentation often take place at the same time.

True

Manufacturers pay a handling fee to retailers to help consumers redeem coupons at their outlets.

True

Network marketing is a form of field selling in customers' homes.

True

Order processing becomes the primary task in situations in which needs are readily identified and are acknowledged by the customer.

True

Over-the-counter personal selling efforts are frequently supplemented with other promotions such as special sales events, new product introductions, and direct-mail appeals.

True

Point-of-purchase advertising encourages retailers to improve on-site merchandising.

True

Sales promotions encourage immediate action as they impose limited time frames.

True

Salespeople involved in creative selling use well-planned strategies to seek new customers by proposing innovative solutions to customer's needs.

True

The follow-up step in the sales process allows the salesperson to psychologically reinforce the customer's original decision to buy.

True

To be identified as a qualified prospect, a customer must have both the resources and the authority to make purchase decisions.

True

To create strong, long-lasting relationships with customers, salespeople must demonstrate high ethical standards and communicate honestly at all times.

True

Trade shows provide an effective opportunity to introduce a new product and to generate sales leads.

True

Which of the following is a part of the consultative selling process?

Understanding customer problems

The sales promotion technique that rewards consumers with an item either for free or at a reduced cost when they purchase another product is called:

a premium.

A _____ is a specially packaged item that gives the purchaser a larger quantity at regular price.

bonus pack

Prior to making the approach to a potential customer, the salesperson should:

collect and analyze information about the potential customer.

Meeting customer needs by listening to them, understanding their problems, paying attention to details, and following through after the sale is called _____ selling.

consultative

Jamie works for a local bank. Whenever a new customer opens a checking account, Jamie makes sure to mention some of the other financial services the bank offers. Jamie is engaged in:

cross-selling.

The process of qualifying a sales prospect involves:

determining a potential customer's needs, income, and purchase authority.

The most expensive sales method overall is:

field selling, largely because of the travel costs of sales personnel.

_____ refers to the postsale activities employed by salespeople that determine whether an individual who made a recent purchase will become a repeat customer.

follow-up

A customer-focused firm wants its sales representatives to:

form long-lasting relationships with buyers by providing high levels of customer service.

The Lands' End catalog provides a toll-free number for customers to call and place orders. The staff is pleasant and knowledgeable and will place orders and answer questions. This is an example of a(n):

inbound telemarketing effort.

Telemarketers who combine field selling with a strong customer orientation using both inbound and outbound communications are engaging in:

inside selling.

Although research shows that most consumers dislike the practice of telemarketing and more than 220 million have signed up for the national Do Not Call Registry, organizations still use telemarketing because:

it is cost effective; the average call costs are low.

Sales managers can best foster an ethical work environment by:

letting employees know what is expected of them.

Brandon is a sales manager and often is involved in recruiting new sales representatives to join the firm. He has been trained in conducting behavioral-based interviews so he can identify whether candidates possess the appropriate characteristics to be successful in a consultative sales position. Which of the following characteristics would MOST LIKELY be important to Brandon during his interviews?​

listening skills​

Draymond worked in the hospitality industry during college and had extensive experience in food service and dining centers. He obtained a sales position with Hormel and was attracted to the position because his job primarily involved promotion of Hormel's various products to restaurants, hospitals and other institutional buyers in cooperation with local distributors such as Sysco Foods. Draymond enjoys the opportunity to work as a team with his Sysco Foods sales representatives who often ask him to join them on their sales calls to customers. Draymond does not take orders from customers for Hormel products but works collaboratively with Sysco Foods whose representatives work directly with customers to identify and fulfill their needs for Hormel products. Draymond's position is best classified as _______ selling. ​

missionary

When personal selling efforts use telephone technology in a sales approach where the sales representative initiates the calls, it is known as _____ telemarketing.

outbound

The trade-oriented promotion that consists of a display or other promotion located near the site of the actual buying decision is known as:

point-of-purchase advertising.

After determining that a prospective customer is a good candidate to actually make a purchase, the salesperson will want to gather as much information about the customer as possible. This step in the sales process is known as:

precall planning.

Alpha Trendz, a clothing and apparel manufacturer, carefully studies information available on the Internet. It also checks computerized databases and trade show exhibits before launching its latest line of designer clothes. The company is in the _____ stage of the sales process.

prospecting

The number of sales representatives who report to a first-level sales manager is referred to as:

span of control.

When visiting one of his major accounts, Matt is accompanied by finance and product specialists. These specialists are able to answer specific questions so that a customer can make a purchase decision. This is an example of _____.

team selling

The use of technology in order-processing tasks can lead to an increase in:

the accuracy of processing an order.

Personal selling is likely to be the primary component of a firm's promotional mix when:

the transactions frequently involve trade-ins.

​As a new employee in the sales promotion department of a hotel chain, you proudly tell a coworker about all the ways you can help the chain grow. Later, you're embarrassed when you realize you misspoke. You mistakenly claimed that sales promotion is especially well suited for:

​Building awareness of the hotel brand

​The sales manager of your fitness center has convinced several members to buy the center's nutritional counseling service as well as its personal training package. You are pleased at this accomplishment in ____ selling.

​Cross

When you choose a career in personal selling, you are promoting your company and the products or services it offers. How do you communicate the advantages of your goods and services over those of the competition?

​Focus on the customer; follow through; know the industry and the competition; exceed customer expectations.

​As Tom begins his new sales job, he is looking forward to interacting with customers. Tom's strengths are in personal, one-to-one communication. Choose the type(s) of sales channels that Tom probably hopes to use.

​Over-the-counter ​Field

​As a field salesperson for a firm that builds custom software for large corporations, Fred relies heavily on consultative selling. His reasons include all of the following except:

​To meet his quota, he aims to close quick sales

You have gotten quite a few complaints recently from unhappy clients, among them the following: One customer feels that the salesperson was not transparent about contractual issues; another client feels like he was taken advantage of because English is his second language; and a third client feels like he was pressured into a purchase without having sufficient time to try out the product. You want to emphasize to your sales team the importance of upholding the ethical business practices that are characteristic of your company. What can you do to encourage honesty and ethical behavior?

​arrange for an ethics and diversity training workshop

You are conducting interviews for new sales representatives for your electronics firm. You are primarily looking for candidates that you believe can be successful in developing new business and selling to new customers. Your current staff is full of sales representatives who are exceptional at generating repeat sales.You will be looking for personal sales personnel who are proficient in which kind of sales task?​

​creative selling

Cutco is a manufacturer of high-end cutlery for the home chef and markets their products through a sister company, Vector Marketing who often contracts with college students who are independent sales representatives for the company. Vector provides free product and sales training to their independent sales representatives and encourages them to take food with them on sales calls such as apples, cucumbers, tomatoes or other fresh produce so that prospective customers can actually ​use the knives and experience the Cutco difference. In addition, Cutco is relatively famous for their kitchen shears which can cut through a penny and during training, all Vector Marketing representatives are taught how to show the versatility and value of the shears. Which step in the sales process would a Vector Marketing representative have customers use the knives or kitchen shears?

​demonstration

You are the head of sales training for a major financial services firm in New York City. You are conducting a sales training class for a group of new trainees. You are a strong believer in using a structured approach to personal selling. Based on this information, which of the following personal selling process steps are you going to tell the trainees to perform first?​

​develop a database of potential customers

Brittany is a sales representative with CDW, an information technology reseller. She is a specialist for the education market and contacts her customers who are typically information technology directors for K-12 schools and higher education. Her territory includes the entire United States and she is able to have flexible hours since some days she may arrive early to contact customers on the East Coast or stay late if she's contacting customers in the Mountain or Pacific time zones. Her company has a proprietary phone technology system which provides names and contact information of leads and current customers so Brittany can make the most of her sales calls and be more productive. She typically makes 20 to 25 dials an hour and on average is able to speak with 2-3 individuals each hour. She was initially surprised at her ability to connect with customers and create relationships through her phone conversations and has created trust-based relationships over time. Her customers value her advice and opinions because she understands their needs, has expertise in the products and services she represents and always seeks to meet their needs. Brittany's position is best categorized as a(n) ________ channel position. ​

​inside ( WRONG field, ​​Over-the-counter ,&telemarketing)

​The top marketing manager of your company has asked you to make recommendations about your sales representatives who make up the sales force for your business-to-business auto parts customers. These territories are geographically structured and the goal is to move away from territory-based sales to customer-oriented sales; as a result, these sales reps may be reassigned.Based on this project request, what element of the sales force management process will you focus on?

​organizing the sales force

You have accepted a new job in personal sales that requires training in the use of technologies like predictive dialers, random-digit dialing, and autodialing. What is the new job that you have accepted?

​outbound telemarketer

Which of the following might be classified as an unethical sales practice?​

​persuading a customer to purchase a product or service that does not meet a customer's need

A manufacturer wants to increase purchase rates of his product and reward those consumers who make multiple purchases. He decides to use a consumer-oriented sales promotion that has an expiration date and requires the purchaser to submit a proof of purchase. Which sales promotion will the manufacturer use?

​rebate

Brandi is an account executive with Wirtz Beverage, a wine and spirits distributor with an extensive catalog of brands. She typically meets with restaurants, bars and hotels to market her products and assists customers in developing their beverage menu to generate sales revenue and meet customer's needs. Recently, she had the opportunity to offer customers a great deal - if they ordered 5 cases of wine (assorted brands), they could receive the 6th case at 50% off retail. Wirtz Beverage offered this promotion in order to reduce warehouse inventory and shift inventory from their warehouses to the customer's business location. This is an example of a(n):​

​trade allowance