Sales Management Exam 2
What are some of the challenges that companies are facing as they seek to hire and ratin sales people?
- 50 % of grads going into sales majored in something else - 30 % turnover - Time consuming & costly to train - cost 75-300 k to retire
"Input measures" fall under which broad category of measures firms use to evaluate salespeople? (A) Objective measures (B) Subjective measures (C) Output measures (D) Output to input ratios (E) None of the above
A
A manufacturing firm might choose to recruit current employees to fill an opening in its sales department because: (A) Company employees have established performance records (B) Recruiting from within increases job turnover (C) Internal recruits do not have to be paid as much (D) Internal recruiting has no effect on employee morale (E) Internal recruits require additional orientation and training in order to get them to stop thinking from a manufacturing perspective
A
A theory is defined as: (A) a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation (B) an idea or explanation for why something is happening (C) a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact (D) a statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present (E) All of the above
A
Agency costs are defined as: (A) Any costs incurred by the principal in association with the agent's divergence from the principal's interests (B) Any costs incurred by the agent in association with the principal's divergence from the agent's interests (C) The fees paid to a real estate agent (D) The fees paid by a firm to an advertising agency (E) All of the above
A
By pointing out both the attractive and unattractive aspects of a sales job and spelling out the qualifications and likely compensation, recruiters can (A) Maximize self-selection among prospective employees (B) Minimize competition with alternative employers (C) Prevent discriminatory outsourcing (D) Attract the maximum pool of candidates (E) All of the above
A
Competent sales training (A) Delivers specific skills and techniques designed to enhance the salesperson's success (B) Focuses on motivating salespeople (C) Lowers the apathy threshold common among beginning salespeople (D) Increases the self-evaluative program monitoring function (E) All of the above
A
Cost per call is _________. (A) Total cost divided by number calls. (B) Total sales divided by number of calls. (C) Expenses divided by sales. (D) Sales divided by expenses. (E) None of the above
A
During the _____ stage of the sales career path, the salesperson is likely to have lower expectancy estimates that are often inaccurate as well as inaccurate instrumentality perceptions. (A) Exploration (B) Maintenance (C) Plateauing (D) Disengagement (E) Establishment
A
It would be legal for an interviewer during a job interview to ask a job applicant about his or her: (A) Work experience (B) Marital status (C) Health problems (D) Nationality (E) Religion
A
Most compensation plans credit a salesperson with a sale: (A) When the order is accepted by the company, less any returns and allowances (B) After payment is received from the customer (C) Only after the goods have been shipped (D) In a combined manner, where one-half of the sale is assigned when the order is received and the other half when the customer pays (E) In a variety of ways with no one way being more popular than any other
A
The accuracy of a salesperson's expectancy perceptions indicates: (A) How clearly the salesperson understands the relationship between the effort expended and the resulting achievement (B) The ranking of rewards attained as a result of improved performance (C) The degree to which that individual believes expending effort on job activities will influence ultimate job performance (D) The difficulty assigned to a task in comparison to the reward offered for performing the task (E) The degree to which an individual wants extrinsic rewards
A
The first decision that must be made when recruiting and selecting salespeople considers: (A) Who will participate in the process (B) Whether the job description needs to be updated (C) Setting salary parameters (D) Where to find the job applicants (E) Which selection tools will be used
A
Valerie wants her salespeople to focus on customer relationships not short-run sales volume. She will likely use a ________________ compensation plan. (A) Straight salary (B) Draws (C) Combination (D) Benefits (E) Commission
A
Which of the following selection tools is most commonly used by both small and large companies as they look for new salespeople? (A) Personal interview (B) Experience (C) Reference checks (D) Biographical information from application forms (E) Intelligence, personality and aptitude tests
A
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
Which of the following statements does NOT describe an advantage inherent in the straight salary compensation plan? (A) It directly relates selling expenses to sales resources (B) It provides sales reps with the maximum amount of security (C) It is easy to administer (D) It yields more predictable selling expenses (E) It gives sales managers a large amount of control over sales reps
A
________________ can be very effective in delivering certain kinds of information but will not likely eliminate the need for one-on-one training for salespeople. (A) On-the-job training (B) Videoconferencing (C) Online training methods (D) Classroom training (E) Role-playing
A
A well-designed sales training program begins with: (A) The development of a job description for the sales position (B) A sales training analysis (C) Determining the training objectives (D) The establishment of a control group that will not undergo training (E) The development of an evaluation system that will monitor the efficiency of each step of the training process
B
Cost and sales analyses for evaluating salespeople: (A) Usually give the most representative indication of performance (B) Ignore many contributions that a salesperson might make (C) Inject bias into the evaluation process (D) Are the most common methods used by Fortune 1000 companies (E) Are accurately described by none of the above
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
Expectancies are the salesperson's perception of: (A) How difficult a task will be to perform in his or her working environment (B) The linkage between job effort and performance (C) What rewards he or she is likely to receive as a result of expending effort (D) The desirability of receiving more of a particular reward (E) The relationship between improved job performance and the attainment of increased rewards
B
Ideally, sales training for new recruits will (A) Assess the satisfaction needs of the new people (B) Instill, in a relatively short period of time, a vast amount of knowledge (C) Focus, almost exclusively, on the company's new products (D) Create competition between experienced and new sales people (E) All of the above
B
One negative outcome of complex compensation and incentive programs is they may lead to ____________ among salespeople. (A) Reduced benefits (B) Confusion (C) Increased perks (D) Vertical salary compression (E) Alternative contest complaints
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
One way to describe instrumentalities is, they are a salesperson's ______________ of the link between job performance and various rewards. (A) Motivational expectations (B) Probability estimates (C) Price controls (D) Earnings confirmations (E) Performance attributes
B
Percentage of quota attained sales performance evaluation ignores (A) Probability of sales success (B) Profitability of sales (C) Cost of goods purchased (D) Sales force effort (E) Quota definition
B
Providing more sales training will not help a company's sales if (A) Customers do not understand what the sales training is designed to accomplish (B) The product or service does not add value for the customer (C) Salespeople are too enthusiastic about the training (D) There are too many market opportunities for the sales force (E) All of the above
B
Roger's company uses a combination salary compensation plan. The incentive portion of the plan will likely be small if (A) All of the salespeople want it that way (B) The company's products are largely presold through advertising (C) The salary component is also small (D) Selling skill in an important component to overall success (E) All of the above
B
The five keys for effective on-the-job informal training include: (A) Teaming, lecturing, customer interaction, mentoring, peer-to-peer communication (B) Teaming, meetings, customer interaction, mentoring, peer-to-peer communication (C) Lecturing, coaching, customer interaction, mentoring, peer-to-peer communication (D) Teaming, coaching, customer interaction, mentoring, peer-to-peer communication (E) Teaming, meetings, customer interaction, mentoring, electronic training
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 US Department of Justice
B
Total number of calls, days worked, calls to prospects are measures of (A) Output (B) Effort expended (C) Sales revenue (D) Account servicing (E) All of the above
B
Tristan is assessing the relationship between variations in personal characteristics of current salespeople and variations in their performance. He will use this information in selecting criteria for new sales recruits. Tristan assumes (A) All salespeople are equal (B) There is a cause and effect relationship between characteristics and performance (C) Only high-performing salespeople will apply for the jobs (D) There will be no significant difference in performance among his current salespeople (E) There will be no significant difference in personal characteristics among the people who apply for the positions
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
When recruiting salespeople, sales managers have often found (A) Most college graduates are eager to get into sales (B) People with no selling experience frequently have negative attitudes toward sales (C) Marital problems make salespeople more determined to succeed (D) Most firms do not need to actively recruit salespeople (E) Firms in technology industries need engineers more than salespeople
B
Which of the following is one of the major causes of plateauing? (A) A too rapid promotion to upper hierarchical levels (B) Boredom (C) Job enrichment (D) A too detailed job description (E) A request to mentor new, inexperienced salespeople
B
Which of the following is the BEST way for a sales manager to deal with a plateaued salesperson? (A) Encourage the salesperson to find creative solutions to his or her boredom (B) Provide opportunities for frequent changes in job duties and responsibilities to increase job variety (C) Use bonus plans (D) Assign the salesperson to a different sales manager (E) Give the salesperson time off to consider his or her options
B
Which of the following ratios does NOT reflect how well a salesperson is capturing the potential business that exists in his or her territory? (A) Account penetration ratio (B) The cost per call ratio (C) The new account conversion ratio (D) The sales per account ratio (E) The average order size ratio
B
Which of the following statements about a straight salary compensation plan is true? (A) Straight salary compensation is more commonly used with experienced salespeople than with new sales recruits (B) The major limitation of straight salary compensation is that financial rewards are not tied directly to any specific aspect of job performance (C) Straight salary compensation plans do not give sales managers the flexibility they have with commission plans (D) Straight salary compensation plans are most useful when management wants to motivate its salespeople to achieve short-run sales volume increases (E) Straight salary compensation is inappropriate for industries where missionary selling is commonplace
B
Which of the following statements about the expectancy theory and its components is true? (A) Valence for performance is the perceived desirability of receiving more of a particular reward (B) Valence for reward considers the value of both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards (C) Expectancy theory is the only theory that completely explains the motivation process (D) Instrumentality is the perceived linkage between increased effort on some task such as developing sales presentations and improved performance (E) Valence for performance determines a salesperson's motivation to expend effort on a given task
B
Which of the following statements about the stages in the sales career path is true? (A) Salespeople in the exploration stage would typically have high valences for higher-order rewards and higher expectancies than salespeople at other stages (B) Salespeople in the establishment stage have the highest valence for promotion and recognition (C) The point at which a salesperson would be resigned to remaining in sales would be in the establishment stage (D) Job performance is typically poor in the establishment stage (E) Personal commitment to the job is usually highest in the exploration stage
B
After determining who will participate in selecting new salespeople, the next decision is (A) Setting salary parameters (B) Whether the job description needs to be updated (C) Who has the authority to make hiring decisions (D) Where to find the job applicants (E) Which selection tools will be used
C
Arnaut finds his top salespeople hold reasonably consistent views concerning which activities are most important but his low-performing salespeople do not have similar views. Arnaut could consider (A) Less restrictive supervision (B) Eliminating time allocation schedules (C) Using the high performing salespeople as a model for the others (D) Hiring only experienced salespeople (E) Recruiting inexperienced salespeople that can be trained from the beginning to have accurate expectancy perceptions
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
Bonuses are almost always tied to (A) Commissions (B) Draws (C) Quotas (D) Benefits (E) Expense accounts
C
During the disengagement stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will: (A) Maintain a high performance level (B) Balance the conflicting demands of career and family (C) Have the lowest instrumental perceptions and valence for both higher-order and lower-order rewards (D) Need supportive supervision (E) Adjust to working with greater autonomy
C
During the establishment stage of a salesperson's career, the salesperson will: (A) Adjust his or her self-image (B) Have the lowest instrumentality perceptions and valences for both higher-order and lower order needs (C) Produce superior results on the job in order to be promoted (D) Need close and supportive supervision (E) Reassess career with possible redirection
C
In analyzing sales training needs, Toni knows that by reducing turnover rates she can (A) Increase the size of the sales force (B) Offer alternative electronic bill paying systems to her staff (C) Improve customer continuity (D) Increase training costs (E) None of the above
C
Most sales managers recognize that with regard to experienced sales personnel (A) Little effort is needed since they are experienced (B) Market dynamics allow these salespeople opportunities to control their sale techniques (C) Training is a never-ending (D) Product lines rarely change so experienced salespeople rarely need to change (E) Continually train each other minimizing the need for formal training
C
On-the-job training and coaching often occur together; this is referred to as: (A) Full court press (B) JIT training (C) One-on-one training (D) Leading (E) Systematic training
C
Recruiters know that ______________________ enhance(s) the firm's ability to recruit and retain salespeople. (A) Role-playing (B) Off-the-job training (C) Highly regarded sales training programs (D) Sales training costs (E) All of the above
C
Research indicates that a salesperson's _____________________ will more accurately perceive the linkages between effort and performance than the salesperson. (A) Family (B) Coworkers (C) Manager (D) Vice President for marketing (E) All of the above
C
The conceptual framework for studying motivation is called (A) The peak plateau model (B) Valence theory (C) Expectancy theory (D) Alternative choice theory (E) Accuracy and magnitude theory
C
The instruction, "Do not permit your evaluation of one factor to influence your evaluation of another," would prevent _____ from affecting a performance measurement rating form. (A) Organizational use influences (B) A lack of outcome focus (C) The halo effect (D) The central tendency effect (E) Interpersonal bias
C
The ratio of the total financial compensation of the highest paid salesperson to the average in a sales force is the: (A) MBO opportunity benefit (B) Ratio of salary to bonuses (C) Earnings opportunity ratio (D) Performance indicator valence (E) Organizational motivational objective
C
The recruitment effort should: (A) Encourage everyone who wants a job to apply (B) Use communications that relay only the positive aspects of the job do the recruit (C) Concentrate on sources that are most likely to produce the kind of people needed to fill the job (D) Maximize the number of recruits (E) Be used to create an applicant pool for later job openings that may not yet exist
C
The three primary methods of compensating salespeople are (A) Commissions, bonuses and draws (B) Draws, prerequisites and contests (C) Straight salary, straight commission and combination plans (D) Straight nonfinancial incentives, bonuses and contests (E) Straight commissions, straight contests and variable benefits
C
When considering incentive plans, (A) All plans should be the same (B) Big companies do not need incentive plans while small companies need them (C) Shorter intervals between performance and receipt of rewards motivates salespeople (D) Team incentive plans should always be based on team performance (E) Bonuses should always be paid annually
C
Which of the following describes a disadvantage associated with classroom training? (A) Interaction with other salespeople (B) The ability to use audiovisual materials (C) The cost and time requirements (D) Standardization of the training materials (E) Use of executive time
C
Which of the following is NOT a commonly evaluated subjective attribute used in merit rating forms? (A) Customer and company relations (B) Job knowledge (C) Sales results (D) Dependability (E) Resourcefulness
C
Which of the following is NOT an output factor used to evaluate salespeople? (A) Number of orders (B) Average order size (C) Number of calls (D) Number of active accounts (E) Number of canceled orders
C
Which of the following statements about the combination compensation plan is true? (A) Combination compensation plans are found more frequently in large firms than smaller ones (B) When the salesperson's selling skill is the key to sales success, the incentive portion of his or her compensation should be relatively small (C) The most popular combination compensation plan offers a base salary plus some proportion of incentive pay (D) Commission rates are more often found in companies that use combination plans than in a company that simply uses a straight commission plan (E) Combination compensation plans have all the limitations associated with straight salary and straight commission plans
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
An agency relationship is formed when a(n) _______ delegates work to a(n) _______ who performs that work. (A) salesperson; manager (B) agent; principal (C) principal; agent (D) principal; director (E) None of the above
C(guess)
An extreme view of financial rewards argues that: (A) Linking pay to performance can have a negative effect on motivation (B) Employees become less interested in what they are doing (C) Extrinsic motivation undermines intrinsic motivation (D) All of the above (E) None of the above
D
Because of the cost and time involved in recruiting and evaluating candidates for sales positions, the goal should be to (A) Maximize the number of candidates (B) Attract only external candidates (C) Attract only internal candidates (D) Attract a few good candidates (E) Choose only candidates who live near the home office
D
In 360-degree sales performance feedback, which of the following people would NOT be included? (A) The customer (B) The sales team (C) The sales manager (D) The competitors (E) The delivery personnel
D
Nicole is part of a recruiting and selection team for her company's sales force. After conducting a job analysis, her next step will be to (A) Determine salary parameters (B) Develop a statement of job qualifications (C) Determine how many job applicants it needs to make a suitable job pool (D) Write a job description (E) Conduct interviews
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 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
The primary objective of a sales contest is to: (A) Encourage the development of a long-term emphasis on non-selling activities (B) Adjust differences in territory potential (C) Satisfy salespeople's security needs (D) Stimulate additional effort targeted at achieving specific short-term goals (E) Reward experience and competence
D
The sales expense ratio combines salespeople's ______ and __________ (A) Outputs; behavior (B) Effectiveness; Attribution (C) Bias; objectivity (D) Inputs; results (E) Effort; expense
D
To be effective, quotas need to be (A) Specific (B) Measurable (C) Realistically attainable (D) All of the above (E) None of the above
D
To get the most out of each training dollar, researchers recommend managers should (A) Train the right people for the right jobs (B) Focus on the highest potential personnel (C) Identify those that can benefit most from training (D) All of the above (E) None of the above
D
Warren is evaluating his salespeople's performance and finds Fred is well below his quota. The problem could be (A) Fred (B) The quota (C) A change in the marketing environment (D) Any of the above (E) None of the above
D
When the firm considers the sales force a training ground for sales and marketing managers, ____________________ may participate in the recruiting process to ensure new salespeople have management potential. (A) Recruiting specialists (B) Production managers (C) Marketing consultants (D) Top-level managers (E) Vice-president of the finance department
D
Which of the following attributions of good performance does not have a positive impact on the magnitude of a salesperson's expectancy estimates? (A) A stable internal factor (B) A stable external factor (C) An unstable internal factor (D) An unstable external factor (E) None of the above
D
Which of the following is a characteristic of a highly motivated salesperson? (A) Takes initiative (B) Expends effort (C) Is persistent (D) All of the above (E) None of the above
D
Which of the following statements about methods of measuring a salesperson's performance is true? (A) Number of days worked x calls per day is used to determine a salesperson's optimum territory size (B) Non-selling activities are hard to measure because the data must be collected from current and potential customers (C) A salesperson who makes 30 calls (20 planned and 10 unplanned) and collects 24 orders has a batting average of .8 and a planned call ratio of 2 (D) Days worked × call rate × batting average × average order size = sales (E) Account share is a key measure for companies that rely on team selling
D
Which of the following statements about sales training is true? (A) When the human resources department is determining training needs, only the field sales managers need to be contacted because they work in such close proximity with the sales force (B) Attitudinal studies should never be used to determine content of a sales training program (C) On average, top management is more supportive of sales training activities than any other group in an organization (D) Setting specific, realistic and measurable objectives adds credibility to the sales training program (E) When profits are down, sales training programs are typically one of the last areas to find their funding reduced
D
Which of the following statements about the external sources for job recruiting is true? (A) Salespeople are poor sources (B) Ethical issues are not important when finding the right recruit for the job (C) Advertising is a very selective method for attracting job applicants (D) Colleges are a common source of recruits for firms that require salespeople with sound mental abilities or technical backgrounds (E) Employment agencies are typically used for hiring experienced salespeople to sell highly technical and very complex products
D
_____________ is behavior evaluated in terms of its contribution to the goals of the organization. (A) Attribution (B) Retribution (C) Bias (D) Performance (E) Selling
D
Which of the following is NOT an assumption of agency theory? (A) All actors are self-interested (B) All actors are boundedly rational (C) Agents are more risk averse than principals (D) Principals seek to maximize agency costs (E) Agents will seek to maximize their own interests at the expense of the principal
D(guess)
Another name for on-the-job training is (A) Videoconferencing (B) Internet classroom method (C) Case studies (D) Role playing (E) Learning by doing
E
In most sales organizations, the total compensation comprises several components, (A) All focused on either sales volume or gross profit margin (B) Each coordinated to minimize bonuses while maximizing sales (C) With draw the most important and benefits the least important (D) Each designed to achieve a different objective (E) All of the above
E
In order to generate interest and enthusiasm for a sales contest, companies should: (A) Launch the contest with fanfare advertising for it (B) Recognize and publicize the winners after the contest (C) Give each salesperson frequent feedback on his or her progress (D) Have an exciting theme to build enthusiasm (E) Do all of the above
E
Interpersonal bias, lack of an outcome focus and the halo effect are all problems encountered with: (A) Marketing audits (B) Cost/profitability analyses (C) Performance measures based on a salesperson's service record (D) The BARS system (E) Subjective performance ratings
E
Lori is deciding which input measures to use as part of her assessment of sales performance. Which of the following is a measure of a salesperson's input? (A) Number of orders (B) Average order size (C) Number of canceled orders (D) Number of active accounts (E) Days worked
E
The four stages that make up the sales career path are: (A) Exploration, establishment, plateauing and disenfranchisement (B) Entry-level, growth, plateauing and termination (C) Exploration, growth, maintenance and attrition (D) Exploration, growth, maturity and disengagement (E) Exploration, establishment, maintenance and disengagement
E
Usually commissions are based on ___________ but it is becoming more popular to base commissions on ______________. (A) Straight salary; profit (B) Expenses; volume (C) Sales volume; expense account draws (D) Contests; volume (E) Sales volume; profitability
E
Valences are the salesperson's perception of: (A) How difficult a task will be to perform in his or her working environment (B) The linkage between job effort and performance (C) What rewards he or she is likely to receive as a result of expending effort (D) The desirability of receiving more of a particular reward (E) The relationship between improved job performance and the attainment of increased rewards
E
Warren and Dawn are developing a measurement system for the sales training they are about to implement. When developing the measurement system, they will address the question of (A) What do we want to measure? (B) When do we want to measure? (C) How do we measure? (D) What measuring tools are available? (E) All of the above
E
When appraisals of salespeople __________________ job satisfaction increases. (A) Provide clear criteria (B) Meet the approval of salespeople (C) Are perceived as fair (D) Are perceived as fair and used in determining rewards (E) All of the above
E
When developing a sales training program, sales managers must consider: (A) Who should be trained (B) Whether the training should be on-the-job or formal (C) What should be the primary emphasis in the training program (D) What should be the primary emphasis in the training program (E) All of the above
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 is a good external source for finding job recruits? (A) Customers (B) Current salespeople (C) Educational institutions (D) Employment agencies (E) All of the above
E
Which of the following is a typical sales training objective? (A) To maximize employee turnover (B) To minimize the investment in other marketing communication tools (C) To improve employee morale (D) To improve relationships with customers (E) Both C and D
E
Which of the following sales activities would NOT be enhanced through the implementation of a straight salary compensation plan by a company that sells customized retail stock display units? (A) Cold calling (B) Designing a product demonstration (C) Keeping current with technical developments in the inventory management field (D) Training on a new type of database software (E) Selling the inventory system
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
Which of the following would NOT be an advisable instruction to management for the completion of performance rating forms? (A) Guard against the common tendency to overrate (B) Do not let personal like or dislike influence your rating (C) Have sound reasons for your ratings (D) Never rate an employee on several instances of good or poor work, but rather, on his or her general success or failure over the whole appraisal period (E) Base your rating on the salesperson's potential ability
E
