Management of a sales force (Exam)

Course Textbook

Spiro, R. L., Rich, G.
A., & Stanton, W. J. (2008). Management of a sales force(12th ed.). New York:

McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Part 1

Question 1

Which of the following is not one of the eight steps of the sales
process?

Approach

Meeting objections

Needs assessment

Networking

4 points

Question 2

When it rains in New York City, street vendors selling umbrellas
suddenly appear out of nowhere. Which macroenvironmental force does this best
represent?

demography

sociocultural factors

physical environment

competition

4 points

Question 3

Which of the following is true?

When a company changes
its strategies, it must also change its tactics.

When a company changes
its strategies, it should not change tactics.

When a company changes
its strategies, it doesn’t matter if it changes its tactics.

The same tactics will
always work.

4 points

Question 4

Sales should work closely with production because:

today’s successful sales
organizations have a production-orientation.

sales forecasts guide
materials requirements and production schedules.

production develops the
firm’s overall mission.

most salespeople are
hired from production.

4 points

Question 5

The fact that a person is an outstanding sales representative does
not necessarily mean that he or she would make a good sales manager because:

most sales executives
come from non-selling backgrounds.

salespeople have no
experience in planning.

personality traits needed
to be a good salesperson are totally different from those needed to be a good
manager.

the art of administration
is a distinct skill, separate from technical ability.

4 points

Question 6

Value added components are:

sales promotion
giveaways.

things such as services
which enhance the product.

parts or equipment that
are added to the product.

usually include only
insurance and delivery.

4 points

Question 7

When practicing relationship marketing, a selling firm typically:

requires a sales force
skilled in creatively solving customer problems.

limits the authority of
its salespeople.

strives to negotiate the
highest price possible for its products.

solicits input from all
customers before implementing its overall strategic plan.

4 points

Question 8

According to a recent survey, about ______ of all organizations
have already deployed, or are in the process of implementing, a customer
relationship management (CRM) program.

10%

33%

50%

67%

4 points

Question 9

Sales jobs differ from other jobs because salespeople:

do not spend company
funds.

have small role sets.

have greater role
ambiguity.

have a lot of
supervision.

4 points

Question 10

Which of the following statements is wrong?

Objectives should be
measurable.

Objectives should be
specific.

Objectives are the basis
for tactical planning.

Objectives should be in
alignment with each other.

4 points

Question 11

Read Case 2-1 on page 61 of the text. What are the pros and cons
of Mr. Evans’s e-commerce strategy? What is the best argument that Ms. Miko can
make to keep her sales force intact? In your opinion, should Cardinal
Connectors Inc. eliminate its sales force? Explain.

Your response should be
at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as
source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook,
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying
citations.

Question 12

Assume your company, which sells paper products, has 60 percent of
the business at your largest account. What factors would make it relatively
easy for you to get a larger share of that customer’s business, and what factors
would make it harder?

Your response should be
at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as
source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook,
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying
citations.

Part 2

Question 1

Sales force selection is most closely related to the ________
stage of the management process.

implementation

evaluation

planning

auditing

4 points

Question 2

Which statement summarizes the general theory underlying the use
of personal history analysis in sales force selection?

They are easy and
inexpensive to conduct.

If a firm finds some
traits present in good sales representatives and absent in poor ones, it is
presumed that these are some of the traits required for success in the job.

There are no other
methods which can be used to determine desirable traits required for success
in the job.

Only the traits uncovered
in these analyses are important in a sales job.

4 points

Question 3

The job description for a certain sales job is not likely to be
used for:

forecasting sales in a
salesperson’s territory.

determining the content
of a sales training program.

evaluating a sales
representative’s performance.

designing a sales
compensation plan.

4 points

Question 4

With regard to the roles of the buying center, a purchasing agent
is almost always the ____________.

influencer

buyer

decider

gatekeeper

4 points

Question 5

The Civil Rights legislation affecting sales forces is least
likely to apply to:

compensation for men and
women.

methods of supervising
the sales force.

hiring practices.

promotions from sales
jobs to manager’s positions.

4 points

Question 6

A line and staff sales organization will most likely be used when:

management emphasizes
sales planning activities.

the firm sells a limited
line of related products.

the president is a strong
executive.

the company is a
wholesaler of plumbing equipment and covers the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

4 points

Question 7

Some companies set up a separate division to deal with their
strategic accounts. An advantage of this organizational arrangement is that:

it does not duplicate
other units in the firm.

the seller can integrate
its manufacturing, marketing, and selling activities as they are related to
the major accounts.

the seller normally uses
the company’s regular sales force.

sales executives do not
have to spend their time selling to major accounts.

4 points

Question 8

An improvement in the sales representative’s selection process
should lead to:

a switch to on-the-job
training programs.

more salespeople being
paid a straight commission.

fewer sales jobs.

a reduction in the rate
of turnover on the sales force.

4 points

Question 9

Ethical considerations are most likely to arise when our
recruiting source for salespeople is:

plant or office workers
in our firm.

employment agencies.

noncompetitive firms
selling products related to ours.

competitor’s sales
forces.

4 points

Question 10

Which of the following is the greatest limitation of a
geographical territory type of sales organization?

It is difficult to set up
sales territories.

It is a high-cost type of
organization.

Sales reps may not have
the necessary expertise in all the products they sell.

Large customers cannot be
serviced properly.

4 points

Question 11

A manufacturer of small aircraft, designed for executive
transportation of large companies, has decided to implement the concept of a
selling center. Which people in this company should be on the selling teams?
What problems is this firm likely to encounter when it uses team selling?
(Hint: Use an Internet search to learn more about these types of firms.)

Your response should be
at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as
source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook,
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying
citations.

Question 12

One manufacturer of dictating machines recruits only experienced
people and does not recruit among graduating college students. A competitor
recruits extensively among colleges in its search for salespeople. How do you
account for the difference in sources used by firms selling essentially the
same products? Explain your analysis in detail.

Your response should be
at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as
source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook,
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

Question 13

Visit one or more of the
following Web sites, or a specific company site, to find a sales position in
which you think you might be interested. Name the company and describe the job
and the application procedure. Describe what appeals to you about the position
you have picked. (a) Jobtrack ( .columbiasouthern.edu/webapps/discussionboard/do/www.jobtrack.com%20″>www.jobtrack.com ) (b) Monster.com (.columbiasouthern.edu/webapps/discussionboard/do/www.monster.com”>www.monster.com ) (c) Yahoo! ( .columbiasouthern.edu/webapps/discussionboard/do/www.yahoo.com/business/employment”>www.yahoo.com/business/employment ) (d)
Sales and Marketing Executives ( .columbiasouthern.edu/webapps/discussionboard/do/www.smei.org”>www.smei.org )

Your response should be
at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as
source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook,
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying
citations.