Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson
Chapter 01
The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson
Learning Objectives
A. Define and explain the term selling.
B. Explain why everyone sells, even you.
C. Explain the relationship between the definition of personal selling and the Golden Rule of Personal Selling.
D. Discuss the reasons people might choose a sales career.
E. Enumerate some of the various types of sales jobs.
F. Describe the job activities of salespeople.
G. Define the characteristics that salespeople believe are needed for success in building relationships with customers.
H. List and explain the 10 steps in the sales process.
True / False Questions
1.(p.5)The sales person is engaged in a highly honorable, challenging, rewarding, and professional career.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
2.(p.5)Sales and marketing mean the same thing.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
3.(p.6)People tend to generalize that most salespeople are not honest or ethical.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
4.(p.6)According to the Gallup survey, used car salesmen were rated highest on perceived honesty and ethical standards.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
5.(p.5)Personal selling refers to the personal communication of information to unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to buy something that satisfies that individual's needs.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
6.(p.7)The Golden Rule of Personal Selling describes the willingness to plan and execute product, price, distribution, and promotion plans so as to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
7.(p.8)A person is involved in selling when he/she wants someone to do something.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: B
8.(p.8)Sales courses are useful only for people interested in becoming salespersons.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: B
9.(p.10)A retail salesperson sells goods or services to companies to satisfy their business needs.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
10.(p.10)Retail salespeople must maintain contacts at all levels of the client organization.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
11.(p.10)Typically, direct salespeople meet people in their homes.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
12.(p.10)Customer contact person is another name for a salesperson.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
13.(p.11)Direct sellers are also called distributors.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
14.(p.10)A direct salesperson must have the ability to discuss technical sales problems.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
15.(p.11)A sales engineer and a detail salesperson perform basically the same tasks.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
16.(p.11)A detail salesperson concentrates on directly soliciting orders.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: E
17.(p.13)Order-getters ask what the customers want or wait for customers to order.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: F
18.(p.13)Even experienced sales representatives in outside sales typically receive intensive direct supervision.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: F
19.(p.14)A salesperson's career path is an upward sequence of job movement.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
20.(p.15)Nonfinancial rewards are given by the company as incentives.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
21.(p.15)Because sales jobs offer higher nonfinancial rewards than most other areas of corporate America, the compensation of salespeople is typically lower than that of workers in areas like production who are at a comparable level in the organization.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
22.(p.16)Some salesmen make more money than the company president.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
23.(p.18)To be a successful salesperson, a salesperson must love to sell.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
24.(p.118)Part of learning how to become an effective salesperson includes adopting one's own physical exercise program.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
25.(p.20)Often the biggest challenge to success in selling is not out there in sales territory but is within the person.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
26.(p.20)Self-control is the most difficult trait for a salesperson to develop.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
27.(p.22)Salespeople are advisors who manipulate people for personal gains.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
28.(p.24)According to the text, salespeople need not increase sales in old accounts if they are generating a sufficient quantity of new customers.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
29.(p.24)While salespeople typically provide many services for their customers, returning damaged merchandise is not one of them.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: F
30.(p.26)It is inappropriate for a good salesperson to provide information to his/her company on such topics as competitors' activities and marketing opportunities since doing so would exceed his/her authority and violate customer confidences.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: F
31.(p.24)Successful salespeople often can avoid providing service to customers if they present a "nice guy" image.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
32.(p.27)Practice alone used to be enough to learn how to sell, but no longer.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
33.(p.27)Conceptual skill is a cognitive ability to see the selling process as a whole and the relationship among its parts.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
34.(p.27)Conceptual skills are especially important for order takers.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
35.(p.28)Technical skill is the understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
36.(p.28)To project a professional image and to build customer confidence, salespeople need to be thoroughly knowledgeable in all aspects of their business.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
37.(p.29)The key to customer retention is customer satisfaction.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
38.(p.28)Keeping an old customer is much harder than finding a new one.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
39.(p.30)Organizations are reinventing free enterprise to honor shareholders.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
40.(p.31)It is easy to overestimate the importance of big business because of its greater visibility.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
41.(p.31)The sales process refers to the checklist salespeople use to prepare themselves for dealing with prospects' objections.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: H
42.(p.32)Prospecting is the term used for obtaining interviews, determining sales call objectives, and designing sales presentation strategies.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: H
43.(p.32)The last step in the sales process is the close.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: H
44.(p.32)Although sales situations are greatly varied, following a logical, sequential series of actions will greatly increase the chances of making a sale.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: H
45.(p.33)Millions of people have chosen sales careers because of the opportunity to serve others.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
46.(p.38)The practice of the Golden Rule of Personal Selling extends to customers, but not to competitors.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
47.(p.40)Productivity in sales is in the hands of the salesman.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: G
48.(p.41)The Golden Rule is not easy to follow, corruptible, or self-serving, but it is comprehensive.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
49.(p.41)There is no reciprocity involved in applying the Golden Rule of Personal Selling.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
50.(p.41)The Great Harvest Law of Sales says that how you will be treated is not determined by how you treat others.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
Multiple Choice Questions
51.(p.5)Which of the following statements about the importance of salespeople and selling is true?
A.Salespeople have only indirect impact on the success of new products.
B.White collar professionals generate more revenue in our economy than selling professionals.
C.The orders produced by salespeople are largely responsible for the operation of the nation's distribution system.
D.Salespeople have almost no impact on the construction of manufacturing facilities.
E.Retailers do not rely on supplier salespeople to keep existing products on their shelves.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: A
52.(p.5)Identify the correct statement about the importance of salespeople and selling.
A.Salespeople are responsible for the success of new products, but have little to do with keeping existing products in the marketplace.
B.Only the medical profession generates more revenue in our economy than the selling profession.
C.Salespeople have a direct impact on the opening of new businesses and whether those businesses are successful.
D.Only the legal profession generates more revenue in our economy than the selling profession.
E.Salespeople are responsible for keeping existing products in the marketplace, but have little to do with the success of new products.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: A
53.(p.5)_____ is traditionally defined as the personal communication of information to persuade a prospective customer to buy something which satisfies that individual's needs.
A.Marketing
B.Personal selling
C.Public relations
D.Advertising
E.Promotion
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
54.(p.6)According to research by Gallup, the lowest-rated job category in terms of perceived honesty and ethical standards is:
A.lawyers.
B.used car salespeople.
C.real estate agents.
D.order-takers.
E.retail salespeople.
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
55.(p.7)According to the author's research online:
A.sales students believe that the general public has a reasonably positive attitude about salespeople in general.
B.sales students believe that salespeople are more often trustworthy than not.
C.only 9% of sales students believed that salespeople have low ethical standards.
D.only 44% of sales students would accept a job in sales if offered one.
E.sales students think that sales people are less readily accepted today than 50 years ago.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: A
56.(p.7)According to the text, a new and more appropriate definition of personal selling:
A.relates it more closely to transactional marketing.
B.excludes e-selling.
C.includes the word "unselfish."
D.excludes telemarketing activities.
E.substitutes the words "relationship marketing" for "personal selling."
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
57.(p.7)A newer definition of _____ defines it as the personal communication of information to unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to buy something that satisfies that individual's needs.
A.integrated marketing communications
B.dyadic communications
C.personal selling
D.transactional marketing
E.relationship marketing
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
58.(p.7)The _____ refers to the sales philosophy of unselfishly treating others as you would like to be treated.
A.Golden Rule of Personal Selling
B.Reciprocity Principle
C.80/20 Principle of Relationships
D.Osborne Principle of Sales Empathy
E.Equity Theory of Sales
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
59.(p.8)According to the Golden Rule of Personal Selling, an effective salesperson has all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:
A.he/she has the Midas touch.
B.he/she owes greater allegiance to his/her employer than to customers.
C.he/she unselfishly treats others as they would like to be treated.
D.he/she can use manipulation/coercion if making the sale will benefit his/her company.
E.he/she creates customer loyalty through discipline, persistence, and optimism.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: C
60.(p.8)Which of the following statements about selling is true?
A.You are not involved in sales when you go to an interview with a potential employer.
B.Unlike other professions, journalists do not engage in selling activities.
C.Everyone sells at their place of work, but not when at home with their families.
D.You are involved in selling when you ask someone to accompany you on a shopping trip.
E.Only trained salespeople ever engage in selling activities.
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: A
61.(p.9)A salesperson who adheres to the Golden Rule of Personal Selling:
A.is primarily motivated by money.
B.is ego-driven.
C.does what he/she is legally required to do.
D.requires intensive monitoring.
E.attributes his/her success to others.
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
62.(p.9)Which is the logical order of salespeople based upon decreased self-interest?
A.Golden Rule, traditional, professional
B.traditional, Golden Rule, professional
C.professional, traditional, Golden Rule
D.Golden Rule, professional, traditional
E.traditional, professional, Golden Rule
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: C
63.(p.9)All of the following are reasons why a person may choose a sales career EXCEPT:
A.the limited variety of jobs available.
B.rewards offered by a career in sales.
C.the challenge of selling.
D.opportunities for advancement.
E.the freedom to be on one's own.
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
64.(p.9)A person may choose a sales career because he/she desires:
A.the limited variety of jobs available.
B.rewards offered by a career in sales.
C.the freedom of being self-employed.
D.restricted opportunities for advancement.
E.overt permission to procrastinate.
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: D
65.(p.10)Sales jobs are classified according to the type of products sold and:
A.how the salesperson is compensated.
B.quantity of sales by the salesperson.
C.jobs performed by the salesperson.
D.the salesperson's type of employer.
E.territory size.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: E
66.(p.10)The person who telephoned Hugh last night to ask him if he was interested in adding HBO and Cinemax to his current television cable system would be classified as a(n):
A.detail salesperson.
B.retail salesperson.
C.order-taker.
D.account representative.
E.sales engineer.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: E
67.(p.10)Debby sells Pampered Chef kitchen products directly to the people who will use the products themselves. These sales that she makes face-to-face are examples of:
A.retail selling.
B.wholesale selling.
C.account representation.
D.detail selling.
E.sales engineering.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: E
68.(p.13)Bronson is thinking about a career in personal selling. His friends have told him that is a good direction because he reminds them of salesmen that they have met. Which of the following qualities that they listed to him should cause concern about how truly "good" he would be as a salesperson?
A.He communicates well with people.
B.He is good at working on his own.
C.He is good at making people buy something even when they do not want it.
D.He loves a challenge.
E.He is also good at management and selling might yield advancement in the company.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: D
69.(p.10)The person behind the counter at Subway who enters your order, takes your money, and hands you your food is a(n):
A.retail salesperson.
B.sales engineer.
C.order-getter.
D.service salesperson.
E.account representative.
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: E
70.(p.11)As a salesperson for a plumbing supply wholesaler, Titus is unlikely to sell products to:
A.a family through door-to-door selling.
B.the United States government.
C.a small company that manufactures lawn furniture out of PVC pipes.
D.a plumbing contractor who is working on a new motel.
E.a hospital maintenance department.