Sales management exam 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic factors influencing worker’s job performance?

a. role perceptions

b. government

c. aptitude

d. skill level

e. motivation

b. government

Researchers measuring aptitude have learned that:

a. broad measures of aptitude are the most effective

b. aptitude only varies slightly from industry to industry

c. aptitude is very task-specific

d. aptitudes can be increased through training

e. aptitude is unaffected by an individual’s physical characteristics

c. aptitude is very task-specific

Petra is trying to increase the sense of job satisfaction among her salespeople. She will likely consider which of the following dimensions of job satisfaction?

a. promotion and advancement opportunities

b supervision

c. customers

d. coworkers

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

In small doses, role conflict and ambiguity provide the salesperson and the organization with some stress. This stress:

a. is the normal state of affairs for everyday existence and businesses could not operate without it

b. produces an unhappy situation because stress reduces productivity

c. can be eliminated by more training and closer supervision

d. is a healthy situation since low levels of stress lead to adaptation and change

e. prevents salespeople from taking on any innovative roles

d. is a healthy situation since low levels of stress lead to adaptation and change

Sales managers can reduce the amount of role ambiguity and conflict the sales force experiences by:

a. giving them an input in determining the standards by which they are evaluated

b. providing them with sales training opportunities

c. giving salespeople a greater voice in what they do and how they do it

d. altering the organization’s span of control

e. doing any or all of the above

e. doing any or all of the above

The text defines motivation as:

a. the amount of effort the salesperson desires to expend on each activity or task associated with the sales job

b. a constraint on a person’s ability to perform a job

c. the factor that determines whether a salesperson has the necessary native abilities to sell

d. the individual’s learned proficiencies

e. the rewards that are the result of each additional level of effort

a. the amount of effort the salesperson desires to expend on each activity or task associated with the sales job

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

d. the desirability of receiving more of a particular reward

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. exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement

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. provide opportunities for frequent changes in job duties and responsibilities to increase job variety

What is the most popular motivator for salespeople?

a. time off from the job

b. discounts on company merchandise

c. cash awards

d. debit cards

e. free merchandise

c. cash awards

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. selection criteria

Which of the following personal characteristics is the best predictor of sales success?

a. the salesperson’s gender

b. the salesperson’s ethnic background

c. the result of a salesperson’s intelligence test

d. the salesperson’s personal history and family background

e. results of sales aptitude tests

d. the salesperson’s personal history and family background

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. with larger mortgages

Which of the following aptitudes is most relevant to the success of a person who is hired for a sales position?

a. personal skills

b. math ability

c. cognitive abilities

d. sales aptitude

e. verbal intelligence

c. cognitive abilities

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 stamina and energy

d. customer empathy

e. high-ego involvement in selling

b. persistence

The four steps in the decision process for recruiting and selecting salespeople include each of the following EXCEPT

a. find and attract a pool of applicants

b. develop a mission statement

c. develop and apply selection procedures to evaluate applicants

d. establish policy concerning responsibility for recruitment and selection

e. analyze the job and determine selection criteria

b. develop a mission statement

Which of the following is NOT typically included in a job description for a sales job?

a. the mental and physical demands of the job

b. the nature of the products to be sold and the type of customers to be called on

c. the specific tasks and responsibilities to be carried out

d. the size of the sales force and existing salary structure

e. the environmental pressures and constraints that might influence how the job is performed

d. the size of the sales force and existing salary structure

Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics identified as prevalent among salespeople who fail?

a. recently divorced

b. unexplained gaps in their unemployment record

c. instability of residence

d. excess savings

e. failure in business

d. excess savings

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. all of the above

To avoid or at least minimize, potential problems associated with using intelligence, aptitude and personality tests as selection criteria, sales managers should:

a. only test applicants on the abilities and traits that have been determined relevant for the specific job

b. conduct empirical studies to ensure that the tests are valid predictors of the applicant’s future performance

c. use built-in consistency checks

d. assume that test scores are only one input in the selection decision

e. do all of the above

e. do all of the above

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. delivers specific skills and techniques designed to enhance the salesperson’s success

Allen is a senior manager in a technology company. He knows his salespeople need constant training but also knows the company’s training goals face significant obstacles including:

a. top management not dedicated to sales training

b. lack of buy-in from salespeople

c. salespeople’s lack of understanding of training objectives

d. salespeople’s lack of connection between training and specific tasks

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

The saying “plan your work - work your plan” is designed to:

a. reduce a salesperson’s travel time

b. reduce the time a salesperson spends on low-volume customers

c. train salespeople in identifying customers’ needs quickly

d. encourage more effective planning and execution of sales duties

e. explain the company’s ethical stance in terms of its stakeholders

d. encourage more effective planning and execution of sales duties

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. the cost and time requirements

Jackie is developing the classroom training program for her new company. She knows classroom training has all of the following advantages EXCEPT:

a. each trainee receives a standard briefing

b. group training reduces executive time involved in formal training

c. classrooms permit the use of audiovisual materials

d. classrooms provide the opportunity for interaction

e. learning by doing

b. group training reduces executive time involved in formal training

How does a bonus differ from a commission?

a. Bonuses are typically made for each sale made; commissions are not paid until the salesperson

surpasses some level of total sales

b. Commissions are part of the basic compensation plan; bonuses are additional incentives

c. Bonuses satisfy the salesperson's need for esteem; commissions satisfy the physiological and

security needs only

d. Bonuses are always used as a tactical motivational tool; commissions are a strategic

motivational tool

e. There are no real differences between bonuses and commissions

b. Commissions are part of the basic compensation plan; bonuses are additional incentives

The three primary methods of compensating salespeople are

a. Commissions, bonuses and expense accounts

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. Straight salary, straight commission and combination plans

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. Shorter intervals between performance and receipt of rewards motivates salespeople

Which of the following statements describes an advantage inherent in the straight

commission compensation plan?

a. It gives sales reps little financial security

b. It provides sales managers with minimal control over their sales forces

c. It allows sales managers to relate selling expenses directly to sales resources

d. It makes selling expenses less predictable

e. All of the above statements describe disadvantages inherent in the straight commission compensation plan

c. It allows sales managers to relate selling expenses directly to sales resources

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 complaint

b. Confusion

The essence of marketing cost analysis is to ___________ cost data.

a. Gather

b. Classify

c. Compare

d. Study

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

A key factor in determining the overall profitability of each customer is

a. The cost of goods produced

b. The pricing authority of salespeople

c. Competitiveness of the derived demand

d. Returns on assets managed

e. Full-cost accounting

b. The pricing authority of salespeople

The first step in conducting a cost analysis is to:

a. Determine whether to use a full-cost or a contribution-margin approach

b. Allocate natural costs to functional cost centers

c. Break costs of revenues into relatively large blocks so that little meaning is lost within each

block

d. Determine which segment of the population most needs to be analyzed

e. Specify the purpose for which the study is being done

e. Specify the purpose for which the study is being done

The real benefit of a marketing cost analysis is:

a. The way it highlights all inefficiency within a company

b. As a planning tool

c. As an evaluation tool

d. As a decision-making tool for sales managers when they are contemplating terminations or product deletions

e. The opportunity it provides managers to isolate segments of the business that are most profitable as well as those that generate losses

e. The opportunity it provides managers to isolate segments of the business that are most profitable as well as those that generate losses

Which of the following statements describes a disadvantage associated with marketing cost analyses.

a. The financial data need to be available in great detail

b. Some of the data needed for the analysis is costly to generate

c. Marketing cost analysis requires a sophisticated information system

d. There is sometimes great difficulty involved with allocating expenses to the satisfaction of all

concerned

e. All of the above describe disadvantages associated with marketing cost analyses

e. All of the above describe disadvantages associated with marketing cost analyses

_____ will affect a salesperson's behavior and performance

a. Role perceptions

b. Aptitude

c. Skill level

d. Motivation level

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

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. Ignore many contributions that a salesperson might make

Which of the following is an example of an account development and servicing ratio that a

sales manager might use to evaluate a sales representative?

a. Sales expense ratio

b. Account penetration ratio

c. Calls per account ratio

d. The hit ratio

e. Planned call ratio

b. Account penetration ratio

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 rating forms

e. Subjective performance rating forms

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. All of the above