Reference no: EM131409820

Question 1.  Candle-Mix, a supply house for scented and unscented tapers and other ceremonial candles to houses of worship, restaurants, and other establishments, has experienced a downturn in business in the last two years. Upon investigation, Kim, the owner of Candle-Mix, learns that the same candles that they sell are available from online retailers for at least 13% less. The firm will not be able to survive if customers continue purchasing from competing e-retailers. Candle-Mix maintains a storefront for selling candles but does not provide other services or products. Which of the following would most likely enable Candle-Mix to recapture their previous customers and gain new customers? (Points : 10)
Candle-Mix could lower their prices on less popular candles to create "loss leaders" that would induce new customers to purchase regularly-priced candles from them.

Candle-Mix could shut down their retail location to cut overhead and move their business to the Internet, where they could charge lower prices and compete with other online candle retailers.

Candle-Mix could send out a mailing to all their customers reminding them that they carry a full line of candles.

Candle-Mix could move their store to a more visible and expensive location in the mall.

Candle-Mix could announce a "candle of the month" program to discount candles that traditionally have not sold as well as their other candles.

Question 2.2.  Mondelez Corporation is expanding into a new territory in which they are not as well-known as they are in their current territories. As part of this new push, the sales director decides to use a strategy that involves making aggressive cold-calls and hosting frequent educational seminars. How does Mondelez most likely benefit from hosting educational seminars?
engaging in socially responsible activities in the community

helping sales representatives with their presentation skills

providing shareholders with many educational benefits

highlighting product benefits to potential prospects

generating extra revenue from attendees

Question 3.3. Robert Caruthers has just been hired by Kipler Company to replace a sales representative who is retiring after 40 years with the company. The older representative is training Robert on procedures and customers in his territory for three weeks before he retires, and Robert knows this is a huge opportunity to learn about the prospect base. When Robert asks which CRM system the company uses, the older representative says, "Everyone else here uses some computer program called Salesforce, but I won't touch it. I know my customers like the back of my hand! I never needed to write anything down." Robert becomes concerned. He used Salesforce in college and knows how vital it is to have customer information, sales records, preferences, and conversations recorded. He talks to the sales manager, who tells him the representative's sales were decent, and all his invoices came in, so they left him alone and never forced him to use the CRM system. What will be the most likely outcome for Robert due to the retiring representative's lack of record-keeping?

Robert's sales will track way behind those of the retiring representative, and he will be docked pay and denied promotions.

Since Robert is starting from almost scratch developing a prospect and customer base, he will lose some current customers because he does not know about them.

Robert will be unlikely to develop sales presentation skills because of the time required to track referrals.

Since Robert does not need any information from the retiring representative, he will conduct more cold calls and develop a larger base of qualified customers.

Robert will continue maintaining the retiring representative's accounts as usual without any changes in strategy or implementation.

Question 4.4. George Kline is a sales representative for Southern-Swim, a swimming pool service and supply company. Southern-Swim sells the chemicals needed for pool maintenance as well as pool accessories like slides, ladders, and diving boards. Southern-Swim sells to both consumers and businesses. George has noticed that many of his customers become very frustrated with him when he attempts to use needs assessment, problem solving, or relationship building techniques. These customers typically know what product will meet their needs. George relies on the buyer resolution theory to pursue sales. George is most likely vulnerable to which of the following factors?

increasing the time it takes to close the sale

spending too little time building rapport with the customer

losing focus on the features and benefits of the product

shifting all the power in the transaction to the customer

focusing on a decision in the process that is not an issue for the customer

Question 5.5.  Chun Tai is a sales representative for Southern-Swim, a swimming pool service and supply company. Southern-Swim sells the chemicals needed for pool maintenance as well as pool accessories like slides, ladders, and diving boards. Southern-Swim sells to both consumers and businesses. Chun has noticed that many of his customers become very frustrated with him when he attempts to use needs assessment, problem solving, or relationship building techniques. These customers typically know what product will meet their needs. Chun positions certain swimming pool accessories, such as slides and diving boards, to appeal to baby boomers with grandchildren. Which influence on buying decisions is most important in this situation?

role

culture

social class

reference group

organizational culture

Question 6.6. Women's swimwear designer Keli Muan'a designs high-end swimsuits. The suits are sassy in style, but fit a wide variety of body shapes and sizes, which is unusual in the high-end market. Sales director Debbie Clark sells the suits to boutiques at exclusive resorts and hotels. These boutiques usually carry other high-end swimsuit lines. Which of the following is a probing question Debbie could ask a boutique buyer?

Can we arrange delivery for next Wednesday?

Are the limited sizes of the other swimsuits you carry affecting sales?

What are the most common swimsuit sizes sold to guests at the resort?

What colors and sizes are primarily sold in your boutique?

Do you experience a fluctuation of sales throughout the year?

Question 7.7.  Northern Fire Big Equipment imports heavy machinery used in regions of Europe and North America where heavy snowfall is an issue. This machinery is used by cities and counties to clear roads during snowstorms. Josh Andrews is the senior regional sales manager for New England. Josh goes into a meeting with the sanitation director of a large U.S. city that got slammed by a snowstorm a month previously. During the cleanup, operators of the city's plows destroyed a significant amount of city and personal property, which triggered public inquiry into the competence of the sanitation staff and director. Of the following, what is the first thing Josh should do after hearing about the recent situation?

Choose equipment for the city that will solve the sanitation director's problem.

Ask questions to find out what the sanitation director's needs are.

Persuade the sanitation director to purchase the equipment.

Confirm the sale with the sanitation director.

Create value for the sanitation director by servicing the sale.

Question 8.8. GoodYear Tires, Inc. designs and manufactures tires for the trucking industry. Their products include tires for semi-cabs as well as tractor-trailers of various sizes and weight limits. Ron, a sales representative for GoodYear, is meeting with a trucking company that delivers primarily lumber and other supplies to home improvement and construction retailers. By creating a spreadsheet that will allow the buyer to enter current fuel costs and see recalculations of fuel costs that would occur from using GoodYear tires, the sales representative is creating:

an airtight argument against other tire vendors

a way to involve the buyer in the presentation

a program that should be created by the IT department

an experience so elementary that it will patronize the buyer

an ROI statement the buyer can take as a guarantee of savings

Question 9.9. Jorge Ortez works at the MittleRx Cosmetic counter at a high-end department store. His job is to give prospects a facial and makeover using MittleRx products and then sell them the products he used. Jorge always says that he's "in the business of making women feel good about how they look." Which of the following should Jorge most likely focus on during his presentation?

the sleek packaging of MittleRx products

the history of the MittleRx company

the brightening facial effects of the product on the prospect

the discounts the prospect can receive if purchase is made now

the toxin-free ingredients of MittleRx products

Question 10.10. Jack Wilson is a junior sales representative for a large equipment manufacturer. Kesha Waters, a senior sales representative, has requested that Jack help her to prepare a sales presentation for a new prospect. Jack and Kesha make a second call on a client to present the proposal. After thanking the prospect for agreeing to a meeting, Kesha says, "I would like to accomplish three goals during the time you've given us today." Which approach is she most likely using?

customer benefit

referral

premium

agenda

survey

1. Eagle Enterprises is a design company that sells office equipment, layout and furnishing packages to builders and developers. Bo Hernandez is a trade sales representative with Eagle Enterprises. As a trade sales representative, he promotes the company and its products to brokers who have their sales representatives selling Eagle's designs, equipment and furnishings to clients. A large part of Bo's job involves attending industry trade shows and working at the Eagle Enterprises booth at the exhibit hall of the trade show. Because Bo is not meeting with prospects, his time is divided into 2 to 3 day blocks of attending trade shows or training resellers. Which of the following is most likely true?

Bo has a flexible job so maintaining a schedule is unrealistic.

Bo should rely on floaters to record appointments and deadlines.

Bo's situation is too unusual to fit into appointment calendars.

Bo should return emails promptly but return calls every few days.

Bo should plan to return emails and calls within his larger time blocks.

Question 2.2. Calico Computing is a firm that sells software integration and infrastructure packages to schools and universities. Georgia Redding is an inside sales representative with Calico Computing. As an inside sales representative, her sales presentations are made via webinar. She reaches clients and prospects by phone, email, and instant messaging, all from her home office. According to Georgia, the best thing about her job is having a fulfilling professional career but never having to commute to an office. Which of the following would most likely help Georgia manage her time effectively?

preparing a "to do" list each day and prioritizing tasks

creating a monthly sales log to submit to her manager

making notes of customers she calls each week

contacting customers by e-mail and text

maintaining a separate home office telephone

Question 3.3.  Tommy DesDain is the sales representative for the Holiday Zoo. He sells events, such as wedding receptions, corporate dinners, and fundraisers that are held on zoo grounds. Tommy has just finished negotiating all the details of Carole Madison's upcoming wedding reception and is preparing to close the sale. Carole is considerably interested in having her wedding at the zoo but seems to need help envisioning the process and benefits. Which of the following is a signal that Carole is ready to sign the contract to book the reception?

She looks at her watch.

She checks her phone for messages.

She asks, "How much do I need to put down now to reserve the date?"

She asks, "Why don't you offer pre-set desserts?"

She says, "The country club offers a chocolate fountain at no extra cost."

Question 4.4. Gina Robertson is a sales representative with Coast-to-Coast Trans, a company that provides full service chartered flights-airplanes, pilots, staff, and services-to client groups. She has just closed a large sale of several flights each week for four months to a service organization of college students. The students are sent on work service projects all across the United States. The first flights will begin one week after the closing date. Gina is always striving for the "moment of magic" with her clients. This means:

fulfilling the basic spirit of the sales contract

giving them what they paid for

giving them what they paid for with excellent execution

not only giving them what they paid for but creating a satisfying experience with attentive customer service

not only giving them what they paid for but adding in free services and products

Question 5.5. Ana Lexington is the director of Membership Programs for the St. Louis Museum. She develops the programs and sells them to museum visitors. The programs are tiered and include discounts and special member-only deals. Which of the following actions by Ana would most likely provide a moment of magic for new members of the museum?

sending an electronic receipt for payment

providing a plastic membership card

giving away museum t-shirts to new members

printing a schedule of museum hours and events

seeking donations for the museum's outreach program

1. Our textbook discusses three channels of distribution that employ sales professionals. Discuss the main components of the Business-To-Business Channels. Which career opportunity within this channel do you see yourself working in? Explain why you chose this option.

Question 2.2.  List the four dimensions of opportunity management. How would you describe your time management skills? List the four time-saving techniques used by time-conscious people and describe how you can use each to increase your time management.

Question 3.3. Ron Hall is a customer service representative responsible for selling time-shares to a new family resort on the Orlando Florida Universal Studios property. Assume that Ron's buyer is a married father of two children, an executive at Proctor and Gamble and has a dominant communication style. How should Ron plan to approach this buyer? What features and benefits will most likely appeal to this buyer? What type of selling tools will help make the demonstration most effective?

Question 4.4. What are the major differences between Sales and Marketing? What can Sales and Marketing do to better coordinate their activities?

Question 5.5. Describe the evolution of strategic selling. What are the four broad strategic areas in the Strategic Selling Model? How do value-added selling strategies enhance personal selling?