Reference no: EM131403932

Assignment

Part 1

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 be a value-added strategy that could boost sales for Candle-Mix?
eliminating most candle sizes to focus on only tapers
visiting commercial customers to give them product brochures
offering classes for new customers on decorating with candles
lowering prices on all taper candles to compete with e-retailers
selling to customers in the local area using a mass marketing campaign

Question 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 will the sales cycle in this new territory most likely compare in length to the cycle in the established territories of Mondelez Corporation?
It will be shorter, because the salespeople will be calling prospects to introduce the company.
It will be shorter, because Mondelez Corporation will not have to overcome false impressions.
It will be longer, because the salespeople will have to introduce the company in cold calls instead of getting name recognition from prospects.
It will be longer, because consumers in the new territory have not expressed a need for Mondelez Corporation's products before.
It will be the same, because sales presentations are independent of sales cycles.

Question 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. How does the retiring representative's decision to not use a CRM system most likely affect Kipler Company?
Customer knowledge is lost rather than passed on to the rest of the company.
The sales representative's territory is not maximized because of poor strategy.
The entire company's pipeline forecasts cannot be maintained or calculated.
Organizational culture is damaged because of a lack of team spirit.
Hiring practices are hindered because of poor mentoring methods.

Question 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. How would George most likely benefit from aligning the sales process with the customer's buying process?
lower advertising and marketing costs
greater efficiency with fewer salespeople
lower travel expenses due to fewer customer visits
greater success in making sales due to understanding how buyers buy
fewer returns from customers who felt pressured into making transactional purchases

Question 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jack Wilson is 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. As Kesha and Josh begin to put together the actual presentation, what should they do first?
Clarify the objectives for the presentation using their company's standard form.
Anticipate the prospect's needs based on the financial data gathered through public records.
Search the CRM system for information on purchase records of similarly-sized clients.
Find the correct format and graphics for the physical PowerPoint presentation.
List all the features of the equipment they offer in a way that's easy for the prospect to read.

Part 2

Question 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. Since Bo covers both trade shows and resellers, it makes most sense for him to organize his territory by:
date of trade show and location of reseller
date of trade show and complexity of reseller
time zone of trade show and time zone of reseller
size of trade show and size of reseller
size of trade show and zip code of reseller

Question 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. 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. She seems to be experiencing buying anxiety, so Tommy creates a two-column chart. One column is titled "Reasons for Buying Now" and another column is titled "Reasons for Not Buying Now." Tommy is most likely engaging in a(n) ________ close.
multiple option
combination
impending event
management
balance sheet

Question 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. 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. Ana has seen research showing that members who are contacted "meaningfully" at least once a month are more likely to renew their memberships. What form of contact would museum members be most likely to find meaningful each month?
an automated phone call thanking them for their museum membership
an email invitation to an upcoming special event for museum members
a refrigerator magnet with a picture of a museum exhibit on it
a phone call from another museum member requesting donations
a postcard with reminders of the museum's hours of operation

Part 3

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

Question 2. List the four dimensions of opportunity management. In what ways can the line between career and family become blurred? What are some things you can do to maintain a balance between your career and your family?

Question 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 single father of one pre-teen son, brand manager for a consumer-packaging firm in San Antonio Texas and has an expressive 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. Compare and contrast Marketing and Sales. In what ways are they similar and dependent on each other? In what ways are they different and can work independently?

Question 5. Describe the evolution of partnering selling. What is the nature of strategic account management? How do value-added selling strategies enhance personal selling?