Unit 5 Organizing a Sales Force Test

UNIT 5: ORGANIZING A SALES FORCE TEST Attempt 1: Question 1 Which structure is ideal for a company in which the products or services require heavy specialization for clients? Customer structure Correct! In a customer structure, salespeople are given specific types of customers and given the flexibility to service those customers in a way that is customized to the customer. Question 2 What is true of a sale in which the customer has an extended problem-solving mindset? The customer is concerned with both quantitative and qualitative assessments of the product. Correct! A common misnomer of a customer with an extended problem-solving mindset is that they are focused only on quantitative assessment of a product, but they are also interested in qualitative assessments, building on factors like culture and family influences. Question 3 A business-to-business (B2B) salesperson regularly meets with customers to understand what their expectations are for the sales relationship. Which group is this salesperson focusing on? External stakeholders Correct! External stakeholders are individuals that are outside of the organization but have an interest in how the organization performs. The B2B salesperson regularly meets with external stakeholders to understand what their expectations are for the sales relationship. Question 4 A salesperson has worked for a manufacturing firm for five years. Recently, the company has increased pressure on salespeople to make sales and has changed the pay structure from salary plus commission to just commission. What will be a result of the increased pressure on salespeople to make sales? Turnover Correct! Excessive role stress may increase the number of salespeople quitting the job. Question 5 A sales manager wants to recruit and hire a sales candidate who fits in with the department culture. Currently the sales force is composed of males, ages 30–40, with a college education. The sales manager plans to screen out candidates who do not meet this profile. Which statute is this sales manager violating? Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Correct! Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents discrimination of candidates based on national origin, sex, race, color, and religion. Currently the sales force is composed of males, ages 30-40, with a college education. The sales manager plans to screen out candidates that do not meet this profile. Question 6 A company is creating a strategic recruitment plan for its sales staff. The company is currently working on the forecast for its staffing needs. Which internal factor will this company need to consider? Employee turnover rate Correct! Employee turnover rate is an internal factor to consider. Question 7 A company has hired an outside agent to recruit and screen qualified candidates for a consumer products sales position. The recruiter is contracted to provide the company with a list of candidates who meet specific task and competency requirements. Which approach is this firm using to find candidates? External recruiting Correct! External recruiters will find candidates who meet specific task and competency requirements. External recruiting is an effective method of hiring an external agent to recruit and screen qualified candidates for the consumer products sales position. Question 8 A sales manager wants to hire a new salesperson and begins by researching the job responsibilities and activities that an individual in that role should perform. Then, the sales manager lists all of the activities that the top salesperson in the company currently performs. Which type of analysis is this sales manager developing? Task-based Correct! A task-based analysis lists the tasks or activities that should be performed in a particular job. In the scenario, the sales manager lists out all of the activities that the top salesperson in the company currently performs. Question 9 An engineering company wants to hire a salesperson who has collaborated with staff in product development, research, and marketing to customize solutions for clients. Which skill should be assessed in sales candidates as part of a competency-based job analysis for this position? Working within teams Correct! A competency-based analysis focuses on the specific knowledge and skills a salesperson must have to perform the job, and being able to work within teams falls under this category. Question 10 A company wants to hire a new technical salesperson for business-to-business (B2B) sales because the current salesperson is planning to transfer to another location. How should this company develop a description of the job responsibilities? Collect data on the existing performance tasks Correct! A company that wants to hire a new technical salesperson for B2B sales should collect data on existing performance tasks. Since the current technical salesperson is planning to transfer to another location, the company is able to collect relevant data from that salesperson. Attempt 2: Question 1 A business-to-business (B2B) firm designs, develops, and sells a variety of technology goods that require specialized knowledge for each solution. The sales force is divided into groups based on the type of technology solution the clients need. Which organizational structure is this company utilizing? Product Correct! The product structure is used when there is a wide variety of products or services or if they are highly technical and require specialized knowledge. Question 2 A company operates in many different countries and has organized the sales teams based on the defined areas that will cover customers. Which organizational structure is this company utilizing? Geographical Correct! The geography structure seeks to group sales teams by the area in which they work. This helps ensure the team is aware of laws, customs, and other elements that might be required to work with specific regions. Question 3 An individual who lives in a town that is primarily supported by a large automotive factory is shopping for a new car and debating whether to buy a foreign or locally made vehicle. The individual considers the neighbors' reactions to the purchase before buying the car. Which factor of product perception is influencing this consumer's buying process? Social Correct! Social factors concern the influence of one's social network. In a town that is primarily supported by an automotive factory, it is likely that there is significant social pressure to purchase the locally made product. Question 4 An individual wants to furnish his residence in the traditional style of his culture. The individual does not feel qualified to create an authentic design on his own, so he decides to consult a number of professional designers with the intention that one will be hired to assist with the process. Which factor of product perception is influencing this consumer's buying process? Personal Correct! Personal factors are things like age, gender, religion and culture. Given the importance of an authentic style to the buyer's culture, this would likely be the main factor of product perception. Question 5 A company is creating a strategic recruitment plan for its sales staff. The company is currently working on the forecast for its staffing needs. Which internal factor does the company need to consider? Limitations to the budget Correct! Budgets are an internal factor that need to be considered while building a recruitment plan. Question 6 An engineering firm is looking to hire a technical business-to-business (B2B) salesperson to build a manufacturer client base. The sales manager sends the job description out to all employees of the firm to apply for the position. Which approach to recruiting is this sales manager using? Internal recruitment Correct! Internal recruitment refers to seeking candidates already working for a company to fill an open position. The sales manager in the scenario sends the position posting out to all employees of the firm to encourage engineering professionals to apply for the position. Question 7 A company has decided to use internal recruiting to fill a position. What is a benefit of using this hiring approach? Familiarity with the product Correct! Internal recruits will already have a familiarity of the company and the product. Question 8 A company would like to advertise a job, and the goal is to obtain the best candidate possible, regardless of the amount of time it takes. Which action must occur first during this process? Identify the sales tasks Correct! Sales tasks are the actions that potential recruits must perform in order to be successful in the position. These tasks must be identified before advertising a job description. Question 9 A company needs to fill a sales position and has many qualified candidates, both internal and external. The company is strongly considering hiring the internal candidate. Which negative impact to the firm may occur if this candidate is chosen? Reduced diversity in sales techniques Correct! Due to hiring an internal candidate, perspectives can be more homogenous, which results in lower levels of diversity in perspectives and experience. Question 10 A sales manager wants to hire a business-to-business (B2B) salesperson who will contact prospective clients, meet with them to learn about their business needs, and propose which of the company's technology products would provide an optimal solution. Which element of a task-based job analysis should be assessed for this sales position? Giving product presentations to clients Correct! A task-based analysis assesses characteristics specifically aligned with job responsibilities. A salesperson would be expected to give presentations to prospective clients, which makes that a specific task-based job characteristic.