Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson

Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson 1-1 © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.Chapter 01 The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson

Learning Objectives:

01-01 Define and explain the term selling.01-02 Explain why everyone sells, even you.01-03 Explain the relationship between the definition of personal selling and the Golden Rule of Personal Selling.01-04 Discuss the reasons as to why people might choose a sales career.01-05 Enumerate some of the various types of sales jobs.01-06 Describe the job activities of salespeople.01-07 Define the characteristics that salespeople believe are needed for success in building relationships with customers.01-08 List and explain the 10 steps in the sales process.

True / False Questions

• Selling and marketing are interchangeable terms for the same business activity.

Answer: False

Learning Objective: 01-01

Topic: What Is Selling?

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Selling is a marketing component that refers to the personal communication of information to persuade a prospective customer to buy something. Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.

• According to recent Gallup surveys, most Americans believe that traditional salespeople

are overly interested in the needs of customers.

Answer: False

Learning Objective: 01-03

Topic: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling

Blooms: Understand

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Explanation: As Gallup’s survey poll of Americans indicates, people view traditional salespeople as having their self-interest as a priority. This type of salesperson is preoccupied with his or her own well-being—usually defined in terms of making money—and thus is selfish and cannot be trusted.

(Fundamentals of Selling Customers for Life through Service 13e Charles Futrell ) (Test Bank all Chapters) 1 / 4

Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson 1-2 © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

• Personal selling refers to the personal communication of information to unselfishly

persuade a prospective customer to buy something that satisfies that individual's needs.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-01

Topic: A New Definition of Personal Selling

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Personal selling refers to the personal communication of information to unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to buy something—a good, a service, an idea, or something else—that satisfies that individual’s needs.

• 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.

Answer: False

Learning Objective: 01-03

Topic: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling refers to the sales philosophy of unselfishly treating others as you would like to be treated. Reciprocity is not expected.

• As a salesperson’s self-interest decreases, a salesperson’s interest in providing customer

service is more likely to increase.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-03

Topic: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling

Blooms: Understand

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Explanation: As interest in serving others improves, a person’s self-interest lessens. The more the salesperson considers the customer’s interest, the better the customer service.

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Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson 1-3 © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

• An employee at a fast-food restaurant who asks the manager for a raise is engaged in the

selling process.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-02

Topic: Everybody Sells!

Blooms: Understand

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Explanation: You are involved in selling when you want someone to do something. Therefore, an employee persuading a manager for a raise is in the process of selling.

• Unlike traditional and Golden Rule salespeople, professional salespeople have a tendency

to attribute sales success to others rather than to their own actions.

Answer: False

Learning Objective: 01-03

Topic: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Golden Rule salespeople tend to attribute positive results to others rather than to their own personal efforts. Professional salespeople attribute results to personal efforts as well as to their employer, customers, and the economy.

• Golden Rule salespeople tend to believe that money is to be shared and that customer

service is a top priority.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-03

Topic: The Golden Rule of Personal Selling

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Golden Rule salespeople are customer-focused, so customer service is important. Money is not the main motivation of Golden Rule salespeople, so money should be shared.

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Chapter 01 - The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson 1-4 © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

• A retail salesperson sells goods or services to consumers for personal and business use.

Answer: False

Learning Objective: 01-05

Topic: Why Choose a Sales Career?

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: A retail salesperson sells goods or services to consumers for their personal, nonbusiness use. Retailers do not sell goods or services for business usage.

• A customer contact person performs the same tasks as a salesperson.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-05

Topic: Why Choose a Sales Career?

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Each customer contact person takes your money and provides a good or service in return. Customer contact person is another name for a salesperson. Although the title may be different, their job is the same—to help you buy.

• Direct sellers sell face-to-face to consumers who use the products for their personal use.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-05

Topic: Why Choose a Sales Career?

Blooms: Remember

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Explanation: Direct sellers sell face-to-face to consumers—typically in their homes—who use the products for their personal use.

• A wholesale salesperson would sell athletic shoes to a sporting goods store which in turn

would resell the shoes to individual customers.

Answer: True

Learning Objective: 01-05

Topic: Why Choose a Sales Career?

Blooms: Understand

AACSB: Analytic

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Explanation: Wholesalers (also called distributors) buy products from manufacturers and other wholesalers and sell to other organizations. A wholesale salesperson sells products, such as shoes, to resellers, such as sporting goods stores.

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