Planning for and Recruiting Successful Salespeople

 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

A         168

8-1       ____ refers to the activities undertaken to attract, develop, and maintain effective sales force personnel within an organization.

A.  Sales human resource management

B.  Sales management planning

C.  Sales force objectives management

D.  People-oriented sales management

E.   Territorial staffing resource management

A         168

8-2       Sales human resource management consists of two activities.  They are:

A.  people planning and employment planning

B.  people planning and people evaluation

C.  hiring people and completing paperwork for the government

D.  recruiting and hiring

E.   hiring and firing

C         168 (Figure 8.1)

8-3       Employment planning involves:

A.  writing job descriptions

B.  determining job specifications

C.  recruiting and selecting

D.  determining how many people to hire

E.   all of the above

A         168 (Figure 8.1)

8-4       People planning involves:

A.  the determination of the number and type of people to hire

B.  the selection of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards

C.  the implementation of leadership models

D.  recruitment and selection

E.   employee socialization

A         168

8-5       Why do many sales managers engage in formal sales personnel planning systems?

A.  to achieve more effective and efficient use of human resources

B.     to supplement formal time and territory management systems

C.     to satisfy a need for corporate control

D.  to decrease the performance of the sales force

E.   it is a means of replacing the personnel department

A         168

8-6       Why do many sales managers engage in formal sales personnel planning systems?

A.  to improve sales force performance

B.  because of the increased usage of SBO

C.  to supplement formal time and territory management systems

D.  to satisfy a need for corporate control

E.   it is a means of bypassing the corporate human relations department

B         168

8-7       A sales manager wishes to gain more effective and efficient use of the salespeople who work for her.  The activity which must precede all others if that desire is to be realized is:

A.  the creation of measurable sales quotas

B.  people planning

C.  the establishment of a method of evaluation

D.  the development of an effective sales training program

E.   deciding on what product to focus sales efforts

E          168

8-8       One important step in the people planning element of sales force human resources planning is to:

A.  get approval of the Federal Equal Opportunity Commission

B.  analyze the size of competitive sales forces

C.  equalize the work of the currently hired salespeople

D.  develop promotion policies

E.   determine the size sales force needed

E          170

8-9       Mulligan Engineering Company sells replacement parts for  amusement park rides.  It is expanding its operation into the Canadian provinces.  Who within the company would be involved in determining the number and type of salespeople it will need to hire?

A.  its national sales manager

B.  its marketing vice president

C.     its southeastern sales manager

D.    its human resource department manager

E.     all of the above

D         170

8-10     The primary or basic determinant of how many salespeople a firm will employ is the:

A.  level of compensation offered

B.  number of sales managers it has

C.  number of people who apply for sales jobs

D.  number of sales territories and sales positions

E.   corporate human resources department

E          170 (Figure 8.3)

8-11     To forecast how many sales people will be needed using a sales force people-forecast model,:

A.  any upcoming hirings, promotions, and transfers in must be subtracted from current sales force personnel

B.  all employee hirings, promotions and transfers in must be added to all forecasted employee quits, terminations, promotions, transfers out, and retirements; this sum must be subtracted from the number of current employees

C.  employee quits, terminations, promotions, transfers out, and retirements must be ignored

D.  future sales force personnel are forecasted by looking at operational objectives

E.   the current number in the sales force must be added to the upcoming hirings, promotions, and transfers in; quits, terminations, promotions, transfers out and retirements must be subtracted from that sum

B         171

8-12     A _____ defines the specific roles or activities to be performed in a sales position and determines the personal qualifications necessary to get the job. 

A.  job pictogram

B.  job analysis

C.     job design

D.    job specification

E.     job inventory

B         171

8-13     In order to properly develop a job description, you must first conduct a:

A.  job pictogram

B.  job mapping

C.     job plan

D.    job stipulation

E.     job enumeration

C         171

8-14     The first step in a job analysis is to:

A.  select the jobs to be analyzed

B.  determine the appropriate extrinsic and intrinsic rewards

C.  examine the total sales force and the fit of each job and determine how each job relates to other jobs

D.  collect the necessary information concerning what people actually do in their jobs

E.   budget for the job analysis process

B         172

8-15     Elise has been given the job of writing a job description for a new e-commerce position in her company's marketing department.  She should first conduct a:

A.  job mapping

B.  job analysis

C.     job design

D.    job specification

E.     job inventory

A         172

8-16     A complete _____ is a formal, written statement describing the nature, requirements, and responsibilities of a specific job.

A.  job description

B.  job specification

C.     job plan

D.    job design

E.     job enumeration

D         172

8-17     A _____ identifies people qualifications the organization feels are necessary for successful performance of a particular job.

A.  job projection

B.  job analysis

C.     job design

D.    job specification

E.     job inventory

A         172

8-18     _____ convert job descriptions into qualifications the organization feels are necessary for successful performance of the job.

A.  Job specifications

B.  Task inventories

C.     Strategic job designs

D.    Personnel inventories

E.     Job provisions

D         173

8-19     Why do successful salespeople need empathy?

A.  in order to be self-starters

B.  so they will have that "killer instinct"

C.  to communicate with their sales managers and their customers

D.  so they can identify and understand the customer's situation

E.   in order to find good sales prospects

C         173 (Table 8.2)

8-20     In trying to hire the best possible salespeople, sales managers look for certain characteristics that seem to be common in successful salespeople.  Which of the following was identified by the text as one of those characteristics?

A.  responds well to close supervision

B.  non-competitive

C.     need for material things

D.    lethargy

E.     aloofness

E          173 (Table 8.2)

8-21     In trying to hire the best possible salespeople, sales managers look for certain characteristics which seem to be common in successful salespeople.  Which of the following was identified by the text as one of those characteristics?

A.    requires little supervision 

B.     likable

C.     good physical appearance

D.    need for material things

E.     all of the above

C         173

8-22     The ultimate goal of a sales manager who is staffing a sales organization should be to:

A.  select people who will "fit in"

B.  minimize recruiting costs

C.  hire the very best people he or she can

D.  minimize overall salary costs

E.   ensure recruits will be satisfied with their new jobs

B         175

8-23     The set of activities and processes used to legally obtain a sufficient number of individuals in such a manner that the people's and the sales force's best interests are taken into consideration is called:

A.  sales evaluation

B.     recruitment

C.     personnel enrichment

D.    sales training

E.     human resource planning

E.

B         176

8-24     The principal government agency responsible for monitoring discriminatory practices is the:

A.  Civil Rights Administration

B.  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

C.  Federal Bureau of Investigation

D.  Equal Rights Commission

E.   Civil Service Commission

A         176-177

8-25     Discrimination is allowed if an employer can show that a given action is "reasonably necessary to the operation of that particular business or enterprise," and the employment decisions are based on:

A.  bona fide occupational qualifications

B.  general financial status of the individual

C.  open ended qualifications

D.  a needs assessment

E.   military discharge status

A         176-177

8-26     The Hewes Company makes parachutes.  Because a salesperson working for Hewes may be asked to demonstrate his or her product, someone who has a fear of heights will not be hired as a salesperson.  This form of discrimination is an example of a:

A.  bona fide occupational qualification

B.  work-specified criterion

C.                 open-ended qualification

D.                needs assessment

E.                 closed working system

D         176-177

8-27     Discrimination in employment practices is allowed:

A.    if very few people apply for the job

B.     when there is a reasonable doubt that the operation is necessary for that particular business

C.  if the prospective employee cannot speak English

D.  if a bona fide occupational qualification exists

E.   when applications for the job opening are only accepted from persons already employed by the firm in other jobs

D         177-178

8-28     Broadly speaking, the equal opportunity legal criteria are based on two questions, (1) Are employment practices equally applied, and do they have the same effect on all potential employees, regardless of race, sex, religion, or national origin? and (2):

A.  What percentage of management positions are occupied by white males?

B.  Are adequate records of employment practices kept?

C.  How many formal complaints have been filed against this employer in the past five years?

D.  Are the employment practices job-related?

E.   After thorough investigation, what percentage of complaints against this employer have proved to be true?

B         178 (Table 8.5)

8-29     During an interview, a job recruiter can legally ask:

A.  "Do you have any children at home?"

B.  "If you have no phone, how can we reach you?"

C.     "Do you own your own home?"

D.    "How tall are you?"

E.     "Have you ever been arrested, convicted, or prior to employment spent time in jail?"

E          178 (Table 8.5)

8-30     During an interview, a job recruiter can legally ask all of the following questions EXCEPT:

A.  "By whom were you referred for a position here?"

B.  "Are you over 18?"

C.  "Are you a veteran?"

D.  "If you have no phone, how can we reach you?"

E.   "How heavy are you?"

E          179-180

8-31     Which of the following is an example of an internal source of recruits?

A.    friends of employees

B.     current employees

C.     former employees

D.    former applicants

E.     all of the above are internal sources

A         179-180

8-32     Which of the following is an external source of recruits?

A.    walk-ins

B.     friends of employees

C.     transfers

D.    former employees

E.     former applicants

C         180

8-33     Why does the recruiting for positions above the initial entry level sales position almost always come from within the sales force?

A.    Present salespeople know nothing about the operation of the organization.

B.     Present salespeople are kept insecure by the fear of promotion.

C.     Internal promotions is an excellent motivational tool.

D.    External promotions are less expensive than internal promotions.

E.     External promotions lead to the selection of better qualified job candidates.

B         180

8-34     Which of the following is an internal source of recruits?

A.  walk-ins

B.  transfers

C.     internships

D.    newspaper advertisements

E.     employment agencies

D         180

8-35     When compared to the realistic job preview, the traditional job preview:

A.  sets realistic job expectations

B.  matches the company's need with the job

C.  prevents job dissatisfaction

D.  has a high rate of job offer acceptance

E.   does all of the above

B         180

8-36     A realistic job preview:

A.  sets initial job expectations too high

B.     results in higher job satisfaction

C.     results in more frequent turnover

D.    better matches job to the company's needs

E.     does not present the unattractive features of the job

E          180

8-37 The realistic job preview:

A.                reduces the flow of highly capable applicants

B.                 produces higher rates of turnover than traditional job previews

C.                 produces lower levels of satisfaction for the recently hired

D.                sets very high job expectation levels

E.                 inoculates the new salesperson against disappointment with the realities of a job

E          181

8-38     To create a qualified labor pool, an organization needs to know:

A.  how job candidates obtain information regarding job availability

B.  what attracts people to a specific job

C.  the positive and negative attributes of a particular job

D.  why a particular individual would take a specific job

E.   all of the above

E          182

8-39     Recruiting programs can be evaluated according to:

A.  the number of applicants

B.  the ratio of minority and female applicants to total applicants

C.  the ratio of offers accepted to offers extended

D.  qualified applicants as a percentage of total applicants

E.   all of the above

B         182

8-40     Recruiting programs can be evaluated according to:

A.  how many people acted as recruiters

B.  the ratio of offers accepted to offers extended

C.  the total number of interviews conducted divided by the number of applicants

D.  the number of offers extended divided by the number of offers accepted

E.   all of the above

TRUE FALSE QUESTIONS

T          168

8-41     Hiring the right person for the job is critical for the success of the sales force.

F          168

8-42     The entire personnel process of matching the right people to the right sales jobs and placing them in the right sales territory is called territorial resource management.

F          168

8-43     The most important ingredient in developing a successful sales force is proper supervision.

T          168

8-44     Many sales managers engage in formal sales personnel planning systems because it allows them to achieve a more efficient and more effective use of human resources.

T          170

8-45     Sales managers throughout the sales organization are responsible for the various activities in the staffing of the sales force.

F          171

8-46     The formal study of jobs is called job derivation.

F          171

8-47          The first step in a job analysis is to select the jobs to be analyzed.

T          171

8-48     Job analysis is used to determine the personal qualifications needed to perform a job.

F          172

8-49     Job descriptions convert job specifications into the qualifications the organization feel necessary for the successful performance of the job.

F          172

8-50     A job description defines the specific roles or activities to be performed in a sales position and determines the personal qualifications necessary to get the job.

T          173

8-51     Successful salespeople need both physical fitness and intelligence.

F          173

8-52     Most sales managers believe personal appearance is not an important selection factor because appearance can always be changed.

F          175

8-53     Recruitment should decrease the number of job applicants at minimum costs to the firm.

F          175-176

8-54     Since government regulations focus on recruiting practices, they have little direct impact on selection.

F          176

8-55     The principle government agency responsible for monitoring discriminatory employment practices is the Civil Rights Administration.

T          176-177

8-56     Discrimination is allowed if a bona fide occupational qualification exists.

T          178 (Table 8.5)

8-57     During a job interview, an interviewer cannot ask the color of an applicant's hair or eyes.

F          179

8-58     Recruiting persons for sales jobs is typically the responsibility of the human resources department.

T          180

8-59     Current employees are a source of job applicants in two ways--they can refer their friends to the organization, or they can apply for a transfer/promotion themselves.

T          180

8-60     Hiring an already trained salesperson from outside the organization is often cheaper and easier than hiring a new trainee.

F          180

8-61     In a realistic job preview, the job is typically viewed as attractive, stimulating, and challenging.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

8-62 Sales human resource management is composed of two elements.  What are they?

Ans:     people planning and employment planning

Page:   168

8-63 What are the three activities associated with employment planning?

Ans:     recruitment, selection, and socialization

Page:   168 (Figure 8.1)

8-64 What is the relationship between job descriptions and job specifications?

Ans:     Job specifications convert job descriptions into qualifications the organization feels are necessary for the successful performance of the job.

Page:   172

8-65 What is a bona fide occupational qualification?

Ans:     some characteristic that is reasonably necessary to the operation of that particular business or enterprise

Page:   176-177

8-66 How does a realistic job preview differ from the traditional job preview?

Ans:     The realistic job preview gives the applicant pertinent information about the job without distortion or exaggeration.

Page:   180