Sales Aptitude Questions: FORM "A"

CUSTOMER A You are a salesperson for the Sport Shoe Corporation. On arrival at your office you find a letter marked "urgent" on your desk. This letter is from the athletic director of Ball State University, and pertains to the poor quality of basketball shoes you sold him. The director cited several examples of split soles and poor overall quality as his main complaints. In closing, he mentioned that since the season was drawing near he would be forced to contact the ACME Sport Shoe Company if the situation could not be rectified. What actions on your part would be appropriate? A. B. C. Place a call to the athletic director assuring him of your commitment to service. Promise to be at Ball State at his convenience to rectify the problem. Go by the warehouse and take the athletic director all new shoes and apologize for the delay and poor quality of the merchandise. Write a letter to the athletic director assuring him that SSC sells only high-quality shoes and that this type of problem rarely occurs. Assure him you'll come to his office as soon as possible but if he feels ACME would be a better choice than Sport Shoe he should contact them. Don't worry about the letter because the athletic director seems to have the attitude that he can put pressure on you by threatening to switch companies. Also, the loss in sales of 20-40 pairs of basketball shoes will be a drop in the bucket compared to the valuable sales time you would waste on a piddly account like Ball State. CUSTOMER B Sam Gillespie, owner of Central Hardware Supply, was referred to you by a mutual friend. Gillepsie had been thinking of dropping two of their product suppliers of home building supplies. "The sales should be guaranteed," your friend has stated. Your friend's information was correct and your presentation to Gillepsie convinces you he will benefit from buying from you. He comments as you conclude your presentation: "Looks like your product will solve our problem. I'd like to think this over, however. Could you call me tomorrow or the next day?" The best way to handle this would be to: A. B. C. Follow his suggestion. Ignore his request and try a second close. Probe further. You might ask: "The fact that you have to think this over suggests that I haven't convinced you. Is there something I've omitted or failed to satisfy you with?"

D.

CUSTOMER C In order to convince your customers that your product's benefits are important, you must show how your product's benefits will meet their needs. Suppose your customer says: "I need some kind of gadget that will get me out of bed in the morning." Check the statement below which best relates your product feature, the G.E. clock radio's snooze alarm, to this customer's need: A. B. C. "Ms. Jones, this G.E. radio has a snooze alarm which is very easy to operate. See, all you do is set this button and off it goes..." "Ms. Jones, the G.E. radio is the newest radio on the market. It carries a one-year guarantee and you can trade in your present radio and receive a substantial cut in the price." "Ms. Jones, since you say you have trouble getting up in the morning, you want an alarm system that will make sure you wake up. Now, G.E.'s snooze alarm will wake you up no matter how often you shut the alarm off. You see, the alarm goes off every seven minutes until you switch off the "early bird knob."

CUSTOMER D You are planning a call back on Mr. Pride and the president of his company to sell them several of your electric carts. The company's manufacturing plant covers some 200 acres and you have sold many companies smaller than this one up to 10 carts. Since Mr. Pride is allowing you to meet with his company's president and maybe other executives, you know he is interested in your carts. You are determined to make a spellbinding presentation of your product's benefits which will make use of visual aids and a demonstration of the cart itself. Mr. Pride raised several objections on your last presentation which may be brought up again by other executives. Your challenge is to develop a dramatic, convincing presentation. You plan to give a "live" demonstration of the cart to show how effective it is to move around the plant. Which of the following is the best technique for the demonstration? A. B. C. Get Mr. Pride and the president involved by letting them drive the cart. You drive letting them ride so they will listen more carefully to you. Leave a demonstrator and check back the next week to see how many they will buy.

CUSTOMER E You are also planning to use your 10 page visual "presenter" to guide Mr.Pride through your benefit story. This selling aid is in a binder form and contains photographs of your cart in action, along with its various color option, guarantee, and testimonials. Should you: A. B. Get Mr. Pride to participate by letting him hold it. Handle it yourself, let him watch and listen while you turn the pages and tell your story.

CUSTOMER F Picture yourself as a Procter & Gamble salesperson who plans to call upon Ms. Hansen, a buyer for your largest independent grocery store. Your sales call objective is to convince Ms. Hansen that she should buy your "family" size of Tide detergent. Her store now carries the three smaller sizes. You have developed a marketing plan that you feel will help convince her that she is losing sales and profits by not stocking Tide's family size. You enter the grocery store, check your present merchandise, and quickly develop a suggested order. As Ms. Hansen walks down the aisle toward you, she appears to be in her normal grumpy mood. After your greeting and handshake, your conversation goes like this: Salesperson: Your sales are really up? I've checked your stock in the warehouse and on your shelf. This is what it looks like you need. [You discuss sales of each of your products and their various sizes, suggesting a quantity she should purchase based upon her past sales and present inventory.] OK, that looks good. Go ahead and ship it. Thank you. Say, Ms. Hansen, you've said before that the shortage of shelf space prevents you from stocking our family size Tide--though you admit you may be losing some sales as a result. If we could determine how much volume you're missing, I think you'd be willing to make space for it, wouldn't you? Yes, but I don't see how that can be done. Well, I'd like to suggest a test--a weekend display of all four sizes of Tide. What do you mean? My thought was to run all sizes that are regular shelf price without any ad support. This would give us a "pure" test. Six cases of each size should let us compare sales of the various sizes and see what you're missing by regularly stocking only the smaller sizes. I think the additional sales and profits you'll get on the family size will convince you to start stocking it on a regular basis. What do you think? Well, maybe.

Buyer: Salesperson:

Buyer: Salesperson: Buyer: Salesperson:

Buyer:

At the end of your conversation, Ms. Hansen said, "Well, maybe." Which of the following should you do now? A. B. C. D. E. Continue to explain your features, advantages, and benefits. Ask a trial close question. Ask for the order. Back off and try again on the next sales call. Wait for Ms. Hansen to say "OK, ship it." CUSTOMER G Before making a cold call on the Thompson Company, you did some research on the account. Barbara Thompson is both president and chief purchasing officer. In this dual capacity she is often so rushed that she is normally impatient with salespeople. She is known for her habit of quickly turning down the salesperson, and shutting off the discussion by turning and walking away. In looking over Ms. Thompson's operation, you notice that the inefficient metal shelving she is using in her warehouse is starting to collapse. Warehouse employees have attempted to remedy the situation by building wooden shelves and reinforcing the weakened metal shelves with lumber. They have also begun stacking boxes on the floor requiring much more space. You recognize the importance of getting off to a fast start with Ms. Thompson. You must capture her attention and interest quickly or she may not talk with you. Which of the following attention-getters would you choose? A. B. C. "Ms. Thompson, I'd like to show you how Hercules shelving can save you both time and money." "Ms. Thompson, can you spare a few moments of your time to talk about new shelving for your warehouse?" "Ms. Thompson, how would you like to double your storage space?" CUSTOMER H This is your fourth call on Ace Building Supplies to get them to begin carrying and selling your home building supplies to local builders. Joe Newland, the buyer, has given you every indication the he likes your products. During the call, Joe reaffirms his liking for your products and attempts to end the interview by standing up and saying "We'll be ready to do business with you in three months--right after this slow season ends. Stop by then and we'll definitely place an order with you." Under these circumstances, which one of the following would you do? Why? A. B. C. Call back in three months to get the order as suggested. Try to get a firm commitment or order now. Telephone Joe in a month (rather than make a personal visit) and try to get the order.

CUSTOMER I You work for the Lanier Pager Equipment Corporation selling pagers and other equipment. Imagine yourself as just entering the lobby and reception room of a small manufacturing company. You hand the receptionist your business card and ask to see the purchasing agent. "What is this in reference to?" the secretary asks, as two other salespeople approach. Which of the following alternatives would you use and why? A. B. C. D. Give a quick explanation of your equipment, ask whether the secretary has heard of your company, or used your equipment, and again ask to see the purchasing agent. "I would like to discuss our paging equipment." "I sell paging equipment designed to save your company money and provide greater efficiency. Companies like yours really like our products. Could you help me get in to see your purchasing agent?" Give a complete presentation and demonstration. CUSTOMER J Skaggs Omega, a large chain of supermarkets, has mailed you an inquiry on hardware items. They specifically wanted to know about your hammers, screwdrivers, and nails. Upon your arrival, you make your presentation to the purchasing agent, Linda Johnson. You start out by stating that you had visited several of their stores. You discuss your revolving retail display which contains an assortment of the three items Johnson had mentioned in her inquiry and relate the displays and advantages and features to benefits for Skaggs. During your presentation, Johnson has listened but has said very little and has not given you any buying signals. However, it does appear she is interested. She did not object to your price nor did she raise any other objections. You are approaching the end of your presentation, and it is time to close. Actually you have said everything you can think of. What is the best way to ask Johnson for the order? A. B. C. "How do you like our products, Ms. Johnson?" "What assortment do you prefer, the A or B assortment?" "Can we go ahead with the order?"

CUSTOMER K As you drive up into the parking lot of one of your best distributors of your home building supplies, you recall how only two years ago they purchased the largest opening order you ever sold. Last year their sales doubled and this year you hope to sell them over $100,000 worth. As you wait, the receptionist informs you that since your last visit your buyer, John Smalley, was fired and another buyer was transferred in to take his place. John and you had become reasonably good friends over the past two years and you hated to see him go.

As you enter the new buyer's office, she asks you to have a seat and then says: "I've got some bad news for you. I'm considering switching suppliers. Your prices are too high." Under these circumstances the best way to react to this objection would be: A. B. C. "It's certainly a good idea to compare prices, because price is always an important consideration. When you add up all the benefits we offer, however, I think you'll find that our prices--over the long haul--are actually lower than the competition's." "Would you mind telling me exactly why you're considering this move?" "Gee, I'm really surprised at this move. After all, we were the ones who originally got you interested in handling home building supplies. Our service has been good, and most importantly, you've derived excellent profits from our line." CUSTOMER L This is a cold call on the warehouse manager for Coat's Western Wear, a retailer with four stores. You know most of the manager's work consists of deliveries from the warehouse to the four stores. Based on your past experience, you suspect that the volume of shipments to the warehouse fluctuates, with certain seasons of the year being extremely busy. As a salesperson for the Hercules Shelving, you want to sell the manager your heavy-duty gauge steel shelving for use in the warehouse. Since this is a relatively small sale, you decide to go in cold, relying only on your questioning ability to uncover potential problems and make the prospect aware of them. You are now face-to-face with the warehouse manager. You have introduced yourself and after some small talk you feel it is time to begin your approach. Which of the following questions would serve your purpose best? A. B. C. Have you had any recent storage problems? How do you take care of your extra storage need during your busy seasons such as Christmas? Can you tell me a little about your storage problems?

CUSTOMER M You have been working for two months on an industrial account to obtain a firm commitment for a $185,000 computer system. Over the past three years, this particular firm has purchased $575,000 from your company. If you can land the order today, you will become eligible for a quarterly commission bonus of $2,500. To meet your competitor's lower price, your manager decides to give you special authorization to offer your client a $9,000 package consisting of free software, specialized operation training, and extended-service contract terms. Similar incentives have been offered on special occasions in the past. All customers are eligible for the package. You feel this sweetened offer will bring you below your competitor's rock-bottom price. You know your customer is a price buyer.

As you drive to your customer's office, you get tied up in a huge traffic jam. You call your client from your car phone and ask her secretary if it would be okay to come about 30 minutes later than scheduled. He tells you not to worry. As you are ushered into the buyer's office, you greet your customer with a smile, ready to announce the good news. She informs you that she signed a contract with your competitor just ten minutes ago. Upon your insistence, she shows you the bottom line on the signed contract. You realize that by purchasing your system, she could have saved as much as $12,000. What do you do? A. B. C. Compare the two offers for the buyer, and ask her to cancel the signed contract. Tell her about your proposal, but do not suggest she cancel the signed contract. Say nothing. Keep your cool - act professionally. Otherwise, you will lose the customer forever. Accept the loss in a gracious and courteous manner.

CUSTOMER N After a two-hour drive to see an important new prospect, you stop at a local coffee shop for a bite to eat. As you are looking over your presentation charts, the coffee spills on about half a dozen of them. You don't have substitute presentation charts with you. What should you do? A. B. C. Phone the prospect and say that you'd like to make another appointment. Say that something came up. Go ahead and keep the appointment. At the start of your presentation, tell the prospect about the coffee spill and apologize for it. Go ahead with your presentation. But don't make excuses. The coffee stains are barely noticeable if you're not on the lookout for them.

CUSTOMER O Using your knowledge of negotiation, which of these methods would be the best way to handle a prospective new car purchaser and why? A customer has told you she is only looking, prices are too high, and she cannot afford a new automobile at this time. A. B. C. D. Agree with her, then proceed to the next available customer. Show the customer a cheaper model of the same car. Explain to the customer how payments can be tailored to fit almost anyone's budget. Ask her why she is wasting her time looking at new cars.

CUSTOMER P You have just learned that one of your customers, Tom's Discount Store, has received a shipment of faulty goods from your warehouse. The total cost of the merchandise is $2,500. Your company has a returned-goods policy that will only allow you to return $500 worth of your product at one time unless a reciprocal order is placed. What would you do? A. B. C. D. E. Call Tom's and tell them you will be out to inspect the shipment in a couple of days. Ask Tom's to patch up what they can and sell it at a reduced cost in an upcoming clearance sale. Send the merchandise back to your warehouse and credit Tom's account for the price of the damaged goods. Get over to Tom's as soon as possible that day, check the shipment to see if there are any undamaged goods that can be put on the shelf, get a replacement order from Tom's manager, and phone in the order immediately. Call your regional sales manager and ask what to do.

Sales Aptitude Solutions: FORM "A"

CUSTOMER A ANSWER: B CUSTOMER B ANSWER: C CUSTOMER C ANSWER: C CUSTOMER D ANSWER: A CUSTOMER E ANSWER: B CUSTOMER F ANSWER: C CUSTOMER G ANSWER: C CUSTOMER H ANSWER: B CUSTOMER I ANSWER: C CUSTOMER J ANSWER: B CUSTOMER K ANSWER: B CUSTOMER L ANSWER: B CUSTOMER M ANSWER: B CUSTOMER N ANSWER: B CUSTOMER O ANSWER: C CUSTOMER P ANSWER: D

Your Sales Aptitude: Solutions

CUSTOMER A Alternatives A B C D Ranking Second First Third Fourth Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $4,000) $ 1,500 $ 4,000 $ 0,000 $ 0,000

Five salespeople ranked the four alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $4,000. Alternative "A" was second. Both alternatives "C" and "D" were unacceptable to all five judges. CUSTOMER B Alternatives Ranking Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $3,000)

A Third $ 0,000 B Second $ 1,500 C First $ 3,000 Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $3,000. A. Gillespie seems to be wavering when he says, "I'd like to think this over, however." His stall or objection is certainly weak--especially when preceded by a commitment that your product will solve his problem. If you accept his excuse, you could be in trouble. He could have a valid reason for delaying, but if you don't find out what it is now, you may never have an opportunity to answer it. Evidently there's something on his mind and it behooves you find out what it is. Ignoring his "stall" (since it was expressed weakly) is a good technique in some selling situations. It's especially good when the objection or stall is a trivial one, or not expressed with conviction. You don't want to blow it up, or make it seem important by discussing it. In this case there may be something more serious on his mind. It's a good secondary technique, however, so you should be rewarded for using it. This is a good technique. Let him tell you what's holding him back. Being an effective salesman requires lots of detective work. If you ask tactfully, he's apt to tell you what you have to do in order to sell him! "Thinking it over" is not important--the key is to find out exactly what he has got to think about.

B.

C.

CUSTOMER C Alternatives A B C Ranking Second Third First Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $6,000) $ 1,000 $ 0,000 $ 6,000

Five salespeople , ranked the three alternatives, with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $6,000. A. B. C. This response stresses only features of the radio. Yes, the features are related to the prospect's needs. However, it is a very weak selling response. This response stresses only features of the radio. These features are not related to the prospect's needs. The prospect may say, "Thanks, but I'd better shop other stores before deciding." This response is excellent since it relates directly to the prospect's needs. CUSTOMER D Alternatives A B C Ranking First Second Third Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $2,000) $ 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 500

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "A" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $2,000. A. No matter how easy the demo looks when you handle it, it will be more convincing if you can get the prospect in the act. By doing it himself, the prospect will be intimately involved--he'll be interested, he'll see the benefits more clearly. You will also have a better chance to eliminate or smoke out any hidden objections. CUSTOMER E Alternatives A B Ranking Second First Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $2,000) $ 0,000 $ 2,000

Five salespeople ranked the two alternatives with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $2,000.

CUSTOMER F Alternatives A B C D E Ranking Second Third First Fourth Fourth Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $8,000) $ 2,000 $ 2,000 $ 8,000 $ 0,000 $ 0,000

Five salespeople ranked the five alternatives with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $8,000. A. B. C. You might want to further explain the benefits of your marketing program. This could help you close the sale. However, it is not the best course of action. If still unsure of the buyer's attitude, you might probe more using another trial close such as "Does the concept sound good to you?" It is time to close by saying "May I enter the six cases of family size Tide in the order book now?" or "Will six cases be enough?" or "With your sales being really up, should we use six or eight cases?" CUSTOMER G Alternatives A B C Ranking Second Third First Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $4,000) $ 1,500 $ 500 $ 4,000

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $4,000. A. This attention-getter is reasonably good because it points out a benefit to the buyer. Under most circumstances it would capture his attention. Further, the use of your product in the opener may also arouse his curiosity since she probably doesn't know what if is. The weak spot here is "time and money." Basically, time and money are benefits--but very general in nature. "Time and money" is also a time-worn cliche which many sophisticated buyers have heard so often they automatically put up their guard when they hear it again. This attention-getter may do more harm than good. First of all it sounds a little humbling to "beg" for a few minutes of time. If your product is good (and it is!) then you deserve the time to tell your complete story. It's up to you to motivate the prospect sufficiently so she wants to hear it. "To talk about shelving" implies a friendly discussion and offers no benefit or motivation. This type of opener may encourage prospects to say "I'm too busy right now."

B.

C.

Curiosity and benefit are compelling attention-getters and this opener combines both. It offers a benefit but doesn't say how it can be gained, thus arousing curiosity. In addition, it asks a question--another useful device for getting attention. A question usually demands an answer and when the prospect does respond he forfeits her divided attention. CUSTOMER H

Alternatives A B C

Ranking Third First Second

Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $6,000) $ 500 $ 6,000 $ 2,500

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $6,000. A. Calling back in two months at the request of Mr. Newland is the path of least resistance--the easy way out. While it may get you the order in the long run, it can also set up many obstacles. A lot of things can occur in two months: a competitor could get in to see Mr. Newland; Aces' business could fall off; money may be tight, etc. By waiting (without trying for an immediate order) you are encouraging problems. There's nothing better than a firm purchase order in hand. Perhaps some good oldfashioned persistence would have done the job; after all, Mr. Newland said he liked the equipment, admitted that it would solve his problem, and indicated that he would buy. Why not now? If you can't get an immediate order, perhaps you can get one for delivery in thirty days ("Let's not wait until the last minute") or in sixty days. At minimum, a stronger verbal commitment would help--to pin him down, to obligate him, and to bring him closer to that actual order. If you can't get the order now, a good alternative would be to telephone. A personal call takes time, is expensive and can't accomplish more than a phone call (especially when your objective is to get a "go ahead"). Why wait the full two months? You'll probably need some time for delivery. Besides, it's a good way to remind him that you're on your toes--anticipating problems and taking care of his needs.

B.

C.

CUSTOMER I Alternatives A B C D Ranking Second Third First Third Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $1,000) $ 500 $ 0,000 $ 1,000 $ 0,000

Five salespeople ranked the four alternatives, with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $1,000. Getting by the receptionist or switchboard operator, at times, requires a certain amount of skill. Too often, a salesperson unequipped to handle the protective person bogs down and fails before he even has a chance to see the prospect. A. This method is not as good as "C", but it is a good second choice. Make her feel important, build up her ego by taking the time (if she can afford it) to give her a meaningful message. Don't get trapped into telling her everything. The can't do the buying. Whet her appetite and get her on your team. We're afraid that under normal circumstances this answer will provoke the typical response: "We don't need any." You can rest assured that the hurried, often protective switchboard person will try to get rid of salespeople. Since she knows what "dictaphones" are you are giving her a great opportunity for a negative reaction. This is the best answer because it's direct and to the point. You really haven't told her what the product is so it's difficult for her to say the company "doesn't need any." Secondly, you have given her some of the benefits; hopefully she won't want to take the responsibility for her company missing out on them. Thirdly, you've repeated your request for her to direct you to the purchasing agent (or reasonable facsimile). Same as B. CUSTOMER J Alternatives A B C Ranking Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $1,000) $ 0,000 $ 1,000 $ 500

B.

C.

D.

First Second

Five salespeople ranked the four alternatives, with "B" earning the maximum dollar amount of $1,000.

A. B.

C.

This isn't much of a close. It's weak and may encourage negative comments or objections. This if often called a "trial" or "choice" close. It's a useful technique that can be used anywhere in a presentation. By sending up a "trial balloon" you feel for the prospect's attitude. Simply give her a choice of two things relating to the order. If she chooses either one, it indicates she's mentally purchased the kits (or is seriously thinking about an order) and you're on your way. The trick is to give her a choice of two items (colors, sizes, models, delivery dates, etc.) but not "yes" or "no." Here you're giving her a choice of "yes" or "no" which is somewhat dangerous. If she says "yes," fine, but a "no" can be deadly. Since you have a fifty percent action--like signing the order, giving you a purchase order number, supplying credit reference, etc. The important thing is to ask. CUSTOMER K

Alternatives A B C

Ranking Second First Third

Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $10,000) $ 5,000 $ 10,000 $ 2,500

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $10,000. A. This is a good technique for handling an objection--agreeing first (partially) and then answering the objection. A little agreement or complimentary remark acknowledging the prospect's statement will often open the prospect's mind and soften the blow of your rebuttal. In this case, however, rebuttal would be premature. Better find out the exact problem before you try to answer. Before handling an objection, it's important to find out what the exact objection is. Is price a stall or her bona fide reason for changing suppliers? Is it the competitor's cheaper price that's attractive or does the problem exist with SOS's own salespeople-and their inability to sell a high-priced line? There could be many problems so before you answer the objection, do some probing and find out what the real one is. This is a good point but a bad time to remind her about it. Throw it in later perhaps, but don't rely on past favor too heavily. After all, you and your company have also profited from the relationship with SOS.

B.

C.

CUSTOMER L Alternatives A B C Ranking Third First Second Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $12,000) $ 00,000 $ 12,000 $ 4,000

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $12,000. Questions are important tools for any salesperson. They help uncover needs and problems, obtain valuable selling information, qualify the prospect's interest and buying authority. So it pays to ask good ones. Let's examine the three choices you were confronted with. A. B. This is a weak question because it asks for a "yes" or "no" answer--no more. Remember, you wanted information and a "yes" or "no" is the bare minimum. This is a good question. It's direct, well-aimed, and most importantly, it forces the prospect to talk about a specific problem. An open-ended question (one that can't be answered by "yes" or "no") often provides additional information--things you didn't ask for--and that is a plus. This question is adequate, but lacking in some aspects. It's open-ended and that's good--it'll encourage the prospect to talk. However, it's too loose, too general. It won't easily trigger the prospect to give you the information you seek. And you do want to make it easy for him. CUSTOMER M Alternatives A B C Ranking Third First Second Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $8,000) $ 0,000 $ 8,000 $ 3,000

C.

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $8,000. A. B. Even though you know that your offer is the best one, asking the buyer to cancel a signed contract is wrong. Not only is such an action unethical, it would cost you the customer's business in the future. Here, you are acting in the best interest of your company, your customer, and yourself. By not asking your client to cancel her contract and sign your contract, you have maintained the client's trust. Asking her to void the contract, on the other hand, would have been highly unethical. However, it is important that you take the time to explain to your client the proposal which you were prepared to present. That way, perhaps your

C.

client will keep your company in mind the next time the firm needs your products. Then, both her company and your company can benefit. By saying nothing about the signed contract, you are acting in a professional manner. You are following the rules and employing conventional behavior. CUSTOMER N

Alternatives A B C

Ranking Second First Second

Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $9,000) $ 0,000 $ 9,000 $ 0,000

Five salespeople ranked the three alternatives, with "B" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $9,000. A. B. C. Poor choice. We can understand your concern about a poor looking presentation. But what kind of impression would you create canceling your appointment two hours ahead of time? Good idea. Let your prospect know you are concerned about doing things first class. If your prospect's the least bit human, he'll understand the problem and won't hold it against you. I wouldn't. You may think you can pass off the stains, but don't count on it. Why take chances on making a poor impression. CUSTOMER O Alternatives A B C D Ranking Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $8,000) $ 0,000 $ 500 $ 8,000 $ 0,000

Second First

Five salespeople ranked the four alternatives, with "C" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $8,000. A. B. C. D. No sale -- no way! You blew it! You sold her a junk car worth $500. You sold her an $8,000 car. No sale --no way! You blew it!

CUSTOMER P Alternatives A B C D E Ranking Second Second First Second Dollar Amount Sold (Maximum = $10,000) $ 500 $ 500 $ 0,000 $ 10,000 $ 500

Five salespeople ranked the five alternatives, with "D" ranked the best. People who chose this alternative sold the maximum dollar amount of $10,000. A. B. C. D. E. Tom may get mad if you wait too long to provide him service and cut his order down to $1,000. Tom would send back all merchandise and throw you out of the store when he next sees you. You shipped back the merchandise which canceled out your sale and maybe even future business. Your prompt service will save your sale and keep Tom as a customer. You should know what to do. Do not delay! What if you cannot reach your regional manager?