Question 1

The speaking-listening differential can be used to predict how many moments of silence will likely occur in the sales presentation.

Accepted Answer

The speaking-listening differential refers to the ratio of speaking time to listening time in a conversation, but it cannot be used to predict moments of silence in a sales presentation. Factors such as the speaker's presentation style, audience engagement, technical difficulties, and interruptions may contribute to moments of silence during a sales presentation.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT part of a salesman's voice characteristics?
A)his hand gestures
B)the speed with which he speaks
C)how loudly he speaks
D)how he articulates his words
E)his use of inflections at the end of his sentences

Accepted Answer

Hand gestures are part of a salesman's body language, not voice characteristics.

Question 3

In the opening profile, Azure Barbeau states, "the most important thing to understand when trying to communicate with customers is their nonverbal communication style."

Accepted Answer

The statement is not a direct quote from Azure Barbeau's opening profile.

Question 4

Customers may become annoyed if the salesperson overuses the active listening suggestion of repeating information.

Accepted Answer

While active listening, which includes repeating information, is a helpful tactic in sales, overusing it can come across as insincere or condescending to the customer and lead to annoyance.

Question 5

What should a salesperson do if a prospect asks him to conduct the sales presentation near a large, noisy piece of assembly line equipment while the prospect watches the line for any malfunctions?
A)Do as the prospect requested and give his or her sales presentation.
B)Ask the prospect if it is possible to reschedule the meeting to a time when the prospect is less distracted.
C)Plan on relying on nonverbal communication to determine the success of the presentation.
D)Assume the prospect will pay closer attention to the presentation because he must listen while he watches.
E)Give up on the prospect; he or she is obviously not interested.

Accepted Answer

Conducting a sales presentation near a large, noisy piece of assembly line equipment can be distracting for both the salesperson and the prospect. Asking the prospect if it is possible to reschedule the meeting to a less noisy time allows for a better chance of a successful presentation where both parties can focus on the conversation.

Question 6

The personal zone is reserved for a salesperson's supervisors.

Accepted Answer

The personal zone is the space surrounding an individual that is considered their private area. It is not reserved for a salesperson's supervisors, but rather should be respected by others as a boundary of personal space.

Question 7

Most sales transactions take place in the personal zone.

Accepted Answer

Most sales transactions involve face-to-face interaction between the salesperson and the buyer, which occurs in the personal zone. This zone ranges from 18 inches to 4 feet and is considered an intimate zone where people are comfortable sharing personal information.

Question 8

Robert smiles a lot when he makes presentations to prospective buyers of his product. He says he uses the smile to communicate the idea he is a friendly, helpful salesperson. In terms of the communication process, translating this idea into a smile is his way of:
A)decoding.
B)deceiving.
C)encoding.
D)encroaching.
E)deciding.

Accepted Answer

Encoding is the process of translating ideas and thoughts into a message or language that can be understood by others. In this case, Robert is translating his idea of being a friendly, helpful salesperson into a smile, which is a form of nonverbal communication.

Question 9

Feedback in sales communication can be either verbal or nonverbal.

Accepted Answer

Feedback in sales communication can be both verbal and nonverbal. Verbal feedback includes spoken words, while nonverbal feedback involves body language, facial expressions, and other forms of nonverbal communication. Both types of feedback are important in sales communication as they can help salespeople adjust their approach and better understand the customer's needs and preferences.

Question 10

A primary advantage of email communication is it allows salespeople to express themselves using their personal style.

Accepted Answer

Email communication often requires a more formal and standardized approach, limiting the ability for salespeople to fully express their personal style compared to face-to-face or phone interactions.

Question 11

The 80-20 listening differential suggests salespeople should speak 80 percent of the time and listen 20 percent of the time.

Accepted Answer

The 80-20 listening differential actually suggests salespeople should listen 80 percent of the time and speak 20 percent of the time. This allows them to better understand the customer's needs and tailor their sales pitch accordingly.

Question 12

Many consumers have an image of salespeople as loud, fast-talking people. These are standard active listening characteristics of salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Active listening involves not only speaking but also paying attention to the person speaking, clarifying what they say, and showing empathy. While some salespeople may exhibit these characteristics, a stereotype of them as loud and fast-talking is not an accurate representation of all sales professionals.

Question 13

When making her sales presentation to an important customer, Sarah is frequently interrupted by announcements coming through the company's speaker system. Sarah is experiencing noise.

Accepted Answer

The announcements coming through the company's speaker system are interrupting and distracting Sarah during her sales presentation, which is a form of noise.

Question 14

In two-way communication, encoding and decoding refer to ______ and ______ thoughts and interpretations.
A)announcing and denouncing
B)preferring and referring
C)translating and interpreting
D)deciphering and depicting
E)evaluating and influencing

Accepted Answer

Encoding is the process of translating thoughts and ideas into a message that can be understood by others, while decoding is the process of interpreting and making sense of the received message. Therefore, option C (translating and interpreting) is the best choice. The other options (announcing and denouncing, preferring and referring, deciphering and depicting, evaluating and influencing) do not accurately describe the process of two-way communication.

Question 15

The salesperson says, "For the money, you will find no better water reclamation system anywhere!" The customer thinks the salesperson has just told him that his product is cheaply made and only fairly successful at cleaning the water so it can be reused. Part of the miscommunication was caused by the customer's secretary who came in during the presentation and asked the customer to sign a letter. In terms of the communication process, the salesperson was ____, the customer was _____, and the secretary created ____.
A)decoding; encoding; feedback
B)decoding; creating feedback; noise
C)encoding; decoding; feedback
D)encoding; decoding; noise
E)decoding; encoding; noise

Accepted Answer

The salesperson is encoding the message by using language to communicate their product's benefits, while the customer is decoding the message and interpreting its meaning. The miscommunication is caused by noise in the communication process, which in this case is the interruption from the secretary. Therefore, the salesperson is encoding, the customer is decoding, and the secretary is creating noise. Choice D is the only option that accurately reflects these roles in the communication process.

Question 16

Social networking focuses on those customers who are also socially important.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Social networking focuses on those customers who...

Question 17

The salesperson notices the customer's face shows a puzzled look and asks what needs clarification. The customer replies, "I'd like to know more about how you calculated the estimated cost to use this machine." The salesperson then provides the details. This scenario illustrates two-way communication.

Accepted Answer

Two-way communication involves both parties actively exchanging information and feedback, which is demonstrated in this scenario where the customer asked a question and the salesperson provided a response.

Question 18

Adapting your communication style to your audience will help you to keep your messages:
A)from being misinterpreted.
B)clear, concise, and audience-appropriate.
C)consistent with corporate ethical guidelines.
D)from being excessively long-winded.
E)all of the above.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Adapting your communication style to your audience...

Question 19

If you elect to dress casually, you will need to pay greater attention to your clothes because casual dress is more revealing of your personality and attitude than business attire.

Accepted Answer

Casual dress is often seen as more personal and less formal, allowing for greater expression of the wearer's personality and attitude. As such, it is important to choose pieces that accurately represent the image you want to project.

Question 20

According to the communication process, when a salesperson develops a sales presentation, he or she is actively involved in:
A)encoding.
B)affective stimulation.
C)perceptualizing.
D)decoding.
E)selling.

Accepted Answer

Encoding refers to the process of turning ideas into a message, which is what a salesperson does when developing a sales presentation. The other options do not accurately describe this process.

Quiz 4: Using Communication Principles to Build Relationships

The speaking-listening differential can be used to predict how many moments of silence will likely occur in the sales presentation.

Which of the following is NOT part of a salesman's voice characteristics?

In the opening profile, Azure Barbeau states, "the most important thing to understand when trying to communicate with customers is their nonverbal communication style."

Customers may become annoyed if the salesperson overuses the active listening suggestion of repeating information.

What should a salesperson do if a prospect asks him to conduct the sales presentation near a large, noisy piece of assembly line equipment while the prospect watches the line for any malfunctions?

The personal zone is reserved for a salesperson's supervisors.

Most sales transactions take place in the personal zone.

Robert smiles a lot when he makes presentations to prospective buyers of his product. He says he uses the smile to communicate the idea he is a friendly, helpful salesperson. In terms of the communication process, translating this idea into a smile is his way of: