Question 1

These salespeople try to develop goodwill and stimulate demand, help intermediaries train their salespeople, and often take orders for delivery by intermediaries.

Accepted Answer

The description matches that of missionary salespeople who aim to create goodwill and stimulate demand, assist intermediaries with sales training, and take orders for delivery by intermediaries.

Question 2

Ali Mulhammed has been working for a producer of video games that sell through toy wholesalers to retailers. He knows all about the games sold by his company and by competitors. He goes into his wholesalers' territories and tries to get local retailer customers interested in the company's line-and even trains retailers to demonstrate the games. When a retailer is ready to buy, Ali turns the business over to the wholesaler's sales rep. Ali is a:

Accepted Answer

Ali Mulhammed acts as a missionary salesperson because he promotes his company's video games to retailers and trains them on how to demonstrate the games, but he does not directly close sales. Instead, he hands over interested retailers to the wholesaler's sales representatives for the actual sale, which is characteristic of the role of a missionary salesperson.

Question 3

When a customer calls the 800 toll-free number at L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine, to order a new chamois shirt, the person who answers the customer's questions is a:

Accepted Answer

The person answering the customer's questions and taking orders at L.L. Bean is a retailer's order taker, as their primary role is to assist customers in completing their purchases rather than actively selling or promoting additional products.

Question 4

The sales manager for a producer of consumer convenience products should recognize that the company may need:

Accepted Answer

Missionary salespeople are often used to support wholesalers by promoting products and providing additional support, which can help increase sales through the wholesaler's channels.

Question 5

______________ would be LEAST LIKELY to use supporting salespeople.

Accepted Answer

Supermarkets would be least likely to use supporting salespeople because their business model typically involves direct-to-consumer sales in a self-service environment, where customers select products themselves without the need for specialized sales support.

Question 6

Missionary sales reps:

Accepted Answer

Missionary sales reps work with intermediaries (retailers or wholesalers) to train their salespeople and set up displays. They do not directly sell to end customers and typically do not engage in aggressive selling tactics.

Question 7

A company that sells a new type of meat grinder to big supermarket chains needs someone to train workers in the stores' meat departments to use the machine properly and efficiently. What type of salesperson is this?

Accepted Answer

A missionary salesperson is responsible for promoting the product and providing training and support to ensure proper use, rather than directly selling the product.

Question 8

Missionary selling:

Accepted Answer

Missionary selling often serves as an entry-level position that can lead to higher-level sales and marketing roles. It involves promoting a company's products indirectly, usually by educating those who influence the end consumers or by supporting the products without directly closing sales.

Question 9

Missionary salespeople

Accepted Answer

Missionary salespeople work for producers and focus on building long-term relationships with intermediaries and customers. They do not typically provide technical assistance or resolve problems after purchase, but rather provide information and support to promote the producer's products to customers.

Question 10

Mark Johnson's business card says he is a "Customer Service Representative" for OceanView Metal Industries-a wholesaler of standardized steel components used in construction. Mark answers customer questions about the firm's products and arranges for routine orders to be sent to the customer's construction site. It appears that Mark is primarily:

Accepted Answer

Mark's job primarily involves receiving and processing customer orders for routine products, and providing basic product information to customers. He is not responsible for actively seeking new customers or promoting the company's products, which would be the role of an order getter. Mark is also not a technical specialist, as he does not have specialized technical knowledge about the products beyond basic information. Similarly, he is not a missionary salesperson, who is focused on educating customers about new or unfamiliar products.

Question 11

Gloria Highnote works for CD Wholesale. She helps CD's retailer-customers set up their cooperative advertising, helps train the retailer's salespeople, and gives CD feedback on how sales promotion ideas are working. Gloria is:

Accepted Answer

Gloria's role involves supporting retailer-customers with advertising, training salespeople, and providing feedback on sales promotion ideas, which aligns with the responsibilities of a missionary salesperson. This type of salesperson typically does not close sales but supports the selling process indirectly.

Question 12

A large producer of snack foods feels that retailers do not promote its products aggressively enough-because they also sell competitors' products. The producer should use some:

Accepted Answer

Missionary sales reps are used for educating and promoting the product to retailers or distributors. They do not make direct sales but rather create awareness about the product and its benefits, which can lead to increased sales in the long run. In this case, using missionary sales reps can help the producer educate retailers about the benefits and unique selling points of their products, which may encourage the retailers to promote them more actively. This approach can be more effective than using aggressive sales reps or order getters, which may not address the root cause of the problem if retailers do not feel motivated to promote the product.

Question 13

People who help order-oriented salespeople-but don't try for orders themselves are:

Accepted Answer

All of these roles describe individuals who assist in the sales process without directly seeking orders themselves. Technical specialists provide expertise on technical aspects of a product or service, missionary salespeople focus on education and relationship-building rather than direct sales, and supporting salespeople help the primary sales team in various ways without directly soliciting orders.

Question 14

An established merchant wholesaler of business supplies would rely mainly on:

Accepted Answer

An established merchant wholesaler of business supplies would rely mainly on order takers who are responsible for processing orders for customers who have already made the decision to buy. As the merchant wholesaler has an established customer base, they do not require the services of order getters, who are responsible for finding new customers. Additionally, they may not require the services of supporting salespeople or missionary salespeople, who are responsible for providing after-sales service and educating customers about products respectively, as their customers may already be familiar with their products and may not require much support or education. While merchandisers may be useful in organizing and displaying products, they are not essential to the core function of processing orders.

Question 15

A salesperson works for a producer, calls on intermediaries and their customers, tries to develop goodwill while stimulating demand, but doesn't take any orders for the producer's products. This salesperson is a(n):

Accepted Answer

This salesperson is a missionary salesperson, who promotes the company's products, establishes and maintains relationships with intermediaries and customers, and generates demand, but does not take orders.

Question 16

When an auto repair shop calls an auto parts wholesaler to order the parts to fix a wrecked vehicle, the person who answers the repair shop's questions is a:

Accepted Answer

The person who answers the repair shop's questions is simply taking the order from the repair shop and is not actively selling to them. Therefore, this person is a wholesaler's order taker.

Question 17

According to the text, missionary salespeople are sometimes called as

Accepted Answer

The text explicitly states that missionary salespeople are sometimes known as detailers. The other choices are not mentioned in relation to missionary salespeople in the text.

Question 18

CeCe Springer works for a large cosmetics company. She calls on retailers to tell them about her firm's new products, to train the retailers' salespeople, and to set up promotion displays. Her boss actually handles the order-related activities. CeCe is:

Accepted Answer

CeCe Springer is a missionary sales rep because her role involves promoting her firm's products, training salespeople, and setting up promotional displays, rather than directly taking orders.

Question 19

A salesperson for cold remedy products visits pharmacists during the cold season and encourages them to use a special end-of-aisle display for his firm's cough syrup and then helps set up the display. The salesperson is a(n) ____________.

Accepted Answer

A missionary salesperson is someone who promotes the firm's products to indirect customers, such as retailers, but does not directly close sales. In this scenario, the salesperson is encouraging pharmacists to use a special display for the product, which is a form of promotion rather than direct selling, fitting the role of a missionary salesperson.

Question 20

A Wendy's fast-food restaurant needs ______________ to serve its customers.

Accepted Answer

A Wendy's fast-food restaurant needs order takers to take the customers' orders and process them for the kitchen staff. Merchandisers, order getters, hucksters, and supporting salespeople are not typically needed in a fast-food restaurant setting.

Quiz 14: Personal Selling and Customer Service