DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL SELLING KNOWLEDGE
1. How might the following characteristic of business-to-business markets affect the
relational selling activities of salespeople:
Larger, but fewer, buyers?
Derived demand?
Higher levels of demand fluctuation?
2. How do the three different types of purchasing decisions (straight rebuy,
modified rebuy, new task) influence the time and effort a buyer might allocate to
the different steps of the purchase decision process?
3. List and compare the probable functional, situational, psychological, social, and
knowledge needs of (a) a large financial investment office and (b) a college student,
who are both looking to purchase a new computer printer.
4. How might a salesperson work with and assist a business buyer in each step of the
buying process:
Recognition of the problem or need
Determination of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed
Description of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed
Search for and qualification of potential sources
Acquisition and analysis of proposals
Evaluation of proposals and selection of suppliers
Selection of an order routine
Performance feedback and evaluation
5. Explain the role of functional attributes and psychological attributes in the postpurchase
determination of customer satisfaction.
6. How might salespeople use their knowledge of the multiattribute evaluation
model to plan and deliver their sales presentation to a buyer?
7. What are the implications for a salesperson if, when making a sales call, they
discover that there is no needs gap present? Illustrate your answer with an
example.
8. Why has knowledge and the capability to creatively apply that knowledge in
creating unique solutions become so important for today’s salesperson in the
business-to-business marketplace?
9. Explain the concept of communication styles and how a salesperson might flex
his or her own style to better match the style of a buyer. How would the salesperson’s
behaviors and activities differ as he/she advances through the different
stages of the selling process? Illustrate your answer with examples.
10. What are the implications of buying teams for a salesperson selling complex
production equipment to a manufacturer firm? Develop an example to further
explain and illustrate your answer.