Personal selling is primarily aimed at:
a) Building relationships and closing sales
b) Generating mass brand awareness
c) Conducting market research
d) Creating advertising campaigns
Answer: a) Building relationships and closing sales
The first step in the personal selling process is:
a) Prospecting
b) Presentation
c) Closing
d) Follow-up
Answer: a) Prospecting
Which of the following is NOT a step in the personal selling process?
a) Prospecting
b) Pre-approach
c) Advertising
d) Handling objections
Answer: c) Advertising
In personal selling, ‘prospecting’ refers to:
a) Identifying potential customers
b) Convincing existing customers
c) Designing a product
d) Setting sales targets
Answer: a) Identifying potential customers
The pre-approach stage involves:
a) Gathering information about potential customers
b) Making a direct sales pitch
c) Closing the sale
d) Offering discounts
Answer: a) Gathering information about potential customers
Which of the following best defines ‘direct marketing’?
a) Marketing that uses direct communication with targeted consumers
b) Mass media marketing
c) Brand partnerships
d) Wholesale selling
Answer: a) Marketing that uses direct communication with targeted consumers
Direct marketing channels include all EXCEPT:
a) Telemarketing
b) Direct mail
c) Television commercials
d) Email campaigns
Answer: c) Television commercials
The primary goal of direct marketing is to:
a) Obtain an immediate customer response
b) Build mass brand equity
c) Increase supplier relations
d) Promote only through intermediaries
Answer: a) Obtain an immediate customer response
Which of the following is a major advantage of personal selling?
a) Personalized communication and feedback
b) Low cost per contact
c) Mass audience reach
d) Easy standardization
Answer: a) Personalized communication and feedback
A key characteristic of personal selling is:
a) Two-way communication
b) One-way communication
c) Non-interactive marketing
d) Public relations focus
Answer: a) Two-way communication
Which type of selling focuses on building long-term customer relationships?
a) Relationship selling
b) Transactional selling
c) Aggressive selling
d) Retail selling
Answer: a) Relationship selling
Closing in the selling process means:
a) Asking the customer for the order
b) Preparing the presentation
c) Prospecting new leads
d) Conducting follow-ups
Answer: a) Asking the customer for the order
Direct marketing differs from mass marketing because it:
a) Targets individuals directly rather than large audiences
b) Relies heavily on TV and radio
c) Is more expensive
d) Avoids customer data usage
Answer: a) Targets individuals directly rather than large audiences
Personal selling is most effective when:
a) The product is complex and requires explanation
b) Products are low-involvement purchases
c) Target audience is very large
d) Marketing budget is small
Answer: a) The product is complex and requires explanation
Which of the following is a direct marketing tool?
a) Catalog marketing
b) Outdoor advertising
c) Radio spots
d) Trade shows
Answer: a) Catalog marketing
The role of a sales manager includes:
a) Recruiting, training, and motivating salespeople
b) Designing brand logos
c) Managing production
d) Setting advertising rates
Answer: a) Recruiting, training, and motivating salespeople
A telemarketer contacting a consumer at home is an example of:
a) Outbound direct marketing
b) Inbound marketing
c) Retail advertising
d) Mass marketing
Answer: a) Outbound direct marketing
Direct-response marketing aims to:
a) Elicit an immediate customer action
b) Create awareness only
c) Generate sales leads only
d) Build trade relationships
Answer: a) Elicit an immediate customer action
Which selling approach is based on solving customer problems?
a) Consultative selling
b) Hard selling
c) Persuasive selling
d) Transactional selling
Answer: a) Consultative selling
CRM in personal selling stands for:
a) Customer Relationship Management
b) Corporate Resource Management
c) Consumer Research Module
d) Client Retention Model
Answer: a) Customer Relationship Management
Which of the following best represents direct-response advertising?
a) “Call now and get 20% off!”
b) “Building brand awareness for tomorrow”
c) “Innovating for the future”
d) “We are leaders in quality”
Answer: a) “Call now and get 20% off!”
A personal selling advantage over advertising is:
a) Flexibility in addressing customer needs
b) Lower overall cost
c) Higher message consistency
d) Greater reach
Answer: a) Flexibility in addressing customer needs
Which of the following media is most often used in direct marketing?
a) Email
b) Television
c) Billboards
d) Radio
Answer: a) Email
The most critical skill for a salesperson is:
a) Active listening
b) Aggressiveness
c) Technical writing
d) Cold calling only
Answer: a) Active listening
Follow-up after the sale helps in:
a) Building long-term relationships
b) Reducing production cost
c) Managing inventory
d) Advertising new products
Answer: a) Building long-term relationships
The personal selling process ends with:
a) Follow-up
b) Closing
c) Objection handling
d) Approach
Answer: a) Follow-up
A catalog sent to a selected mailing list is an example of:
a) Direct marketing
b) Trade promotion
c) Mass media advertising
d) Personal selling
Answer: a) Direct marketing
Which element of the promotion mix provides immediate feedback?
a) Personal selling
b) Public relations
c) Sales promotion
d) Advertising
Answer: a) Personal selling
One key feature of direct marketing is:
a) Measurable customer response
b) Unidirectional communication
c) Broad targeting
d) Dependence on intermediaries
Answer: a) Measurable customer response
An example of inbound telemarketing is:
a) Customers calling a toll-free number to place orders
b) Sales reps cold-calling prospects
c) Door-to-door selling
d) Direct mail flyers
Answer: a) Customers calling a toll-free number to place orders
The main objective of relationship selling is:
a) Customer retention and lifetime value
b) Short-term profit
c) Volume sales only
d) Aggressive promotion
Answer: a) Customer retention and lifetime value
Which selling step involves addressing buyer concerns?
a) Handling objections
b) Pre-approach
c) Prospecting
d) Approach
Answer: a) Handling objections
A sales quota represents:
a) A performance goal for salespeople
b) A commission structure
c) A customer list
d) A discount limit
Answer: a) A performance goal for salespeople
Which direct marketing method uses mobile platforms?
a) SMS marketing
b) Direct mail
c) Door-to-door selling
d) Telemarketing
Answer: a) SMS marketing
Database marketing helps companies:
a) Target specific customer segments effectively
b) Mass advertise
c) Reduce CRM use
d) Avoid personalization
Answer: a) Target specific customer segments effectively
Which of the following is NOT a personal selling benefit?
a) Mass audience reach
b) Immediate feedback
c) Relationship building
d) Tailored communication
Answer: a) Mass audience reach
Direct marketing is also known as:
a) Interactive marketing
b) Institutional marketing
c) Wholesale marketing
d) Retail marketing
Answer: a) Interactive marketing
The essence of personal selling is:
a) Personal interaction and trust building
b) Advertising repetition
c) Corporate sponsorship
d) Sales automation only
Answer: a) Personal interaction and trust building
Direct marketing success depends on:
a) Database accuracy and segmentation
b) Broad media coverage
c) Celebrity endorsement
d) Franchise networks
Answer: a) Database accuracy and segmentation
Which technology has transformed direct marketing most significantly?
a) Internet and data analytics
b) Radio broadcasting
c) Television advertising
d) Print media
Answer: a) Internet and data analytics
The AIDAS model in selling stands for:
a) Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, Satisfaction
b) Awareness, Insight, Decision, Activity, Strategy
c) Analysis, Information, Delivery, Agreement, Service
d) Attraction, Implementation, Design, Assessment, Support
Answer: a) Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, Satisfaction
Direct marketing provides marketers with:
a) Measurable and trackable results
b) Low customer data usage
c) No performance metrics
d) Delayed communication
Answer: a) Measurable and trackable results
Cross-selling in personal selling means:
a) Selling additional related products to the same customer
b) Selling to new regions
c) Advertising across channels
d) Changing customer segments
Answer: a) Selling additional related products to the same customer
A successful salesperson focuses primarily on:
a) Solving customer problems
b) Pushing more products
c) Ignoring complaints
d) Reducing communication
Answer: a) Solving customer problems
Direct marketing’s effectiveness can be measured by:
a) Response rate and conversion rate
b) Media impressions
c) Store traffic only
d) Ad frequency
Answer: a) Response rate and conversion rate
In personal selling, objection handling requires:
a) Listening, empathy, and logical response
b) Ignoring customer concerns
c) Pressuring the buyer
d) Ending the sales call
Answer: a) Listening, empathy, and logical response
Which form of direct marketing offers real-time interaction?
a) Live chat marketing
b) Newspaper ads
c) Direct mail
d) Outdoor banners
Answer: a) Live chat marketing
The role of ethics in personal selling is to:
a) Build trust and long-term relationships
b) Close deals faster
c) Increase sales pressure
d) Ignore customer objections
Answer: a) Build trust and long-term relationships
Direct marketing encourages companies to move toward:
a) One-to-one marketing
b) Undifferentiated marketing
c) Standardized mass media
d) Random targeting
Answer: a) One-to-one marketing
A key benefit of direct marketing for customers is:
a) Convenience and personalization
b) Mass advertising exposure
c) High-pressure sales tactics
d) Limited product options
Answer: a) Convenience and personalization
The most critical aspect of direct marketing success is:
a) A well-maintained customer database
b) Product innovation
c) Sales promotions
d) Brand awareness
Answer: a) A well-maintained customer database
Sales promotion differs from personal selling because it:
a) Provides short-term incentives
b) Builds long-term relationships
c) Focuses on personal interaction
d) Involves only B2B transactions
Answer: a) Provides short-term incentives
The essence of effective personal selling lies in:
a) Understanding customer needs and creating value
b) Offering discounts
c) Maximizing calls per day
d) Focusing only on new customers
Answer: a) Understanding customer needs and creating value
In direct marketing, ‘permission marketing’ means:
a) Getting customer consent before sending messages
b) Sending unsolicited ads
c) Partnering with retailers
d) Using random email lists
Answer: a) Getting customer consent before sending messages
The role of the salesforce in relationship marketing is to:
a) Act as customer advocates and problem solvers
b) Focus on single transactions
c) Eliminate intermediaries
d) Reduce customer contact
Answer: a) Act as customer advocates and problem solvers
A common disadvantage of direct marketing is:
a) Privacy concerns and data misuse
b) Strong personalization
c) Immediate feedback
d) High measurability
Answer: a) Privacy concerns and data misuse
Which of the following is an example of direct-response advertising?
a) “Visit our site today to claim your free trial!”
b) “We are the best in the industry.”
c) “Our new product launches next month.”
d) “Building trust for decades.”
Answer: a) “Visit our site today to claim your free trial!”
The personal selling process is most suitable for:
a) High-value and complex products
b) Impulse purchases
c) Fast-moving consumer goods
d) Commodities
Answer: a) High-value and complex products
Direct marketing effectiveness can be increased through:
a) Accurate segmentation and targeting
b) Increased production
c) Reducing communication
d) Fewer customer touchpoints
Answer: a) Accurate segmentation and targeting
The follow-up phase in personal selling ensures:
a) Customer satisfaction and repeat business
b) Prospect identification
c) Lead generation
d) Discount management
Answer: a) Customer satisfaction and repeat business
Cold calling is an example of:
a) Outbound personal selling
b) Direct advertising
c) Inbound marketing
d) Public relations
Answer: a) Outbound personal selling
Direct marketing communication is most effective when it is:
a) Personalized and relevant
b) Mass-targeted
c) Generic
d) Delayed
Answer: a) Personalized and relevant
The term “direct response” in marketing refers to:
a) Customer action generated immediately by the communication
b) Indirect awareness creation
c) Mass publicity
d) Delayed decision-making
Answer: a) Customer action generated immediately by the communication
Salespeople play a key role in CRM by:
a) Gathering customer insights and feedback
b) Managing production schedules
c) Designing pricing policies
d) Handling financial audits
Answer: a) Gathering customer insights and feedback
A company that mails discount coupons to specific customers is using:
a) Direct mail marketing
b) Mass promotion
c) Outdoor marketing
d) Event sponsorship
Answer: a) Direct mail marketing
Which factor most influences the success of a personal selling strategy?
a) Relationship-building skills
b) Price discounting
c) Digital media exposure
d) Advertising frequency
Answer: a) Relationship-building skills
Direct marketing provides the advantage of:
a) Measurable responses and fast results
b) Broad mass coverage
c) Brand prestige
d) Reduced data needs
Answer: a) Measurable responses and fast results
The biggest ethical concern in direct marketing is:
a) Invasion of consumer privacy
b) High reach
c) Rapid response
d) Personalized targeting
Answer: a) Invasion of consumer privacy
The term ‘telemarketing’ refers to:
a) Selling through phone calls
b) Selling through television
c) Online banner ads
d) Mobile app promotions
Answer: a) Selling through phone calls
Personal selling effectiveness depends on:
a) The salesperson’s listening and problem-solving ability
b) The number of calls made per day
c) The level of product discount
d) The advertising budget
Answer: a) The salesperson’s listening and problem-solving ability
Direct marketing helps companies build:
a) Long-term customer relationships through personalized interaction
b) One-time sales transactions
c) Mass brand recognition only
d) B2B partnerships exclusively
Answer: a) Long-term customer relationships through personalized interaction
What is the key metric in direct marketing campaigns?
a) Response rate
b) Brand awareness
c) Social media followers
d) Advertising recall
Answer: a) Response rate
A sales funnel typically starts with:
a) Lead generation
b) Closing
c) Customer retention
d) Objection handling
Answer: a) Lead generation
Which direct marketing tool offers the highest level of personalization?
a) Email marketing
b) Billboards
c) TV ads
d) Print media
Answer: a) Email marketing
Direct marketing is especially useful for:
a) Niche targeting and personalized communication
b) Brand awareness campaigns
c) Institutional advertising
d) Government publicity
Answer: a) Niche targeting and personalized communication
A key challenge in managing a sales team is:
a) Maintaining motivation and consistency
b) Reducing customer base
c) Cutting commissions
d) Eliminating training
Answer: a) Maintaining motivation and consistency
Direct marketing success relies heavily on:
a) Data-driven decision-making
b) Celebrity endorsement
c) High production budgets
d) Mass media channels
Answer: a) Data-driven decision-making
In personal selling, objections are best handled by:
a) Understanding the concern and offering valid solutions
b) Ignoring them
c) Postponing the conversation
d) Reducing price immediately
Answer: a) Understanding the concern and offering valid solutions
Direct marketing supports omnichannel marketing by:
a) Integrating offline and online interactions
b) Replacing traditional advertising
c) Eliminating customer data
d) Avoiding CRM systems
Answer: a) Integrating offline and online interactions
Sales forecasting helps managers to:
a) Plan resources and set realistic goals
b) Reduce advertising budgets
c) Design packaging
d) Avoid new markets
Answer: a) Plan resources and set realistic goals
A follow-up after sales builds:
a) Customer loyalty and referrals
b) Advertising opportunities
c) Media coverage
d) Product design updates
Answer: a) Customer loyalty and referrals
An effective direct marketing message must be:
a) Clear, compelling, and actionable
b) Complex and detailed
c) Generalized
d) Technical
Answer: a) Clear, compelling, and actionable
In B2B sales, personal selling is preferred because:
a) Products are complex and need customization
b) Mass marketing works better
c) Price competition dominates
d) It requires no training
Answer: a) Products are complex and need customization
Which element distinguishes direct marketing from advertising?
a) Immediate measurable response
b) Emotional appeal
c) High reach
d) Brand storytelling
Answer: a) Immediate measurable response
Cross-channel marketing integrates:
a) Multiple direct marketing platforms
b) Finance and production functions
c) Suppliers and customers
d) Product design teams
Answer: a) Multiple direct marketing platforms
Personal selling creates the most value in:
a) High-involvement purchase situations
b) Low-cost retail items
c) Commodity sales
d) Impulse buys
Answer: a) High-involvement purchase situations
Sales territories are designed to:
a) Balance workload and maximize coverage
b) Increase travel cost
c) Focus on single regions only
d) Minimize customer diversity
Answer: a) Balance workload and maximize coverage
A major benefit of direct marketing for customers is:
a) Convenience and quick response options
b) Limited choices
c) Delayed fulfillment
d) Fixed pricing
Answer: a) Convenience and quick response options
Which of the following is an example of B2C direct marketing?
a) Online product catalogs
b) Trade shows
c) Channel partner events
d) Corporate partnerships
Answer: a) Online product catalogs
A personal selling strategy must start with:
a) Customer insight and segmentation
b) Sales closing techniques
c) Price negotiation
d) Media buying
Answer: a) Customer insight and segmentation
Direct marketing creates value through:
a) Customized offers and measurable outcomes
b) Broad media exposure
c) Standardized messaging
d) Reduced data collection
Answer: a) Customized offers and measurable outcomes
Which sales force structure groups salespeople by customer type?
a) Market-based structure
b) Product-based structure
c) Territorial structure
d) Functional structure
Answer: a) Market-based structure
One of the major tools in direct marketing is:
a) Online display advertising
b) Outdoor billboards
c) Word-of-mouth
d) Public relations
Answer: a) Online display advertising
The cost per contact in personal selling is:
a) Higher than advertising but more effective
b) Lower than mass media
c) Always minimal
d) Negligible
Answer: a) Higher than advertising but more effective
Direct marketing offers which main benefit to businesses?
a) Immediate performance feedback
b) Reduced CRM usage
c) Broader audience control
d) Fewer conversions
Answer: a) Immediate performance feedback
An example of direct selling is:
a) Avon representatives selling door-to-door
b) Supermarket advertising
c) Retail window displays
d) Online influencer promotions
Answer: a) Avon representatives selling door-to-door
Customer data in direct marketing is used for:
a) Personalizing offers and improving targeting
b) Reducing marketing reach
c) General advertising
d) Outsourcing production
Answer: a) Personalizing offers and improving targeting
A salesperson’s performance evaluation is usually based on:
a) Sales volume, profit contribution, and customer satisfaction
b) Advertising reach
c) Product design feedback
d) Manufacturing efficiency
Answer: a) Sales volume, profit contribution, and customer satisfaction
Direct marketing enhances brand relationships through:
a) Continuous customer engagement and feedback loops
b) Mass communication
c) Reduced personalization
d) Eliminating customer interaction
Answer: a) Continuous customer engagement and feedback loops
The integration of AI in direct marketing primarily improves:
a) Personalization and targeting accuracy
b) Print advertising
c) Retail pricing
d) Warehouse design
Answer: a) Personalization and targeting accuracy