Successful Selling of Complex Products Such as Computer Software Requires

question 29

Multiple Choice

Successful selling of complex products such as computer software requires excellent salespeople.Lack of quality service in the marketplace led Alan Hall,head of a small computer networking company,to open Technology Advancement Corporation in 1988.Today,Technology Advancement is a national field marketer with several divisions.The bulk of its business involves training and educating salespeople on the features,benefits,competitors,and market potential of Technology Advancement's clients' products.To date,Technology Advancement has focused on computer software and hardware makers and has launched most of the marquee names in the industry: Novell,Lotus Development,IBM,Microsoft,Apple Computer,Hewlett-Packard,Motorola,Intel,and Xerox,as well as smaller firms.
Here's how the Technology Advancement client relationship works for training.A marketer hires the company to promote its product or to launch a new product,and Technology Advancement assigns a team exclusively to that client.The team gathers and the client comes in and does the training.The training starts with explaining how personal selling fits the company strategy and how it differs from sales promotion.Latest developments in the selling process are explained with a special emphasis on networking,follow-up strategies,and postpurchase customer service.Many computer giants have reported that this type of training program has significantly affected their business.
-Refer to Technology Advancement.Why is personal selling important in the computer industry?

• A) The number of potential customers has increased.
• B) The complexity of products has decreased.
• C) The value of the products is high.
• D) Products are standardized.

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Definitions:

Excess Of Par

The amount by which the sale price of a share of stock exceeds its par value, often recorded as additional paid-in capital on the balance sheet.

Cash Dividend

A cash dividend is a payment made by a company out of its earnings to shareholders, usually in the form of cash.

Financial Statements

Reports that show the financial performance and position of a company, including the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement.

Stockholders' Equity

The residual interest in the assets of a corporation after deducting its liabilities, representing ownership interest.