Sales Customer Relationship 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A long-term client suddenly reduces their order volume by 60%. What is the BEST first step a salesperson should take?
- Offer an immediate discount to win back volume
- Schedule a meeting to understand the underlying reason (Correct answer)
- Escalate to management immediately
- Wait to see if orders recover next quarter
Correct answer: Schedule a meeting to understand the underlying reason
Understanding the root cause is essential before offering solutions, as the issue may be budget, competition, or dissatisfaction.
Question 2: Which metric BEST measures the overall strength of a customer relationship over time?
- Average deal size
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) (Correct answer)
- Number of support tickets filed
- Quarterly revenue growth
Correct answer: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
CLV captures the total projected revenue from a customer, reflecting loyalty, repeat business, and relationship depth.
Question 3: A prospect says, 'We already work with your competitor and are happy.' How should a salesperson respond?
- Ask what they value most about that relationship (Correct answer)
- Immediately list reasons your product is superior
- Offer a lower price than the competitor
- Agree and disengage from the conversation
Correct answer: Ask what they value most about that relationship
Asking what they value reveals gaps your solution might fill and shows genuine interest rather than a hard sell.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a post-sale follow-up call?
- To upsell additional products immediately
- To ensure customer satisfaction and address any early concerns (Correct answer)
- To collect a testimonial for marketing
- To remind the customer about payment terms
Correct answer: To ensure customer satisfaction and address any early concerns
Post-sale follow-up confirms value delivery, builds trust, and catches issues before they become churn risks.
Question 5: In consultative selling, the salesperson's primary role during the relationship-building phase is to:
- Present product features and pricing
- Act as a trusted advisor by understanding business needs (Correct answer)
- Close deals as quickly as possible
- Negotiate contract terms
Correct answer: Act as a trusted advisor by understanding business needs
Consultative selling centers on understanding customer problems deeply before recommending solutions.
Question 6: A customer is upset about a late delivery and contacts their sales rep. What is the MOST effective response?
- Blame the logistics team and redirect the customer to them
- Acknowledge the issue, apologize, and take ownership of resolution (Correct answer)
- Offer a refund immediately without investigating
- Explain why delays happen in the industry
Correct answer: Acknowledge the issue, apologize, and take ownership of resolution
Owning the problem and driving resolution preserves trust and demonstrates accountability, which strengthens long-term relationships.
Question 7: Which of the following actions BEST demonstrates relationship-based selling over transactional selling?
- Sending a quote without prior conversation
- Checking in with a customer after they've solved their problem (Correct answer)
- Offering the lowest possible price on every deal
- Focusing only on current quarter revenue
Correct answer: Checking in with a customer after they've solved their problem
Relationship selling prioritizes long-term value and genuine care, which post-resolution check-ins exemplify.
A long-term client suddenly reduces their order volume by 60%.
What is the BEST first step a salesperson should take?