Question

Firms typically repurchase office supplies (paper, ink cartridges, pens, etc.) through straight rebuys on their supplier's website. Should an office supplies sales rep stay in close touch with his or her current customers? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer: The options are given below:

A. Yes; the sales rep might learn about a new opportunity in the need recognition stage.

B. Yes; history has shown that online reordering can't be trusted.

C. Yes; straight rebuys require a lot of the sales rep's assistance.

D. No; this is a waste of time since straight rebuys are straightforward and easy to handle.

E. No; the sales rep should be looking for new customers instead.

The correct option is A. Yes; the sales rep might learn about a new opportunity in the need recognition stage.

Explanation: Maintaining a strong relationship with customers is very vital to a business. This is because a sales rep will get current, up-to-date, and firsthand information from customers about their changing needs and this will better equip the sales rep to meet the dynamic needs of customers promptly.

For instance, a customer might decide to increase the quantity of inks to be bought, this need recognition opportunity can only be known to the sales rep if the sales rep has always been in touch with the customer.