Personal Personal Characteristics and Characteristics and Sales Aptitude: Criteria Sales Aptitude: Criteria for Selecting for Selecting SalespeopleSalespeople

Advanced Sales and Advanced Sales and Distribution ManagementDistribution Management

Marketing 3345Marketing 3345

Salespeople Born or Salespeople Born or Made?Made? Training and development Training and development

represent critical determinants of represent critical determinants of future success.future success.

A strong ego, self-confidence, A strong ego, self-confidence, decisiveness, and a need for decisiveness, and a need for achievement must also be extant achievement must also be extant in sales force candidates.in sales force candidates.

Costs of Inappropriate Costs of Inappropriate SelectionSelection Odds a salesperson will quit or be Odds a salesperson will quit or be

terminated in first five years of terminated in first five years of employment = 50/50.employment = 50/50.

People lacking the necessary personal People lacking the necessary personal traits/abilities tend to leave the traits/abilities tend to leave the company before training and company before training and experience can turn them into experience can turn them into productive sales performers.productive sales performers.

Characteristics of Characteristics of Successful SalespeopleSuccessful Salespeople Aptitude and personal characteristics Aptitude and personal characteristics

may place an upper limit on an may place an upper limit on an individual's ability to perform in a sales individual's ability to perform in a sales job.job.

Enthusiasm consistently ranks among Enthusiasm consistently ranks among the most important personal attributes the most important personal attributes in selling.in selling.

General sales experience typically General sales experience typically means more than specific product or means more than specific product or industry experience.industry experience.

Women in Sales and Women in Sales and Sales ManagementSales Management

Mark W. Johnston and Gary W. Marshall, Sales Force Management, McGraw Hill, 2010

Compensation Compensation DiscrepanciesDiscrepancies

Mark W. Johnston and Gary W. Marshall, Sales Force Management, McGraw Hill, 2010

The Importance of The Importance of ImageImage

What type of sales representative has a tougher What type of sales representative has a tougher time making sales?time making sales?

A sloppily dressed sales repA sloppily dressed sales rep 94%94%

An unstylish sales rep (haircut, out of style outfit) An unstylish sales rep (haircut, out of style outfit) 7575

A physically unattractive sales repA physically unattractive sales rep 5959

An overweight sales repAn overweight sales rep 5454

A sales rep with a heavy accentA sales rep with a heavy accent 5454

A very young looking sales repA very young looking sales rep 3232

An older looking sales repAn older looking sales rep 88

Source: Melinda Ligos, “Does Image Matter?” Sales & Marketing Management, March 2010, pp. 52–56.

The Importance of The Importance of ImageImage

Source: Melinda Ligos, “Does Image Matter?” Sales & Marketing Management, March 2010, pp. 52–56.

What type of sales representative would you avoid What type of sales representative would you avoid hiring?hiring?A sloppy dresserA sloppy dresser 80%80%A rep who used salty languageA rep who used salty language 7878A rep with visible body piercing or tattoosA rep with visible body piercing or tattoos 7777An unstylish lookAn unstylish look 5151Male overweightMale overweight 3737Female overweightFemale overweight 2323A heavy regional foreign accentA heavy regional foreign accent 2020An unattractive femaleAn unattractive female 2020An unattractive maleAn unattractive male 1313A very youthful appearanceA very youthful appearance 1212Any older look Any older look 22

Impact of Age on Sales Impact of Age on Sales ForceForce

Mark W. Johnston and Gary W. Marshall, Sales Force Management, McGraw Hill, 2010

How to Build TrustHow to Build Trust

Mark W. Johnston and Gary W. Marshall, Sales Force Management, McGraw Hill, 2010