11-1

RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

Learning Objectives

• Understand the key issues that drive the recruitment and selection of salespeople

• Identify who is responsible for the recruitment and selection process

• Understand a job analysis and how selection criteria are determined

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

Learning Objectives

• Define the sources for new sales recruits

• Explain the selection procedures

• Describe salespeople’s role in the selection process

11-3

RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

EXHIBITEXHIBIT

The Decision Process for Recruiting and Selecting Salespeople

10.3

11-3

RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11.1

11-4

RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

• Conduct a job analysis based on information from:

• Current job occupant• Sales manager who supervises that

person

Analyze the Job/Determine Selection Criteria

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

• Write a job description that includes:• Nature of the products/services to be sold• Types of customers to be called on• Specific tasks and responsibilities• Relationships between the position and others

within the firm• Mental and physical requirements• Environmental pressures and constraints

• Develop a statement of job qualifications and selection criteria

Analyze the Job/Determine Selection Criteria

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

• Internal Sources – hiring people already employed by the company can be advantageous because:

• They have established performance records

• They require less orientation and training

Finding and Attracting Applicants

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

• External Sources• It can bolster company morale• Referral from other firms• Advertisements• Professional recruiting agencies• Educational institutions• The Internet

Finding and Attracting Applicants

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

• Application

• Personal interviews

• Reference checks

• Psychological tests • Intelligence• Personality• Aptitude/skills

Develop and Apply Selection Procedures

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

Personal Interviews

• Structured interviews – each applicant is asked the same questions

• Unstructured interviews – seek to get the applicant talking freely

• Stress interviews – put the applicant under stress to see how he/she responds

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

INNOVATION 11.3

• Personal interviews are the most commonly used method of selecting salespeople

• The interview should draw out basic skills • Product knowledge• Presentation skills• Oral communication skills

Source: Audrey Bottjen, “Interview with a Salesperson,” Sales & Marketing Management, April 2001, p. 70; E. James Randall and Cindy H. Randall, “Review of Salesperson Selection Techniques and Criteria: A Managerial Approach,” International Journal of Research in Marketing 7 (1990), pp. 81-95.

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

EXHIBIT Illegal or Sensitive Questions to Eliminate from Employment Applications and Interviews

•Nationality and Race

•Religion

•Sex and Marital Status

•Age

•Arrests and Convictions

•Physical Characteristics, Disabilities, Handicaps, and Health Problems

•Height and Weight

•Bankruptcy or Garnishments

11.4

Source: Adapted from C. David Shepard and James C. Heartfield, “Discrimination Issues in the Selection of Salespeople: A Review and Managerial Suggestions,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management (Fall 1991), p.71.

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RECRUITING AND SELECTING SALESPEOPLE

EXHIBIT Guidelines for Using Tests

• Test scores should be a single input in the selection decision

• Applicants should be tested only on relevant abilities and traits

• When possible, use tests with built-in “internal consistency checks”

• Conduct empirical studies to ensure tests are valid

11.5