8 Personal Characteristics and Sales Aptitude: Criteria for Selecting Salespeople McGraw-Hill/IrwinCopyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8-2 War for Talent Source: HR Chally Group (2007).  Total cost of turnover  Separation costs  Replacement costs  Training costs  Select candidates with natural capacity for key job requirements

8-3  "Are good salespeople born or made?"  Define characteristics of successful salespeople

8-4 Costs of Inappropriate Selection  Odds a salesperson will quit or be terminated in first five years of employment = 50/50  People lacking necessary personal traits/abilities tend to leave before training and experience can make them productive sales performers  Many firms may spend between $7000 and $100,000 annually training a new recruit  Three to twelve months before a new rep generates adequate sales to cover compensation and expenses

8-5 Salespeople Born or Made?  Training and development are critical determinants of future success.  A strong ego, self-confidence, decisiveness, and a need for achievement must also be preexisting in sales force candidates.

8-6 Variables That Cause Differences in Performance  Factors controlled or influenced by sales mangers account for the largest variance in sales performance.  Role perception  Skills  Motivation  Research suggests successful salespeople are both born and made!

8-7 Characteristics Managers Seek  Enthusiasm  Organizational skills  Ambition  Persuasiveness  Communication skills  General sales experience

German-American Cross Cultural Business Differences GermanAmerican Deference for authority HighLower Leadership styleFormalCasual Respect for titlesImportantLess important RelationshipsFormalCasual Mix work and playNoYes DressFormalCasual MultilingualYesNot always Source: “Seven German–American Cross Cultural Business Differences,” SellingPower.com, October 2007.SellingPower.com

The Educated Sales Force Source: Christen P. Heide, Dartnell’s 30th Sales Force Compensation Survey (Chicago: The Dartnell Corporation, 1999), p Percent with College Degree by Industry

Women in sales and sales management positions: percentages by industry Source: Christen P. Heide, Dartnell’s 30th Sales Force Compensation Survey (Chicago: Dartnell Corporation, 1999), p. 171.

8-11 Source: Erin Strout, “Tough Sell,” Sales & Marketing Management, July 2001, p. 52 and Laine Chroust Ehmann “Great Opportunities: How the Future Looks for Women in Sales and Management, SellingPower.com, October 2007.SellingPower.com 8.4 Compensation levels of men and women in sales and marketing careers

The aging sales force Source: Katherine Kaplan, “Better with Age,” Sales & Marketing Management, July 2001, pp. 58–62.

a The Importance of Image Source: Melinda Ligos, “Does Image Matter?” Sales & Marketing Management, March 2001, pp. 52–56.

b The Importance of Image Source: Melinda Ligos, “Does Image Matter?” Sales & Marketing Management, March 2001, pp. 52–56.

8-15 Source: Source: Sales & Marketing Management, February 2001, p The characteristics of salespeople who win customer trust

Characteristics related to sales performance in different types of sales jobs

Begin recruiting and selection Develop new recruit specifications Evaluate characteristics to perform tasks and activities Analyze/describe tasks and activities Implications for Management 8-17