RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Christ University, Bangalore

Agenda The pre recruiting reservoir Sources of sales force recruits The recruiting effort Pre interview screening, the interview, references, credit checks Psychological tests, physical tests

Christ University, Bangalore

Recruitment and Selection Definition of Recruitment and Selection Recruitment V/s Selection

Organization for Recruiting and Selection The organization for recruiting and selection of sales personnel varies from company to company Company size, executives personalities, and departmental structure all influence the organization used Where the sales manager has a personnel staff assistant, recruiting and selection usually is handled entirely within the sales department Companies with small sales forces sometimes assign sole responsibility for recruiting and selection of sales personnel to the company personal manager, but this is unusual It is more common for the personnel department to handle certain, but not all, aspects of recruiting and preliminary screening and for the sales department to handle other aspects of recruiting and screening and to make the hiring decisions

Organization for Recruiting and Selection Placement of responsibility for recruitment and selection of sales personnel in concerns with regional or district sales offices also varies These functions tend to be centralized at the home office when the firm requires high- caliber sales personnel, such as those needed to do technical selling Other factors, for example, size of regional and district organizations and location of training programs, make it difficult to draw further generalizations However, decentralized recruitment and selection result in reduced interviewing costs and time, and facilitate the hiring of local applicants for sales work

The Pre- recruiting Reservoir Because of uncertainties as to when new sales personnel will be needed, many companies have a pre- recruiting reservoir This is a file of individuals who might be recruited when the need arises The names of individuals added to the reservoir come from diverse sources Some come from volunteer walk- ins- people who come by the sales department inquiring about job opportunities Others come from chance remarks made by people with whom the sales executive comes into contact- at professional meetings, in conversations with customers, over cocktails at the club, seat partners on planes, and the like

The Pre- recruiting Reservoir Still others come from centers of influence that have been developed by the sales executive- the center of influence is a person who occupies a position in which he or she meets many individuals who have high potentials as possible sales personnel and who often are seeking suitable job opportunities Examples of centers of influence include the university professor of marketing and sales management, the trade association executive, the placement advisor of a university or community college, and vocational advisors in other educational institutions Names in the pre- recruiting reservoir should be reviewed periodically , Christ University, Bangalore

Sources of Sales Force Recruits Recruiting Source Evaluation: One approach to evaluating the sources of recruits is to study those used in the past. Analysis of each source reveals the number of recruits produced, and the ratio of successes to failures Each source, in other words, is analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively One source may have provided numerous recruits but few successes; a second, fewer recruits but a high proportion of successes

Christ University, Bangalore

Sources of Sales Force Recruits Sources Within the Company a) Company sales personnel: Many individuals apply for sales jobs because they know company sales personnel, and salespeoples recommendations may constitute an excellent source b) Company Executives: Recommendations of the sales manager, the president, and other company executives are an important source c) Internal Transfers: Two additional internal sources are other departments and the nonselling section of the sales department Christ University, Bangalore

Sources of Sales Force Recruits Sources Outside the Company 1. Direct unsolicited application: All companies receive unsolicited walk- in and write- in applications for sales positions Some sales managers favor immediate hiring of applicants who take the initiative in seeking sales jobs, the reasoning being that this indicates selling aggressiveness Others reject all direct applications because they believe the proportion of qualified applicants from this source is low The most logical policy is to treat volunteer applications the same as solicited applicants- applicants not meeting minimum requirements as set forth in job specifications should be eliminated; those meeting these requirements should be processed together with other applicants The aim should be to recruit the best qualified applicants regardless of the sources from which they come Christ University, Bangalore

Sources of Sales Force Recruits 2. Employment Agencies: Sales managers traditionally regard employment agencies as unpromising resources. Many use agencies only after exhausting other sources. Many believe that good sales people neither need nor will use an agencys services. Experience, unfortunately, tends to reinforce such attitudes, because frequently agency referrals fail to meet sales job specifications. 3. Salespeople making calls on the company: The purchasing director is in contact with sales personnel from other companies and is in a position to evaluate their on- the- job performances. The purchasing director meets high- caliber salespeople for whom jobs with the company would be attractive both financially and in other respects. In wellmanaged companies, the purchasing director serving as a center of influence, contributes names to the pre- recruiting reservoir.

Sources of Sales Force Recruits 4. Employees of customers: Some companies regard their customers as a recruiting source. Customers recommend people in their organizations who have reached the maximum potential of their existing jobs. Such transfers may have a favorable effect upon morale in the customers organization. A customers employees should be recruited only with the prior approval of the customer. 5. Sales executives clubs: Many sales executives clubs operate placement services. Salespersons seeking new positions submit personal data sheets that are duplicated and forwarded to members. At club meetings, sales executives have opportunities for informal discussion and exchange of placement information.

Sources of Sales Force Recruits 6. Sales forces of non- competing companies: Individuals currently employed as salespersons for non- competing companies are often attractive recruiting prospects. Such people have selling experience, some of it readily transferable, and for those who have worked for companies in related industries, there is the attraction of knowing something about the product line. For salespeople in dead- end jobs and those seeking to upgrade their employment, this source provides a channel for career advancement. 7. Sales forces of competing companies: Because of their experience in selling similar products to similar markets, personnel recruited from competitors sales forces may require only minimal training. However, competing sales forces are costly sources, since generally premium pay must be offered to entice sales personnel to leave their present positions.

Sources of Sales Force Recruits 8. Educational Institutions: This source includes colleges and universities, community colleges, vocational- technical institutes, business colleges, high schools, and night schools. 9. Older persons: The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination in hiring decisions against persons forty to seventy years of age. Although discrimination against persons in this age group is outlawed, such individuals have a difficult time obtaining jobs, so recruiters can select from a group for which there is little competitive bidding. Many people in this age group have years of selling experience and the maturity that is valuable in most selling situations.

The Recruiting Effort The sales personnel recruiting effort differs from one company to another, mainly as to the sources of recruits and recruiting methods, and stem from managements size up of the appropriate combination of selling styles. Different selling styles call for individuals with varying qualifications as to type and amount of education, other training, and experience.

The Recruiting Effort If trade selling is the basic style, the management seeks individuals with minimal or general education and little or no experience. If missionary selling is the basic style, management looks for highercaliber individuals with specialized educations (as in science or pharmacy, if the job involves calling on physicians or hospitals) or equivalent qualifications, perhaps gained through experience in a similar job with another company. If technical selling is the basic style, management looks for even higher- caliber individuals with scientific engineering or educations and/ or backgrounds. If the selling job also involves new- business selling, management looks for individuals with the required abilities to apply this selling style

The Recruiting Effort Therefore, if the job specifications call for special talents, such as a knowledge of engineering or pharmacy, then management tends to emphasize educational institutions as sources of recruits and solicits applicants through personal contacts Conversely, if trade selling ability is the main job qualification needed, management taps diverse sources and emphasizes indirect recruiting methods (for example, advertising in help- wanted columns and responding to situations wanted advertisements in newspapers and trade publications). Personal Recruiting- Refer Page 309 of Cundiff Still text Indirect Recruiting- Refer Page 310 of Cundiff Still text Recruiting Brochures- Refer Page 310 of Cundiff Still text

Selecting Sales Personnel Selection Systems for sales personnel range from simple one- step systems, consisting of nothing more than an informal personal interview, to complex multiple- step systems incorporating diverse mechanisms designed to gather information about applicants for sales jobs A selection system is a set of successive screens, at any of which an applicant may be dropped from further consideration Refer Figure 12.1 A Selection System of Page 313 of Cundiff and Still Text Pre- Interview Screening and Preliminary Interview: PreInterview Screening is the for the purpose of eliminating obviously unqualified applicants, thus saving the time of interviewers and applicants. The Preliminary Interview can be handled by a low- paid clerk or secretary, so this is generally the lower- cost selection step.

Selecting Sales Personnel Formal Application Form: The formal application form serves as a central record for all pertinent information collected during the selection process. A formal application is filled with out after a preliminary interview indicates that a job candidate has promise as a company salesperson. The application form may be filled out by the applicant personally or by an interviewer who records the applicants responses. Refer Figure 12.2 of Page 315 to 318 of Cundiff and Still Text Objective Scoring of Personal History ItemsRefer Page 219 of Text

Selecting Sales Personnel The Interview: is the most widely used selection step and in some companies it comprises the entire selection system. Some personnel experts criticize the interview as an unreliable tool, but it is an effective way to obtain certain information. No other method is quite so satisfactory in judging an individual as to ability in oral communication, personal appearance and manners, attitude toward selling and life in general, reaction to obstacles presented face to face, and personal impact upon others. Interviewing Techniques: 1. Patterned Interview 2. Nondirective Interview 3. Interaction (Stress) Interview 4. Rating Scales Refer Page 321 and 328 of the Text for explanation on Interviewing Techniques

Selecting Sales Personnel References: provide information on the applicant not available from other sources. Some employers deny the value of references, saying that references hesitate to criticize personal friends, or ex- employees. But the experienced employer reads between the lines, and sees where, for example, the weak candidate is not praised. Credit Checks: Many companies run credit checks on applicants for sales positions. Credit files are compiled by local credit bureaus, and special credit reports are provided by such organizations as Dun & Bradstreet. When a heavy burden of personal debt is found, it may indicate financial worries interfering with productivity, or a motivating factor serving to spur productivity- to determine which requires further investigation.

Selecting Sales Personnel Psychological Tests: In recent years, more and more companies have tended either to abandon or to rely less upon psychological tests as an aid in making selection decisions. Validation of Tests- Refer Page 330 of Text Basis for evaluation of Tests- Refer Page 336 of Text Types of Tests- Refer Page 336 of Text Physical Examinations: Since good health is important to a salespersons success, most companies require physical examinations.

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