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Chapter 8
Personal Characteristics and
Sales Aptitude: Criteria for
Selecting Salespeople
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Learning Objectives
Understand the answer to the question,
"Are good salespeople born or made?"
Define the characteristics of successful
salespeople
Explain the role of sales aptitude in sales
performance
Understand the different success
characteristics for different sales positions
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Characteristics of Successful
Salespeople
Aptitude and personal characteristics may
place an upper limit on an individual's
ability to perform in a sales job.
Enthusiasm consistently ranks among the
most important personal attributes in
selling.
General sales experience typically means
more than specific product or industry
experience.
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Percentage of Variance in
Performance Explained
< 5%
Gender*
< 5%
Physical appearance
< 5%
Almost 21%
< 5%
Educational content
< 5%
Sales experience
< 5%
< 5%
8-11
Percentage of Variance in
Performance Explained
Almost 12%
Financial status
Approximately 6%
Activities/lifestyle*
< 5%
< 5%
Cognitive ability
Almost 7%
Verbal intelligence
< 5%
Math ability
< 5%
Sales aptitude
< 5%
8-12
Percentage of Variance in
Performance Explained
<5%
Dominance
<5%
Sociability
< 5%
Self-esteem
< 5%
Creativity/flexibility
<5%
<5%
< 5%
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Percentage of Variance in
Performance Explained
Almost 9.5%
Sales presentation
Almost 5%
Interpersonal
< 5%
General management
A little over 9%
Vocational esteem
<5%
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94%
75
59
54
54
32
Source: Melinda Ligos, Does Image Matter? Sales & Marketing Management, March
2001, pp. 5256.
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80%
78
77
An unstylish look
51
Male overweight
37
Female overweight
23
20
An unattractive female
20
An unattractive male
13
12
Source: Melinda Ligos, Does Image Matter? Sales & Marketing Management, March
2001, pp. 5256.
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100
Electronic components
67
Pharmaceuticals
100
Communications
56
Air transportation
100
Banking
46
Printing/Publishing
84
Construction
40
Rubber/Plastics
83
Trucking/Warehousing
33
Manufacturing
78
Real estate
33
Electronics
77
Retail
29
Chemicals
73
Transportation equipment
28
Business services
72
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Key Terms
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Selection Criteria
Physical Characteristics
Behavioral Variables
Psychological Traits
Skills Variables
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Mark W. Johnston
Rollins College
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Greg W. Marshall
Rollins College
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