BUS3004

Sales Force Management

Instructor: Mr. Clive FAN

Topic 5

Sales Force Recruitment and

Selection

Eagles don’t flock. You have

to find them one at a time.
Yogi Berra
Objectives

• Key issues that drive recruitment and selection

of salespeople
• Identify who is responsible for recruitment and
selection
• Understand a job analysis and how selection
criteria are determined
• Define sources for new sales recruits
• Explain selection procedures
• Understand equal opportunity requirements
 Why are recruitment and selection important
towards sales management staff ?
They remain one of the greatest challenges in sales
management because:
•_____ – place advertisement / employment agency;
take time to screen, interview, assess; then training.
•But waste it if newly hired salesreps don’t perform or
don’t like the job and then leave
•Poorly motivated, ineffective sales reps may damage a
company’s reputation, ruin relationships with
customers…(continued)
 If poorly implemented the recruitment and
selection, problems may arise to…

• inadequate sales coverage and lack of customer follow-

up
• increased training costs to overcome deficiencies
• more _______________ problems
• higher ______________
• having difficulty in establishing enduring relationships
with customers
• suboptimal total salesforce performance
 Sales Force Staffing Process: Planning for Recruiting &
Selection
Establish responsibility for Determine
number of people Conduct Job Prepare Job Determine hiring
Recruiting, Selection and
wanted Analysis Description qualifications
Assimilation

Recruit Applicants

Select Applicants
Design a system Measure applicants
for measuring against hiring Make selection
applicants qualifications decisions

Hire the People

Assimilate new people into sales force

Recruiting Responsibility?
• Depends on size of sales force, and the kind of
selling involved
• First-level sales managers
 ___________________________
 New recruits need no special qualifications in
some industries / firms
 Turnover rates are high
• Recruiting specialist (outsource) may assist when
a firm wants to avoid friction between the sales
and HR department
• Personnel executives or top-level managers often
assist if sales force prepares individuals to be sales
or marketing managers
 (1) Job Analysis and Selection Criteria

• Conduct Job analysis which determines activities,

tasks, responsibilities and environmental influences
involved in the job to be filled (a “reality check”)

• Write a Job description that details findings of job

analysis

• Develop a Statement of job qualifications describes

and determine personal traits and abilities a sales
rep. needed to perform
Sources for
Job Analysis and Description
• Observe and interview current sales staff to
determine what they actually do; questionnaires
sent

• Interview sales managers who supervise people

in the job to determine what they think job
occupants should be doing
• Use the job description creation process as a
means of reaching consensus on job content,
activities and training needs
Content of the Job Description
• Nature of product(s) or service(s) being sold
• Types of customers (e.g. end-users, purchasing
agents, plant supervisors…etc.)
• Specific ___________________ (e.g. specific
selling tasks, promotional activities…etc.)
• To whom the salesperson reports
• Relationship between the sales position and
others within the organization
• Mental and physical demands of the job (e.g.
amount of travel required?)
Content of the Job Description

• Environmental pressures and constraints (…

that might influence performance of job, such
as market trend, company reputation among
customers…etc.)
• __________ of the job
Determining Job Qualifications and
Selection Criteria
• Most difficult part of recruitment and selection
• Focus on the aptitudes, skills, knowledge, and
personality traits necessary to perform the job
successfully
• Need specific criteria to guide the selection
– Examine job description
– Evaluate personal histories of current sales force to
identify differentiating characteristics among high
and low performers
– Correlations in personal characteristics of current
salespeople and job performance
Job Des
cription
Executiv of a Tele
e marketi
ng
Salespeople who failed – being fired or
quitted
• Instability of residence
• Failure in business within past two years
• Unexplained gaps in employment record
• Recent divorce or marital problems
• Excessive personal indebtedness

• Exit interviews (to discuss real reasons for

leaving a job)
Source: the Klein Institute for Aptitude Testing
Common sales job qualifications address:

Sales experience, educational level, willingness to

travel, willingness to relocate, interpersonal skills,
communication skills, problem-solving skills,
relationship management skills, organizational skills,
ability to overcome objections, tenacity,
competitiveness, self-discipline, persistence, time
management skills, follow-up skills, adaptability,
attitude, enthusiasm, work ethic, empathy, ego drive,
ego strength, integrity, self-motivation, and ability to
work independently. In addition, today’s salesperson
is expected to analyze data, think strategically and
learn the business…
Extracted from: Frank Cespedes and Daniel Weinfurter, “The Best Ways to Hire Salespeople,” (November 2, 2015), 
https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-best-ways-to-hire-salespeople
(2) Recruiting Applicants – spending $ &
effort to find well-qualified candidates is a
profitable investment

• Must be well-planned and effectively implemented

• Primary objective: maximize the total number of
applicants?

• Sources
– Internal – other people already employed in other
departments of the firm
– External
 Internal Sources
• Advantages
– Established performance
records, are a known entity External Sources
– Require less orientation and • Referrals from other firms
___________ – Salespeople
– Bolsters company _______ – ________________
– always inform human • Advertisements
resources of sales staff needs
• Employment agencies
× Seldom have previous selling
• Educational institutions
experience
• Internet
× Cause animosity
Job Fair (HSU)
-HSMC Job Fair
 Recruiting Evaluation Matrix (Salesppl)
Evaluation Criteria

Consistent Percent Percent

with strategic Number Number retained Cost Frequency performance
planning? hired after 3 of use above
recruits
Recruiting years average after
sources 2 yrs.

Within company:
Sales force
Other departments

Other companies:
Competitors
Customers
Noncompetitors

Educational institutions

Advertisements

Employment agencies

Voluntary applicants

Computerized databases
 Recruiting a Global Sales Force
• Salespeople sell the same products to the same types of
customers may require different qualifications in
different countries
• Challenge
– Determining qualities (not easy with social and cultural
differences)
– Addressing cultural differences
• Focus on (similarities)
– ________________
– Relationship-building skills (e.g. communication,
ability to be self-motivating…etc.)
– Motivation (self)
– Technological savvy
Selection Tools and Procedures
• Application blanks
• Personal interviews (incl. initial screening)
• Reference checks (e.g. from candidate’s
previous customers)
• Physical examinations
• Psychological tests
– Intelligence
– Personality
– Aptitude/skills
(3) Selection Tools and Procedures

• Composites of psychological test scores offer the

greatest assessment validity and predictive value

• Personal interviews offer the lowest predictive

potential

• But personal interviews are universally employed,

while psychological tests are the least-used
selection tool
Application Blanks (Form)

• Standardizes information

• Personal history information

• Facilitates interview preparation

• Facilitate to raise questions

Personal Interviews
• Structured interview
– Predetermined questions
– Interviewer may fail to probe unique qualities or
limitations

• Unstructured interview
– Discussion on wide ranging topics
– May yield unexpected insights
– Requires interviewers with interpretative skills

 Sales position are always adopted personal

interviews as selection tool. Why?
Role of Personal Interviews

• First (initial) interview • Law of Three

– Draw out basic information – Interview minimum of
– Communication skills three candidates

– Personality traits – Interview top candidate at

– Interest level in the job least three times

• Second (intensive) interview – Interview candidate in

– “Drill down” three locations

– Assess potential – Have three people

interview the top
 Types of Interview Questions
Ask the candidate to explain previous experiences
Competency-Based
that relate to job-specific competencies. “Describe a
Questions
situation in which you . . .”

Provide an opportunity for the applicant to discuss

Open-Ended Questions something. “What do you do when a customer
complains?”

Are phrased in the form of a job-related problem and

Hypothetical Questions presented to the applicant for a solution. “What
would you do if . . .”

Follow-up questions to dig deeper for information.

Probing Questions
“Why? “How often?”

Closed-Ended Generally answered with a single word, such as yes

Questions or no. “What was your major in college?”
These are the ten most frequently-asked interview
questions that you can expect to face:
1. What can you tell me about yourself?
2. Can you list your strengths?
3. What weaknesses do you have?
4. Why should I consider hiring you?
5. Why do you want to be in sales?
6. What is your salary expectation?
7. What makes a good team player?
8. Is there anything that you would like to ask me?
Source: Monster.com
 Reference Checks (Credit / Background
Check)
• Should include several in-depth probes
• May be time-consuming, costly
• Can ensure factual data
– Job experience
– College degrees
• Can reveal opinions
– Aptitudes
– Job performance
• Can prevent costly
hiring mistake
Physical Examinations
• Sales jobs require sound basic health, stamina
and the physical ability
• Caution when requiring medical examinations
and specific tests for drug use, HIV virus
• Using a standard physical examination for all
positions is ill-advised
• Physical exam can be performed only after
extending job offer

http://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/f_function_strength.htm
(Psychological) Tests
• Types
– Intelligence – tests mental ability
– Aptitude – tests interest in and ability to perform job
– Personality – often tests traits related to future success in
a job

• Valid tests:
– Well-designed, validated, well-administered

• Well designed, validated and administered tests

provide a valid selection tool
– Intelligence, Aptitude, Personality
 Psychological Tests
• Concerns
– May not validly predict future success in a specific firm
– Some creative and talented people may deviate from
expected norms
– “Test-wise” individuals may be able to manipulate results
– May discriminate against different races, genders, et al –
thus becoming illegal
– Personality related to sales performance
• Emotional intelligence – to understand customers
• Analytical intelligence – to solve problems
• Creative intelligence – to sell idea, adaptive…
• Integrity – to build trust
• Optimism – to handle rejection
• Risk taking – to be innovative
Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of
Tests
• Test scores should be considered one of several
inputs
• Test only on abilities and traits relevant to job

• When possible, use tests with internal

consistency checks for validity
• Conduct empirical studies to validate the test’s
predictive value
 What kind of sales rep is most
trustworthy?
% of % of
Characteristic customers salespeople
responding responding

Product knowledge 79.5% 79.6%

Understands business 63.9 73.1
reliable 63.1 75.9
Understands needs of customer 63.1 85.3
Good listening skills 44.3 87.2
Positive attitude 50.8 71.2
Ask good questions 39.3 65.9
Well-dressed 14.8 29.1
Legislation affecting recruitment and selection (US)
Code of Practice on Employment under the Sex
Discrimination Ordinance (HK)
5. Discrimination in employment on the grounds of sex, marital
status, and pregnancy (Partial)

5.1. Under the SDO, it is unlawful to discriminate in employment on the

ground of sex, marital status or pregnancy. This includes the following
situations:

5.1.1. treating an applicant or an employee less favourably;

5.1.2. discriminating against a person when selecting a partner (in a firm

consisting of not less than six partners); …

5.2. Acting upon stereotypical assumptions based on sex, marital status or

pregnancy could lead to discrimination.

http://www.eoc.org.hk/EOC/GraphicsFolder/showcontent.aspx?
content=cops_sdo_content#II
Illegal/Sensitive Questions
• Nationality or race
• Religion
• Sex and marital status
• Age
• Physical characteristics
• Height and weight
• Financial situation
• Arrests and convictions
• Applicant’s spouse’s work/job
 So, what are the desirable
characteristics of successful
salespeople?
Intelligent Achievement Good
oriented communication
skills
-- The End --
 BUS3004 Mid-term Test

Date: October 23, 2020 (Fri.)

Time: 1830 – 1930 hours
Format: 42 Multiple-choice Questions (5
options)
Syllabus: Topics 1 – 5
Remarks: No lectures on Week 7