The Importance of Recruitment and Selection of Sales People - Essay Example

The importance of recruitment and selection of sales people The Importance of recruitment and selection of sales people “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude - Thomas Jefferson. The success of a business depends upon the volume of sales generated by its sales force. In most cases, the sales representative is the first person from a business whom the customer is likely to meet and his/her opinion of the business is likely to be conditioned by the impression gained from the sales person (www.net-temps.com n.d.). First impressions are always the most important, so in essence the sales person presents the first impression of the Company itself to the customer. Bad first impressions created by a poor sales representative are difficult to correct later, no matter how much effort a business puts into reversing an initial bad impression the customer may have received about it. According to Harvey Mackay (1998), “if selling were just a matter of determining who’s got the low bid, then the world wouldn’t need salespeople.” (p 26) and he believes that it is people rather than products which form the key to determining a sale. Therefore, the role of sales people assumes vital importance in ensuring that its products are sold and revenues accrue to a business to make it successful. Not enough people actively consider sales as a viable employment opportunity. Since the incomes of sales people are largely determined on a commission basis, it is difficult to recruit and keep good people. A study performed on entry level sales candidates at U.S. broadcasting stations discovered that it was the lack of effective recruitment and training which was the causal factor (Condra, 2005) for the inadequacies in numbers of entry level candidates. The recruitment and selection of good salespeople should be viewed as a long term process, that enhances the future of a business. Factors affecting recruitment: Effective recruitment involves the identification of certain qualities which spell success. Certain people are imbued with that quality of good salesmanship and have the ability to out forth that quality of sincerity and integrity that certain people are imbued with that quality of good salesmanship and have the ability to out forth that quality of sincerity and integrity that encourages customers to purchase a product. The focus of good recruitment is in matching the capabilities, talents and skills of a particular candidate with the demands and requirements for the job(www.publicjobs.ie). There must be transparency and uniformity in the recruitment process, in order to identify the most meritorious candidates available for a sales job (www.publicjobs.ie). The manner in which the recruitment is carried out will affect the kind of candidates who get selected finally. During the process of recruitment, the selectors need to match up the best candidate for the job by an evaluation of the needs of the job and the qualities of the candidate, in order to determine which candidate is best likely to fulfill the needs of the job. Selection of good sales people: The acid test for hiring is; “Ask yourself, how would you feel having this same person working for your competition instead of for you?” (Mackay, 1998: 213). It is important to identify candidates who possess that innate ability, because they are the candidates who will be able to gear sales for the business. An effective sales candidate will possess qualities such as enthusiasm, a positive attitude and the ability to listen. They are also likely to be passionate, persistent and resourceful. (Recruiting Sales people). Some of the essential qualities that sales people must possess are: (a) They must be problem solvers: A good sales candidate is fully conversant with the product he or she is expected to sell and should be able to answer all kinds of questions that customers may have about the product. Additionally, the sales representative must be able to address problems and get back to the customer with replies to his concerns as early as possible. This will ensure that customer confidence in the business is retained. (b) They must be knowledgeable: In today’s web based, competitive environment, it is vital to select candidates who possess a broad ranging knowledge about developments in technology, so that they can effectively address customer queries and complaints. (c) They must be able to demonstrate the ability to listen effectively and be enthusiastic and positive, with the ability to provide clear and concise information according to the requirements (Recruiting Sales People). The need to recruit good salespeople: The first and most important reason to select good candidates is the fact that they portray the first impression of the Company for the customer. A client who feels that he has been conned by a sales agent of a Company is unlikely to do business in the future with that company. If a sales person is knowledgeable and resourceful, this will generate trust in the customer. A client who has had a predominantly good experience with a sales representative of a particular Company is likely to come back to the same Company again and again to carry out his business. Recruiting knowledgeable sales candidates is especially important in today’s atmosphere of rapidly advancing technology, where the ability to stay abreast of trends in technology is more important than specialized knowledge in a particular area (Recruiting Sales People). Good sales people therefore provide good PR (Public relations) for a business. In a study that was carried out by Launch Pad on behalf of Shift Communications showed that sales people believe in the value of PR as an element that impacts upon sales (60%) as compared to only 42% of marketing professionals. (Article, 2005). According to Ted Deffren of Shift Communications, “The very people who hire me, the VPs of Marketing, have the least confidence in my ability to impact sales” (Article, 2005). Sales people are go-getters, they are enthusiastic and committed, and many of them work overtime to investigate competitive trends and prepare their best approach in order to sell the products of the Company they work for. Hence, a good sales candidate provides a solid base of good PR for a business, which is invaluable in the achievement of good business performance. Hiring good sales candidates is an excellent way to manage the competition that exists in any business. Good sales people can make a difference especially, in the case of standard products that do not offer the scope for creative marketing and sales. For example, in revealing how he transformed his small business of selling ordinary envelopes into a huge business conglomerate raking in impressive profits, Harvey Mackay (1998) emphasizes the value of good, creative sales people. According to him “efficiency achieved at the expense of creativity is counter productive. Don’t equate activity with efficiency.” ( p.162). In the brutally competitive business environment of today, where free trade has resulted in the dissolution of global barriers, the recruitment of good sales people becomes even more important, in order to effectively out sell the competition. Good sales people are even more effective in the sales of ordinary, everyday products where one brand is quite similar to the other. In such cases, it is not the product itself, but the value of the service received which will impact upon the customer’s decision to repeatedly return to the same Company to do his business. Dangers of hiring a bad candidate: The concept of good first impressions can also work in the reverse. A bad sales representative will create an initial bad impression of the Company which may remain with the customer and is difficult to correct later. Hiring the wrong people means an increase in employee turnover, which can prove to be expensive for a Company (www.derbymanagement.com). Hiring new candidates and relocating them can be an expensive business and it is in the interest of a business to hire the right candidates in order to avoid increased turnover. A wrong employee who has been hired through an improper recruitment process, which has not properly evaluated the capabilities of the individual to the requirements of the job, will only mean that the sales targets of the Company will not be met and the employee will prove to be a liability rather than an asset to the Company. In some instance, the lack of due care and time in interviewing and checking up on an applicant could prove to be disastrous for a Company, especially if the new employee has a prior criminal record. This is referred to as “negligent hiring” (Arabe, 2003). An employee with a prior criminal record will prove to be a liability to the Company and affect its reputation. There is also the possibility of hiring unscrupulous sales employees who resort to unethical business practices which will prove detrimental to the Company in the long run and affect its customer base, thereby impacting negatively upon its business. References cited: Arabe, Katrina C, 2003. “Hiring the Right sales professional” . Industrial market Trends. {online) Accessed 9/3/2005, available at: http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2003/10/hiring_the_righ.html Article, 2005. “Startling survey results: Sales execs rate PRs importance much higher than marketing Execs do.” [Online] available at: http://www.e- consultancy.com/newsfeatures/360206/startling-survey-results-sales-execs-rate-pr-s-importance-much-higher-than-marketing-execs-do.html Condra, Jerry, 2005. “An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Education and Recruitment of Entry-Level Broadcast Salespeople” Journal of Media Economics. 18(3), 215-231. [Online} Available at: http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327736me1803_4;jsessionid=n wh3dqfMpSed?cookieSet=1&journalCode=me “Code of Practice: Principles of Good recruitment and Selection”, No Date. Commission for Public Service Appointments. [Online] Available at: http://www.publicjobs.ie/client/toolkit/index.asp Mackay, Harvey, 1998. “Swim with the sharks without being eaten alive”. New York: Ballantine Books. “Recruiting Sales People”, No date. [online] Accessed 09/03/2005 Available at URL: http://www.net-temps.com/recruiters/infocus/article.htm?op=view&id=172 “Recruitment: Introduction and Overview”, No Date. [Online} Accessed 9/3/2005, available at: http://www.publicjobs.ie/client/toolkit/index.asp “Sales force hiring mistakes”. (Online) Accessed 9/3/2005, available at: http://www.derbymanagement.com/knowledge/pages/tactics/salesforce.html Read More