Recruiting and selecting the

sales force

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What is recruitment?

The process of finding and hiring the best-

qualified candidate (from within or outside
of an organization) for a job opening, in a
timely and cost effective manner.
The recruitment process includes
analyzing the requirements of a job,
attracting employees to that
job, screening and selecting applicants,
hiring, and integrating the new employee
to the organization.
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The Requirement Process

Different types of sales positions call for

performing different activities.
To ensure that new recruiters have the
aptitude necessary to be successful in a
particular type of sales job , it is best to
follow systematic procedure.
Newly established firms go through these
steps

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sales force recruitment process.

Conduct a job Prepare a Job Identify Sales Job

analysis description qualification

Attract a pool of Select best recruits

sales recruits

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Job Analysis
to improve the performance the firm
should conduct job analysis to identify the
duties, requirement, responsibility, and
condition of the job.
It has three steps
1. Analyze the work environment
2. Determine the duties and responsibility
expected from the sales person
3. Spend time making calls with several
salespeople, observing and recording the
job tasks they are actually performed.
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Preparing a Job description
It explains the current sales personnel
The duties and responsibilities of the sales
position, the skills needed on that job
On what basis the employee will be
evaluated.
Since it will be used in recruiting,
selecting, training and evaluating the sales
force, the job description should be in
written.

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The tasks must be stated in qualitative
terms.
Job descriptions should be accurate and
specific.
No ambiguity should be present
A check list should be made

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Identify Sales Job qualification
It is very important to identify the
qualification of the salesperson
Job qualification should identify the
characteristics and abilities a person must
have to meet the requirements of the sales
positions.
Since recruiters with all the most important
qualification are seldom found, managers
must decide which are most important,
trade-offs are considered.

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There is no specific method to determine
the job qualification for the different firms
If the job requires analytical or technical
skills then specific educational background
or experience will be need.

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Attracting the Pool of applicants
Large companies should continuously
attract the sales persons
We should start with large pool of
applicants for more options.
Small number applicants may not end in
good recruitments

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Identify sources of sales
applicants.
Companies use several sources to find
qualified applicants.
The search can begin within the company
by surveying the sales force for possible
recruits and then seeking individuals from
other departments.
Some of the external sources include
competitive and noncompetitive firms,
educational institutions, advertisements,
and employment agencies. 13
A relatively new source of sales
candidates is through online career
centers.
Recruiters must recognize that top rated
candidates can come from any source.
However, with the increasing costs of
recruiting, sales managers must be careful
to devote their time to the most productive
sources.

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sales force selection process.

Selecting good applicants is an extremely

important and challenging task for the
sales manager.
The salesperson selection process
involves choosing the candidates who best
meet the qualifications and have the
greatest aptitude for the job.
General steps in the salesperson selection
process include
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Steps:

initial screening,
reference checking
in-depth interviewing
employment testing
follow-up interviewing
making the selection.

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In selecting salespeople, several tools are
used to screen and eliminate undesirable
recruits.
Initial screening may start with an
application form or resume, a screening
interview, or some type of brief test.
Application forms, as well as resumes, are
the most widely used screening tools and
are an easy means of collecting the
information necessary to determine
applicants' qualifications, such as
educational background, work experience,
and personal references 17
An important function of application forms
is to help sales managers prepare for
personal interviews with candidates for
sales positions.
Almost all companies make use of initial
screening interviews or tests.

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Apply the criteria used to make the
final selection decision.
When all other steps have been completed
in the selection process, the sales
manager must decide whether or not to
hire each applicant.
The company reviews everything known
about a particular applicant, gathered from
screening, reference checks, interviews,
and tests.

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The applicant's goals and ambitions are
matched against present and future
opportunities, challenges, and other types
of rewards offered by the job and the
company.
While selection tools and techniques can
eliminate the obviously unqualified
candidates and generally spot the more
competent individuals, some amount of
judgment is typically used to make the
final selection decision.
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Implement the sales force
socialization process.
Once the process of recruiting and
selection is complete, the new
salesperson must be integrated into the
sales force.
Socialization involves the formal
introduction of the recruit to company
practices, procedures, and philosophy as
well as the social aspects of the job.

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 Effective development of job skills,
adoption of appropriate role behaviors and
organization values, and adaptation to the
work group and its norms can influence a
recruit's motivation, job satisfaction, and
performance.

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 There are two levels in the socialization
process.
1. Initial socialization occurs during the
recruiting, selection, and introductory
training processes.
2. Extended socialization is accomplished
through long-term training, job rotation,
and corporate social activities.

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