recruitmen, selection & training

Recruitment, Selection and Training of Sales Personnel Recruitment, Selection and Training of Sales Personnel

RecruitmentRecruitment

Importance of good Recruitment/Selection Program

Importance of good Recruitment/Selection Program

• Qualified Sales people are scarce

• Good selection improves sales force performance

• Good selection promotes cost savings

• Good selection eases other managerial tasks

• Sales managers are no better than their sales force

“Eagles don’t flock. You have to find them one at a time”

-- Ross Perot--

Sales Force Selection and Strategic Planning

Sales Force Selection and Strategic Planning

• Sales force most directly involved in strategic plans of the company

• Therefore selection process should be consistent with the Strategic plans

• Selection process should be strategically integrated with all aspects of “Sales Force Management”

Sales force Staffing ProcessSales force Staffing Process

• Planning• Recruiting• Selecting• Hiring• Assimilation


• Planning


• Planning– Establishing

Responsibility for Recruiting

• HR dept. usually does the initial screening and

• The Sales Manager does the Final hiring decision




– Determine the number of people needed

• Based on analysis of past experience and future expectations

• Also review for any change in Marketing Plan to be made in future





– Conduct Job Analysis

• Analysis should clearly identify specific tasks

• Identify which activities are critical for job success

• Sometimes an outside specialist is hired





– Conduct Job Analysis– Prepare Job Description

• Put the Job Description in writing

• Uses– Develop tests and selection

tools

– Turnover can be reduced

– Foundation for sales Training Program

– Developing Compensation Plans

– For Periodic Evaluation





– Conduct Job Analysis– Prepare Job Description– Determine Hiring

Qualifications

• Most difficult part of Selection

• A few generally accepted Characteristics– Mental Capacities

– Physical Characteristics

– Experience

– Education

– Personality traits

– Skills

– Socio-environmental factors


• Planning• Recruiting



– Identify Sources– Select Sources– Contact the Recruits



– Identify Sources– Select Sources– Contact the Recruits

• Sources– Referrals

• Current Employees

• Other companies (Competitors, Customers, Non Competitors)

– Internet– Educational Institutes– Advertisements– Agencies– Part Time worker


• Planning• Recruiting• Selecting• Hiring• Assimilation

SelectionSelection

Selections of Sales PersonalsSelections of Sales Personals

The worst mistake a manager can make is to make a bad hire

---Anonymous---

Phases InvolvedPhases Involved

• Developing a system of tools and procedures for matching the applicants with the predetermined requirements

• Using the system to select the salespeople

• Selection Tools

• Hiring

• Assimilating Tests

Selection ToolsSelection Tools

• Application blanks• Personal interviews• Psychological tests• References and credit

reports• Assessments tests

Thoughts…Thoughts…

Selections tools and procedures are only aids to sound executive judgment and not substitutes for it. They can eliminate obviously unqualified candidates and generally help recruiters spot extremely capable individuals

Application BlanksApplication Blanks

• Application blanks


• Application blanks – It is also known as personal-history record

– Information Asked for on Application Blanks

• Intended use of the information by the company

• Personal information

• Physical characteristics, experience, and socio-environmental factors


• Application blanks • Experience involves– Educational Background

– Work Experience

• It involves questions on– Offices held in

organisations

– Hobbies and other outside interests

• It reveals something about his or her interests, capabilities, and personality

Personal interviewsPersonal interviews

• Application blanks• Personal interviews



• It determines– Conversational ability,

speaking voice, and social intelligence

– Certain personality traits

• Aimed at learning 4 major points– Is this person capable of

excelling at this job?– How badly does this person

want the job?– Will the job help this person

realize his or her goals?– Will this person work to his

or her fullest ability?



• Improving validity of the interviews– Thorough review of the

applicant’s resume or application before proceeding further in the selection process

– More than one interview at different place with different interviewer

– Standardized ratings to be used

– Training of interviewers



• Interview Structure– Guided interviews– Nondirected interviews

• Interview Focus– Behavior-Based

interviews– Performance-Based

Interviews– Stress Interviews

Questions forTraditional Vs Behavior-Based

Questions forTraditional Vs Behavior-Based

•Do you get along with people?

•What qualities do you think are important for success in this job?

•What is your biggest weakness?

•Tell me about any incident in your last job that caused conflict with a customer. What did you do to work it out?

•Give me a specific example of a job situation in which you had to use your problem-solving abilities

•Tell me about your greatest failure

Timing and Method of the InterviewTiming and Method of the Interview


• During Initial Screening– Interviewer should disclose

a brief job description– Ask few questions

concerning the minimum requirements of the candidates

– Through telephonic interview, face-to-face interview (Lasts for 15-20 min), videconferencing interview

• At later stages– More time is spent with the

candidates to know them well

Psychological testingPsychological testing

• Application blanks• Personal interviews• Psychological tests



• Legal aspects of testing• A framework of testing

– Selecting and developing tests

• Problems in testing



• Mental Intelligence Tests• Aptitude Tests• Interest Tests• Personality Tests• Selecting and developing

tests

References and other outside sources



reports




reports

• References– Legal considerations

• Background check• References

– Legal considerations

• Background check

Job offer decisionJob offer decision



Job offer decisionJob offer decision



• Ranking the recruits• Communication with

applicants• Extending the offer

– What will be included

– How will offer be extended

Socialization and assimilationSocialization and assimilation

• Pre entry socialization• Assimilation of new hires• Relationships• Mentoring new employees• Meeting social and psychological needs

TrainingTraining

Phases in sales training programPhases in sales training program

Training Assessment

Program Design

Reinforcement

Evaluation


Training Assessment Establish program objectives• Increased sales productivity• Lower turnover• Higher morale• Improved communication• Improved customer

relationship• Improved self- management

Identify who should be trained• Experienced reps • Customers • Sales managers

Top 20%

Middle 60%

Lowest 20%

Highest return on dollarsInvested in training

Sales person performance


Training Assessment Identify training needs and specific goals

• Standardization and customization

• Sources of information - managerial judgment, sales

volume, no of calls, selling expenses and customer complaints

- difficulty analysis

How much training is needed ? - depends on the training

objectives


Training Assessment

Program Design

Who should do the training ? - line personnel, staff trainers, outside

training specialists

When should the training take place? - placed in the field after trained - placed in the field before training

Where should training be done?• Decentralized training - field sales office instruction, use of

senior people, on the job training, sales seminars, self-guided assignments

• Centralized training - organized schools , periodic sales

meetings


Training Assessment Program Design

Content of training• Attitude towards selling and

training• Knowledge of the company• Product knowledge and

application• Knowledge of competitive

products• Knowledge of customers• Knowledge of business

principles• Selling skills• Relationship- building skills• Team – selling skills• Team- management skills• Computer- assisted skills• Legal constraints on selling

Teaching methods for Presenting in sales training

Web-based training

Mentoring

Audiocassettes Role- playing On-the -job

LecturesDiscussion • cases•Round table •Panels

Demonstrations

Presentation techniques in sales training programsPresentation techniques in sales training programs


Training Assessment

Program Design

Reinforcement

• Xerox – sales people retained only 13% of information learned in training after 30 days.


Training Assessment

Program Design

Reinforcement

Evaluation

• Reactions

- participants complete questionnaires, recording verbal comments

• Learning

- before and after tests

• Behavior

• Results

Recruitment, Selection and Training of Sales Personnel Recruitment, Selection and Training of Sales Personnel

Thanks….Thanks….

recruitmen, selection & training

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