MARKETING SALES MANAGEMENT - RECRUITING SALESPEOPLE
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Sales force
staffing process consists of five major stages:
1) Panning
the recruitment and selection process.
2)
Recruiting a sufficient number of applicants:-
3) Selecting
the most suitable applicants,
4) Placing
those candidates who have been selected,
5)
Socialization and assimilation of the new recruits into the firms
Preparation Before
Recruitment:-
The
responsibility for recruitment
Number
of salespeople needed
Type
or salespeople needed
Job Analysis:
INCLUDES an investigation of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the
job.
Job Analysis:
The process of analyzing the content to
produce an account of the tasks and
competencies that
comprise a particular job
Job
Qualifications: Refers to the aptitude, skills, knowledge, personal traits, and
willingness to accept occupational conditions necessary to perform the job.
Job
Description: A written summary of the job containing the job title, duties,
administrative relationships, types of products sold, customer types, and other
significant requirements.
Recruitment and
Selection Objectives: The things the organization
hopes to accomplish as a result of the recruitment and selection process. They
should be specifically stated for a given period.
Recruitment and
Selection Strategy:
-The
plan the organization will implement to accomplish the recruitment and
selection objectives. The sales managers should consider the scope and timing
of recruitment and selection.
Person Specification
– A document that describes the
skills,
knowledge, and qualities needed to perform a
particular
job; translates the job requirements into tangible
features
that applicants need to demonstrate
An
applicant looks for compensation, Position, Growth, security in a company which
acts as a motivation.
Sales Job Analysis:-
Clearly
Identify the Specific task that sales people will perform. Which Activities are
critical for the success.
Extensive
observation & Interviewing. Should Travel with sales people
Should
Interview the people who interact with the sales people
Steps for Job
Analysis:-
Analyze
the environment in which the sales person is to works, This include nature of
the customers, competitors knowledge and the skills required for the job
Determine
the duties and- responsibilities that are expected from the salesperson. This
information can be obtained from the Sales Manager, salespeople, customers,
Advertising and promotion Managers
The
person conducting job analysis may be a person from the sales team, or human
resource department, or an outside consultant. This person should also spend
time making customer calls with some salespeople, observing, and recording the
various tasks or activities performed'.
The
purpose of the job analysis is to establish and document the Job relatedness'
of employment procedures such as training, selection, compensation, and
performance appraisal.
l)
Determining Training Needs: Job analysis can be used in training need assessment
to identify or develop: Training content;
ii)
Assessment tests to measure effectiveness of training;
iii)
Equipment to be used in delivering the training; and
iv)
Methods of training (i.e., small group, computer based, video, classroom).
2)
Compensation:
Job analysis can be used in compensation to identify or determine:
i)Skill
levels,
ii)
Compensable job factors,
iii)
Work environment (e.g., hazards, physical effort),
iv)
Responsibilities (expectations), and
v)
Required level of education (indirectly related to salary level).
3)
Selection Procedures:
Job
analysis can be used in selection procedures to identify or develop:
i)
Job duties that should be include in advertisements of vacant positions,
ii)
Appropriate salary level for the position to help determine what salary should
be offered to a candidate,
iii)
Minimum requirement (education and / or experience) for screening applicants,
iv)
Interview questions,
v)
Selection test/instruments (e.x., written tests ; oral tests; job simulations),
vi)
Applicant appraisal evaluation forms,
vii)
Orientation materials for applicants/new hires,
4)
Performance
Review: Job analysis can be used in
performance review to identify or develop:
i)
Goals and objectives,
ii)
Performance standards.
iii)
Evaluation criteria,
iv)
Length of probadonary periods,
v)
Duties to be evaluated
Sales
Force Job Description:-
A
job analysis should be the foundation of a sales training program. By studying
the description, the executive in-charge of sales training knows in detail what
the sales people's' duties are and what they must learn.
A
good job description enables management to determine whether each salesperson
has a reasonable workload.
Content of Job
Description
Title
of Job:
Reporting
Relationship:
Types
of Products and Services Sold:
Types
of Customers Called on:
Duties
and Responsibilities:
Job
Demands
Technical
Requirements:
Location
and Geographical Area to be Covered
Sales Force Job
Specification:-
Minimum
acceptable qualifications that the incumbent must possess to perform the job
successfully.
Methods
for Developing Job Specification:-
Some
of the methods used for developing job specifications are as follows
Study
Job Description:
Analyse
Personal Histories of Salespersons
Ask
Customers
Recruitment
of Sales Force
Sources
of Recruitment
Internal
Sources:-
Present
Employees Already Working in the Organisation
Recommendation
of the Existing Salesman
Promotions:
Transfers:
Re-employment
of Former Employee
Employee
Referral Programs
Interns
and Cooperative Students
External
Sources
Direct
Unsolicited Applications/ Walk-in:-
Employrnent
Agencies:
Salespeople
Making calls on the company
Customers
as a Recruiting source
Sales
Force of Non competing Co.
Sales
Forces of cornpeting co.
Educational
Institutions and campus Placement
Wholesalers,
Retailers and customers
Advertising:
Web-Sources
Networking:-
Criteria
Used for Selection of Sales Force
Mental Alertness:
Business
Terms and Memory Recall Aptitude:
Communication
Skills:
Numerical
Ability:
Personality
Dimensions:
Honesty
or Character Strength:
Sociability:
High
Energy Levels:
Dominance:
Competitiveness:
Emotional
Maturity:
Work
Motivation:
Process
of Selection of Sales Force
interview
Screening and Preliminary Interview:
Formal
Application Form:
Interview:
Psychological
Testing:
i) Knowledge Tests
ii)
Ability Tests
iii) Aptitude Tests
iv) Achievement Tests
v) Personality Tests
vi) Temperament Tests
vii) Graphology
viii) Simulation Exercises
Reference
Check:
Physical
Examination:
Job
Offer:
Recruiting
the right kind and the right number of sales personnel is an important
responsibility of sales management.
Recruiting
sources need identifying, both those internal to the company and those external
to it.
Different
selling styles influence both the sources of recruits and recruiting methods,
because they call for individuals with varying types and amounts of education,
other training, and experience.
Personal
recruiting is used for recruiting persons graduating from educational
institutions and other recent graduates.
Personal
recruiting by present sales personnel is the main method of securing direct to-
consumer sales personnel, while personal recruiting by independent consultants
is widespread in procuring new sales personnel in large metropolitan areas.
In-direct
recruiting,mainly through placement of advertisements in print media, is used
to obtain replacement personnel when only one or a few individuals are needed
and by direct-to-consumer sales organizations failing to recruit sufficient
sales personnel through personal recruiting methods.