MARKETING SALES MANAGEMENT - RECRUITING SALESPEOPLE

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.