Importance of Recruitment and Selection of Salespeople Essay

Importance of Recruitment and Selection of Salespeople - Essay Example This exchange process – sales transaction – makes organizations focused on their clients and making sure the end users are satisfied. However, the sales process itself is what establishes the connection between an organization and a customer. Salespeople, as those who run and manage and sales process, are, in some sense, a chain that connects the business with its external environment and, what is more important, generates sales and, therefore, profits for the company. For this reason recruitment and selection of salespeople is one of the very important aspects of organizational behaviour since effectiveness of recruitment and selection of sales representatives is a basis for future success and effectiveness of the overall sales process of the company. Furthermore, as Darmon outlines (1993, 17), selection of salespeople has a great influence on the performance and profits of the organization. Sales are a direct source of company’s profit. Therefore, since salespe ople determine company’s sales, financial performance and profits, it can be said that salespeople are, actually, the tool that enables a commercial organization to fulfil its major goal of making profit. In addition, Slater and Olson (2000) point out that not only business performance, but the whole business strategy of an organization, is greatly impacted by sales force management (Slater and Olson 2000, 813). Therefore, effective recruitment and selection of salespeople has a direct influence on competitiveness of the business and, if implemented effectively, become a competitive advantage of an organization. Selecting Right People As it has been determined above, salespeople have a direct impact on financial performance, profits, and business strategy of an organization. So, if a salesperson fails in one’s efforts to sell the company’s product effectively, the company itself may fail as well. For that reason hiring right people for the sales positions is cru cial and vital for business success and effectiveness. Correctly chosen employees add value to the employing organization and, according to some estimates, increase sales and productivity to between 6 to 20 percent (Cooper, Robertson, and Tinline 2003, 6). A correct match between the job and an employee benefits the company in terms of reduced absenteeism and employee turnover because of higher employee satisfaction rates, as well as employee’s commitment and loyalty towards the organization. Furthermore, a right choice of a salesperson has a great impact on the company’s overall sales performance. as Armstron et al. (2009, 444) outline, the best salespeople usually make up the top 30 percent of the company’s salesforce, and bring up to 60 percent of the overall sales Armstron et al (2009, 444). This idea is supported by Johnson, Hair and Boles (1989), who believe that â€Å"hiring the right individual for a sales position remains one of the most crucial aspect s of a sales manager’s job† (Johnson, Hair, and Boles 1989, 53). The authors believe that a successful salesperson should have the following characteristics: enthusiasm, good organizational skills, persuasiveness, sales experience, ambition, ability to follow instructions, and sociability. However, while it is possible to identify these qualities when selecting and recruiting candidates, it might be more difficult to identify and recognize the qualities that might lead to a failure. Nevertheless, the very first task of a hiring manager is to identify the key characteristics of an ideal candidate for the position. Clear and precise specifications identified at the start of the selection and recruitment process will minimize the chance for a mistake at the stage of making a hiring decision (Roberts 1997, 4). The role a new employee is