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Aptitude and personal characteristics are typically thought
to place an upper limit on an individual’s ability to perform a given sales
job. Two people with equal motivation, role perceptions, and training might
perform at different levels because one does not have the personal traits or
abilities necessary to do the job as well as the other.
The questions to consider are these: What specific personal traits and
abilities enable a person to achieve good sales performance? What are the
determinants of sales aptitude?
Research indicates that enthusiasm consistently ranks among the personal
attributes sales manager consider most important in recruiting. Other
characteristics considered relatively important are good organizational
abilities, ambition, and the two related attributes of persuasiveness and
communication skill.
Although many executives consider previous sales experience to be important in
indicating the sales aptitude of new employees, general experience in selling
is typically viewed as more relevant than specific product or industry
experience. Sales managers, while evaluating potential recruits also rely on
some of the background factors like personal’s educational attainment, course
of study and general work experience. Companies seek individuals with a college
education.
Companies continue to focus on hiring sales representatives with prior
experience. Much of the conventional wisdom to which sales managers and
consultants have adhered over the years has stressed the importance of such
personality traits such as self-esteem, extraversion, sociability, dominance,
and a strong need for achievement as determinants of sales success. Moreover
stable traits like openness to experience and conscientiousness may be strongly
related to sales success.
More information
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