The Fortune 500 companies' selection criteria for promotion to fist level sales management: an empirical study
Article Abstract:
Since marketing, and particularly selling activities, determine the sources and size of a company's revenue, factors which vitally affect sales force performance are matters of crucial importance to corporate management. Predicting how a newly appointed first level sales manager will perform in the new leadership task remains a difficult problem and the determination and use of selection criteria appears not to be clearly defined in the literature. Previous research has identified desirable attributes as selection criteria though typically these are neither ranked in importance nor as attributes that "can be developed later though training/experience" or be "innate to the person selected." This research focused upon the selection criteria and practices of the Fortune 500 companies in selecting/appointing their first level sales managers. The results revealed that (i) the Fortune 500 human resources managers are in agreement with the findings of previous research with regard to which personality and character traits are crucial prerequisites to good sales management performance; (ii) a surprisingly small number of firms use psychological batteries/tests or qualified psychologists to measure these traits; and (iii) turnover rates, not due to promotion, among first level sales managers appear to be high. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
Subject: Retail industry
ISSN: 0885-3134
Year: 1989
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Initial impressions in the organizational buyer-seller dyad: sales management implications
Article Abstract:
The purpose of this research effort is to investigate the phenomenon of initial impressions as related to the organizational buyer/seller dyad. A sample of organizational buyer members of the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM) representing a variety of industries participated in the study. The stimulus manipulations consisted of professionally rendered artist sketches which differentiated the nature of the initial impression stimulus only by salesperson race and sex. Immediate affect formation was evaluated based upon responses to these two variables. The dependent variables consisted of factor scores representing the factor structures of competence/trust, power, and likability (derived from Wilding and Bauer 1968). Results indicated different first impressions were formed as a function of race and gender "match-up" between buyer and seller, thus lending support for immediate affect generation theory. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
Subject: Retail industry
ISSN: 0885-3134
Year: 1992
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