Discussion 4: Leadership Challenge: Characteristics of the Great Salesperson.
What qualities and characteristics do you think are important for a new salesperson at Logistics Logic? Why?
Most companies seek for the best employees they can get, as human resources are the most valuable assets of any organization. Hereby, large investments is made in recruiting, educating, training, and compensating the best of the workers. Although, there might be different risks to lose the investment due to employee turnover or a mismatch of the person to the position occupied. Therefore, companies do all possible to reduce the turnover lost, but enroll and keep the best employees. Talking about sales management, hiring an effective salesman is a key to success (Johnston & Marshall, 2013, Ch. 8).
Thad Williams, the Vice President of sales at Logistics Logic company was asked to hire 20 new salespeople for the firm, specifically to perform in the recently discovered Asian market. Decades ago the market belonged primarily to middle age men, with good education and over average earnings. Moreover, the company emerged and developed in Europe, while the current target customers differ and behave differently, thus require a different approach (Johnston & Marshall, 2013, Ch. 8). Replacing the head office to Hong Kong will require to get well acquainted with the international labour and business laws.
Hiring salesmen in London is not convenient for the company, as the organization will have to compensate the employee a relocation expenses, but what is more, British specialists may have less experience in operating in the Asian market compared to the ones enrolled in Hong Kong. Both, the UK and Hong Kong laws grant equal maternity and paternity leave conditions, other terms, as the retirement age and amount of the compensations are equal for men and women in Hong Kong (“Employment & Labour Law 2016”, 2016; “Employment Rights Act 1996”, 1996). Hereby, the company does not have legal reasons to hire more men or women, but should decide only considering one’s skills, motivation and knowledge.
There is no single characteristic that would define a successful candidate for a salesman position, but they all work in a complex. Even though Personal history and family background or a Marital status may have the greatest impact on the candidate’s further performance, they are considered to be illegal in selecting a potential employee (Johnston & Marshall, 2013, Ch. 8). To summarize, I would advise to select candidates, who are 25-30 years old, as they know the main tendencies of the market; who have at least 3-5 years of experience, have an appropriate education, so that to be sure that they understand the business peculiarities; must have good communication skills and enthusiasm, as the employee must be able to establish good relations with the customer and understand his needs. Positive recommendations from the previous jobs may serve as a good proof of the one’s reliability. Preferably, to hire all 20 salesmen of the same characteristics, as people who differ greatly may not become an effective team or lose a spirit of competition.
References
Johnston, M., & Marshall, G. (2013). Sales force management. (11th ed.). New York: Routledge.
ISBN-13: 978-0-415-53462-8
Employment & Labour Law 2016. (2016) International Comparative Legal Guides. Available at: https://www.iclg.co.uk/practice-areas/employment-and-labour-law/employment-and-labour-law-2016/hong-kong#chaptercontent1
Employment Rights Act 1996 (1996) The National Archives. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/contents
Response to Tracey Powell:
It is a great point to mention that a sales person should be loyal and inspired with what he or she does, so that to reflect the company’s values and build trustful relations with customers. . As it is mentioned by Johnston and Marshall (2013, Ch.8), Tenacity, rapport building, work standards, oral communication, ability to learn are also important characteristics for the salesperson. As well as an ability to build a business relations for a long perspective rather than concentrate on one even extremely effective sales operation (Giang, 2012, n.p.). However, I would also recommend to specify requirements, such as skills and knowledge of the candidates, because personal characteristics solely may not serve as solid reason. Hereby, I would suggest to include higher education in business or management and work experience as a background necessary for the applicant to be considered for the position of the salesman in the Logistic Logic.
References
Johnston, M., & Marshall, G. (2013). Sales force management. (11th ed.). New York: Routledge.
ISBN-13: 978-0-415-53462-8
Giang, V. (2012) 20 Qualities That Make A Great Salesperson. Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/20-qualities-that-make-a-great-salesperson-2012-5
Response to Melisa Anderson:
The great aspect discussed, is the peculiarities of the business in each of the Asian countries. Before starting any project or business in the country, which has different culture and traditions, it is important to know how they reflect on the business and trading rules. Moreover, salesmen should be aware of these peculiarities so that to establish close relations with customers. A really good sales person should be ready to invest a lot of his or her time into learning, self development and building strong relations, as these are more important than understanding some specific characteristics of the market economy in each country (Giang, 2012, n.p.). Even though, comparing those countries with the US business only is not enough, as the Logistic Logic main office was started and was located in London, and the UK and European business traditions vary from the US ones. I would also omit questions about family, as they may serve as a legal reason to hire or dismiss a candidate, even though they have one of the largest impacts on the individual’s motivation to work (Jonhston and Marshal, 2013, Ch.8).
References
Johnston, M., & Marshall, G. (2013). Sales force management. (11th ed.). New York: Routledge.
ISBN-13: 978-0-415-53462-8
Giang, V. (2012) 20 Qualities That Make A Great Salesperson. Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/20-qualities-that-make-a-great-salesperson-2012-5
