Bad recruitment causes problems for sales staff

THREE-QUARTERS of all problems faced by sales staff are caused by picking the wrong person for the job, according to a new survey commissioned by the body representing the sales industry.

The Sales Institute of Ireland said most sales problems were down to a mismatch between the requirements of a sales job and the person selected to fill the role.

The survey was presented at the institute’s annual conference at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel yesterday.

Mark McCarthy, sales director of Century Management, the consulting firm that carried out the study, said being in the wrong job was one of the worst situations an employee could end up in, and it was important to pick a job where the employee’s skills would be fully utilised.

“People will never reach their top performance level if they’re not working with their natural talent,” he said.

The survey also found sales managers and directors were to blame for recruiting staff who would not be suited to their job.

Many tended to hire people who had similar qualities and talents to their own, rather than the precise skills required for the job. The survey identified 37 key skills needed in sales professionals, managers and directors. Directors were found to be lacking up to 15% of the skills required for their jobs, but sales professionals at lower levels scored approximately 25% of the necessary level.

The survey was conducted online over a six-month period and featured responses from senior executives and sales managers drawn from construction, fast-moving consumer goods, retailing, telecoms, transport and finance.

Almost 300 sales executives and professionals attended the conference.