Many people have favorite theories about what factors contribute to the development of a successful sale force. Many of these theories contain some grains of truth, but few have been empirically tested. This book demonstrates, systematically, the importance of four key factors of a successful sales force. It presents a detailed analysis of the single and interactive importance of each factor and demonstrates that it is the interaction of the four factors that ultimately leads to an effective sales force. It concludes, convincingly, that all four factors must be considered when developing the sales force.

Harnessing the power of the motives of the sales personnel--in essence, the behavior styles of the individuals comprising the sales force--is important for success. A variety of individual motivational patterns exist within different and equally effective sales personnel. In this book these patterns are identified, defined, and discussed. The most critical motives are self-discipline, entrepreneurship, interpersonal sociability, and social aggressiveness. Even sales people with ideal motive patterns will benefit from being matched with appropriate sales managers. The best sales managers know themselves and have keen insights into the best ways to motivate and lead each person of the sales team. The best managers treat each person as a unique being. They begin by identifying each person's motivational pattern and then provide appropriate reinforcement. The author details how to accomplish this. The critical importance of money is discussed and reviewed in relation to specific behavior patterns. A variable (high-risk) commission income is especially motivational to some types of sales personnel, whereas a constant (low-risk) salary income is more effective with other sales personnel. The value of marketplace information is also essential to the performance of the sales people and the products. This source of information is evaluated carefully. Finally, data are presented that demonstrate the interactive effect of all four variables in a productive, dynamic sales force.

Identifying the people best suited to marketing a firm to new clients is critical to the success of new business acquisition. Weitzul's research, plus his own consulting (and new business acquisition) experience, convinces him that not only are some people better suited than others to this delicate task, but that there are ways to identify the traits that make them better--and before costly mistakes can happen. Weitzul guides managing partners and others with marketing responsibilities through the various steps in selecting their rainmakers, then offers help in developing their talents. Readable, with questionnaires and checklists, the book will be an essential, pragmatic resource for any professional services firm or consultancy.

Successful interviewing, defined as selecting the appropriate person for a specific position, is comparatively easy for some structured positions, such as typist or mechanic. Valid instruments to measure the key aptitudes to perform successfully in these positions are readily available and are commonly used. Even candidates for some technical positions, such as engineers or accountants, can be evaluated for critical traits like intelligence and subject. However, positions requiring a defined set of interpersonal skills, such as sales or middle, executive-level, and general management, are much more difficult to successfully recruit. Evaluating Interpersonal Skills in the Job Interview provides that much needed assistance to the interviewer. In this research-based book, Weitzul utilizes the results of thousands of interviews to devise a system to validly measure a candidate's interpersonal skills and thereby evaluate a candidate's suitability for a given position.

Initially, a series of interpersonal traits are listed and defined, which provide a basis for perceiving and analyzing people in an interview. The interviewer is taught to read the whole person and interpret the candidate's behavior in terms of a set of interpersonal skills. The material includes sample responses to a series of application and interviewing questions. In this way, a given candidate's responses can be compared directly to the responses of other individuals with known interpersonal skills. The book also discusses methods to facilitate the interview process, maintain the conversational flow, and politely enable the candidates to reveal themselves. "Evaluating Interpersonal Skills in the Job IntervieW" can be effectively utilized by anyone who interviews for line, staff, and sales positions.