Sales Forces of Competing Companies

Because of their experience in selling similar products to similar markets, personnel recruited from competitors’ sales forces may require only minimal training. However, competing sales forces are costly sources, since generally premium pay must be offered to entice sales personnel to leave their present positions. Some sales executives, as a matter of policy, refrain from hiring competitors’ salespersons they feel that an individual hired away from one organization for higher pay or other enticements may be similarly tempted in the future. However, most sales executives will consider individuals who have worked previously for competitors even though they now are either working somewhere else or are unemployed.

In considering the recruitment of Individuals currently employed by competitors, a key question to answer is why does this person want to leave his or her present position? When the new job will not improve the applicant’s pay, status, or future prospects, the desire to change companies may trace to personality conflicts, or instability. But dissatisfaction with a present job may not mean that the fault is the applicant’s. If the applicant has sound reasons for switching companies, there may be an opportunity to obtain a promising person who is ready for productive work.

Educational Institutions: This source includes colleges and universities, community colleges, vocational technical institutes, business colleges, high schools, and night schools. It is reasonable to expect that graduates have attained certain educational levels, the amount depending upon the type of school many have training in general business, marketing, and sales techniques. Schools are a fruitful source of new sales personnel at graduation time, and some maintain year round placement services for their graduates. Recent graduates are new to the labor market and, consequently need not be attracted away from other jobs.

Colleges and universities are important sources of sales and management trainees, and competition is keen for their graduates. Often the graduating senior is in a position to choose from among several job offers. Companies not maintaining close relations with the colleges are at a disadvantage, frequently being unable to obtain appointments on overcrowded campus recruiting schedules and finding it difficult to attract students away from companies’ better known .to the college. Even better known companies face stiff competition in hiring the cream of the graduates. A few companies offer sales training programs to outstanding juniors during vacation periods. Thus, the trainee and the company have an opportunity to evaluate each other, and trainees who probe satisfactory are offered jobs upon graduating.