11. Methods of selection.—If the sales force is to be kept fairly permanent and the changes necessary to keep its ranks full are to be few, and if the training process is not to be wasted on poor material, great care must be taken in the selection of new salesmen. Just as there are those who claim that the clever sales man can determine what manner of man his prospect is by observing the contour and profile Of his face and the shape of his head, so there are some who claim that the sales manager can, by a kind of character analysis, determine the merits of a prospective sales man. A certain manager who has been very suc cessful in the selection of salesmen has a theory that long, tapering fingers are indicative of tact and diplo macy, and that a head set well forward denotes keen observation. One of the largest automobile compa nies in the country is basing the selection of its sales men to some extent on an observation of the nerve' centers of the hand.
There are a number of such theories and systems, and they are more or less systematically followed by some sales managers. On the other hand, President Cottingham of the Sherwin-Williams Company says, that no hard and fast rules can be laid down for se lecting the successful salesman. All that one can do, he claims, is to come as close as possible by relying on common horse-sense to steer him straight. A large majority of the able sales managers agree with this view. This does not mean that an applicant cannot be judged fairly satisfactorily by means of the essen tial qualifications of a salesman, which are set forth in the first part of this book, nor does it mean that there are not certain definite methods of securing in formation on which a sound judgment may be based.
12. How does the salesman sell his own services?— There is probably no better way of finding out the ability of a man as a salesman than to observe him closely in his efforts to sell his services. What sort of a presentation does he make? Are his facts well marshalled and are his selling points well stated? Sales managers are adopting this more and more as one of their most important tests in selecting men. The sales manager will make a mental note of the applicant's first impression upon him. In the course of the interview he will endeavor to discourage the applicant's aspiration to join the organization. Then he will observe closely just how the man acts under this discouragement.
A manager for a certain big life insurance company tests a man's determination and self-confidence by picturing to him the darkest aspects of selling life insurance. He tells the man of the hundreds of sales men who fail, of the rebuffs he will meet and the dis courtesy be must face. If the applicant appears to be discouraged by this recital, the manager considers him unfit for life insurance work.
Another sales manager uses a carefully chosen list of questions. Perhaps the most important is that which requires the applicant to tell why he thinks he can sell the commodity in question. His answer does much to reveal his attitude toward salesmanship in general, and leads to an unguarded discussion of his ambitions.
13. Why does he desire to join the organization?— The reason given for the desire to join the selling or ganization should be carefully considered by the sales manager. A remark which is commonly made by applicants for selling positions is: "I understand that there is big money to be made in this line." Nat urally, possible earnings will be an important consid eration with every applicant ; but it is a peculiar fact that in selling, as in any other business, the man who takes up the work because there is big money in it, is not always the one to realize the large earnings. Furthermore, while earning possibilities in different lines vary somewhat, there is no line so devoid of large earning possibilities that some men in it are not en joying large incomes, nor is there any line so lucrative but that the incomes of some of the men in it provide only the barest necessities of life. And it will be found that a large proportion of these mediocre men entered the business solely because "there was big money in it." The opportunities for large earnings offered by a selling proposition should never be the sole reason— or the preeminent one—for a man's desire to take it up. The sales manager should give the "big money" man some straight talk along this line. He should point out that the first thing for the applicant to de cide is, whether or not he sincerely likes the propo sition and will put his whole heart and soul behind it ; and that the second thing to decide is whether or not he possesses the qualifications and training necessary to sell the particular proposition under consideration.
The applicant whose desire to join a selling organ ization arises chiefly from the belief that the product is the best in its field, that there is a waiting demand for it which be can reach and satisfy, that the house policies behind the product are right and ethically high, that the cooperation given by the house to its salesmen will insure bis success, and that Ile is pe culiarly well qualified by training and experience to sell that particular article, will generally be found among those who eventually earn the "big money." 14. Preliminary correspondence.—The sales man ager will find it advantageous to have some prelimi nary correspondence with the prospective salesman if he lives at a distance. After the application has been received the writer should be sent a formal application blank. This blank with the previous correspondence will serve to determine whether or not the sales man ager will be justified in paying the expense of a visit of the applicant to headquarters for the purpose of an interview. When the applicant is situated where he can reach the sales manager's office with little or no expense, the invitation to call may follow the first letter. Then, if lie makes a good impression the for mal application will be turned over to him after the first interview with the request that he either send it in or bring it in person.