ABSTRACT
Perhaps more than any other function of the sales manager, successfully recruiting new salespeople, then training them well, is critical to the long-term success of the company. As markets expand both domestically and internationally, companies seek qualified new candidates to fill sales positions while talented people inside the company are being recruited by competitors. Competition for talented candidates is fierce and the direct and indirect costs of poor recruiting are high. At the same time salespeople operate in a highly dynamic environment and must be able to assimilate a great deal of information to make them effective with customers. A key element in enhancing the success of current salespeople and preparing new salespeople is training. For all these reasons, recruiting, selecting, and training salespeople has become a very important part of the sales manager’s job. This chapter describes the process of recruiting new salespeople into the organization, then training the entire sales force.
