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Dependability. Dependable salespeople are on the job as assigned, and they carry out orders as direeted.

. Are They Mentally Alert?

The last group of traits which are helpful to successful personal selling can be labeled with the words "mental alertness." To be able to contribute the thoughts and ideas needed to complete a sale, thesalesperson should have the following qualities:

Interest. Enjoy the work they do and are proud of their ability to help customers in making buying decisions.

Encouraging lhem to lmprove

Revitalizing personal selling is largely a matter of encouraging your people to improve themselves.

You may want to have each one rate himself on the rating scale. Com. pare his rating and the one you

Rating The Traits Needed In Personal Selling

To rate one of your salespeople, or yourself, mark each trait on a scale from I for "very poor" to Sfor "su- perior." write the appropriate number for eachtrait in the ,'score" column and total that column. A score of 85 or above is excellent, 75 to 84 is good, 55 to 74 is average, and below 54 is poor. you may want to have each salesperson rate hifr-seu and then compare his ratingEith ttre one you made, -BTAi""u""ing Jifi"run"u" in ttu two ratings, you can encourage the salesperson to build on his strong traits while working to improvehis weaker traits.

CHARACTERISTIC

Objeccive

WelI-groomed

Healthy

Poised

Grammatical speech & pleasant voice

Enthusiastic

Tacrful Loyal

Confident courteous

Friendly

Emotionally mature

Understanding

Industrious

Dependable

Good memory

Accurate

Imaginative

Knowledgeable

Interested in job

. Are They Mature?

Certain traits show that a person is mature. For instance, ernotionally ma. ture salespeople handle situations smoothly even when unpleasant. They do not pout or become bitter over the actions of other people within the store or with customers. They have the following traits: made. Together you and he can determine the weaknesses he needs to overcome. You can also point out strengths he can use to the best ad. vantage.

Und,erstand,ing. Un derstandin g salespeople listen intently when the customer explains his problem. Industry. Industrious salespeople are willing to work hard to produce desired sales results.

Good Memory. Remember customers, facts about merchandise, and information about the store and its systems.

Accuracy. Handle the many details associated with the selline of rnerchandise with a minimum of errors.

Irnaginati.on. Interpret the custom. er's needs and wants in terms of the merchandise available.

Knowled,ge. Talk about topics of current interest and especially about the goods and related problems.

Then let each salesperson know that you plan to rate him again in a few months-3 or 6 months. You may want to rate beginne6 more often, perhaps once a month while they are in training.

Our thanks to the chiel ol the Small Business Ad,ministration lor lurnishing us uith this intormatiue qrticle.-Ed,itor,