Raymond Baker is J.P. Reynolds Investments district sales manager for the Southeastern Region (covering Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama). J.P. Reynolds sells a variety of mutual funds and other investment products to financial services companies that are retail sellers of such products. It generally offers its investment products to small- and medium-sized customers, such as regional banks, as opposed to large financial services companies.

Raymond recently lost his best salesperson and must replace him immediately. This morning he interviewed two job candidates, Dag Wicklo and Katherine Bryant, for the position of representative, level II (three to six years of experience), for about 45 minutes each. Dag is 26, tall, athletic, enjoys outdoor activities, is not married has no children, and is clearly from the South. He came to the interview with short-cropped hair and a slightly wrinkled suit. He scored slightly below average on the test of general mental aptitude administered by the HR department. Katherine is 36, shorter than average, not athletic, is married to a wealthy financier, has two children, and is originally from New York. She is wearing a very formal black suit and expensive-looking shoes. She scored very well on the test of general mental aptitude. Below are a few excerpts from the interviews:

RB: How would you describe your selling style?

DW: Im a go-getter. Im young and enthusiastic, and I love selling. I also love money, so I love working with investment products and love the commission-based nature of the business. Most of all I love people, and they respond well to me. By the end of a meeting, I feel like Im with a friend, and the sale happens naturally, it doesnt even feel like selling.

KB: Mr. Baker, I try to know my product inside and out and present a clear, logical case for why the customer should purchase it. However, I dont get down and beg for the sale. If the customer does not want to buy, I simply go to the next prospect. Also, I try to stay as professional as possible and not get too close to the customers.

RB: What strengths and weaknesses would you bring to this position?

DW: My number-one strength is that Im very likable. I speak Spanish, Portuguese, and English, so I can talk to almost anyone. Also, despite my young age, I have five years of sales experience in the investment field and have received high-performance evaluations. Im confident, resilient, and creative. I find a way to solve a problem. Finally, Im a good presenter and like to speak without any prepared speech or remarks.

My biggest weakness is that I can be less than organized. I sometimes let my creative energy get the better of me, and Im not always the most professional or polished guy. I get the job done in my way, I guess. Also, I dont have much formal college education and dont understand technology as well as I would like. Im sure I can learn it, though.

KB: I take command of a room or situation well and dont let anyone intimidate me. I have a masters degree in art history and have the intelligence to handle myself well and understand the products. Also, I am extremely organized. If you ask them, my children can verify what a tight ship I run at home. Although I do not have sales experience in selling investment products. My husband is an investment banker, as was my father, so I can speak the language.

My main weakness is that I have only two years if sales experience, but I have owned and managed my own business before. Also, I dont need the money, so Im not as aggressive as some of these young bucks in terms of sales volume. However, I feel that I can relate well to the customer and will understand them better because of my other business experience.

Joanna Baer, the vice president of sales and Raymonds immediate boss, just interviewed each applicant this afternoon and has called Raymond into her office to discuss the situation. Because of the pressing need, the company needs to make an offered tone of the two candidates. Raymond knows he must evaluate the applicants quickly and make a recommendation to Joanna.

Questions:

1. Complete the attached worksheet. Column one lists the variables associated with sales performance. In column two, a list of which of the variables in column one are relevant to determining sales performance. Columns, three and four, indicate whether the candidates scored positively or negatively across each variable listed in the column.

2. Who would you hire and why?

---------Use the worksheet to answer the mini-case. In column 2, a list of which items from column 1 are relevant. In columns 3 and 4, put a plus or minus next to each item listed to indicate whether the candidate scored positively or negatively on this item.