CASE STUDY: ALLIED FOOD DISTRIBUTOR

Every successful sales force operation stems from the recruitment and selection of good salespeople.
One research suggests that great salespeople have four key talents: (1) intrinsic motivation, (2) a
disciplined work style, (3) the ability to close a sale, (4) the ability to build relationships with customers.
In hiring the right salespeople, as one of the significant functions of a sales manager, he/she identifies the
unique skills, knowledge and attitudes expected to do the job successfully.

The case of Allied Food Distributors, a food wholesale distributor, discusses the need for a
salesperson to be located in the southwest Indiana territory. The current salesperson in this territory was
leaving the company at the end of June 1996, or approximately two months from the time when
recruitment process was started.

The target salesperson’s overall responsibility is to maintain the seventy-five (75) active retail
accounts every three weeks, including his functions as follows:
1. Check displays and inventory levels for items already carried
2. Obtain/Gain orders from existing and new items
3. Inform retailers about new items
4. Set-up special displays
5. Servicing the retailers’ needs

Expected monthly salary ranges from $2,100 to $4,200 depending on the qualifications required.

Presented below is a comparative summary of information gathered from the prospective applicants
based from application forms and results of personal interviews:

Michael Gehringer Carley Tobias Arthur Woodhead

Date of Birth July 15, 1954 (41 y/o) February 12, 1967 (29 y/o) May 26, 1974 (21 y/o)
Place of Residence Indianapolis Cleveland, Ohio Chicago
Status Married Married Single
Children Three Two (1 and 4 y/o) N/A
(14,16, and 19 y/o)

Highest Educational High School Community College To graduate in May 1996

attainment (Business Administration) (Business Administration)
Employment Record
Present Warehouse worker; Allied Salesperson; The Drug N/A
Food Distributors, Trading Company, Cincinnati (Summer jobs only)
Indianapolis (7 years)
(2 years);
Monthly salary: $3,300
Monthly salary: $3,600
Current Job  Processing orders from  Selling to retail drugstores N/A
Responsibilities the field
 Expediting rush orders

Previous 1992-1993 1987-1990 N/A

Sales Agent, Hoosier Van Army private
Lines, Indianapolis
 Reason for leaving: Limits
on salary; lack of challenge
in the job

1990-1992
Retail Salesperson, Main
Street Clothiers,
Indianapolis
Reason for leaving: Boring
nature of the type of
selling

1980-1990
Six (6) clerical /sales-type
jobs, Indianapolis
Other Information  No extra-curricular
activities
Applicant’s I feel that my true
statement employment interest lies
in selling in a situation
where I can be my own
boss. This job seems just
right.
Initial Observation/s  Good appearance
 Reasonably intelligent
 Seems very interested in
job as a career
 Well recommended by
current boss
 Moderately aggressive
 Student council president;
Community College
 Very active in civic and
church organizations in
Cincinnati
 Current president; Sales
and Marketing Executives
of Cincinnati
I am seeking a new position
because of the limited
earning potential at Drug
Trading, plus my family’s
desire to live in a less
populated city.
 Good appearance
 Reasonably intelligent
 Seems to like Cincinnati a
lot
 Good experience
 Active in intramural
athletics and student
government
I really like to run my own
affairs, and selling seems
like a good position to
reach this objective.
 Well dressed
 Very intelligent
 Management potential,
not career salesperson
 Not very aggressive

As initially observed, the company’s selection process appears to be somewhat lacking since only the job
application forms serve as basis for endorsing the applicants who passed to the sales manager for
interview, while pre-employment tests or initial screenings are not being conducted at the inception of
the selection process.

On a sales manager’s perspective, I would recommend Mr. Michael Gehringer for the salesman position.
Hereunder are the justifications supporting this decision:

1. His statement supplements the idea that he is career-oriented. As compared the other applicants,
the very nature for his application in the first place could have stemmed possibly from his innate
interest and ambition becoming part of the sales team. I believe this is an underlying factor which
distinguishes Mr. Gehringer from the rest.

Comments
2. Working for the same company for two years, it is reasonable to say that Mr. Gehringer is already
familiarized with his functions as a warehouse worker. His current role, although not in the actual
sales team, still supports the responsibilities of a salesperson. He already possesses a sufficient
technical and product knowledge since the ordered items are being sent directly to the retailers
from the warehouse. Further, Mr. Gehringer may already be accustomed to the organizational
culture of the company which could guide him on how things are done without a longer learning
curve.

3. In terms of location, Mr. Gehringer has the advantage as he is a long-standing resident of

Indianapolis. His vast familiarity of the territory will provide ease of transfer from one area to
another. Similarly, it is more likely that he has already established connections with some of the
locals, hence, customer interaction and building rapport would be convenient on his part.
Maintaining strong customer relationships is one of the remarkable traits of an effective
salesperson. With a homegrown like Mr. Gehringer on the field, the target customers

could be beneficial to the company if it plans to expand its market in the future.

4. His previous experiences show that Mr. Gehringer has been exposed to retail and other types of
selling in the field although his longest tenure was only two years and have handled more than
five jobs. The reason can be attributed to the salary limits and lack of challenge from his previous
assignments. However, not hiring the right person because of too many job changes is a cliché.
Job hoppers provide their prospective employers, especially in the present times, the notion that
they are advancement-driven rather than escape-driven. Advancement-driven individuals view
challenges as opportunities for growth. I think Allied Food was able to see this value given that it
hired Mr. Gehringer in the first place. The new position would be a platform for him to share his
valuable insights from his prior work experiences which may, in turn, add to the company’s
competitiveness. It would give him that sense of accountability which is a steady ingredient for
motivation.

5. A recommendation from his current boss connotes that Mr. Gehringer’s performance is at least
commendable. This remark clearly emphasizes his competency and credibility as an employee
meets the company’s standards. Having him expedite rush orders have a way of saying that he is
dependable during times of urgency. This is another competency from which the company can
benefit considering that being in the sales team requires one to be reliable to meet immediate
demands of the customers. Having a positive performance feedback from the boss can be
associated it with the Tagalog lingo “subok na” which means “tried and tested”, when choosing
an internal applicant over hiring from the outside.