18 December 2000

Education, Experience, and Training

Do they really matter in sales?

by Mick Zangari and Benson Smith
Many companies have selection criteria that revolve around education and experience. After all, it's easier to ask your candidates about their grade-point average, or how many years of selling experience they have, than discovering and evaluating their sales talent. But education and experience are not the best predictors of future sales performance. Instead, you should look for a combination of talents that are appropriate for your company's sales mission.
Smith is coauthor of Discover Your Sales Strengths (Warner Books, February 2003).
The content you are attempting to access is for subscribers to the Gallup Management Journal. You can subscribe by choosing the GMJ as one of your subscription selections under My Account. If you are already a subscriber,please log in.
Log In
Subscribe
Subscribe to GMJ
See also
Never Say "Never, Ever"
Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World's Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers
Reducing Staff the Right Way
Relationships and Motivation
Sales Myths and Reality

Great Manager Program

The Great Manager Program incorporates the findings of Gallup's extensive and ongoing research. One of Gallup University's most popular programs, thousands of managers and executives from the world's most prestigious companies have attended.

Managers gain a greater understanding of themselves and their management style. They discover the employee-engaging concepts, strategies, and tools that assist them in unleashing the human potential within their organizations.

For more information about the Great Manager Program, contact Gallup University Enrollment and Admissions at 800.720.1640.

Popular Topics Brand Engagement Business Consumers Customer Engagement Employee Engagement Innovation Leadership Performance Management Strengths-Based Development Workplace
Copyright ©2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gallup®, A8™, Business Impact Analysis™, CE11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index™, Drop Club®, Emotional Economy™, Employee Engagement Index™, Employee Outlook Index™, Follow This Path™, Gallup Brain®, Gallup Consulting®, Gallup Management Journal®, GMJ®, Gallup Press®, Gallup Publishing™, Gallup Tuesday Briefing®, Gallup University®, HumanSigma®, I10™, L3™, PrincipalInsight™, Q12®, SE25™, SF34®, SRI®, Strengths Spotlight™, Strengths-Based Selling™, StrengthsCoach™, StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsQuest™, TeacherInsight™, The Gallup Path®, and The Gallup Poll® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without the express permission of Gallup, Inc.