Why the best salesperson is not the best sales manager

Abstract

Aims to corroborate the observation which the title states, and answers the question which it poses by drawing on the results of a project conducted at a pharmaceutical company. Results showed that: the roles of sales executive and sales management had primary performance demands which were opposites; the primary attributes required for success in the two roles were also opposites; therefore those who succeed in the sales role because they possess the attributes which that role requires for success can succeed in the management role only if they also possess the opposite attributes; it is known from personality research that personality traits cluster in positive correlations, so people who possess opposite attributes are rare. Discusses the implications of this state of affairs and closes by pulling its separate strands together.

Citation

Ziyal, L. (1995), "Why the best salesperson is not the best sales manager", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949510084074