A Successful Application of The Assessment Center Concept To The Salesperson Selection Process

AbstractThe selection of successful salespeople has been a problem defying solution for American industry. In this study, an assessment center technique was applied to the selection process of newly hired salespeople coming into the life insurance industry. An in-basket exercise was created that incorporated telephone call roleplaying exercises. Eighty percent of those agents evaluated who were still employed in the insurance industry were correctly identified through assessment center scores. Of those agents who had quit, 79.2 percent would have been rejected for employment. This prediction rate is well above reported rates for other life insurance sales personnel selection procedures, suggesting that assessment centers should be tested for use in selecting sales personnel in other industries.