A meta-analytic review of predictors of job performance for salespeople

This meta-analysis evaluated predictors of both objective and subjective sales performance. Biodata measures and sales ability inventories were good predictors of the ratings criterion, with corrected rs of .52 and .45, respectively. Potency (a subdimension of the Big 5 personality dimension Extraversion) predicted supervisor ratings of performance (r =.28) and objective measures of sales (r =.26). Achievement (a component of the Conscientiousness dimension) predicted ratings (r =.25) and objective sales (r=.41). General cognitive ability showed a correlation of .40 with ratings but only .04 with objective sales. Similarly, age predicted ratings (r =.26) but not objective sales (r = -.06). On the basis of a small number of studies, interest appears to be a promising predictor of sales success.