Well, at least I know now why my
efforts to sell things usually don't work out too well. A salesman I ain't - neither
by c1947 standards or by contemporary standards. I have a hard time even giving
things away based on the low response rate on notifications for winning
free
books each month. My score on this "Biz Quiz" in Radio-News magazine was around
50% (south of, actually), but that was probably due to being subconsciously biased
to answer what I thought the creator would expect for a good salesman. It would
probably be embarrassing to have a professional assessment of my true personality,
assuming that professional is not a quack with an agenda.
One of a series of sales aptitude tests especially prepared for Radio News by
Mr. George Speer, Director of
Institute for Psychological Service, Illinois Institute of Technology.
1. Would you rather play (a) solitaire (b) checkers (c) poker
2. Which book would you prefer to read? (a) how to refinish furniture (b)
magic made easy (c) the world of tomorrow
3. Would you prefer to (a) work alone (b) have your own job to do, but have other
people around (c) work in cooperation with others
4. If you are in low spirits do you (a) try to find others to cheer you up (b)
go to a movie to forget yourself for awhile (c) try to think of something cheerful
5. Do you make new friends (a) slowly (b) fairly easily (c) easily and rapidly
6. Do you think you could become so interested in an invention you were working
on that you would not notice a lack of intimate friends (a) yes (b) no (c) can't
say
7. When you are with other people have you felt lonesome (a) often (b) occasionally
(c) never
8. If a friend were describing you, which phrase would be more accurate (a) he
is very cautious (b) he is usually willing to take a chance (c) he is very reckless
9. When you have a tough problem, do you usually (a) figure it out alone (b)
talk about it with other people, but make your own decision (c) seek and follow
the advice of others
10. The tailor promised to return your suit today, but when you call for it he
informs you that he has just started to work on it. Are you more likely to (a) complain
strongly (b) tell him calmly that you are dissatisfied (c) accept it as something
that cannot be helped
11. If you were playing a game against an opponent known to be considerably more
skillful than you are, would you (a) realize you couldn't win, but try to make a
decent score (b) hope for some kind of a lucky chance that might let you win (c)
decide you were going to win in spite of his superior ability.
12. Would you rather have a job (a) with a moderate salary, but absolute security
(b) with a large salary, but considerable insecurity (c) with a commission, both
income and security depending on your own efforts
13. Are your feelings (a) rarely hurt (b) hurt sometimes (c) easily hurt
14. If you unexpectedly found that you had to stay overnight in a strange
city, where you knew no one, would you (a) go to a movie (b) go to a street carnival
( c) catch up on some reading or reports
15. Do other people feel that you are (a) understanding (b) indifferent (c) critical
of them
16. When you are told by your superiors how to do things, do you (a) follow instructions
if you must, but silently object (b) do as you are instructed without much thought
about it (c) enter into the situation and carry out the instructions enthusiastically
17. Are your best friends (a) equal to you in ability (b) inferior to you in
ability ( c) superior to you in ability
18. If you attend a sales conference led by a prominent executive, would you
(a) make every effort to meet him (b) wait for someone to introduce you to him (c)
remain in the background but try to absorb his ideas
19. If you were at a party where you knew about half of those present, and the
party became somewhat dull, would you (a) decide to go somewhere else (b) suggest
something to enliven the affair (c) wait for someone else to suggest something
20. You have a vague idea for a project in which you are interested. Do you find
it easier to develop this idea by (a) talking it over with other people (b) thinking
about it alone (c) reading books or articles on the same subject.
Are You a Salesman? Give yourself 5 points for each answer you had checked correctly.
A score of 45 is average, and 75 or better is very good indeed.
