An empirical study of the effect of background characteristics and personality traits on the productivity of real estate sales personnel.

Abstract

The Pearson product-moment correlation and t-test of significance was used to test hypotheses relating to significant relationships between productivity and background variables and personality traits. For non-metric variables, the Mann-Whitney U-test and z-test of significance was used.

The Ordinary Least Squares Analysis, Linear Probability Analysis, Principal Components Analysis and Chi-Square test of significance were used for developing and testing a predictive model from the survey data.

The primary purposes of this study were twofold. One was to determine if there was a correlation between the performance of real estate sales personnel and selected background characteristics and personality traits; the other to develop and test a model to predict performance of real estate personnel and sales applicants.

A significant correlation was found between productivity and nine background variables and twelve personality traits. A regression equation generated by the Linear Probability Analysis was able to correctly classify 88.7 percent of the low-productivity group of real estate sales personnel and 75.5 percent of the high-productivity group. The variables included in this model were: number of unfavorable adjectives checked, preference for time spent at work, real estate experience, Achievement drive, parents (not) in real estate, formal education, and Exhibition.

Data was gathered via two questionnaires from a random sample of 156 real estate sales personnel and/or former sales personnel in the Huntsville and Florence, Alabama SMSA. The sample was divided into a primary group of 106 respondents and a hold-out or validity sample of 50 respondents.