The Apollo Personality Test is an online personality test supported by our Psychologists in Hong Kong and Singapore and partners across Asia. Designed to measure personality, work preferences, motivations, and values, Apollo is used to help decisions involving recruitment and selection, training and development, and careers advice. Rationale behind the Apollo Personality Test Building on established psychological theories and a model of excellence put forward in the Karpin report “Enterprising Nation”, the Apollo Profile is a comprehensive psychometric test. Designed from the outset to be used internationally, the profile is different to other personality assessments in that it compares test-takers to a model of excellence rather than to the average person.

1. PsyAsia
Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
This Narrative report compares candidates with a model of excellence developed by studies of
thousands of people on the Apollo Profile data base. This report provides interpretive information
about candidates for each Apollo Profile factor. Factors are designated as Primary or Secondary
relating to the importance of that factor for the role. Candidate scores are shown as being green,
amber or red. Green indicates a score normally associated with successful performance. Amber
indicates higher or lower scores than generally associated as suitable for that factor. Red indicates
an area of concern as the candidate score is significantly different than most successful performers.
Introduction
Page 1 of 11

2. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Career Drives
Achievement
Responses indicate that John likes to achieve results, and this is a vital characteristic for success in sales,
particularly in a tough market. During negotiations he is conscious of getting the outcomes needed. SHADOW
SIDE - Because of a high desire for results, some people with similar scores can be seen by clients as too pushy if
relationship skills are not developed, especially if possessing a dominant personality.
Primary
Remuneration
Despite the myth that sales people are most motivated by money, John is similar to other successful sales-people
in that he rates remuneration as less important than other factors at work. The reality in sales is that financial
returns follow selling results. However, John would require his remuneration arrangement to be fair in his eyes,
relative to what other people inside and outside the organisation are being paid. SHADOW SIDE - Because
remuneration is not the major consideration, such people can perplexingly leave an organisation if other
motivating factors are not met.
Primary
Ambition
Responses indicate that John has a strong level of ambition and wants to succeed in whatever he does. John
would look for ways to do better, whether that is in higher sales figures, or by means of career promotion. The
job is important to John, and he would strive to achieve his goals. SHADOW SIDE - Some people with similar
scores may put personal ambitions ahead of organisation good, and fight with others who they may feel are a
threat to personal success.
Primary
Independence
Responses indicate that John is a very independent person, and prefers little supervision. John needs to operate
in his own way, and may often be creative in bringing in business. John will not want much support from
management or the office, and will try to resolve most problems by himself. John will thrive in sales positions
requiring independence, and is likely to do well in aggressive selling environments. Likely to be a tough negotiator
who sees things mostly from his side. SHADOW SIDE - Whilst people with a very high need for independence
are often amongst the top sales performers, some can be difficult to manage. Some may go beyond the
boundaries of their authority, and let their disagreement with company policies or products be known. Such
people can also be 'loners' unless they have reasonably high social needs and want the company of other people.
As such, communications may be infrequent. Some people with high independence do not value team playing, but
prefer to be the star themselves, which is appropriate for some sales roles.
Secondary
Recognition
Compared to other sales people it is most important to John that he receives recognition and respect for the work
he does. It may be difficult for John to receive the level of recognition he requires from a hard sales environment.
John will strive to succeed in order to attain this recognition, and would enjoy star status if successful. SHADOW
SIDE - If an extremely high level of ego is involved, it can be perceived sometimes that a person is self-serving in
their desire for recognition, and this can create resentment and resistance from clients and others. Some people
Secondary
Page 2 of 11

3. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
may also be seen as using company resources to achieve personal recognition.
Page 3 of 11

4. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Coping
Security
Whilst security is more valued by many people in today's workforce, most successful sales people are confident in
their ability to do well, and therefore have a lesser need for security, as does John. This confidence often projects
well when dealing with customers. John would be willing to take risks and even incur some disapproval in order to
obtain goals. SHADOW SIDE - Sales personnel with low security needs may rock the corporate boat, and be
willing to criticise shortcomings as they see them. They are also more willing to leave employers if their career
goals are not being met.
Primary
Responsibility
Responses indicate that John is a sensibly responsible person who can normally be relied upon to exercise good
judgment in accepting workloads. John would enjoy a challenge and being stretched, and the opportunity to
acquire new skills. John would usually know his limits, and will generally accept and deal with mistakes in a
positive way.
Primary
Stress Resilience
Responses indicate that John seems to be coping with his job to the degree that some stress is evident, but not
enough to compromise productivity as a salesperson. John probably gets adrenalin from challenges, and enjoys
some pressure. John would generally be able to relax and deal with day to day sales pressures.
Primary
Sensitivity
Responses indicate that John is generally sensitive to the needs of others, and does not get upset easily. As such,
he would tend to be a pleasant person to work with, and a good sounding board.
Secondary
Page 4 of 11

5. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Negotiation Style
Innovation
Responses indicate that John is willing to experiment and try new things, and can come up with ideas. This would
enable him to vary responses when dealing with different clients, and be generally able to see opportunities.
Because John can take initiatives, there would be less need for support from management. An ability for thinking
on his feet would make John useful in negotiations, and he would probably be seen as a reasonable and flexible
person by other parties. SHADOW SIDE - People who think on their feet frequently over-rely on that ability, and
may fail to prepare thoroughly for presentations. Such people can also get bored too easily, and fail to finish tasks
and assignments that still have value left in them.
Secondary
Analysing
Responses indicate that John brings analytical and problem solving abilities with him, which would help him deal
with the day to day complexities of professional selling. This aids in creating solutions for clients and the
company, and in coming up with original ideas.
Secondary
Assertive
Responses indicate that John is generally adequately assertive and will normally face conflict when it arises and
try to deal with it in an open manner. He would usually be willing to bring up points of contention with clients,
and would be confident in handling objections and complaints, whilst striving to preserve relationships.
Secondary
Competitive
Responses indicate that John is reasonably willing to be competitive, and if used appropriately this will help
deliver difficult sales. However, because being competitive means you win, your opponent loses, it is wiser to
choose a win-win outcome where possible for long term business.
Secondary
Collaborative
Being more collaborative and establishing long term relationships is an observable trend in today's sales
environment. Responses indicate that John appreciates the value of win-win outcomes, and usually tries to be
collaborative in dealings with others. This tends to generate long term goodwill and trust, as well as optimising
gains for all parties.
Secondary
Compromising
There seems to be more need in today's marketplace for salespeople to compromise more in order to do deals.
Responses indicate that John understands compromising and making sensible concessions when trying to do a
deal. He realises that we can't always get our own way, and is willing to trade concessions with the other party.
This can build up trust and long term relationships, and is a cornerstone of negotiating.
Secondary
Page 5 of 11

6. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
There seems to be more need in today's marketplace for salespeople to compromise more in order to do deals.
Responses indicate that John understands compromising and making sensible concessions when trying to do a
deal. He realises that we can't always get our own way, and is willing to trade concessions with the other party.
This can build up trust and long term relationships, and is a cornerstone of negotiating.
Page 6 of 11

7. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
People Orientation
Agreeable
There is an increased requirement in today's marketplace for successful sales people to have well developed
social skills for relationship building. Responses indicate that John enjoys the person-to-person contact of selling,
and would be able to form ongoing relationships with clients. He probably enhances his sales effectiveness by
socialising, and being liked by certain people is important to him. When negotiating, John would generally
consider consequences affecting other people. SHADOW SIDE - People with similar scores may sometimes spend
too much time being agreeable and socialising and talking about non-work matters.
Primary
Teamwork
Responses indicate that John likes to be part of a team, but also appreciates his own individuality. John would
probably be willing to concede his agenda for the greater good of the team, and understands the value of
consultation and group involvement. John is likely to help new staff, and enjoy training others. In negotiations he
should combine well with other team-members and support their efforts rather than compete with them. John is
also likely to create empathy with opponents in negotiations, which can be useful in gaining concessions.
Secondary
Extraversion
Responses indicate that John would enjoy socialising to a degree, but also needs quiet and reflective periods. He
would be comfortable in most social situations, and enjoy working with people and some networking. This enables
him to form appropriate selling relationships with a range of people, including obtaining the confidence of more
introspective types if he tries. John would generally be open, and willing to listen to client's problems, which
would help make him quite popular with some people.
Primary
Intimacy
Responses indicate that John strikes a balance between forming relationships and remaining objective. In selling,
positive personal relationships can ensure repeat business.
Secondary
Page 7 of 11

8. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Power and Influence
Power
Responses indicate that John enjoys the use of power, and would be a forceful salesperson and negotiator.
SHADOW SIDE - Some people who like to use power to achieve their goals are often seen as too pushy and self-
interested, and unless they have well developed people skills can alienate others.
Secondary
Decisive
Responses indicate that John thinks things over, then makes a decision. Because of this he is likely to take
appropriate risks to get the sale. Likely to have a good sense of urgency and time, and be aware of deadlines and
rarely miss them, so he is unlikely to let clients down. Likely to work at a good pace and be personally productive.
Secondary
Persuasive
Responses indicate that John enjoys being persuasive and influencing other people, which is a prime requisite for
a successful sales person. This makes him comfortable in the selling role, and tends to give clients confidence that
he knows what he is talking about.
Primary
Page 8 of 11

9. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Values
Altruism
Responses indicate that John is a generally caring person, but can usually remain objective when selling. When
negotiating, he would listen to the other point of view and consider meeting their needs when possible. John
probably enjoys helping people, and is likely to get the trust of others.
Secondary
Trust
Trust and openness has emerged as quite an important issue to many people in today's workforce. In relation to
others, John has a normal score for Trust. This is likely to mean that John regards trust and openness at work as
important.
Secondary
Loyalty
Issues of loyalty have generally increased for salespeople in today's workforce. In relation to others John has a
normal score for this category. This is likely to mean that issues of loyalty at work are of some importance to him.
Secondary
Conforming
John has a normal score for this category. This is likely to mean that he balances being pragmatic with
conforming to the views of society.
Secondary
Page 9 of 11

10. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Workplace Management
Goalsetting
Today's sales environment shows increasing importance of using goals, and responses indicate that John is
conscious of goals and targets, and would normally strive to achieve them. Having clear goals usually leads to
good planning and prioritising and achieving sales objectives. As a negotiator, John would remain clear in the
goals needed to be attained.
Secondary
Conscientious
Responses indicate that John has a low need for structure, rules and regulations at work, and may frequently do
things in an unorthodox way if he believes it will help get a sale. Some people with similar scores often regard
company rules and policies only as a guideline, but this characteristic may help to find new solutions to old
problems. John probably places a low priortity on attending to detail and doing paperwork, which may be
tolerable if getting results. SHADOW SIDE - However John is probably not very persistent, and may benefit by
being more persistent in his selling efforts. Research continually shows that strong persistence is a common
characteristic of successful sales people, as it helps them chase hard for business, and deal with rejection. Some
people with similar scores are likely to be outspoken and criticise the product and the company and the way
things are done if they do not agree. May be difficult to manage, and need to be careful to know where the line of
unorthodoxy changes to being unacceptable.
Secondary
Self Organisation
The multiplicity of demands in today's workplace requires sales people to be more highly self-organised than in
the past. Responses indicate that John would be adequately organised in his job, and unlikely to let the company
or clients down through lack of organisation. John would generally be aware of priorities, and be self-contained in
his personal management systems.
Secondary
Proactive
Today's salesperson is more highly proactive than in the past, indicating that it is now more important to be time
conscious, to plan, and be goal focused. Responses indicate that John generally plans his day and work, then tries
to work to the plan. John probably considers quality as well as quantity when he schedules his work, and would
try to get the priorities right. This style provides a form of independence and efficiency which would help him
service clients and deal with paperwork to good effect.
Secondary
Page 10 of 11

11. Sales Personnel - Narrative Report
John Candidate 03/12/2007
Unusual Answers Score
Unusually Low Answers
Answers to the low scoring questions are in the normal range, and consistently agree with what most people
choose.
'Primary'
Unusually High Answers
Answers to a number of high scoring questions are in the normal range, and consistently agree with what most
people choose.
'Primary'
Page 11 of 11