The primary objective of this study was to analyze and assess factors that may relate to sales force effectiveness with an end goal of identifying characteristics that provide valid and reliable predictions of sales force effectiveness. Subsidiary objectives (a) identified factors that best predict sales performance in global operations in industrial goods and (b) development of a classification system for sales performance.Data were collected from a globally operating industrial goods manufacturer. Hypotheses were tested through the application of several statistical procedures. Statistical procedures applied included (a) factor analysis, (b) discriminant analysis, (c) GLM MANOVA, (d) multiple regression analysis, and (e) descriptive statistical analysis.The study findings demonstrated the reliability and validity of applying personality tests as a means of predicting levels of sales force performance. The study also found that women were underrepresented in industrial goods sales, although the personality testing and performance ratings on which the data for this study were based indicated that women can perform at high levels in industrial goods sales. It was recommended that the rating system validated by the study findings should be implemented by the participating company.