Introduction: It’s a Daily Battle!

Remember the television commercial of the salesperson driving down the expressway with a cell phone balanced on his shoulder, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a laptop computer teetering on the dashboard? The voice in the background says, “You know he’s out there.”

That’s a frightening commercial because of the element of truth in it. The life of a salesperson these days is a battle with an overwhelming number of things to do, ever rising expectations, and conflicting pressures.

While this has always been the case for field salespeople, in recent years the pressures have increased dramatically on every aspect of the salesperson’s job. Customers are more sophisticated, more demanding, and harder to see. Voice ...

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