ABSTRACT
It is important to understand the myriad forces that affect personal selling in the global marketplace. The previous chapter explained the impact culture has upon the global sales force. In the global marketplace, culture is the paramount force that influences all sales actions. For example, culture dictates the approach taken by the global salesperson when interacting with a current or potential customer. This chapter builds upon culture by introducing additional areas that significantly impact both sales management strategies and salesperson behavior. These topics include a background of personal selling and sales management, firm philosophies that drive the sales force, activities engaged in by the sales force, different sales force jobs, and concludes with a discussion of ethics and five ethical dilemma categories faced by salespeople in the global marketplace. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an explanation of forces that influence the global sales force.
