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It is thought that the first formal sales program was created by John Henry Patterson of National Cash Register Company (later NCR), in Dayton, Ohio. By the late nineteenth century, Patterson had already formed the prototypical sales force for the 20th century -- defined by territories and motivated by quotas.
Like other progressive business leaders of his time, Patterson believed that the "scientific" methods of organization that made large scale manufacturing possible were applicable in other areas, especially sales. Patterson promoted effective sales management -- combined with a coordinated advertising campaign -- to generate demand for his cash registers.
While NCR and other large manufacturing companies would continually refine the management of sales, the technique of most salesmen was largely based on their own innate abilities to persuade and to repeat verbatim sales pitches. Underlying this was an assumption that the value and distinctiveness of the products themselves were the most important factor in convincing a customer to buy. The salesman had only to communicate such qualities adequately and enthusiastically.
As a result, much of sales training in the 20th century concentrated on simply making salesmen motivated, organized and sensitive to a potential customer’s proclivity for making a purchase. In contrast, the new millennium will require a more sophisticated approach -- with a far greater emphasis on customer relationships and market expertise.
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