Article at a glance:

Building a top consumer goods sales force

• Spurred by increasing demands from retailers, more than three-quarters of North American consumer goods makers have restructured their sales forces since 2002. But few manufacturers managed to parlay these changes into higher market share and lower costs.
• What separates a top sales force from the rest? A survey finds that top manufacturers focus more resources on key customers, organize their key-account teams differently, and customize their services to meet the evolving needs of specific retailers more effectively.
• Despite the increasingly demanding relationship between supplier and retailer, the survey finds that many sales force organizations apparently take a shortsighted view of talent management.