An effective international sales force constitutes one of the international
marketer's greatest concerns. The company's sales force
represents the major alternative method of organizing a company
for foreign distribution and, as such, is on the front line of a marketing
organization.
The role of marketers in both domestic and foreign markets is
rapidly changing, along with the composition of international
managerial and sales forces. Such forces have many unique
requirements that are being filled by expatriates, locals, third-country
nationals, or a combination of the three. In recent years,
the pattern of development has been to place more emphasis on
local personnel operating in their own lands. This, in turn, has
highlighted the importance of adapting U.S. managerial techniques
to local needs.
The development of an effective marketing organization calls
for careful recruiting, selecting, training, motivating, and compensating
of expatriate personnel and their families to ensure maximization
of a company's return on its personnel expenditures. The
most practical method of maintaining an efficient international
sales and marketing force is careful, concerted planning at all
stages of career development.
