Marketing Channels: The Case of Agricultural Inputs in Brazil

The usual salesperson goes to the client, makes a sale contact, identifies needs, shows his products and attributes and gets the effective sale. For agricultural inputs, this is a very expensive activity for some companies, yet one of the most used communication tools. In a changing environment as competition increases and companies start to practice marketing concepts more and more, the sales force function needs to add value while at the same time being more cost effective. This article is about salespersons and the opportunities and threats that the rapidly changing environment brings.