But this forces reps to drive back and forth to the regional office to get the products they need, pulling them out of the field and hurting sales productivity.

They could establish forward stocking locations, and treat these products much the same as service parts. Companies in the high-tech sector, for example, set up service parts logistics processes to get customers up and running within four hours if computers go down. Medical parts manufacturers could design the same kind of network to handle their products.

I had issues with my passport and had to resolve them at the regional office in Boston.

Don't look for us to be pulling out the acoustic guitar and the stools on this trip.

They drive prices up instantaneously without any due regard to market forces.

Our products overcome two essential forces in the world: gravity and weather.