Evaluate this statement: “Good customer service doesn’t do you much good, but poor customer service can kill you.”

Missionary or supporting salespeople do not normally try to secure orders. They are used by manufacturers to provide specialized services and create goodwill and more dealer push. They work with dealers, perhaps to develop point-of-service displays, train dealer salespeople to do a better job of selling the product, provide better communication and rapport between distributor and manufacturer, and in general, aggressively promote the brand. They are particularly important in selling to self-service outlets, such as supermarkets and discount stores, where there are no retail clerks selling to customers, so that displays, shelf space, and in-stock conditions have to be the selling tools.
Galli’s super-missionaries or swarm teams of Galli were small armies of energetic college recruits who also worked Nascar races, trade shows, new store openings, and the like. A typical super-missionary was given the use of a new Ford Explorer Sport Trac, a territory of 14 Wal-Marts, and a mission: Make sure Newell’s pens, bowls, buckets and blinds are neatly displayed, priced right, and piled high in prominent spots.