Derek Hernandez is a field sales representative with Sherwin$-$Williams and works from a branch retail store location in a city of about $200,000$ people. He typically begins his morning at the store to pick up orders and check in with colleagues, and then he spends most of the day making calls with customers$-$facility managers, paint contractors, and other business accounts who have needs for paint and related supplies. Sherwin$-$Williams invests heavily in technology and has equipped its sales team with tablets and smartphones that enable them to be more efficient and consistently reach monthly sales quotas.

To assist in his sales duties, Derek uses a proprietary customer relationship management system to keep track of prospects and customers and to monitor his progress towards his sales goals. The company routinely adds prospect names to the database, and Derek sets aside time each week to review new leads and gather information about them. Once a lead is qualified, Derek is ready to invest more time to pursue the business opportunity.