Book excerpt: "Managing an independent sales force can be a major challenge--but, if it's done right, it can also be a powerful and lucrative sales strategy. Now in its third edition, this classic guide uncovers a wealth of proven tips and strategies for developing and maintaining a successful independent sales force that will dramatically increase sales and profits. The book explains how to: * Decide if an independent rep force is the right choice * Find, hire, and support a highly productive rep group * Integrate reps into a total market segmentation strategy * Manage reps without controlling them, and more. Plus, it includes completely new information on the changing relationships between customers and suppliers--and the impact these changes have had on sales channels."