William Acker of Miami has been a sales representative at several different firms since he graduated from Miami University with a degree in business. He says that his long-range goal is to start a business of his own, although he has not yet decided on what that business will be. In the meantime, he says that he has developed a new understanding of, and appreciation for, sales representatives.

William Acker of Miami keeps a plaque above the desk in his office, which says: "Nothing happens until a sale is made." This quote is attributed to Thomas Watson, Sr., who was the President of IBM for more than forty years. "And the more I think about that statement, the truer it seems, and the more profound it seems," he says. "Profound in its simplicity and truth."

He says that he has come to view sales people are the true American heroes, because in a society based on commerce, nothing happens until something gets sold and money changes hands. "No one gets paid until sales are made," he says, in a variation on the Watson quote. "You know, there are sales people in every single industry there is, and they all drive the economy. This is true not only in the United States, but the world over."

William Acker of Miami is able to cast the eye of a historian on the subject. He received an Associates degree in history from Miami Community College and has become an avid reader of history books in his free time. "In medieval times, if you needed horseshoes for your horse you just went to the blacksmith. The blacksmith acted at his own salesman. But as economies evolved we have become more specialized, and the division of labor has become more sophisticated."

The role of the sales person has changed even more in recent years, says William Acker of Miami. "I do about seventy-five percent of my job on the Internet and telephone," he says. "There will always be a need for face-to-face interaction with customers. But e-commerce has dramatically changed the equation. Take used cars, for example. There are still used car lots, but the virtual used car lot is more important. Used car dealers have both. And in the very near future, sales people will use a special mathematical algorithm to narrow down the target market. No more cold calls or web leads or email blasts.

"But nothing will happen," he concludes, "until a sale is made."