If you sell through distribution channels also, the number and type of sales forces can vary tremendously and your success as a marketer is highly dependent on their success.

The big drugs companies will benefit from that because they have marketing machines and large technical sales forces to persuade doctors to prescribe a drug.

They can co-ordinate fares, sales forces, flights chedules and frequent-flyer programmes—efficiencies that are, they claim, in the interests of customers.