I read your editorial on The Paper Trail (March 2004, p. 15) and respond in this fashion.

I have been involved in sales for 30 years, and I too have seen many changes. The workday is no longer 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I think this is the major stumbling block for salespeople who complain about not having enough time to be in front of the customer. Their day is bogged down with paper work and reports that need to be done after 5 p.m., not during selling time. If they want an eight to five job, maybe they need to seek other employment—like on an assembly line, where they can punch in at eight and leave at five, with no work to take home with them.

The reality is, the length of the workday has changed. Unpaid overtime is expected if you want to be successful and survive. Sales reps must realize that information is a necessary part of their job, and this information must be done at the end of their workday, not during selling time. The notion that sales is a 35- to 40-hour job is a thing of the past, and salespeople had better take a good look around them and notice that their support staff and managers are putting in a lot more than 40 hours a week. Times have changed and salespeople need to change with them!

Joe Tkach Kutztown, Pa.

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