As we talk about the job of a sales manager, we need to take a look at the factors that are expected to impact their position in the future. There are eight big trends to consider. Global presence. Thanks to technology, firms must view the entire globe as their market, as well as face unrelenting competition from all points of the globe. Adapting to global markets is not easy due to differences in culture, language, taste and customer preferences, and this requires additional training for sales forces as well as more technology. Innovative technology. The revolution in technology has helped companies communicate easily with customers worldwide. Organizations must adopt the latest and most innovative technology in order to compete. Better customer relationship management. Building long-term relationships with customers has grown in importance requiring additional effort to retain all customers rather than acquire new customers. Diversity among the Salesforce. As the workforce becomes more diverse, the sales force must reflect that diversity within its own organization. Team-based selling. In recent years, it is common for organizations to sell the product as a team, particularly for technically complex products. Generally, today's sales team features top management, inside and outside sales people and technical specialists. Multi-channel operations. The competitive pressures have forced firms to explore multiple channels to distribute their products. This is a particular challenge for salespeople who must manage customers who might view these channels as competitive to their own interests. Ethical and social issues. In recent years, social and ethical issues have evolved. Social values, customer expectations, and legal constraints are challenging and changing. The sales manager must understand the complex nature of society. Professionalism within the Salesforce. Customers are well-informed and their expectations continue to rise. The Salesforce is increasingly viewed as consummate professionals where reliability, professionalism, integrity, product and market knowledge is very necessary in today's competitive world. With that, we have reached the end of this week's lesson. Congratulations.