A merchant named Nani recorded a formal complaint on a clay tablet in 1750 BCE regarding a subpar copper delivery. This demonstrates that difficult clients and service failures are not modern phenomena but a fundamental part of commerce history.
John H. Patterson, founder of National Cash Register (NCR), introduced the first mandatory sales script, sales quotas, and sales conventions. These innovations were created to standardize professional selling and tame the 'wild west' nature of the profession at the time.
The massive 1999 acquisition was not a friendly merger. The months-long, intense negotiations and hostile nature of the takeover exposed legal loopholes and created new precedents, ultimately leading to permanent changes in corporate law across Europe.
While telephones existed earlier, the concept of a dedicated, non-traveling sales team working from an office was pioneered by Dial America in 1957. This marked the beginning of inside sales as a distinct profession and a major shift toward virtual business transactions.
This classic mathematical problem seeks the shortest possible route between multiple cities. While simple to state, it's incredibly complex to solve at scale. Its principles are now fundamental to optimizing global logistics and delivery networks for modern commerce giants.
Historically, salespeople held an information advantage. Today, the internet allows buyers to research products, pricing, and reviews extensively before a sales call. This power shift forces reps to provide value beyond basic information, focusing instead on consultative selling and customer experience.
Instead of optimizing a physical travel route, which consumes immense time, field sales reps can bypass the problem entirely by using the telephone. The phone allows for far greater prospecting efficiency and appointment setting, solving the core business challenge without the logistical overhead.
Chinese laborers used actual snake oil, rich in omega-3s, to soothe muscles. American entrepreneur Clark Stanley created a fake version with mineral oil and beef fat and marketed it deceptively at the 1893 World's Fair, creating the negative 'snake oil salesman' stereotype.