It seems that P&G has the most effective sales force structure of any company in its industry. Why have competitors not been able to match it?

P&G is the largest consumer products firm in the world and one of the largest corporations in the U.S. Its products are sold through almost every grocery, discount, and general merchandise retailer. The sales effort involved in moving P&G products through these retailers is absolutely massive, based on a force of more than 12,000 employees. But the term “sales” is rarely uttered. For P&G, it’s all about customer business development, or CBD. CBD is organized into teams, each of which is assigned to a P&G customer. Teams are comprised of a general CBD manager, several account executives, and specialists in each of the business functions.
P&G has a true competency in its CBD structure. As a pioneer of this concept, it has achieved a strong competitive advantage based on four pillars or CBD objectives. All of this has enabled P&G to forge strong relationships with customers. This sales force structure is a factor that has contributed to tremendous financial performance for the corporation.