In the process of redistricting, many firms do not allow a salesperson to keep any for- mer accounts if they are outside his or her new district. One hardware wholesaler realigned its territories. Then the company found that it faced the loss of some good customers because they said they would do business only with the wholesaler’s sales rep who had been calling on them for years.

Should the wholesaler make an exception and allow this rep to keep these accounts outside the new district, and thus have overlapping territories? Is the loss of these good accounts the only other alternative?