Sales History: Sales Quota Setting Today vs. 100 Years Ago

Why is it that, 100 years ago, sales quotas were calculated by market analysts and sales quota specialists TERRITORY SPECIFIC, with the data shared with each rep individually, when they had LESS DATA and LESS TOOLS AVAILABLE TO MAKE SENSE OF DATA than we do today?

Give a quick view of the video, then scroll down:

——- (Selected quotes from March of 1926’s joint meeting of The American Management Association and The American Statistical Association in New York for your edu-tainment) ——

“I have little patience with the ready-made, hand-me-down quota. There is no panacea. If it is wrong, I do not care how simple it is, it will not stay sold even if you are able to sell it (to the salesperson) in the first place.”
(H.G. Weaver, General Motors Corporation)

“Sales quotas are more likely to be accepted wholeheartedly by the sales force when there is definite proof that a given factor does influence the sales of a commodity and when the weight to be assigned to it is not determined by individual opinion or guesswork.”
(Donald R. G. Cowan, Swift & Company)

Regarding the investment in a analyst/specialist: This individual provides the value of “setting quotas which could be accepted as a standard of accomplishment for the sales(person) and as a basis for the redistribution of sales energy on a more economical basis.” (Weaver, GM)

And regarding simply adding 5-10% to last year’s quota and/or attainment as the new quota: “amounts to using the thing to be measured as the measuring stick of itself.” (Weaver, GM)