Howard needs to re-recognize that one of the things any sales person needs to do is to be able to "qualify" the customers and decision makers and learn not to spend so much time "spinning his wheels" with non productive dealings, rather than complaining (?whining?) about how "earning a living selling is as tough as any job out there".

NO, IT IS NOT.

When you have been a shop and field service tech for about 8 years, come back and tell me that again.
Also, Howard, you may find that showing appreciation to the hard working service techs may be one of the best investments of time possible, since the service tech will have a reputation as a "straight shooter" with his customers that a salesperson would not have, and the service tech will also be the person whose opinion of "time to get rid of this one" will be almost as important as the opinion of the customer's accounting department, in helping make that sale.

I am sorry, and I offer an up front apology if it sounds as if I am calling you (Howard, personally) as being disingenuous, but I have yet to met any salesperson that took the job because of the physical or any other sort of challenge it offered. If you can not make enough money as a sales person, try twisting the wrench (and not just for a day or week). I have done most every job in the forklift industry (to the point of being considered expert by those I recognize as my peers) and I promise you that it is far more tough, and you fall in bed far more tired at night, in being the best (or just average) service person your company has than be, as opposed to being the very best sales person. Tell us again that you took the job as salesperson because it was tough and you thought you would be the best person for that job, that you would not want to make someone else work that hard so you took it upon your self to be the one doing the difficult work, and not that you took that job because it was so much more attractive to stay clean. (and that "you" is a generic you aimed at anyone that thinks the job of sales is as demanding a job as being the new guy in the service department, not just Howard.
Now on to Dave'160s comment.
I am firmly of the opinion that internet sales of capital goods are still being fought down (tooth and nail) by the "brick and mortar" entrenched "powers that be" as they try to protect their turf, and it will take the success of sites willing to make the effort and put in the time the way forkliftaction has, before the Internet makes any differences to the new truck sales.
There is no free magic bullet* that the brick and mortar set can tap into to change their ways and move into the 21 century without a learning curve, and for those who think they already know it all, learning and change can often be an experience that includes a great deal of pain before the need to learn is appreciated.
I hear that some dealers think twitter is a magic bullet. I think they may be surprised if they ever account for their time as well as Howard did, at the effort that it takes to fire that particular magic bullet.

I would also like to make the point to John_J that sales persons are not needed. Demand for the product is needed, and a salesperson's only true function is to clarify the need in the customer's mind, for the product they represent. There are thousands of products sold daily without any sort of sales call. The salesman does not "make the sale", the demand for the product makes the sale. So John, your statement of; "When you look at the basic elements of any business there are only two essential elements to them - someone to produce the product or service and someone to sell the product or service and if someone didn't sell the product or service you really don't need someone to produce them", would be far more truthful and accurate (in my not so humble opinion) as; "When you look at the basic elements of any business there are only two essential elements to them - the product or service and demand for the product or service, and if someone didn't need the product or service you really don't need someone to produce them.