THE 2004 COMPENSATION SURVEY.

This article provides information on a 2004 compensation survey of 2,446 sales and marketing executives in the U.S. The survey results, coupled with positive market expectations, allegedly make way for an improved economic future. In fact, 23 percent of executives allegedly project sales to increase by above 20 percent, and 70 percent expect that their and their sales staff's total compensation to rise in 2004. Despite such results, executives allegedly maintain an economic slowdown mentality when planning out 2004 budgets. In a statement issued by Bob Davenport, vice president and managing director of Hay Group, a management consulting firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a trend similar to that in 2003, there is allegedly cautious optimism, and that with steadily increasing sales and increased people in the market, the U.S. economy seems to be transitioning. Despite such caution, most executives are allegedly trying to look ahead rather than worry about what is behind them. In addition, there is allegedly proof in the compensation survey that, projecting for 2004, executives see a large decline in the number of layoffs, and increases in quotas, revenues and total compensation.