Power
A job in international sales is a balancing act: You're supposed to look out for your clients, speak up for them when they have problems with your company or its products, and procure timely solutions for them. Really, you're like Horton the elephant, and your clients are like the Whos. On the other hand, you also have to positively represent your company while making as much money for your employer as humanly possible.
In a perfect world, you'd have the power to satisfy both your clients and your company. However, that isn't always what happens.
Say, for example, that your company is the sole manufacturer of a one-of-a-kind component for computers. Because your company has a monopoly on the product it's selling, it has a lot of power when it comes to dealing with customers…but you don't. You're just a cog in the corporate machine, a face for outsiders to interact with.
If your client has a problem with the product, you may sympathize with them and you may even go to bat for them. In the end, however, your word won't mean much because the company you work for—as the sole producer of that computer component—can do whatever it wants. Your clients are going to have to put up with that. If your client has another Chicken Fingers incident and you take it to your boss, your boss may be indifferent to your client's plight because he's still rolling in the dough.
There is a flip side, though. Say your company produces shoelaces. Everyone needs shoelaces, right? And lots of different businesses can make shoelaces. There's nothing technologically challenging about putting out a bit of string for shoes.
When you work for a company that sells shoelaces or some other ubiquitous item, you, as a salesperson, have a lot of power because your company's ability to make money is based largely on your ability to build relationships with clients and to sell product. After all, if customers don't like your company's shoelaces or want to pay less for the product, they can always go elsewhere. What keeps clients with your company is you, and your gift for wheeling and dealing.
This kind of power translates to power in your career. When you're all that stands between your company and poor sales, you can bargain for better pay and benefits. If your employer can't meet what you're looking for, you're free to look elsewhere for work, and you'll likely find one or more of your company's competitors anxious to hire you on.