Didn't the other board members believe in the product or wasn't there other sales people?
At the companies party, the guy declares that Tommy is out trying to sell it and everyone gets depressed. LOL.
They needed money in order to manufacturer the brake pads. The bank wouldn't loan them the money because they were over extended, so Tommy agreed to put up his house as collateral and go on the sales trip to put in pre-orders for the pads.
shareBut the question is why the company didn't have qualified salespoeple to go out and do that. I doubt Big Tom was out there going door to door to push his product, so his death shouldn't have affected their sales structure in a way that would require a replacement like Tommy.
shareBig Tom could sell ice to an Eskimo. Not only were they hoping that Tommy could do the same, but the fact that the people would have to meet face-to-face with the son of a man who just died - and they knew the man quite well. They were hoping that would give him an advantage.
shareIn the real world, they would have had either contracted a professional salesperson from the outside, or had someone from within do it.
There's no way they stake the future of the company on a kid that just (barely) graduated college and a smarmy accountant.
But, since that wouldn't have been a very funny premise for a movie, they opted not to.