 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Published in Pharmaceutical Executive, May 2004.
By Rob Sederman
"Deconstructing the Sales Force Stalemate"
Pharma sales representatives, fully armed with mobile technology and gigabytes of data, are forced into playing "high decile physician roulette." They target. They prepare. They wait. All in the hope of getting that elusive 30 seconds to 2 minutes with a high potential physician. Sales managers, product managers, and executives industry wide know that for every attempted call, less than 5 percent will ever be remembered by the physician. The reps are demoralized. The home office is frustrated. No less troubling, the physicians themselves are overwhelmed by the number of sales reps filling their waiting rooms.
The industry has yet to find the magic combinations of technology, data, or analytics that can be used to revolutionize the way pharmaceuticals are sold to physicians in the United States. However, the pressure from market change and the cycle of dissatisfaction may be reaching the point where greater change will have to happen more quickly. In the meantime, companies can make great strides in improving their performance by moving toward true CRM, working "inside out" on greater rep satisfaction and loyalty, and becoming adept at systematically experimenting (or simulating) with new approaches to improving efficiency or effectiveness.
© copyright 2006, C1 Consulting