Some Brilliant Tips On Having Pity For Sales Reps

How do you see your sales reps, are they underachievers or overachievers? Do you motivate them enough or too much? Do you understand that in many circumstances they represent the most important link in your entire product chain? Get ready to answer a number of these questions as the pharmaceutical sales industry undergoes a process of reinvention. Salesforce effectiveness and the importance of effective implementation are critical factors today and the pharmaceutical consultant must carefully look at all sales force management practices. While we are coming to understand that a far more targeted approach must be given to communication with the prescribing professional, we also need to understand that on our end, the sales rep must also be "analysed" as an individual, as they have entirely different motivators and reasons for behaving the way that they do.

Traditionally, companies deploy their sales representatives in a tightly focused area. Pharmaceutical marketing training revolves around specific products and given approaches. Why is it that some companies believe that their sales representatives are incapable of "multitasking," as if their efficiency trails off when they have to focus on more than one product? The pharmaceutical consultancy is only too aware that the prescriber often complains about overload, that they do not have enough time to meet with all these different sales representatives and that they are beginning to find the whole process far too impersonal. The doctor has to focus on a vast array of individual products and it is likely that a meeting with a pharma sales rep would be far more productive if a rep was able to cover a broader range of solutions. It's up to the pharmaceutical consultancy to help the company move towards this different approach. This may not work in a particular market, within a particular route or in certain product areas, but the company must be willing to gather analytical data to give them a better grasp of potential.

Each member of the sales team must be analysed to see what makes them work well. This is not about compensation alone, even though this is of course powerful, but you have to see what is truly important to the individual, as a package slanted toward compensation may not be enough. The uniform package will definitely not work and you should avoid an "adequate" approach at all times. If the rep is able to easily meet targets and bonuses are not structured appropriately, this person is far less likely to help you meet corporate goals. While compensation is a very big issue for every organisation, it must be approached very carefully.

It's also essential to treat a sales representative carefully, as very often the personal inter-communication between this person and the healthcare professional can make a difference in total productivity. Generally, pharmaceutical marketing training should focus on the particular strengths of each individual, and be ready to provide them with more resources and additional product responsibility if need be. The pharmaceutical consultant should analyse the interaction with the end-user, to provide the information necessary to make this kind of decision.

Alan Gillies is the CEO of L2L Consulting, a cutting-edge pharma consultancy firm which specialises in optimising productivity and performance within international companies by applying tailored organisational strategies.