Pharma Sales Forces: Change in the Face of Adversity
“Change,” futurist Alvin Toffler once said, “is the process by which the future invades our lives.”
For the pharmaceutical sales industry, that future is unfolding now. Dropping revenue, increasingly narrow access to physicians, ever-tightening code-of-conduct restrictions, and online research by customers have all affected the bottom line—and the way in which the industry must engage the market.
Nowhere is the impact more telling than in traditional pharmaceutical sales, which has contracted dramatically in the past five years. The numbers speak for themselves: In 2005, the pharmaceutical sales industry employed 102,000 reps. By 2012, there will be just 75,000. But jobs aren’t the only things that are disappearing. According to a recent study by SK&A, physicians are under such time constraints with patients, or are so disillusioned with the marketing of blockbuster drugs, that one in four now refuses to see reps, while 40 percent of those who do insist they first make an appointment.
In response, some pharmaceutical companies have abandoned traditional sales in favour of more client-centric models; some have turned towards offering physicians a small, more specialized group of reps, while others are employing new technology and the internet as tools. But will it be enough?
Key insights from reliable sources:
FirstWord’s insightful examination of the current pharmaceutical sales environment — Pharma Sales Forces: Change in the Face of Adversity — investigates the challenges the industry faces now, and in the future. The report offers an incisive, powerful overview of the industry’s issues and concerns, examines current physician needs, attitudes towards reps and the rise of online research, reviews new models and innovative approaches using e-technology and, most critically, assesses their potential for success.
The report investigates the pharmaceutical sales landscape to determine:
The report
New/re-structured sales models covered:
Merck & Co.
Eli Lilly
Novartis
AstraZeneca
Pfizer
Schering-Plough
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline
For the pharmaceutical sales industry, that future is unfolding now. Dropping revenue, increasingly narrow access to physicians, ever-tightening code-of-conduct restrictions, and online research by customers have all affected the bottom line—and the way in which the industry must engage the market.
Nowhere is the impact more telling than in traditional pharmaceutical sales, which has contracted dramatically in the past five years. The numbers speak for themselves: In 2005, the pharmaceutical sales industry employed 102,000 reps. By 2012, there will be just 75,000. But jobs aren’t the only things that are disappearing. According to a recent study by SK&A, physicians are under such time constraints with patients, or are so disillusioned with the marketing of blockbuster drugs, that one in four now refuses to see reps, while 40 percent of those who do insist they first make an appointment.
In response, some pharmaceutical companies have abandoned traditional sales in favour of more client-centric models; some have turned towards offering physicians a small, more specialized group of reps, while others are employing new technology and the internet as tools. But will it be enough?
Key insights from reliable sources:
FirstWord’s insightful examination of the current pharmaceutical sales environment — Pharma Sales Forces: Change in the Face of Adversity — investigates the challenges the industry faces now, and in the future. The report offers an incisive, powerful overview of the industry’s issues and concerns, examines current physician needs, attitudes towards reps and the rise of online research, reviews new models and innovative approaches using e-technology and, most critically, assesses their potential for success.
The report investigates the pharmaceutical sales landscape to determine:
- The changing needs and demands of physicians and hospitals on the industry
- Which re-structured sales force models exist, how they work, and if they’ll succeed
The report
- Examines the past, current, and future sales force environments and outlines weaknesses and challenges going forward
- Reviews new sales models, strategies, and technologies that could be implemented to drive expansion and market recovery
- Includes critical insight into the most effective approaches and offers a synopsis of the future of the industry’s changing relationship with customers
New/re-structured sales models covered:
Merck & Co.
Eli Lilly
Novartis
AstraZeneca
Pfizer
Schering-Plough
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THE PHARMACEUTICAL LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING
Restrictions and declining access
Access to physicians
Industry codes of conduct
Changing needs of physicians
Move to online content and learning
“Influence points”
TRADITIONAL SALES MODEL
Legions of sales reps
Dwindling sales productivity
THE NEW SALES MODEL
Customer-centric models
What do physicians want from their sales reps?
Sales rep certification
RE-STRUCTURED SALES FORCE MODELS
Merck & Co.
Eli Lilly
Novartis
AstraZeneca
Pfizer
Other announced re-structuring
Schering-Plough
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline
Most effective sales force?
Are the news sales force models working?
New strategies to complement or change
Outsourcing – Contract Sales Organisations (CSOs)
Medical Science Liaison (MSLs)
Death of the salesman?
NEW TECHNOLOGIES USED TO DRIVE GROWTH
Electronic detailing
Virtual live e-detailing
Scripted e-detailing
Will e-detailing supersede traditional detailing?
Closed Loop Marketing (CLM)
E-learning
Physician customer service portals
APPENDICES
ALL FEATURED WEBSITES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PHARMACEUTICAL LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING
Restrictions and declining access
Access to physicians
Industry codes of conduct
Changing needs of physicians
Move to online content and learning
“Influence points”
TRADITIONAL SALES MODEL
Legions of sales reps
Dwindling sales productivity
THE NEW SALES MODEL
Customer-centric models
What do physicians want from their sales reps?
Sales rep certification
RE-STRUCTURED SALES FORCE MODELS
Merck & Co.
Eli Lilly
Novartis
AstraZeneca
Pfizer
Other announced re-structuring
Schering-Plough
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline
Most effective sales force?
Are the news sales force models working?
New strategies to complement or change
Outsourcing – Contract Sales Organisations (CSOs)
Medical Science Liaison (MSLs)
Death of the salesman?
NEW TECHNOLOGIES USED TO DRIVE GROWTH
Electronic detailing
Virtual live e-detailing
Scripted e-detailing
Will e-detailing supersede traditional detailing?
Closed Loop Marketing (CLM)
E-learning
Physician customer service portals
APPENDICES
ALL FEATURED WEBSITES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
