Abstract:

The sales force is the primary promotional vehicle between the pharmaceutical company and the GP universe. It is a large and labour-intensive function which is expensive to maintain, complex to structure and control and as in all people- based functions attracts inefficiency and potential for failure. This paper focuses on the process of setting and identifying a number of areas where management action for improvement would be appropriate. The responsibility for the quality and process of salesmanship is split between the Sales Manager and the Marketing Manager in the majority of pharmaceutical companies. The former recruits, trains and "polices" the field activity whilst the latter designs the tools of selling. This split in responsibilities is the cause of a significant weakness in the quality of salesmanship. The selling of a complex pharmaceutical product requires a considerable interplay with the current beliefs and habits of the GP and the assimilation by the GP of a new set of behaviours for himself, his patients and his colleagues. This complex interplay has to be understood by the Sales Manager and by the designer of the materials which support the selling process. The paper also identifies four problem areas between the representative and the GP all of which negatively influence the normal process of salesmanship and leads to observed symptoms of inefficiency. Recent research amongst sales and marketing managers indicates a desire for sales managers to have wider experience of marketing and market research issues. How this will be achieved is set out in guidelines for improving selling skills and ultimately for changing the organisational responsibilities for the selling function.