All the work that you put into creating and positioning the product will be of no use unless the pharmaceutical company can successfully market its products to the end-user. It is so important to choose a top notch sales and marketing team, training them in the overall benefits and value of the products, as well as the fundamental strategies necessary to be able to achieve a desired result in the market. Despite its importance, the effectiveness of the sales force is often given poor attention. Invariably, pharmaceutical consultants are highly skilled in training and motivating and can bring a company’s sales team up to a high level of effectiveness, with considerable potential gain for the organisation.
One well-known football coach once claimed that “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” This is a mindset that a sales and marketing executive should retain at all times. Although valuable contacts may be made and additional experience a must, if no sales are made then no value is realised, either.
Motivation is so important and a pharmaceutical consulting firm will help create an array of appropriate measurement tools. Within sales, the measurement of activity levels is only part of the equation. A sales executive is not necessarily highly efficient, even though his or her volume of sales may be high, as ultimate value must be assessed. The creation of the account must foster a value relationship between all the principals, quite apart from the raw dollar amounts involved. It is important to align the buyer’s strategy and position with the company’s. Sales people should not be incentivised unless there is a clear gain for the company and the client achieves value, thereby cementing the relationship.
Levels of incentive must be tied to achievable and attainable levels and goals. There must be a tangible carrot at the end of the road and achievable targets should lead to further incentives on a structured basis. In other words, there should never really be an “achievable” end result for the sales executive, or a target that, once achieved, promotes a lack of further engagement.
Time management is essential and while a sales manager will undoubtedly have administrative elements to take care of, the company should make sure that he or she is able to complete these as efficiently as possible, using provided, high-efficiency tools as needed. Did you know that many sales executives actually spend less than 25% of their time in direct communication with clients?
In summary, a sales team can only be highly effective if they have been trained well and are involved in an ongoing process of training. Such training will include education in the products to be sold, latest sales techniques and delivery processes in addition to management of time and the vital elements of interpersonal communication. Bring in pharma consulting experts to get the mix right.
Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of L2L Consulting, specialising in enabling pharmaceutical companies to achieve new heights of productivity and performance, throughout all levels of management and revenue generating activities.
