Pharmaceutical Sales As therapeutics converge with medical devices questions are arising as to what type of sales representative is best suited for the selling of these products. It is a question SalesForce4Hire® needed to answer sooner rather than later. As a custom sales organization that delivers outsourced solutions for companies seeking rapid market traction in the health care segment, the company was faced with this question early on in this emerging environment. Pharmaceutical sales are highly different than medical device sales. In many ways it is more of a promotional activity versus a truly classical sales activity. The pharmaceutical sales representative provides education to doctors writing prescriptions for a family of therapeutics represented by the sales person. They never actually “close” a deal like a medical device sales person does on a regular basis. In other words, there’s never a purchase order cut for the purchase of a pharmaceutical. Sales cannot be tracked to an actual doctor as well. Pharmaceutical sales are tracked by zip code reports that measure the flow of prescriptions being filled by local pharmacies. “In many ways it is difficult to measure the actual performance of a pharmaceutical sales representative. A medical device sales representative is much easier to measure in terms of sales performance,” comments Kevin Schimelfenig, Managing Partner of SalesForce4Hire. “It is the difference between transactional performance and promotional performance. Each role has evolved to optimize the flow of goods from a manufacturer. Part of the question between the impact of a pharmaceutical sales rep and a medical device sales rep can be answered in the shear numbers of each type of professional that is deployed by their employers. You simply don’t see many medical device companies deploying 4,000 sales reps the way you do with pharmaceutical sales organizations. I think that speaks volumes as to the effective impact of each type of sales person.” “We’re in the acceleration business, so we need hunters rather than farmers, adds Mr. Schimelfenig. “We initiate action and immediate revenue, so the type of skills we require are different than the skills offered by your typical pharmaceutical sales representative. We strongly feel this is true with converging products as well. We consciously don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by definitions and preconceptions. Every product, every deal is different and each deserves the highest degree of due diligence when determining how best to secure market traction. By concentrating on the prospect the question actually answers itself through disciplined market research.” The convergence of technologies continues to accelerate as information technology, biotechnology, and classical medical devices continue to come together to create novel therapeutic applications. “By staying focused on the clinical environment and the type of physician that is actually administering the therapy we feel we will continue to make the right decision as to the type of talent necessary to accelerate the sales and revenue our clients seek,” Mr. Schimelfenig continues. “The customer always has the right answers for you, if you only choose to listen. Staying close to the clinicians is the best way to answer pretty much any question you may have about your sales process.” Related Articles Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Pharmaceutical_Sales_Rep.asp