[April 04, 2014]

Life Science Sales Forces Move Toward a Customer-Centric Sales Model

More than half (58%) of US-based companies surveyed have implemented a customer-centric sales strategy, according to new sales management research by Cutting Edge Information.

Life science sales forces are facing new challenges in today's commercial landscape. After two major patent cliffs, the market is filled with not only branded competitors but also a growing number of generic and biosimilar products. Medical practices and institutions are also limiting physicians' contact with pharmaceutical reps in response to the Physician Payment Sunshine Act.

A new study, "Pharmaceutical Sales Management: Sharpening Customer-Centric Strategies to Restore Access and Strengthen Relationships," finds that to combat these challenges, many pharma and medical device sales forces are adopting more customer-centric approaches.

Patient-centric sales forces can leverage real-time claims data and other informaton to identify opportunities within a physician's patient group. Representatives can then provide relevant information to physicians by targeting specific cases and drawing attention to the company's value-adding initiatives.

Other sales forces focus their customer-centric efforts on physician-specific needs. Commercial teams may leverage field data and segmentation to determine rep-physician communication patterns, including discussion topics and promotional material content and format. Reps may also pay close attention to physicians' schedules and the types of information that most impact doctors' specific patient groups.

Still other life science sales forces blend patient- and physician-focused efforts in their commercial approaches. During these visits, reps present two important product perspectives: what the product does and how it helps physicians treat patients. An interviewed executive noted, "At the end of the day, it's all about the patient. The physicians understand that and they relate better to that - you can call that your customer-centric approach at the level it works with physicians."

"Pharmaceutical Sales Management: Sharpening Customer-Centric Strategies to Restore Access and Strengthen Relationships," (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/sales/reinventing-sales-forces/) explores the new strategies and tactics sales forces use to overcome physician access barriers and provide customers value in today's increasingly restrictive sales landscape. Use this report to:

• Implement customer-centric strategies to overcome physician access challenges.
• Employ key account managers to open communication channels with the new decision makers.
• Embrace eDetailing to supplement traditional physician detailing efforts.
• Benchmark cost per rep and cost per detail to balance resources and control spending.

For more information about pharmaceutical sales benchmarks, contact Cassie Demeter at 919-403-6583.

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