Pharmas Succeed By Selling on the Run
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Jan 2006
Pharmas Succeed By Selling on the Run A new breed of sales force automation solutions give pharmaceutical sales reps the tools they need to survive in a competitive, high-stakes industry. Pharmaceutical firms are relying on their sales forces more heavily than ever. As pharmas engage in an increasingly brutal and costly battle for market share, a company's ability to influence key physicians and to build effective, lasting customer relationships is becoming increasingly important. The latest pharma sales trends illustrate this point: The number of pharma sales reps has doubled within the past eight years, even as the number of doctors has increased by only around 15 percent. Some high-profile doctors deal with as many as 50 sales reps on a regular basis; as a result, most doctors now institute some sort of barrier for sales reps, such as a more restrictive appointment policy offices. Given the complexity and the risk inherent in pharma sales, it's no surprise that firms are turning to sales force automation (SFA) solutions. Effective sales reps need access to the latest information: marketing materials, competitive analysis and rebuttals, clinical data, account histories, and fully cross-referenced profiles for individual physicians. An effective SFA solution can deliver this information in a timely, efficient manner, giving sales professionals an important competitive advantage. Products such as Sun Microsystems' Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Portal Server software and Sun ONE Identity Server software, combined with Sun's extensive computing solutions and services, provide important pieces of the puzzle. Technology partnerships are another key ingredient for building a successful pharma SFA solution. Sun, for example, has built relationships with companies such as Siebel Systems to provide world-class sales-force-automation tools. the Sun Partner Advantage Program, which includes leading consultants and systems integrators such as Ness USA, provides another important resource for pharmas seeking proof-of-concept for pharma sales-force-automation solutions. Pharmaceutical firms are relying on their sales forces more heavily than ever. As pharmas engage in an increasingly brutal and costly battle for market share, a company's ability to influence key physicians and to build effective, lasting customer relationships is becoming increasingly important. The latest pharma sales trends illustrate this point: The number of pharma sales reps has doubled within the past eight years, even as the number of doctors has increased by only around 15 percent. Some high-profile doctors deal with as many as 50 sales reps on a regular basis; as a result, most doctors now institute some sort of barrier for sales reps, such as a more restrictive appointment policy. Even when a sales rep gets a doctor's attention, that person may have less than five minutes to deliver an effective presentation and lay the groundwork for a more substantial relationship. A Different World Even without these additional problems, pharma sales forces already face unique challenges. "The pharma sales process is subtle and information-intensive," says Ben Tandowski, president and CEO of Ness USA, an IT consulting firm with extensive experience in the pharma industry. "When a doctor asks a question about a specific issue, the salesperson has to be ready with the right information." In addition, pharmas must maintain extremely complex relationships with physicians; confusion or miscues can cause serious problems. "It's very important to understand each individual doctor and that person's total relationship with the drug company. That's difficult when you're dealing with physicians who play different roles with different sales forces and who may also conduct clinical trials or research," says Tandowski. Another factor is the nature of pharma sales forces, which often include thousands of personnel spread around the world, working from remote or home offices.
Information to Go Given the complexity and the risk inherent in pharma sales, it's no surprise that firms are turning to sales force automation (SFA) solutions. Effective sales reps need access to the latest information: marketing materials, competitive analysis and rebuttals, clinical data, account histories, and fully cross-referenced profiles for individual physicians. An effective SFA solution can deliver this information in a timely, efficient manner, giving sales professionals an important competitive advantage. Building an infrastructure to deliver this information, however, is only a small part of the battle. A complete pharma SFA solution is actually part of a much larger information management infrastructure that solves a series of key problems: §Data aggregation. A typical multinational pharma maintains a vast number of information sources spread across business units and geographic divisions. Sales force applications require access to relevant information whenever and wherever pharmas store it; furthermore, they need access to data warehousing or data federation solutions that can turn distributed data into useful knowledge products. §Computing infrastructure. A pharma's R&D operations may earn the lion's share of attention when it comes to building a powerful, robust computing infrastructure. Yet, a pharma's finance and marketing units also aggregate vast amounts of data that require sophisticated, highly efficient analytical and management systems. §Security concerns. IT security is a major concern in an industry in which proprietary research and marketing information is a vital asset and in which strict regulatory guidelines govern every aspect of a company's operations. Identity management solutions allow pharmas to centralize their access policies; to implement sophisticated role-based security structures; and to extend secure access to outside researchers, physicians, and partners. Products such as Sun Microsystems' Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Portal Server software and Sun ONE Identity Server software, combined with Sun's extensive computing solutions and services, provide important pieces of the puzzle. Technology partnerships are another key ingredient for building a successful pharma SFA solution. Sun, for example, has built relationships with companies such as Siebel Systems to provide world-class sales-force-automation tools. the Sun Partner Advantage Program, which includes leading consultants and systems integrators such as Ness USA, provides another important resource for pharmas seeking proof-of-concept for pharma sales-force-automation solutions. Additional Information: Learn more about some of the Sun products used in sales force automation solutions: |
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