"A valuable representative knows my practice, is familiar with my patient population and focuses discussions accordingly."
A typical physician like the one quoted here meets with 112 representatives. Fewer than one in four of these representatives
consistently demonstrates the traits and actions that are valuable to the customer. These select representatives ensure ongoing
access to their most important physicians by delivering value during each interaction. How can pharmaceutical sales representatives
join this group and differentiate themselves from the crowd?
Each year, the Health Strategies Group assesses the state of the selling environment. This year, our research included 663
high-prescribing physicians in 13 specialties, supplemented with an online survey of 101 pharmaceutical sales representatives
from more than 10 companies that call on these physicians.
The current environment
Figure 1. Physician interactions
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Call activity remains high. The average representative calls on 41 physicians, nine nurse practitioners/physician assistants and 23 ancillary personnel
each week. The average primary care physician interacts with 29 sales representatives each week, and the average specialist
interacts with 15. A little over half of these interactions include a product discussion (see figure 1).
Figure 2. Access to physicians
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Physician access is holding steady. The proportions of physicians considered hard or easy to see remain similar to those seen in last year's report (see figure
2). Representatives continue to cite physician time constraints as the number-one reason they interact with target physicians
less than they would like (see figure 3). In response, representatives continue to develop nontraditional call types. Breakfast
meetings make up a small but growing percentage of calls. And because of physician time constraints, representatives often
only discuss one product (see figure 4).
What a doc wants
Figure 3. Barriers to access
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How can sales representatives differentiate themselves from the constant flow of representatives streaming into their target
physicians' offices? Physicians describe the ideal sales representative as "well trained," "respectful of the physician's
time" and "fully informed on scientific studies." The sidebar summarizes the top 10 traits and actions that physicians seek
in their pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Figure 4. Product discussions
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But such traits and actions are only part of the equation; effective use of resources can help increase the perception of
value. Of the various resources available, physicians value product samples most, followed by new product information and
patient education.
