Description
The findings presented in “Benchmarks US Pharmaceutical Sales Forces” executive summary result from the input of 67 respondents from 29 U.S.-based companies. The research was designed to investigate the state and development of the sales function and operations in the U.S.
Life science organizations allocate considerable amounts of money to support commercial functions and field sales forces to gain market shares and position products for optimal sales results. Studies show the average yearly cost per sales representative to be around $260,000 and up to $450,000 depending on geographic area, therapeutic area, and type of physician targeted. With such investments injected into commercial functions, executives must look closely at the utilization of the field teams and work to optimize the return on each sale team member.
The North American sales model as the industry has been relying on for decades is broken and in transformation. Not only the cohort of deployed sales representatives has shrunk, but the HCPs are looking for added value from companies and their representatives. The typical model of visits and sample drops is gradually fizzling away.