Sales Force Assessment
Your sales force is the eyes, ears, and voice
of your operations. It represents your product and your organization
in the customer's eyes. How can you maximize the value of this highly-invested
and highly-visible communications' channel?
G & S Research looks at your multi-dimensional
sales environment from multiple angles. One-dimensional analysis
is no longer effective in today’s environment. Payers are more
influential in driving prescribing patterns. Legislative influences
have changed the market. And, image and perceptions of the manufacturer,
and industry as a whole, can affect brand loyalty and acceptance.
Study Design and Analysis
As with any study, G & S Research tailors each
program’s design to satisfy the specific needs of the brand,
to account for your existing programs, and to address the unique
issues of each therapeutic area. An approach can include the measurement
of prescriber perceptions of both the manufacturer and the sales
force:
Company Perceptions
The degree to which company perceptions may directly or indirectly
influence market share can be assessed. Further breakdown of variables
and their importance on perceptions can be further explored as either
positively or negatively influencing prescriptions.
Representative Perceptions
Likewise, sales representative attributes that distinguish their
performance can be identified. Uncovering those behaviors that are
most positively aligned with driving share—and conversely,
those activities that negatively reflect share—can provide
clear direction to sales training and coaching initiatives.
Sales force effectiveness tracking studies are an effective and
popular way to monitor and test the ongoing effectiveness of your
programs’ and reps’ performance. In addition, a competitive
monitoring component allows you to stay on top of competing brands’
activities. This provides you with opportunities to be nimble and
timely in responses to their shifting strategies and tactics.
Common Business Objectives
Reasons to conduct sales force effectiveness market
research are broad and varied. And the need permeates the entire
product lifecycle—from establishing a go-no go decision in the late
development stage, to addressing sales force training needs at launch,
to adjusting your messaging strategies down the road. Specific sale
force market research may seek to:
- Evaluate sales performance on national, district, and area
levels; among different physician types; and against a battery
of attributes
- Identify additional training needs and core standard performance
metrics and benchmarks
- Monitor competitor activities, performance, and perceptions
- Measure satisfaction with current samplings levels
- Determine gaps in current knowledge
- Assess message recall and effectiveness, specifically:
- Determine how customers are responding to a promotional
message
- Understand specific message elements that are resonating
with customers
- Evaluate message elements that are being challenged by customers
- Assess the value of specific supporting materials
- Capture proven ways to successfully handle customer objections
and other success stories