Using ‘e’ to supplement reduced sales force virtually

Do you need to supplement a decreased head count in sales force with no extra bodies?

The industry had a virtual ‘arms race’ with each company ramping up their sales force ridiculously high over the years to increase their ‘Share of Voice’. Takeda U.K. were the first to downsize their sales force, closely followed by Pfizer, and then many other companies followed suit (e.g. AstraZeneca, GSK, Merck, etc).

This tactic has a dramatic impact immediately on costs and improves the company image with stakeholders who see the massive sales force as a high and unnecessary cost. And...they could be right. By downsizing the sales force, a company can then ‘right size’ the sales force for the environment today. As the sales force numbers get cut, the use of eMarketing and eDetailing as a sales and marketing tool is currently under consideration to supplement the cuts cost effectively.

eDetailing has many formats and approaches and there are cases where it can end up wasting money if carried out without a well planned strategy. However, with a well-planned strategy, it has the potential to deliver vast increases in sales, revenue and profit for pharmaceutical brands. Thus, careful planning and implementation of these systems must be thoughtfully carried out to ensure ultimate success. Each eDetail model differs in its popularity and applicability to specific physicians. Physicians are likely to be divided into those that prefer traditional detailing and those who prefer one of the various eDetail models. Preference is likely to vary by physician specialty, as well by country. Hence, understanding physician’s needs, technology constraints and incentives is going to be a key prerequisite to any eDetailing pilot or program.

Prior to choosing a model, the pharmaceutical company must also be mindful of the needs of a particular product and where it is in its’ lifecycle and specific market differences. Pharmaceutical companies need to consider their eDetailing options carefully to choose a model that will deliver right for their business, their products, target physician groups and country.

Eularis have many years of experience in this area and can assist your team with figuring out the best strategy to supplement the sales force and the optimal combination of activities and how to measure the financial impact of the ‘e’ approaches.

Contact us today to find out how we can help plan, create and implement a solution that utilizes ‘e’ to supplement a dwindling sales force that really brings results.