The Critical Success Factors of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in South Africa

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry is a multimillion rand industry that makes use of relationship marketing as its main market engagement strategy, with sales representatives being the conduit for strategy implementation. As a result, almost twenty percent of employees in the pharmaceutical industry are sales staff, focused on influencing the prescribing habits of the clinicians they sell to. This sales resource is viewed as the most expensive but most valued resource to a pharmaceutical company. Even with this current reality there is very little published research that concisely captures what the critical success factors are for pharmaceutical sales representatives. The purpose of this research was therefore to identify the critical success factors of pharmaceutical sales representatives in South Africa. In addition to this, this research identified those critical success factors that are inherent to a sales representative as well as those which are activity related. Prior to conducting the research, a literature review was completed with the intention to identify possible critical success factors. Following this, an online survey was used to test for these factors. General practitioners, specialists, sales managers and sales representatives formed part of this research. Six hundred and eighty eight respondents completed the survey, making this study one of the largest industry studies to have been conducted. In order of importance, the research findings identified the following as critical success factors: relationship building, adding value to a doctors practice, conscientiousness, interpersonal versatility, experience, performance drive and goal setting. Interestingly, though identified as critical success factors by previously published literature, this research found that, call rate, call frequency, extroversion and attractiveness are not viewed as critical success factors. These findings have lead to the development of the “iDEAL rep” model that forms the basis for “iDEAL” training, development and recruitment of sales representatives. This model equips companies to recruit sales staff that possess the critical success factors while training current employees to develop these factors. In so doing, pharmaceutical companies will generate greater returns through more successful sales representatives.