Are Pharma Sales Reps going to be obsolete soon?
Given the economic downturn, the entire corporate sector is in cost cutting mode. Pharma companies certainly aren’t going to be left behind. They are digging deep into their expenses and evaluating the returns from every investment that has been made.
While studying effectiveness of various methods of promotion, Pharma companies are beginning to wonder whether they are spending too much money on reps, especially for not much return. One of the clear indicators is the way leading Pharma companies are cutting down on their sales force – In the US, there were around 94,000 reps in 2007 compared to 92,000 in 2008.
The question that marketers are asking is that ‘If samples are the most effective medium of influencing prescriptions, are Sales reps reduced to being well-dressed delivery boys?’ Are their salaries justified? With the increased number of doctors who have been ordering samples online, one begins to wonder why Reps are required at all! Physicians say they prefer the online medium anyways because they can do it at their own convenience and don’t have to answer questions regarding their prescription habits every time they ask for a sample.
Given that there are few new products launches, owing to drying pipelines, do companies still need detailers who drop off samples and make hardly any connection with the doctor? Do reps really make any difference to the prescribing behavior of physicians?