An effective sales force is one that operates as an integrated part of a life science company's overall strategy for delivering value to customers, building brand equity and fostering a positive image.  Skilled sales representatives not only close sales but also engender goodwill by informing and supporting customers in ways that boost satisfaction, loyalty and ultimately, long-term profitability. 

A well-trained sales force is therefore a very important contributor to a company's success.  Because of their close contact with customers, sales reps have a direct impact on revenues-particularly when one considers the lifetime value of a happy, satisfied customer.  On the other hand, a poorly trained sales force can actually be quite destructive in a market where corporate reputation is a key determinant of market success. 

To be successful, sales reps in the life science market must be selected, trained and organized in a way that reflects the needs and expectations of scientific customers.  Based on an in-depth 35-question survey of over 1,000 scientists, Improving Sales Rep Performance: The View From the Lab Bench is designed to provide life science executives with insights on how scientists judge the importance and value of sales reps in providing the tools needed to achieve their research objectives. 

The report provides life science companies with guidance in recruiting by identifying the personal and professional qualities that scientific customers appreciate most.  Additionally, the report describes how scientists evaluate the performance of sales reps so that this information can be incorporated into sales training programs that develop more credible and effective reps. 

Improving Sales Rep Performance also highlights the relative value of the various functions typically performed by sales reps, including where scientists need purchasing assistance and technical support.  To provide a quality benchmark of the industry's best sales forces, the respondents to this survey identified the life science suppliers who they believe field the best-trained, most effective sales reps. 

The report also includes detailed customer demographics such as organization size, budget, purchasing practices and geographical location to help companies identify those areas where a field sales force can be leveraged to maximum advantage by increasing sales and capturing market share. 

Report Highlights

Improving Sales Rep Performance: The View From the Lab Bench contains over 60 charts and/or tables and over 20 cross-tabulations for the 35 survey questions.  Below is a glimpse of the key findings derived from just a few of the survey questions: 

"           Over 30% of scientists surveyed do not feel that most sales reps understand the details of their research. (Question 7) 

"           When scientists encounter a technical problem, 33% immediately turn to a colleague or co-worker for assistance rather than consulting a printed manual/protocol (28%) or contacting the supplier's technical support (22%). (Question 12) 

"           Over 40% of respondents believe that technical sales rep assistance is most useful when a product requires extensive training. (Question 14) 

"           Respondents cited that sales forces organized by discipline (27%) would be most useful in supporting their research. (Question 16) 

"           Mouse pads and hats are the promotional items scientists least enjoy receiving from their sales rep. (Question 21) 

"           Invitrogen ranked #1 in having the best-trained, most effective sales reps. (Question 33)

 June 2003, 159 Pages 

Publisher: BioInformatics 

To order go to this URL: http://www.bioportfolio.com/cgi-bin/acatalog/copy_of_bioinformatics_1.html#a524