Current Trends & Future Direction of the District Sales Manager Role

Study Overview
The District Sales Manager is the acknowledged cornerstone of pharmaceutical sales force effectiveness and high performance. Although the traditional DM role is well understood, the position is being re-evaluated today in light of industry pressures that are causing dramatic sales force change. This document reviews shifts in sales force size and customer access and how those changes are impacting the District Manager role. The research also explores the extent of current and future sales force change as well as how leaders expect sales and management trends will impact the future activities and roles of the District Manager. Sales executives in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors can use this study to compare/adjust their approach to the District Manager function.

Key Topics
· Sales Force Size is Trending Downwards ….For Now
· Customer Access Continues to Decline
· Companies have begun Overhauling Their Sales Models
· Sales Force Trends are Likely to Impact DM Role
· Barriers to Rapid Change Anticipated

Key Metrics
· Estimates of Sales Force Growth, Current and Future
· Rating of Factors Linked to Sales Force Reductions
· Rating of Factors Linked to Expected Sales Force Growth
· Extent of Current and Future Changes to Sales Model
· Percentage of Organizations that have Completed Significant Sales Force Changes
· Percentage of Organizations with Significant Sales Model Changes Under Way
· Percentage of Organizations with Significant Sales Model Changes Scheduled
· Pharmaceutical Sales Trends Likely to Impact DM Role in Next Three Years
· Changes in DM Job Descriptions Likely to Impact DM Role in Next Three Years

Key Insights
· Matrix of Best Practices for District Managers across Six Activity Areas

Methodology
This research was based on survey results from 46 sales leaders at 23 different pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Industries Profiled:
Pharmaceutical; Health Care; Biotech; Consumer Products; Medical Device


Companies Profiled:
Abbott Laboratories; Sanofi-aventis; Merck; Watson Pharmaceuticals; GlaxoSmithKline; Boehringer Ingelheim; Novartis; Janssen Cilag Pharmaceutical; Auxilium; PLIVA Pharmaceuticals; MedPointe; Procter & Gamble; MGI Pharma; Pfizer; Idenix Pharmaceuticals; Endo Pharmaceuticals; Lilly; Roche; Nycomed; Solvay Pharmaceuticals; Egis; Novo Nordisk

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