Pharma Selling Conundrum

It was a pleasant morning drive. The CEO of a small size pharma company was wondering how to manage the business effectively. The business was 10 years old and had its highs and lows. The challenge according to him was not getting business, but to have adequate fund to invest in getting business. His understanding was simple. Invest in doctors and they will give business. This CEO had spent more than two decades in the industry. In his thought process the only and simplest way of getting business is obliging the doctor to such an extent that he cannot but reciprocate.

Pharmaceutical drug selling is an ever-challenging issue in India and elsewhere. Making good products is one thing and selling them is another. The industry has been following almost the same process of selling for the last two decades or more. Each state is divided into territories and each territory is manned a Medical Representative (MR). Each of these field sales person will have a list of doctors to visit and are supposed to meet anywhere between 10 to 14 doctors a day. This list can have anywhere between 150 to 250 doctors. There will be a physical or a…