Specialty and Hospital Sales Forces No Longer Contracting, Early Study Results Indicate

Cutting Edge Information Analyzes Most Recent Trends


RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - May 4, 2010) -  Early survey results from Cutting Edge Information (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com) indicate a leveling off of headcount and budget for specialty and hospital sales forces. CEI analysts predict this means that overall sales forces are closing in on their optimal operational size.

"Among early survey respondents, figures show that specialty and hospital sales force headcounts have largely held firm over the past 24 months," said Jason Richardson, president and CEO of Cutting Edge Information. "This data provides a contrast to findings in past rounds of Sales Management research when we saw up to 44% of companies actively working to contract their sales forces at the height of restructuring."

In a similar vein, early results indicate that the number of daily calls made by specialty and hospital reps is holding fairly steady. Data from Cutting Edge Information's recent report "Reinventing Pharmaceutical Sales Forces" (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/reinventing-sales-forces/) showed a slight increase in per-rep visits at many companies to compensate for the loss of sales staff.

Cutting Edge Information continues to collect data on hospital and specialty sales forces. The company's Research Team aims to determine how:

  • Top performers are reshaping their hospital and specialty sales forces to meet the demands of the evolving market
  • Winning sales forces are changing their targeting and segmentation strategies
  • Companies are tailoring messages to individual physicians' wants and needs
  • Companies are measuring eDetailing and other new communication channels' effectiveness for reaching and influencing physicians
  • "Next Practice" field tactics are being used to win the attention and business of top prescribers

Study participants will receive a copy of the findings upon completion. All data are blinded and survey respondents are kept confidential. The survey can be completed here: http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/surveys/hospital-specialty-sales/hospital-specialty-sales.htm.

For questions pertaining to the research, contact David Richardson at david_richardson@cuttingedgeinfo.com or +1-919-433-0216.

Contact Information:

MEDIA CONTACT:
Stephanie Swanson

919-433-0212