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 Effective Sales Forces: Who Is on Top in GfK's Annual Ranking and Why?
By Maureen McLaughlin, Chief Marketing
Officer and Raj Kuchibhatla, Product
Director, SFE, GfK Market Measures
As part of the cover story on pharmaceutical
sales forces in Medical Marketing &
Media's November issue, GfK Market
Measures released results of its industry
benchmark 2007 "Portrait of a Valued Rep"
sales force effectiveness (SFE) survey. One
of the most popular findings from this annual
study, now in its fourth year, is the
"Effective Sales Force" ranking. In addition
to this data highlight, however, each year
the study also yields rich results that weave
a behind-the-scenes story about the
interactions between sales representatives
and physicians, identifying the connects and
disconnects of these encounters and
importantly, the wants and needs of physicians.
In this article we would like to share with
you the story told by GfK Market Measures'
2007 SFE study, which featured more than
1,200 physician respondents. But first, the
highlight: At the top of the list of the
industry's most effective sales forces was
Pfizer - the fourth year in a row the
company's sales force received the
distinction. The MM&M cover story
sheds light
on how Pfizer maintained its standing, which
as the article points out is no small feat
considering only a year ago the company
declared plans to cut one-fifth of its sales
force.
 Don't Get Lost Navigating Your Brand: Use Perceptual Maps to Help Plot Your Course
By Jeff Cartwright-Smith, Vice President,
Marketing Science, GfK Market Measures
"Whatever you do, just don't bring
perceptual maps in here," my client warned.
"Nobody can figure the things out, and
they just irritate my management."
I had asked for some guidance on our
positioning study's final report and
presentation, and I was glad for the advice.
But I was disappointed in the reaction.
Perceptual maps are a great tool for ATUs - for
any study where competitive
positioning is an
issue, and that is most of strategic marketing.
On the way to lunch, I noticed my client's
prominent
GPS display. "Yeah, I'd be lost without it. I
wouldn't go anywhere unfamiliar without GPS
or road maps."
So it wasn't maps per se that were
uninterpretable. It was just perceptual maps.
The Pharmaceutical Marketing Researcher
as Expert Witness 
Serving as an expert witness in a civil suit
involving pharmaceutical companies can be
challenging but gratifying work for the
appropriately informed and motivated
marketing research professional. With
hundreds of millions of dollars frequently on
the line, a researcher called upon to serve
in this capacity must be prepared to do it
right.
Since this is a role with which a
pharmaceutical marketing researcher may be
unfamiliar, this month's published document
for The Orange Pages provides guidance on
what to expect at each stage of the process -
from the initial call from counsel to the
deposition and trial.
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 Giving Back Usually in this column, I attempt to offer at least one observation about things I see going on around me in the pharmaceutical industry that might help the pharmaceutical marketing researcher view his/her world in a slightly different way. And this month, in this holiday season, I will make no exception. More specifically, throughout my career, companies I have had the privilege of managing have sent holiday gifts to valued clients. For example, in recent years, GfK V2 has presented hundreds of huge boxes of Godiva chocolates to clients who supported us during the previous year. While in most cases these missives were met with enthusiastic response from the recipients, we also found ourselves faced with a growing number of "Don't send our people gifts" letters from our clients' management. In most cases, like many vendors, we politely chose to ignore those letters and focus on the thank-you notes. But not this year!...  Richard B. Vanderveer, Ph.D. Group Chief Executive Officer GfK U.S. Healthcare Companies   Did You Miss the November Issue of Topline?  Click
here to read the issue, which includes:
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