Readying the Medical Sales Force for E-World Strategies

The sales force is entrusted with the company's most critical asset, the customer, and drives a company's success. The product so extraordinary or so poor that it overrides the sales force's best (or worst) efforts is rare. Already challenged to handle everything from specialized, high-tech products to OTC product pricing, packaging and supply issues, the medical sales organization must also adapt to the buyer's changing needs and to the Internet's mushrooming possibilities. Product proliferation and buyer consolidation require flexibility and responsiveness; consolidation and competition within the market necessitate change. The web of computers connecting customers with each other and with suppliers provides a new dimension in information dissemination and communication that was previously thought impossible.