News Release

G & S Research Launches RepReview:
A Pharmaceutical Sales Industry Study

July 2003
CARMEL, IN - Sales representatives are a critical link between pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare organizations that use their products, yet few companies actually tap into the knowledge of the resource. "Most managers in the industry have long understood the importance of the sales force to the success of pharmaceutical brands," explains George Grubb, principal of G & S Research. "Ironically, though, this valued resource often goes unheard when field strategy is being developed and evaluated."

Recognizing the knowledge within the sales force, G & S is undertaking a significant sales force assessment study, called RepReview. "Better understanding the perceptions of field sales reps across the pharmaceutical landscape will provide insight into how well or how poorly corporate management leverages the horsepower of their most visible constituent," says Grubb.

G & S is developing the research campaign, including questionnaire formation and programming, data collection, and analysis. To reach the sales representatives, the company will leverage its partnership with ePocrates, one of the industry's most trusted providers of clinical reference tools for physicians. ePocrates will use its opt-in database of 4300 sales representatives to recruit participants for the study. "Our database includes a diverse collection of sales representatives from companies throughout the pharmaceutical industry and in different geographic areas," says Matt Campion, vice president market research for ePocrates. "We've attracted those reps through the same type of successful recruitment that brought more than 260,000 physicians into our network."

The study will combine the opinions of sales representatives from multiple entities and will provide insight into what they think about other companies within the industry. "Companies will be interested to see how their competitors' salespeople regard them," Grubb notes. "In addition to giving companies an incentive to work on their image, the data will give them a benchmark against which to measure their progress."

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News You Can Use

Play nice and be flexible

The top 10 things every entry-level marketing researcher should know

by Robert E. Brown

Marketing research is a highly complex and specialized field. Individuals considering careers in this industry will do well to prepare themselves thoroughly. However, in this author's experience, even fairly rigorous formal training has lacked elements of practical significance critical to success in the workplace.

This article reviews the insights gained by one practitioner during his first seven years of experience in the marketing research industry by listing 10 items of which every new entrant to the industry should be aware.

o Play nice. The "rules" governing interpersonal interaction apply in marketing research, just as they do in every other field. The research industry tends to attract well-educated individuals, who often hold strong opinions regarding research techniques, methodologies, etc. While such knowledge is of indisputable worth, researchers must take care to exercise restraint in their interactions with each other and with clients. A measure of humility is required - there will always be someone else who knows more than you. The need to show deference and respect to co-workers and clients is certainly as critical in marketing research as in any other field - often more so.

o You will never have completely arrived. As noted above, marketing research is an extremely complex field containing elements of several other disciplines: psychotherapy, sociology, statistics, mathematics, consumer behavior, organizational behavior, marketing, etc. Although individuals may be inclined toward a particular area of research (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative), truly superb practitioners have their fingers in several pies. Knowing when to use which method, rather than fitting all research problems to a preferred methodology, is critical to providing high-quality, actionable information.

o Think, don't just calculate. Marketing researchers are marketers. Ultimately, the goal of every project is to provide clients with information that furthers some basic marketing objective. Researchers must be ever cognizant of the real-world meaning and application of their data.

o Be flexible. Too often, marketing researchers dictate to clients (especially internal customers in the case of client-side research units) the appropriate methodology, sample size, etc. without always being fully aware of the background or history of the brand, product, package, company, politics, etc. In almost every case, clients know more about their business than do research suppliers. Thus, researchers must take care to consult with clients, being flexible to accommodate their unique needs, budget, timeline, etc.

o Got education? Given the variety of disciplines from which marketing researchers must draw, ongoing education is critical. You really can never know enough. However, a few specifics are key to the beginning researcher:
Technical writing skills - The English courses you took in college may or may not be sufficient. Academic writing tends to be much more verbose than business communications. Take a good technical writing course.
Statistical training - The statistics courses you took as an undergraduate were definitely not sufficient. Continued statistical coursework will be critical to your ability to extract usable information from survey data.
Table-building/analysis - Although multivariate data techniques are very powerful tools for researchers, clients' budget and/or time constraints will often preclude data analysis at that level. Thus, researchers must become experts at....

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«  News Release: G & S Launches RepReview
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Top Ten Things Every Entry-level Marketing Researcher Should Know
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«  Other Recent News
« About G & S Research, Inc.

What's New: G & S Better Defines Core Services on Website

Study areas of particular focus and capacity include:

• Market Segmentation
• Brand Equity
• Attitude, Trial & Usage
• Sales Force Effectiveness
• Message/Promotion Tracking
• Launch Effectiveness
• Patient Chart Auditing
• Market Share Assessing

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Market Research With Physician Consultants: Available Methodologies
Market research with consultants can include both qualitative and quantitative methodologies within various settings, ranging from small dinner meetings to large meetings with 500 or more healthcare professionals. Some of the various medical education methodologies include:

Pre- and Post-Meeting Surveys: Paper, interactive voice response (IVR), or web/computer hosted surveys are distributed prior to the arrival of an audience to assess perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors that the audience brings to the program. After the meeting, these perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors are again measured to ascertain the impact of the program as well as to assess message retention. These initiatives often lead to year long tracking studies.

Meeting Evaluation Surveys: Immediate assessment of the program is key in building successful future programs. Thus, turnaround on these reports should be very quick. Surveys are conducted at the meetings, then followed-up with a survey several weeks after the meeting to help identify successful meeting elements as well as improve programs for future venues.

Small Group Discussions During Dinner Meetings: These work well if key target physicians or industry thought leaders are attending a meeting. The goal is to...Read More

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About G & S Research

G & S Research is a full-service, primary market research company with a healthcare focus. Company strengths include detailed project management, advanced statistical skill-sets, superior analytics, and customized deliverables. The company has a nation-wide presence and an extensive client base, ranging from well-known "big pharma" to smaller bio-technology and device companies.

With integrity, compassion and a steadfast focus on excellence, we are assets to our:

Clients by delivering value that redefines the standards by which all other market research companies are judged;

Strategic Partners through relationships that view them as vital extensions of ourselves;

Communities by giving back from where we prosper; and

Employees and Their Families by fostering an environment that is supportive, respectful and inspiring.

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