Poll position: your industry, your opinion

Poll position:
your industry, your opinion

The past 12 months have witnessed the gradual redrawing of the pharmaceutical landscape in the UK as companies readjust their operations to align with the changing NHS. But what have these changes meant to medical sales professionals? How do you currently feel about the work that you do? Are you motivated? Are you satisfied? With the help of our unique Company, Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey, we give you a snapshot of the industry. This month, Pf presents the results of its latest annual opinion poll.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a General Election, a European referendum or just a Big Brother eviction night, almost everyone is interested in an opinion poll. Whether we trust them or not, going to the popular vote can stimulate widespread debate and help the undecided change direction. And like it or not, nine times out of ten, opinion poll predictions are generally borne out by reality. That’s great news if you’re Barack Obama, but if you’re Gordon Brown, you may wish to sign up with a decent recruitment consultancy. But what of pharmaceutical sales professionals? What is the general feeling amongst medical representatives in the current climate? Are you happy with your lot, or are you poised to turn to your employer and say “I’m a priority, get me out of here?”

The global pharmaceutical market has been a fairly volatile one in the past year. Unless, like our esteemed Prime Minister, you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last twelve months or so, you can’t fail to have noticed that the collective industry has been going through a sustained phase of restructuring. As a direct consequence, workforces across the industry have been cut back and the field force has felt the pinch as much as anywhere else. At the same time, the radical reorganisation of the NHS has meant an increase in the industry’s customer-base as new stakeholders and influencers have emerged. In response, while sales teams have become smaller, individuals have been given greater responsibilities and been made more accountable. Not only has the profile of being a medical representative changed, the skillsets required to succeed are now different. At a time when job security has become a major consideration, competition for jobs has got tougher.

The question is: in such a challenging and pressurised environment, how are you coping? This month, we unveil the headline results from Pf ’s seventh Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey. The independent survey is one of the most significant pieces of research in the UK medical sales industry. Originally constructed by the Royal Statistical Society at Nottingham Trent University and now managed by Dr Brad Payne of Conker Statistics, it provides a benchmark of field force remuneration, motivation and satisfaction, and forms a significant health check of pharmaceutical sales professionals in the UK.

The latest survey is based on responses collected in the first quarter of 2008, which examined opinion on the drug industry in 2007. This year there were 1552 respondents to the survey – higher than the responses in 2004 and 2005, though lower than last year’s figures. Yet again, the results provide a fascinating insight into the industry, the general feeling in the field, and what motivates medical representatives. The survey also highlights readers’ Employers of Choice, offering a glimpse of how pharmaceutical companies are perceived externally.

Overview of respondents

First off, a look at the demographics of this year’s respondents. As always, this portrays a broad profile, ranging from sales professionals operating in traditional primary and secondary care roles to those working in more recently-configured Account Management positions.

For the first time, the most frequently represented group in the survey is the slightly older 35–44 age range. 38% of respondents were from this category, while almost 60% of respondents have more than 8 years’ experience within the industry. Does this suggest that older and more experienced professionals are more effectively demonstrating the skillsets required to sell in the modern era? In a litigious society where age discrimination legislation at both ends of the spectrum is more potent, this seems unlikely. It may instead simply reflect that the numbers of new entrants to the industry is falling, mirroring trends in recent years that show a drop in the number of candidates successfully completing the ABPI exams. Either way, the figures reinforce the view that it is possible to have a long career in pharma and, despite current issues regarding job security within the market, high achievers will find pharma a durable and rewarding career option.

Another issue worthy of note is the steady growth in the number of Hospital Specialists within the sample. Whereas there has been a sharp decline in the numbers of ‘Primary Care’ and ‘Primary & Secondary Care’ Representatives – falling from 55% in 2002 to 39% in 2007 – the number of Hospital Specialists has gone the other way. This figure has increased year-on-year, and now almost a third of respondents (32%) perform this role. This undoubtedly reflects a trend within pharma to focus R&D pipelines on specialist hospital products, rather than the blockbusters of the early to mid-90s. It does, however, go against wider NHS policy to move health service delivery away from hospitals and into the community, nearer to patients’ homes.

Yet again, the 2007 survey was completed by more women than men. This may simply suggest that members of the fairer sex are more likely to engage in matters of market research; but when you consider that 77% of the NHS workforce is also female, it makes a mockery of James Brown’s claims that this is a man’s world. In the UK healthcare market, it is anything but!

Employer of choice

Respondents were asked to score pharmaceutical companies according to their perception of them and how desirable they were to work for (1 = very low, 3 = no comment, 5 = very high). As always, respondents were not permitted to nominate their own company. The final results represent a balance between positive and negative perceptions. The battle between Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche and Eli Lilly for the title of Employer of Choice continues, with these three companies occupying positions in the top three for the past four years, and each, at one time or other, making the top spot. This year, Boehringer Ingelheim just had the edge over Roche, while Schering-Plough joined the party to share third spot with Eli Lily. Elsewhere there were healthy climbs for Proctor and Gamble, Novo Nordisk, Napp and BMS, while companies such as sanofi - aventis, Novartis and Wyeth consolidated their strong positions from previous years.

Motivation and satisfaction

Survey participants were given a list of 16 work factors and asked to rank them in terms of how important they are to their motivation, and also how satisfied they are with them in their current role. The table on the right shows the top 10 motivational factors for sales professionals, and the corresponding factors with which respondents are satisfied. In each case, a comparison with 2006 is made.

Our data indicate that the factors that motivate sales professionals have remained fairly consistent over the course of the past year. It is, however, interesting to note that Job Security is now regarded as a more important consideration than Company Culture, whilst attributes such as Bonus and Car Policy now also assume a greater significance. In terms of satisfaction, respondents are happy with the products they are being asked to sell, and also their companies’ R&D pipelines. Equally, participants remain satisfied with the relationships they have with their direct managers, and the accountability and autonomy they have in their roles. This, of course, bodes well as the industry continues to embrace an Account Management-led model.

As ever, there are critical gaps between the factors identified as being most motivational for sales professionals and the areas of their work with which they are currently satisfied. Job security is identified as an important motivational factor, yet does not make the top ten in the satisfaction stakes. Likewise, salary, of course, is noted as the most significant motivator, but, perhaps predictably, respondents appear dissatisfied with this aspect. In fairness, salary only narrowly failed to make the top 10, coming in at 11th place on the list of satisfaction factors. Bonus, on the other hand, was ranked as the lowest area of satisfaction – worrying when you consider it is identified as the 6th most important motivational factor. Likewise, Car Policy, identified as a critical motivator, is bottom-but- one in the satisfaction list. Whilst there is undoubtedly great emphasis placed on the ‘benefits package’ when assessing your job, just to confuse matters Company Pension Scheme scores highly in the satisfaction stakes but, perversely, is not considered to be among the top 10 motivational factors!

In fact, a desire to improve benefits packages is highlighted as the top reason why respondents may wish to move jobs in the next twelve months. According to the survey, 13% of participants would like to move to another company in the next year, while 25% would like to move to a different position within their organisation. Encouragingly, 58% of the sample would be happy to remain in their current roles. These statistics mirror the reasons identified for wanting a move of some description, with respondents largely looking for Career Development, Job Security or Promotion, in addition to the previously mentioned benefits improvements.

Next month, Pf will explore remuneration aspects of the survey in more detail with a look at current salary levels within pharmaceutical sales. We will also look at another aspect of the ‘packages’ offered to the field force, namely the provision of CRM/ETM systems to support you in your role.