(Scientists & Sales Reps Part II) What do we need sales reps for, anyway?

Scientists are sophisticated consumers.

Like the rest of the world, they have what they need to research products online.  But perhaps more so than most people, they bring to this research an expert ability to gather data, analyze options and make smart decisions.  They’re busy, and they’re much less inclined to rely on someone else—that is, a sales rep—to tell them what to do.

So here’s the question…What do we need sales reps for, anyway?

We thought that was a pretty good question.  So much so, that we surveyed almost 1,000 scientists worldwide to find out what labs expect from their sales reps. The study was designed to help life science suppliers refine their sales strategy so that reps could support labs in the way they want to be supported. While it’s no surprise that labs are gaining more control over the buying process, the real question is how to deploy a sales force to build relationships, act as intermediary between labs and suppliers and, of course, increase sales.

Companies are seeking ways to create value through all of their touchpoints, and sales outreach can be one of the most important.  At the ACP-LS annual meeting on September 19-20, 2013 in Philadelphia, PA; I’ll be hosting a workshop that will cover specifically HOW labs want to work with their reps, and where in the buying cycle sales reps can have the most influence.