Field forces are at the front line of today’s complex and challenging pharmaceutical markets. As competition for physician time intensifies and influence networks become more important, sales force productivity becomes increasingly important.
The IMS Sales Championship competition is a half-day industry event that combines a seminar on the strategic Sales Force Effectiveness challenges and a simulation-led competition. The event is held in 15 countries across Europe, with teams of sales professionals competing for recognition as National Sales Champions.
The competition’s interactive simulation exercise enables participants to apply sales techniques in virtual reality. Working in three-person teams, each group identifies 30 physicians and builds a call plan. An expert facilitator then analyzes and compares the “typical” versus “optimal” results, highlighting the strengths of each team’s decisions.
Competiton Part 1- 45 mins.
After a brief introduction to IMS Learning Solutions & Change Management and an explanation of the simulated exercise, each group of participants is asked to assume the role of a sales representative taking over a territory that has a history of poor execution and performance. Each group is given access to a list of doctors, along with information that includes call history, access, specialty etc. Then, the groups analyze the information and decide:
- Which doctors to see
- How frequently to call on the selected doctors
- How to use their resources
The simulation calculates the impact of this call plan in market share (or sales) at the end of the cycle. The team with the greatest market share increase in this phase are named National Sales Champions.
Conceptual Session – 25 mins.
This session centers on the prescriber segmentation, process and call effectiveness, highlighting the importance of focusing on key customers and maximizing relevant contact opportunities. The concepts of segmentation, call frequency and resource allocation are explained in detail.
Competition Decision 2 – 20 Mins.
During this session, each team returns to the simulation exercise to revise their decisions, based on their new understanding following the segmentation process.
Debrief and Prize Award– 15 Mins.
The instructor compares the approaches and results of all teams in Decision 1 & 2 sessions, explaining:
- What plan produced the best results and why
- What benefits can be gained from applying the right segmenting process
The debriefing module generates tables and graphs that show details all the call plans, and how accurate reallocation of sales resources can build market share.
View our simulations demo here.