Moving Beyond the Traditional Sales Representative

Building strong relationships with physicians is crucial for success in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Physicians diagnose and treat patients, stressing the importance of informing them about disease states and treatments. A recent Alexander Group survey confirms that solid physician relationships remain essential, with many valuing their connection with biotech and pharma sales representatives.

However, depending exclusively on these relationships is no longer sufficient for growth. The industry is swiftly advancing with innovations in cancer diagnostics, gene therapies, CAR-T cell therapies, rare disease treatments, biosimilars and more, amidst continued provider consolidation. This development demands a commercial model that goes beyond conventional sales roles.

Modern models need to encompass strategic provider relationships, patient-focused support, market access, reimbursement, contracts and digital channels. Consequently, businesses have heavily invested in specialized roles beyond traditional sales representatives. These often include:

Key Account Managers

Key account managers are focused on building and maintaining strategic relationships with large and influential health systems, integrated delivery networks, academic medical centers, group practices and group purchasing organizations. They identify and pursue opportunities to expand the adoption and utilization of the products they represent. They negotiate contracts, pricing and formulary placement. They also collaborate with other sales and support roles to ensure alignment and execution of account strategies.

Managed Care Account Managers

Managed care account managers target payors, pharmacy benefit managers and government agencies. They aim to secure favorable coverage, reimbursement and access for the products they represent, and influence payor policies and guidelines. They also provide market access insights, feedback to internal stakeholders, and educate sales reps and providers on payor dynamics and requirements.

Reimbursement Support Specialists

Reimbursement support specialists are dedicated to helping patients and providers navigate the complex and often changing landscape of insurance coverage, copay assistance, prior authorization and appeals. They work closely with payors, specialty pharmacies and hub services to ensure that patients have access to the products they need and can afford them.

Patient Education Specialists

Patient education specialists are responsible for providing information and guidance to patients and caregivers on how to use, administer, store and dispose of the products they receive, as well as answering any questions they may have about the products, their side effects or their outcomes.

Case Managers

Case managers are assigned to specific patients who require ongoing support and coordination of care throughout their treatment journey. They monitor the patients’ progress, adherence and outcomes, and communicate regularly with the patients, their caregivers and their providers. They also facilitate referrals, enrollments and transitions of care when needed.

Inside Sales Reps

Inside sales reps are sales reps who operate remotely, using phone, email, webinars and other digital channels to communicate with their customers. They may have similar or different responsibilities and targets as field sales reps, depending on the product portfolio and customer segments they cover. They may also collaborate with field sales reps to generate leads, set appointments or provide additional support.

Considering Roles for Your Organization

Each of these roles is vital to ensure the commercial success of your therapeutics and diagnostics. The decision and investment in these roles are driven by product complexity, physician and patient needs, as well as the market dynamics and competitive landscape. You need to align your commercial roles, size and compensation with your strategic goals and customer expectations, while providing adequate training, coaching and support for your commercial resources to excel.

Next Steps

The conventional sales representative remains an essential part of commercial models. But modern commercial models also need to offer resources for clinical education, patient education, case management, reimbursement, contracting and digital engagement.

Embrace this opportunity with the knowledge that your decisions will shape the future of your commercial organization. Take proactive steps to assess and adapt your commercial model to stay ahead in the competitive landscape.