Industry Situation

The sales process for biotech products is becoming increasingly complex due to multiple layers of influencers and decision makers. In order to ensure a product's success, sales reps must successfully manage the needs of physicians and patients, as well as payer protocols.

Client Situation

A leading biotech company was preparing to launch its second strategic product into a core therapeutic area. Current product sales were robust. However, individual territories produced divergent results and some high potential regions were significantly underpenetrated. The new product launch was targeted at the same physician audience and would require significant clinical, educational, sourcing and reimbursement support. 

Key Issues

The company asked AGI to concentrate on the following tasks:

	Maximize growth of the current product across all territories.
	Modify and augment coverage to successfully launch a new product into their core therapeutic area.

AGI Solutions

We worked with the client to evaluate the entire continuum of promotional educational and service provision activities supporting both clinical and economic decision makers. Careful examination and modeling of sales resource time allocation to these activities yielded the following benefits: 1) best sales practices and opportunities to improve yield of current products, 2) a new coverage model, optimizing both the new product launch and current product support, and 3) resource sizing and deployment needed for implementing the coverage model.

Outcomes

The new coverage and sizing models led to increased sales effectiveness and efficiency. The company transitioned to a flexible mirrored territory coverage model. Mirrored territory partners split activities between selling and supporting in dense territories and split coverage in geographically dispersed areas to minimize drive time and maximize office time. Additionally, the sales force expanded by 20% due to increased time requirements to cover targets. Without flexible teaming scenarios the sales force size would have needed to increase by 30%.

As a result of these key changes, engaged selling time increased by 15%. Additionally, the yield or effectiveness of available selling time increased by 25%. Overall, these changes led to a 10% uplift in current product sales and new product sales exceeded growth projections by 30%.