Death of the ‘detailing’ salesperson

If you have been paying attention for a while you will have realised that a lot is happening and changing in the world of selling and buying.

The internet and social media are the most significant game changers, along with the commoditisation of products.

With access to so much information the buyer has grown into a more sophisticated, well informed consumer, especially in the business-to-business space.

The savvy business person knows that many commodity purchases that they have traditionally made face-to-face with a sales representative can now be made online, saving valuable time and money.

So why do so many product companies, such as those in the lucrative pharmaceutical industry, persist in funding highly expensive field sales forces whose job is nothing more than getting in front of clients to detail basic product information that is already known to the client and available on the internet? 

What value does this add to the client experience? What costs does it add to the product? And could we get it cheaper elsewhere?

I believe that before long the “detailing” sales force days will be numbered.

I was blooded as a sales person in the pharmaceutical industry back in the early 1980s when I found the experience of selling that way at odds with my natural tendency to help, advise, educate and produce results.

I left the industry after only two years hating selling – or at least hating how selling was portrayed to me in that industry.

Since then I have come to understand why that type of selling is not the best approach.

So it came as a great shock to see that nothing had changed in the industry when I presented at a recent conference for the pharmaceutical industry – it was like Groundhog Day, the 1980s all over again.

Although there is mounting evidence that it is not working any more the industry is still sending out field sales forces.

Time-poor professionals such as doctors and dentists do not want to see them – they do not see any value in someone showing up and throwing up information or taking orders that they could put through on the internet, unless of course the sales representative shows up with a lovely lunch a la Masterchef.

Clients are not stupid and if they can get the basic commodity products cheaper online they are not going to make time for a sales person that adds no further value. Why would they? 

They would rather invest time talking to a representative who will bring valuable insight to the latest innovation or technique and educate them on how to run a better business, to achieve better results and give them back more time.

If those businesses are to invest in any field force representation the place should be in new product and technique innovations plus in education and consulting.

Clients want business people who can sell, add value and help to grow their businesses.

At the same time those businesses will need to set up effective online channels that give clients access to fairly-priced commodity items they know they can rely on in terms of quality and efficacy.

But if the companies who made a name developing and producing those quality products, which are now commoditised, do not have an online presence then other companies, some of whom are less than reputable, will fill in the gap and take sales that the original companies could have made.

The clock is ticking. Watch this space.

Remember everybody lives by selling something

Sue Barrett practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT. Sue and her team take the guess work out of selling and help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership.To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.