New & Effective Front-Line Management Training Practices to Optimize Performance & Grow Accountability at Launch

Best Practices, LLC undertook this study to establish benchmarks around the training and accountability of District Sales Managers at launch. This study provides insights on the appropriate sales force training amount, optimal time to provide sales force launch training, evaluation of different training platforms and measurement of district sales manager accountability.

Sales leaders can use this study as a reference to evaluate their sales training programs against industry standards.

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 20 sales leaders from 20 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies through a benchmarking survey and conducted executive interviews with four participants.

Key Findings

· District Managers get Management-Specific Launch Training plus the Same Launch Training as Sales Reps: A majority of participants (58%) said their District Managers (DMs) get the same launch training as sales reps as well as additional launch training that is management-specific. Most of the management-specific training is oriented to coaching (train the trainer).
· Product Information, Pull-Through Skills, Disease State Awareness and Targeted Patient Population are Highest Value Curriculum Topics for District Managers: Product information was the training topic that drew the highest percentage (42%) of “very high value” ratings by participants. Veteran sales leaders noted in interviews that managers must know enough about a new product to provide meaningful coaching to their field force. Pull-through skills, disease state awareness and targeted patient population were all rated as “very high value” by 37% of participants.

Table of Contents

· Executive Summary, pgs. 3-10

ü Research Overview, pg. 4

ü Participating Companies, pg. 5

ü Key Recommendations, pg. 6

ü Key Findings & Insights, pgs. 7-10

· Participant Demographics, pgs. 11-13

· District Manager Training, pgs. 14-24

· Effective Training Approaches & Timing, pgs. 25-32

· District Manager Effectiveness: Metrics & Measurement For Accountability, pgs. 33-38

· Narratives from Executive Interviews, pgs. 39-50

· Sales Training Operations, pgs. 51-56

· About Best Practices, LLC, pgs. 57-58

List of Charts & Exhibits

· Extent of training that District Managers (DMs) receive for a new product launch
· Types of management-specific launch training (not provided to sales reps) provided to District Managers
· DM curriculum topics at participating companies
· Average number of hours of launch training provided per District Manager and per sales representative in advance of a new product launch
· Volume of District Manager launch training
· Percentage of launch training provided by listed provider types
· Effectiveness of different approaches used to deliver launch training within the organization
· Stage prior to a new product launch when sales force training begins
· Ideal percentage of total pre-launch training that should be allocated to key launch training activities
· Frequency of front-line management performance assessment
· Effectiveness of key performance indicators (metrics) for District Managers in effecting District Manager accountability for launch performance
· Results of training follow-ups for District Managers after initial training to reinforce learning on key topics or competencies
· Skills of effective Sales Managers
· Sales training function’s scope and regions covered
· Sales training volume metrics
· Key success factors to prepare District Managers for product launch