RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - February 27, 2008) - Only one IVD company surveyed in
a recent study by Cutting Edge Information receives more sales support from
internal staff than external staff. The report, "In Vitro Diagnostics:
Development Through Postmarket" (
http://www.DiagnosticTrends.com/),
explores trends in diagnostic's development and marketing.
The majority of participating IVD companies field sales teams of 20 or
less, including both internal and external staff. Limited resources
provide the main reason for slim sales teams. Yet, the nature of
diagnostic sales also contributes to the small teams. Because many
diagnostic companies sell to a few large purchasing organizations or
hospitals, the number of contacts and people contacting potential clients,
are limited.
The small sales teams precipitate a minimally layered sales management
structure. Most often, a vice president of sales oversees all operations,
while there are only a few divisional managers who are aligned by
geographic or therapeutic area and are responsible for as little as five
sales reps at any one time. For most surveyed companies, the external
staff either equals or exceeds in number the internal staff.
According to Eric Bolesh, lead author on the report, the heavy reliance on
contract reps stems from diagnostic companies generally being small and
marketing only a few products to a limited number of buyers. "Rather than
tie up significant resources in the maintenance of a large sales team,
companies take advantage of CSOs through temporary agreements at key times
in their products' lives. So, at the launch of a product, they have the
sales support necessary without a long-term commitment."
"In Vitro Diagnostics: Development Through Postmarket"
(
http://www.DiagnosticTrends.com/) also contains benchmarks for each stage
of the commercialization process, including product development, launch
marketing and postmarket management. Highlights include the following:
-- Investments in marketing, research & development, and manufacturing
-- Reimbursement staffing levels and budgets
-- Staff investments in marketing, sales and postmarket monitoring
-- Sales hiring and training best practices
-- Profiles of IVD brands
The report offers insights into the unique challenges that IVD product
teams confront and provides recommendations on how to maximize product
development resources and opportunities.
Download a free summary of "In Vitro Diagnostics: Development Through
Postmarket" or purchase the report at
http://cuttingedgeinfo.com/diagnostictrends/PH101_Download.asp#body.
Contact Information: CONTACT:
Eric Bolesh
919-433-0209