Managerial implications of medical sales representative perceptions of job duties, job qualifications, and other...

This study examined the perceptions of medical sales representatives of job related duties, job qualifications needed, and motivating factors and tested for differences based on gender, age, years of experience and education using prior research as a base. This study also explored issues that may arise between sales people and physicians. The authors surveyed 132 medical sales representatives from pharmaceutical firms located in Ankara, Turkey. The authors' findings highlight the need in Turkey for developing in-service training programs for medical sales representatives, especially in the areas related to technical aspects of the product, effective marketing and personal selling strategies, and consumer relations. Training in these areas will help salespeople to better manage the problems typically encountered in physician-sales representative relations. While the study was conducted in Turkey, the results are similar to findings in prior research conducted in other countries and therefore may be of interest to all sales managers.