The Evolving Role of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

Not long ago, pharmaceutical sales representatives primarily focused on one key task: order-taking. However, industry shifts have made sell-out activities increasingly critical. How are sales reps adapting to this change? What strategies and tools can help them succeed in this new landscape?

From Sell-In to Sell-Out: A Shift in Focus

Traditionally, pharmaceutical and para-pharmaceutical sales reps concentrated on sell-in, ensuring products reached pharmacy shelves. Their role involved product presentations, order placements, display setup, and inventory checks. Meanwhile, sell-out efforts—helping pharmacies market and sell these products to end customers—were typically handled by separate teams or outsourced specialists.

This model is now evolving. Sell-out is becoming a core responsibility for sales representatives. It’s no longer just about stocking shelves but also about driving sales by boosting product visibility, training pharmacy staff, and implementing promotional activities to accelerate inventory turnover

Why Is This Transformation Happening?

Several key factors are driving this shift:

Pharmacy Margin Decline

• Reduced profits on medications due to de-listings and generic drug substitutions.
• Pharmacies are compensating by expanding over-the-counter (OTC) and non-prescription product categories like dermo cosmetics, hygiene, beauty, infant nutrition, and medical devices.

Rise of Pharmacy Buying Groups

• In 2025, 90% of pharmacies belong to buying groups, shifting product negotiations from individual pharmacies to central purchasing bodies.
• However, group listings don’t guarantee sales—products still need in-store promotion to compete against private-label alternatives.

Changing Consumer Expectations

• Consumers still view pharmacies as trusted sources of quality products and expert advice.
• To meet demand, pharmacies must expand product variety and ensure staff are well-trained to provide personalized recommendations.

In this competitive landscape, pharmaceutical companies must empower their sales teams to support pharmacies in sell-out activities, directly contributing to their revenue growth.

Restructuring the Sales Force

With sell-out now an essential part of the sales role, many pharmaceutical companies are reorganizing their field teams. The goal? More frequent pharmacy visits and better in-store support.

🔹 Integrated Sales Teams:

• Previously, separate teams handled sell-in and sell-out. Today, companies are merging these roles and reducing the number of pharmacies per rep for better focus.

🔹 Evolving Visit Structure:

• Traditional sell-in reps handled 900+ annual visits, each lasting around 50 minutes.
• Now, visit durations vary significantly—a pharmacist meeting lasts under an hour, but a staff training session or in-store event can take several hours.

🔹 The Time Management Challenge:

• With these expanded responsibilities, efficient scheduling is crucial.
• A route optimization tool helps reps prioritize visits based on strategic goals, location constraints, and pharmacy schedules.
• For instance, if a pharmacy group recently listed a new product, reps can focus on setting up promotional displays in high-priority locations while skipping less urgent visits.

Mastering Sell-Out: Techniques & Tools

Beyond time management, sales reps must now leverage a variety of promotional tools to support pharmacies, including:

Merchandising Materials: Posters, shelf talkers, display stands, screens, brochures, and samples. In-store activations: Workshops, demonstrations, and customer engagement events to boost awareness and sales.

Digital Marketing Support: Ready-made campaigns, newsletters, banners, and landing pages provided by labs to enhance pharmacy outreach.

Sales reps are no longer just selling products—they are selling complete marketing solutions. They must tailor merchandising strategies, coordinate promotions, and align commercial offers with pharmacy needs.

Example: A pharmacist might receive higher discounts based on the marketing support they agree to—e.g., accepting floor decals for promotions could unlock better pricing.

Additionally, some pharmacy groups mirror large retail chains, meaning sales reps must negotiate product placement for better shelf positioning, counter displays, and endcap promotions.

Navigating Complex Commercial Policies

Every pharmacy operates under unique commercial conditions influenced by:

• Past sales history and potential.
• Location and target demographic.
• Buying group affiliations.
• Relationships with the pharmaceutical company.

This complexity makes the sales role more dynamic and challenging. To manage it effectively, reps need a centralized tool that consolidates their tasks and commercial agreements.

The Solution: OpenPharma by Nomadia

• Are your sales reps juggling multiple tools?
• Struggling to track pharmacy-specific pricing and promotions?
• Finding it difficult to coordinate sell-out activities?

OpenPharma is a CRM built for pharmaceutical sales teams, covering everything from order-taking to promotional tracking. It helps reps work more efficiently, maximize each visit’s value, and ensure seamless execution of sell-out strategies.