At a Glance
- Leading nutrition company in the Philippines collaborated with Renoir Consulting to enhance its sales force effectiveness in the medical channel.
- The company faced challenges in measuring HCP support, allocating accounts efficiently, and fostering a strong selling mindset among its Territory Managers.
- A key highlight of the project was a 44% increase in dispensing sales and the acquisition of 282 new dispensing Health Care Professionals.
Key Results
- 44% increase in dispensing sales
- 282 new dispensing healthcare professionals (HCPs) added
- Established 262 new HCP accounts.
- Headcount optimisation enabled expansion into new areas.
Background
The Philippines is the third most attractive pharmaceutical market among ASEAN countries due to its growing population and high medical tourism rates. The client company is competitive and has kept its market position by focusing on quality and service.
According to a study, the value of the Philippines nutrition and supplements market is predicted to reach $1.4 billion from $0.8 billion in 2022 by 2030, growing at a rate of 6.8% between 2022 and 2030.
Despite success, the client has identified issues in their sales processes, especially in relation to healthcare professionals.
Analysis
The client sought to increase sales force optimisation, particularly in engaging HCPs in dispensing their products. Management aimed to shift the focus of Territory Managers from merely maintaining relationships to actively driving sales.
Key challenges included:
- a lack of structured performance metrics for measuring HCP support or loyalty,
- inefficient allocation of HCP accounts, and poor tracking of sales efforts.
- Performance reports were often delayed, reducing the ability to manage in real time, while multiple TMs covering the same HCPs led to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
- TMs were not using post-call reports, and most calls did not end with HCPs recommending the client’s products.
The analysis also identified that the company’s relatively new dispensing programme required more focus to realise its full potential.
“As a result of Project Engage, the company’s sales personnel in the 3 designated areas have increased their understanding of key business drivers and opportunities, have established new working practices and management control systems, and, as a result, have delivered beyond expected sales and profits.”
– President and General Manager.
Project Approach
Renoir Consulting implemented a project with a dedicated team of four full-time consultants. They worked alongside the client’s personnel, focusing on trade and medical sales streams as part of their sales force effectiveness consulting approach.
A Medical Sales Management Action Team (MAT), led by the Business Innovation Manager of Medical Sales and supported by the Training Manager and Sales Effectiveness Manager, was formed to ensure buy-in from the sales team, which was considered vital for the project’s success.
The project aimed to:
- Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that would drive sales-oriented behaviour,
- Enhance the HCP engagement strategy, and
- Increase the number of HCPS reached.
Renoir’s proprietary Focus Process® was employed to thoroughly understand the issues and identify opportunities through area interviews, time and motion studies (Day in the Life of), HCP surveys, and Management Control System (MCS) mapping.
The Medical Sales team also critically reviewed the MCS to pinpoint gaps, opportunities, and potential solutions in line with desired nutrition industry KPIs.
Implementation
Renoir and the client jointly executed several strategic initiatives to drive the project’s success, focusing on territory optimisation, accountability, performance tracking, and real-time reporting.
Governance & Leadership Oversight
A Steering Committee, consisting of the President and key leadership members (including the Medical Sales Director), was established to regularly review project progress and ensure strategic alignment.
Territory Management Optimisation
Challenge: Multiple Territory Managers (TMs) covered the same HCP accounts, leading to inefficiencies and diluted accountability.
Solution: Restructured coverage to eliminate overlaps, ensuring clear ownership of HCP accounts per TM.
Result:
- Freed up resources equivalent to four full-time TMs.
- Enabled redeployment into new expansion areas.
- Improved sales target accountability per TM.
Account Allocation Restructuring
Challenge: Confusion and inefficiencies due to multiple TMs handling the same HCP accounts.
Solution: Redefined account assignments to minimize overlaps and strengthen TM accountability.
Result:
- Better control over sales targets.
- Reduced redundancy in HCP engagements.
Enhanced Performance Measurement
New KPI Framework: Introduced metrics to track TM effectiveness in HCP engagement and sales growth.
Dispensing Program Metrics focused on:
- New HCP accounts acquired
- Sales performance from dispensing HCPs
- Order frequency trends
Impact: Provided clear benchmarks for the sales team, driving performance improvements.
Real-time reporting & decision-making
Replaced outdated monthly reports with a dynamic weekly dashboard.
Benefits:
- Faster performance tracking for managers and TMs.
- Timely adjustments to sales strategies.
- Sharper focus on high-priority opportunities.
“We are impressed with how the Taskforce has developed and wish to recognise them for the results that have been achieved.”
– Board of Directors
Results
Beyond the numbers, the project fostered a stronger selling mindset within the sales team and provided tangible measurements of HCP support, aligning with critical nutrition industry KPIs.
Implementing the weekly dashboard report significantly improved work planning and control. Reducing overlapping TM coverage not only improved efficiency but also freed up headcount, allowing for expansion into new geographical areas within the medical nutrition sales Philippines market.
New working practices and management control systems were successfully established. Ultimately, the project enabled the client to surpass expected sales and profit targets, demonstrating the effectiveness of the sales force.
Renoir’s structured, metrics-driven approach significantly strengthened the client’s internal processes, enabling better engagement with healthcare professionals and clearer accountability for Territory Managers. Renoir brought expertise in implementing change, provided crucial training and coaching, that resulted beyond expected sales and profits This comprehensive support was instrumental in achieving and surpassing the project’s targets.
*For confidentiality, all client-specific names and details have been omitted to protect the organisation’s identity while preserving the case study’s integrity.
Transform your sales force and see a significant impact on your bottom line.
