Who are Innovex?Innovex is the UK's leading name in pharmaceutical outsourcing. A service group of Quintiles Transnational Corp., Innovex is constantly evolving, offering a breadth and depth of services that no other outsourcing company can better. A flexible approach to suit every pharmaceutial company, irrespective of size. As part of Quintiles Transnational we draw on a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the changing healthcare market, while also maintaining the intimate market knowledge required in order to meet the very specific needs of our customers.
Why do pharmaceutical companies outsource parts of their business?
Traditionally in the pharmaceutical industry, it has been the need for short-term increase in capacity that has driven the requirement for outsourcing. Over the years however, outsourcing has become an increasingly strategic issue.
By outsourcing human resources some pharmaceutical companies have saved up to 35% on their total budget, whilst the benefits of outsourcing research and development include access to in-depth expertise not available in-house, increased time efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Why do pharmaceutical companies come to Innovex rather than having their own sales teams?
- Innovex (UK) Ltd has over 20 years experience of working alongside pharmaceutical companies, we currently work for all of the UK top 20 ethical pharmaceutical companies
- We share our customers’ commercial goals, offering capacity and experience to promote some of the most exciting products in the industry
- The quality of our support has been proven over the years and many of our customers have exceeded their commercial objectives by using an Innovex team alongside or even instead of their own.
What is the difference between a representative at Innovex and a pharmaceutical company?
There is no difference in the way that the job is carried out. However, Innovex offers 2 different types of teams:
syndicated teams - who provide cost-effective access for our customers by sharing their time between a
number of customers and a variety of products and dedicated teams - who work exclusively for one customer, selling a specific portfolio of brands.
A Medical Representative with Innovex enjoys a career that offers variety, ongoing training and development and the opportunities that come with the broad range of experience gained.
What happens if the contract between Innovex and the customer ends?
All employees have an open-ended contract, after each project we re-evaluate your needs and look at the everchanging range of opportunities which may interest you.
What experience will I need?
Innovex is recognised for the quality of the training we provide to all of our employees, whether new to the industry or experienced. So you can be sure that we will provide you with ongoing training to suit your abilities. However initially we ask that, ideally, you will have either:
- pharmaceutical experience or
- a science subject 'A' level or
- a nursing qualification or
- a business or science graduate plus
- ideally experience of selling to a professional audience
How will my career progress?
Outsourcing is now an important part of the strategies for pharmaceutical companies of all sizes. In fact Innovex works with all of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and at any one time works with some 40 different companies. This means that Innovex represents a long-term career option for you, not just a stepping-stone. At Innovex our commitment to training and personal development, combined with the extensive scope of our work, creates opportunities for pharmaceutical sales people to develop their therapeutic and professional expertise.
Do I have to take any professional qualifications?
It is an industry requirement that Medical Sales Representatives pass the Association of British
Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) examination within 2 years of entering the industry. This has traditionally been sat as a single day's examination 1 year to 18 months after entering the industry. However, in January 2002 the ABPI launched a joint initiative with Innovex, offering a new integrated programme that combines elements of the ABPI examination with company-based competency assessment. This programme is run on a modular basis, which means you no longer have that all or nothing single day's examination to face, but progress gradually in stages with more rounded skills.
At the end of the modular programme you will automatically qualify for graduate membership of the ABPI Institute Medical Sales Academy (Grad. ABPI Inst).
We believe that training is key to both your success and ours. You will attend an Innovex induction programme and a residential initial training course (ITC) where the training covers specific areas such as interpersonal and communication skills. In addition to this our competency framework enables you to monitor your progress as well as work towards your professional qualification from day one.
One point to note is that we do not train you on the products that you will sell, this is carried out by the pharmaceutical company whose products you will be promoting - ensuring that your knowledge base is as good as those of teams employed directly by the pharmaceutical company.
How will my work be monitored?
All representatives report to a Regional Business Manager who is responsible for a team of 7-10 representatives in a region. Your manager will be responsible for your development and for setting and monitoring your performance against objectives on an ongoing basis. These objectives will include sales targets as well as call volume, frequency and coverage targets. You may use a computer or paper based system of reporting, dependent on the team that you join. Our syndicated teams for example use an electronic territory management system, which enables our Sales Representatives and Managers to plan and manage their business more effectively.
What rewards can I expect?
Our benefits package compares very favourably with the industry leaders. Your package will include a competitive salary, company car and bonus. After a qualifying period you will be eligible to join the company pension scheme with life assurance and the option of private health cover.
How do I prepare for interview?
Your knowledge of a day in the life of a Medical Representative may be questioned at initial interviews, so we strongly recommend that you research the job by speaking to GPs, your local pharmacists or, ideally, Medical Representatives before you meet our Innovex Consultant. Unfortunately we do not allow you to accompany any of our teams on the road in advance of your interview.
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