The summer meeting of the Pharmaceutical Sales Managers Group (PSMG) was held on 17 July 2007 at the Swan Diplomat in Streatley, where over 50 senior sales managers gathered for a day of presentations and discussion.

The presentations were launched by Sarah Hanson, Partner at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, who looked at the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and explored which public authorities are affected, when information must be provided and any exemptions that could apply. The presentation looked at specific cases, some involving the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and others involving local NHS trusts. Sarah added her expert insight on dealing with commercially sensitive information and a particularly relevant exemption: the prejudice of commercial interest. For further details Click Here >

For the second part of the morning, Brian Smith, Visiting Research Fellow at the Open University Business School and Managing Consultant at PragMedic, examined why 57% of strategic decisions are not implemented and how to avoid failure. He first focused on why this failure happens - for example, misunderstanding, cultural problems and self-interest - before moving on to how to prevent it: by improving channels of communication and aligning employees' values with those of the company as a whole. If you would like more information on how to successfully implement strategic decisions, email brian.smith@pragmedic.com for a copy of his presentation.

The afternoon session looked at the highly topical issue of how a company can maintain field force motivation during operational change, presented by Abbott's Damian Colehan, Julian Snape from eVantage Consulting and Nick Merryfield from NHIS. The presentation looked at how sales force change is being driven by a move towards a key account management approach, reduction in field force sizes, new field roles and the evolving NHS. The results of the 2007 Pf Company Perception Motivation and Satisfaction Survey were analysed in terms of employee motivation factors, satisfaction and employers of choice, with a particular focus on Abbott's results during its period of transition. For more information and to find out how Abbott increased satisfaction among its highest performers by 63% Click Here >

As a PSMG member, you are entitled to attend four such meetings a year for a fee of only £450. Non-members are also welcome to attend at a cost of £250 per meeting, providing they meet the membership criteria.