The April PSMG meeting was held at what is allegedly one of Britain’s most haunted hotels, Ettington Park Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon. Here, over 50 brave pharmaceutical sales managers prepared for the paranormal but, instead, witnessed a fine array of presentations to lift their spirits.

Proceedings began with an inspirational and touching presentation from Will Carnegie, Senior Consultant at Business Edge Solutions and Training. At the age of 27, Will led a team of amateur sailors around the world while competing in the only yacht race to circumnavigate against prevailing winds and currents. His presentation, a dramatic retelling of the trials, tantrums and tribulations of such an epic journey, drew on the parallels of leadership and teamwork on the ocean wave and in business. Packed with perspiration, determination and no little gore, Will’s captivating story engaged the audience.

From the world of sails, to the equally competitive environment of medical sales, the second presentation looked at a current industry hot topic: key account management. Tim Royds, Director of highclere sales training and consultancy, explored this growing phenomenon, kicking off with research indicating that there are now around 150,000 Key Account Managers in the UK. His presentation exploded some of the myths of key account management, along the way offering definitions of what the term actually means. This interactive session explained the differences between Key Account Selling and Key Account Management, offering guidance and insight into how the pharmaceutical industry can truly achieve the latter. For further information on this presentation Click Here >

Following lunch, Tim Smith, Tax partner, and Deborah Parks-Green, Employer Consulting Specialist for Baker Tilly Tax and Advisory Services LLP, provided some illuminating answers to the important question: how can sales teams pay less tax? Interested? The audience was certainly keen. Deborah explained how remuneration packages can be structured so that they are more tax and NIC-efficient, and also highlighted how tax-free benefits are becoming more widely used as an alternative to salary increases. This presentation did not focus solely on remuneration, however, but also focused on company cars and other benefits. The current cliche has it that ‘tax doesn’t have to be taxing’, for further information to support this claim, Click Here >

The final presentation of a disappointingly ghoul-free meeting was given by Dr Robert Queenborough, Director of Clinical Leadership for Trafford PCT in Greater Manchester, and also a practising General Practitioner. Dr Queenborough looked in great detail at the new commissioning landscape and how this is impacting PCTs. The presentation offered a comprehensive, no-nonsense view from the coal-face, noting the need for a more commercial approach in the way PCTs themselves conduct their business. His expose on reforms such as Payment by Results and PBC , and the increasing involvement of the private sector, served as a timely reminder that responding to change is not simply a challenge for sales-forces, but also one for the industry’s clinical customer-base. Such change, he said, offers great opportunity for the consultative sales representative. To find out why, 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.