{"id":4230,"date":"2021-10-07T10:54:14","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T10:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sigeurope.fr\/?p=4230"},"modified":"2022-03-04T01:28:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T00:28:23","slug":"la-force-de-vente-suppletive-nourrir-le-lien-avec-les-clients-sur-le-terrain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sigeurope.fr\/en\/la-force-de-vente-suppletive-nourrir-le-lien-avec-les-clients-sur-le-terrain\/","title":{"rendered":"The sales force to nurture the link with customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baby flop, baby crash, baby blues? It seems that the stork is slowing its flapping wings just about everywhere in the world. In 2020, almost 740,000 babies were born in France, 13,000 fewer than in 2019 (-1.8%). INSEE points out that this is the sixth year in a row that the number of births and the fertility rate have fallen (Source: LSA Conso article, consulted on 6 April 2021). The pandemic and its attendant uncertainties are not the only reasons for the fall in the number of births, which has been falling for several years now.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

What are the consequences for the infant milk market?<\/h2>\n

\"force<\/h3>\n

The infant milk market<\/h3>\n

This decline in the number of births is having an impact on the infant nutrition market.<\/p>\n

In France, this market is estimated to be worth over \u20ac834.8m in 2019. It covers two very distinct segments: dietary diversification foods (\u20ac476.4m) and infant formulas (\u20ac358.3m).\u00a0(Source: LSA Conso article, consulted on 6 April 2021)<\/em><\/p>\n

Focus on the infant milk market, which has not been spared by market trends and is in decline. This market is having to adapt to strong competitive pressure and new consumer expectations, against the backdrop of public mistrust caused by the contaminated infant milk scandal.<\/p>\n

2 indestructible giants<\/h3>\n

On a global scale, Bl\u00e9dina (Danone) and Nestl\u00e9 top the list. Between them, they will account for around 80% of supermarket market share by 2020. In addition to the trend towards naturalness, with the advent of natural 100% and the strong comeback of breast-feeding, these leaders are being challenged by new players in the form of private-label brands. New entrants are also challenging them in their traditional or more innovative segments, as well as in high-growth niches such as organic and Made in France.<\/p>\n

Distribution channels<\/h3>\n

Baby is born: here come the new parents, very concerned and very vigilant about the well-being of their offspring and the quality of the products they are given. Baby formula, follow-on formula, growth milk, anti-regurgitation milk, thickened milk... In this jungle of infant formula choices, how do you find your way around?<\/p>\n

Infant milk is mainly purchased through two channels: pharmacies and supermarkets.<\/p>\n

What factors are driving people to buy milk in pharmacies or supermarkets? The key factors are the quest for greater health safety, the extension of product ranges to meet increasingly specific needs (anti-regurgitation, allergies, etc.) and new dietary trends.<\/p>\n

Pharmaceuticals represent a key distribution network for pharmaceutical companies. The network has seen dynamic growth of +8.6% in value and 2.4% in volume for the year 2020. Sales held up well thanks to the new DHA regulations for 2020, which boosted the market's value to +12.%. It has also benefited greatly from the 2018 \"Egalim Law\", the aim of which is to find a fair price to better remunerate farmers.<\/p>\n

However, pharmacies are under pressure to be profitable. In addition to competition from supermarkets and drugstores, they are facing fierce competition from online drugstores, which are popular with consumers looking for attractive prices, new products and a range that is accessible all the time. Traditional pharmacies therefore have every interest in keeping up with trends, offering a wide selection of products and maintaining competitive prices, while developing differentiation factors.<\/p>\n

One of these factors is the positive perception that the French have of pharmacies, which are seen as a local service. This perception has been reinforced by the health crisis. Pharmacists remain competent professionals who give of their time and are easy to find when you need them. They enjoy a high level of trust among parents, who need advice and support when making purchases.<\/p>\n

This is where the pharmacy team must play its role to the full. They must have a thorough understanding of product characteristics in order to provide the right advice. Today, price differences are becoming smaller and smaller, thanks to close negotiations between pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies, their groups and their agreements.<\/p>\n

Our expertise in pharmacy with Laboratoire Gallia<\/h2>\n

Laboratoire Gallia, a Bl\u00e9dina (Danone Group) brand, has been the market leader in infant formula in France for over 60 years. Laboratoire Gallia knows that it is vital to support pharmacists in their efforts to optimise the presence of their ranges at the point of sale, maximise the visibility of their products and develop sales while building loyalty among their pharmacists.<\/p>\n

The mission of GIS sales staff<\/h3>\n

So that their internal sales forces can concentrate on commercial relations and negotiations, SIG pharmaceutical delegates intervene by Substitute sales force<\/a> to develop sales prospecting, particularly for smaller pharmacies, in order to turn them into high-potential customers. In this way, they reinforce and complement Laboratoire Gallia's integrated sales force.<\/p>\n

\"force<\/p>\n

At SIG, we focus on rigorous training and ongoing coaching of our teams, to create a high-performance sales force that optimally complements the work of the Laboratoire Gallia teams. Our pharmaceutical representatives (PDs) are experts in pharmacy sales and are the laboratory's true intermediaries in the field. Through their regular visits, they develop a relationship of trust with pharmacists. By talking to these prescribing health professionals, they analyse the quantitative and qualitative feedback from sales, and advise and recommend solutions to develop the resale of products. Thanks to their canvassing work with targeted or high-potential points of sale, they ensure regular and rigorous monitoring of pharmacies.<\/p>\n

Their role is to guide and support pharmacists so that they, in turn, can offer the right product to meet the needs and concerns of parents who are concerned about their offspring's well-being.<\/p>\n

It's all about building brand loyalty and developing DN. A satisfied parent who feels well advised will become a loyal customer. They are more likely to turn to the full range of products from the laboratory that will accompany baby throughout his first months and years.<\/p>\n

The delegates' mission is to train and inform the pharmacy teams about Laboratoire Gallia's products and innovations. They convey the laboratory's message and endeavour to share its values and ambitions in order to establish a legitimate and distinctive brand image, enabling Laboratoire Gallia to assert its role as a player in the health sector.<\/p>\n

In addition to training, pharmaceutical sales representatives are responsible for negotiating the implementation and promotion of Laboratoire Gallia's merchandising and promotional tools (shelf headers, point-of-sale displays, posters, promotional operations, etc.). By carrying out an analysis of the shelf (holding rates, stock-outs, turnover, price labels, visibility, shelf presentation), they ensure that the brand's shelves are optimised and that the product ranges are promoted in order to activate the sell-out.<\/p>\n

The outsourced sales force: what are the benefits for Laboratoire Gallia?<\/h2>\n

As well as establishing a special relationship with pharmacists, we work with the brand on a strategy of targeting catchment areas to guarantee growth in market share and sales. This solution allows Laboratoire Gallia to invest in a controlled and totally flexible way to ensure a ROI approach. This approach is based on a structured and pragmatic methodology:<\/p>\n