A STUDY ON ISSUES AND PROSPECTS OF SALES REPRESENTATIVES IN THE KANYAKUMARI ECONOMY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE MEDICAL SECTOR

Abstract

Medical sales representatives are the key point of contact between a business enterprise and its customers, responding queries, offering advice, and introducing new medicine in the market. Medical sales representatives are the electrodes of a company’s revenue engine. They create and nurture high performance sales and lead them to generate hit revenue forecasts and meet doctors and patient needs. Sell products to hospitals, doctors, wholesale medical and retail medical shops on behalf of producers. They might work directly for the company producing the medicines, or for an independent sales agency whose clients are manufacturers, and wholesalers. The important objective of the study is factors influencing the growth of medical sales representatives in the Kanyakumari district. The study is mainly based on both primary and secondary data. The total sample was fixed at 250 medical sales representatives in the Kanyakumari district. The stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data through a well-structured interview schedule. The important finding of the study is the important factors influencing medical sales representatives were Sales Knowledge (96.5), Educational Qualification (94.3), Previous Experience (91.2), Friends Support (88.8), Attracted in Sales (88.2), Good Salary (81.1), Sales Training (79.1), Self-Confidence (78.9), Interested in Earnings (78.6), Employment Opportunities (73.0), Responsibility in the family (70.5), To achieve something in life (69.5), Family Motivation (67.4), Unemployment (53.7), Risk Taking (45.1) and No other work (39.9). Z-test results reveals that in case of medical sales representatives, the observed mean value for factors such as Sales Knowledge, Educational Qualification, Previous Experience, Friends Support, Attracted in Sales, Good Salary, Sales Training, Self-Confidence, Interested in Earnings, Employment Opportunities, Responsibility in the family, Family Motivation and No other work (39.9) was significantly different from the assumed mean value of 3 at 5 per cent level of significance.