The Strategic Role of Sales Management for Market Access in the Pharmaceutical Sector

In this paper we analyze the evolution of the role of the sales manager and of the sales force in a relational perspective of value creation in business-to-business contexts, included in the sale of prescription drugs, in Italy. The empirical research and the strategic implications are to highlight the importance of the customer-supplier relationship in business to business context and the role of the sales force in managing long-lasting relationships with customers. The work ends with the study of a task force model for easier market access by pharmaceutical companies and an expected value proposition through the sharing of knowledge and the creation of partnerships.