star

• Candidate>
  • Introduction
  • Candidate Help
  • Getting into Medical Sales
  • Candidate Testimonials
  • Healthcare Company Profiles
  • Pharmaceutical Company Profiles
  • PCT List
  • Hospital List
  • Helpful Links
  • Industry Overview
  • Career Insights
  • Customer Insights
• Client>
  • Introduction
  • Contract Resource Division
  • Master Vendor
  • Testimonials
  • Company In Focus
  • Client Feedback
  • Contact Sales Teams
  • Vacancy Management
  • Key Account Management
  • Differential Resourcing
  • The fluid process
• Industry Articles
• About star>
  • Introduction
  • Visions and Values
  • star Team
  • Join Us
  • Customer Service Policy
  • Equality Opportunities and Diversity Policy
  • Complaints Policy and Procedure
• News>
  • star Blog
  • star Selected News
• Home

April 2007

Gary Bowler joined Servier UK in 1989 as a Medical Representative and hasn’t looked back since. Now Director of Sales, Gary spoke to Pf about his 18 years with one company and why he’s excited to be a part of Servier UK.

What has been your best move, role or career-wise?

My best move, by far, was joining Servier UK. Servier has a fantastic track record of promotion from within, and that has allowed me to develop my career in an environment that I really enjoy. My best role was definitely my experience as a Medical Representative not just because I enjoyed the buzz of selling, but because it taught me the importance of the role that Medical Representatives have. I try to have regular field visits with our representatives to help me understand better the challenges and opportunities our field force face and to give me a better appreciation of how our customers and the NHS are changing and responding.

How do you feel about the opportunities for career progression within Servier?

I would say better than anywhere else in our industry. All but one of our 1st and 2nd line Sales Managers, all of our Training and Development team and most of our Product Managers started out as Medical Representatives with Servier. Every company talks about promotion from within, but you can see that Servier’s track record on this is excellent.

In the current industry environment, what would you say makes Servier stand out?

A real focus on people, but also on products. In an industry where mergers and acquisitions are commonplace, often to bridge gaps in product pipelines, Servier has just launched two genuine innovations and is preparing to launch another in the next 18 months. This is because Servier is an independent foundation, so not beholden to shareholders, and can reinvest 25% of turnover back into R&D. It is challenging to launch new products into the UK market but tremendously rewarding to realise you are meeting currently unmet patient needs.

What advice would you give to an ambitious representative hoping to progress their career in sales?

Firstly, there are some great companies in our industry, but take the time to research whether a company matches your personality, values and expectations and what it can do to demonstrate that. Secondly, it is essential to do the best job you can do in the role you are in. Focusing too much on the next job can be distracting, and your company will only consider you for promotion if you can demonstrate high performance.

Finally, you need to take responsibility for your own development. Your managers need to know what your aspirations are, what your timelines are and what you are doing to help yourself.

Lucy Randle discusses the value of secondments and how to make them work for you

Used wisely, psychometric tools can be an excellent way to:

• encourage improved self-awareness
• offer recommendations and a structure for personal development
• promote an exploration of team relationships and productivity.

It is important, however, to use them as a source of information within a wider context and acknowledge that they will not necessarily provide immediate answers and quick-fix solutions.

There are hundreds of companies offering a variety of psychometric tools, with one of the more popular and widely accepted being the Insights Discovery System. Based on Carl Jung’s personality profiling theories, this tool uses colour to provide a common ‘language’ in which to understand and discuss characteristics and preferences.

Personal Profiles are provided, uncovering how individuals use different energies. For example:

• Red directive energy: motivated to ‘do it now’
• Yellow expressive energy: motivated to ‘do it together’
• Green amiable energy: motivated to ‘do it harmoniously’
• Blue analytical energy: motivated to ‘do it right’

Used appropriately and delivered with effective coaching, the comprehensive report (including strengths, weaknesses, preferred communication style, selling style and possible areas for development) can be highly compelling and lead to a better performance. Furthermore, when teams are encouraged to discuss these matters together via open feedback sessions, enhanced understanding of team mates’ needs can be gained, resulting in significant improvements to team morale, job satisfaction and productivity.

TIP

The star team is constantly exposed to useful and innovative ideas relating to all aspects of employment and recruitment. Each month, a member of the team will share a favourite tip with you.

Steve Davis - Recruitment Consultant for the North East, Scotland & Northern Ireland

Take time to explain your needs to your recruitment consultant and be as honest as possible. This way they won’t bother you with calls about unsuitable roles and will be able to give you sound career advice and preparation tips.

< Back to Career Insights

top ten jobs