SAB NewsMembers insights on sales reps in the electronic agePosted 6/5/2007 In a recent study by The SAB on sales reps, study respondents were asked the following bonus question: In the age of electronic commerce and easy access to product information on suppliers’ Web sites, do you believe that life science sales reps will become unnecessary? Why or why not? Check out some of the responses below: With the age of e-commerce and the online ordering, delivering and sometimes demonstrating the final product on suppliers Web site life science sales representative importance will diminishes. -Mohamme, Laboratory Technician, Asia Web sites are an extremely useful source of information. However, having a sales rep demonstrate a product and its applications, especially if he understands your research needs, is invaluable. If two products were comparable (based on information from the Web site), we would choose the product from the company whose sales rep was most responsive. -Debbie, Laboratory Technician, North America They will not become unnecessary in my opinion because, however good a Web site a company has, the one-to-one interaction with a rep - especially when there is a problem to be solved - is invaluable. -June, Laboratory Technician, Europe They are representing their company and act therefore like a "prophet". If they do their job well, purchasers would remind them and this can help to make the decision which supplier to choose. Small gifts help to keep them in my mind, friendliness is important too. Some are importunate and this is what I really hate. -Gertraud, Laboratory Technician, Europe Sales reps will not become unnecessary because they provide valuable information about new and improved products, promotions, discounts, and samples. -Alora, Laboratory Technician, North America No. The need for personal interaction and hands-on training will trump the use of only Web pages. -Todd, Laboratory Technician, North America No. As much as we hate to be interrupted by them, sales reps still provide personal service. Web sites are generally passive, but sales reps are not and therefore will be more aggressive in promoting new products. -Allison, Laboratory Technician, North America No, I do not think that sales reps will become unnecessary. Researchers like to see what they are getting and try out different products before purchasing. Sales reps provide this access. There is also the need to negotiate pricing and certain quotes and promotions for individuals as well as companies as a whole- this is more accurately done with a "live" sales rep. -Kari, Laboratory Technician, North America No way, hands on help will always be welcome. -Hazel, Laboratory Technician, Europe In a busy research lab it is not always possible to spend time on Web sites, so sometimes it is nice to have a human face who understands what you are doing and can make suggestions that can help. -Christine, Laboratory Technician, Europe I do not think sales reps will become unnecessary because there are a number of people that need to actually see and touch certain items before purchasing them, some people are unable to visualize something from a Web site or catalog. -Julie, Laboratory Technician, North America I believe life science reps will still be necessary to some degree. Sometimes you just need to talk to a "Live person" if you need additional assistance and/or can't find the information you need over the internet. -Meri, Laboratory Technician, North America With little motivation to go to commercial Web sites without a primary purpose (e.g., to look up a specific item), the sales rep will remain a crucial link to highlight new and useful tools/products. -Jennifer, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America They won't become unnecessary. Especially when problems are to solve, a personal contact is of high value and usually yields better results in my experience than making my way through call centers. -Wolfgang, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe They will still be valuable to provide product pricing, introduction of new products and more importantly to run on site stock centers. -Amrita, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America They are already unnecessary - from my point of view. Conferences inform enough on new developments. -Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe The role will not become unnecessary but you will see them less frequently than at present. With email and Web based seminars you get to see new products at launch not when the rep calls. We get less frequent calls from reps in the UK I think I don't see reps weekly more like once every 2 months. The way our Department works we have a purchasing department which places orders for us we do not place even online orders ourselves. -Lesley, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Sales reps with high technical knowledge will always be of importance. -Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Sales reps can bring the human touch. And research is also a human adventure. -Antoine, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Not unnecessary but less necessary, because many things are now possible through the cyberspace, but there will occur cases for sure you cannot solve via internet. -Guenter, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia No. They'll become MORE necessary. As researchers have more things to do they'll have less time to spend researching products. Info from reps can help them keep up to date and provide a personal connection to a company that electronic access to information can supply. -Hunter, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. The need for sales reps may decrease, but they will always be necessary, especially if they have a good grasp of the applications and methods. Information regarding new products is most quickly acquired/acknowledged when it comes directly from a sales rep. I am likely to delete or ignore a generic message from a company, but not an email or phone call from a rep that I know with info regarding something new. I do like to download lots of information (and print it so I have hard copies) from the Web sites, but my preference is to deal with people. A computer or Web site can't help me troubleshoot. In fact it may be the source of my problem. I like verbal contact and discussion regarding many reagents and new applications. Also, I like to share my opinions and provide feedback. A computer doesn't care about that, and doesn't bring me t-shirts or treats either. -Anne, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. 1) There is always missing information on any Web site or technical literature, especially if you are trying to extend or alter the use of a specific reagent/kit/piece of equipment. 2) For pricing, we tend to use list price for grants but to get Institution-specific quotes for actual purchases-these are always more favorable to us. -Brien, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, I do not think that sales reps will become obsolete in the age of e-commerce. However, I do think that their roles will continue to evolve, and so they must. Although sales reps even today continue to lug around those back-breaking catalog cases, reminiscent of their conceptual ancestors, the traveling salesmen of yore, that will change as they make better use of electronic resources and customers are more accepting of receiving info on disc or from the Web instead of on paper. Because they do not have to be burdened with delivering information, sales reps can concentrate on delivering service and support, which makes them far more valuable. Sales reps have proven their worth not by how much info they can give me but by how well they have been able to solve problems when they arise. Much of it has to do with there being privileged access to certain information, on both sides (from the supplier's and the customer's perspectives), and the sales rep is the vital conduit between myself and the supplier. If at some future time, the need for having to keep some information 'hidden' disappears, then perhaps that role as liaison becomes unnecessary. However, the value of personal contact (even by email!) cannot be discounted, as long as people are involved. If increasingly sophisticated computers make it possible to deliver service and support in a responsive and timely manner, then that would be grand. At that time, robots may be running labs and doing experiments, and scientists and erstwhile sales reps would be at the beach. -Mayi, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, I believe they are extremely important since the technological developments require a much more contact with sales rep in order for them to provide us with the positive and negative points of their products. -Joao, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No, but they will become dispensable. -Ronald, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America My main use is of reps is for instrumentation and software issues, and these are best resolved by seeing kit in real life and testing out/troubleshooting. Knowledgeable reps/engineers are very valuable in this regard. -Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Life science reps will always be around to drum up business for their companies. There are so many Web sites out there that some companies would be missed by potential users. -Carol, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I think the sales reps need to become more tech-savvy and able to troubleshoot existing techniques on the spot as well as able to evaluate compatibility with related products and techniques. This does not necessarily mean that all sales reps should have PhDs in biomedical science, but intelligence will definitely be more important than physical appearance. The existing and emerging high-throughput methodologies in life sciences highlight the need for high learning capacity (e.g. array technologies and appropriate software for gene expression and genotyping studies). -Katja, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe I think the rep will remain useful, because she/he can help to stay up to date with the fast and continuous improvement of technology. May be the way used for keeping in touch could change, with more virtual contacts (email or video chat). -Franco, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe I hardly ever see any, so they seem to have made this decision themselves. I hope to continue to see them offering seminars and demonstrations to introduce new products, and I wouldn't mind more visits to inform me about new products, especially if they're innovative and not just their brand name newly stuck on old technology. -Lisa, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I don't. Even though many times you can learn most of what you need to know on Web sites, they will never replace the ability of a knowledgeable sales rep who can work with you to envision how your research would most benefit from their product. That is, a Web site can only sell products and services. A rep and identify problems and offer solutions. -Kelly, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I don't think the sales rep will become unnecessary because it is at least sometimes tedious to search the suppliers' Web sites for the necessary information and questions might arise the site doesn't answer therefore it is easier and often faster to directly interact with somebody than start searching for a contact information and/or the information wanted. Also a rep might introduce a useful new gadget I haven't thought of and therefore would not be looking for on the Web site. The only advantage a Web site has is the chance to look for information on a known product at all kinds of crazy working hours. -Birgit, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe I don't believe we can ever 'do away' with life science reps, no matter how advanced we become on Web sites etc nothing beats talking to a 'real' person regarding a product or problem I am having with a product and getting answers to my questions promptly. Most of the sales reps I deal with are interested in my research and issues I have around finding new products to complete my work. -Jackie, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I believe they will be always needed - the real flair and professional excellence of a company can be transmitted only in personal way. -Pavel, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe I Believe that Life Science Sales Reps are a key necessity to purchasing from a supplier even in the "electronic age of commerce". There have been numerous occasions that I have attempted to place orders online and the product description has a note that says "Call for more information" or "Call for Pricing". Company databases are too large to make sure that all items are entered into the system and that all pricing is up to date. There have been other occasions that the Web site would give me a general price, but I know we have a quotation with the company that gives us a discount, so the phone call to the sales rep rectifies the issue. One other issue that is rarely addressed is incompatibility with various software platforms. I occasionally cannot place an order online, because the system is too slow or the java applets do not work properly. As a final thought, Sales Reps tend to listen to my concerns and help me find solutions to new research ideas that the Web sites and online tech support cannot address, so the bottom line is that the Sales Rep is far more valuable than we may realize. -Barry, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Even the most well-designed Web site cannot anticipate every situation and question customers will have. Customer service will always be important. This means that sales reps have to be focused on service. I don't need someone who will simply read what is on the Web site to me. I need someone who will get me quotes, research difficult questions and respond in a timely fashion. I need a sales rep who will be my personal connection to the company. -Natalie, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Although I like the interaction, reps do not know or, can not know all the details of the work we do. Since our ordering is centralized and our people up-to-date, there is little a rep can do for us other than waste time. Even if they had up-to-the-minute technical information, it would only be useful if they happened to be available while an issue is taking place, and most reps are not the best technical sources. The rate of new, innovative product introduction in our area is too low to justify regular visits by a rep. -Jim, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Almost certainly they will become marginalized. Web-based ordering (when well organized) supercedes personal interaction. Web-based literature and technical notes covers 90% of questions (and often more accurately). Only when there is a problem, or the need to debug a complicated setup will a rep be called. (Usually to sort out a Windows/software problem.). -G., Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. Both types of assistance are necessary, e-information and reps. In the modern age, it's impossible to divide our current life and work into only non-electronic and only electronic. It's like our existing in total. Every day we face both the informational and material things and beings. -Vladimir, Department Head, Europe As on-line interactions become more sophisticated, and with video networking and the ability to remotely "plug" into instrumentation, sales reps will dramatically diminish in importance unless they can provide something unique in a face-to-face encounter such as small group educational sessions focused on your particular laboratory need, i.e. a sudden 'free" set of hands/brains in the lab to help with a specific issue. -Gene, Department Head, North America I don't believe that because I always value a face-to-face discussion about the merits and disadvantages of each product-I also prefer direct customer services since I feel that the company values me more that way. -Mark, Bioengineer, Europe Yes. I am agreeing that sales reps are unnecessary. If the company has a good Web site, go online is the fast and best way. Sometimes I feel the sales reps are waste our times since their knowledge is very limited. They treat others like kids, offering little refreshment. We are research scientist and not a kid. I fell they bring too much cheap commercial to science field. -Ying, Staff Scientist, North America Yes, in large part they will become unnecessary except for big ticket items. already, the good companies have enough info on their Web sites to forego interacting with a sales rep except under unusual circumstances. furthermore, many times the email assistances works very well, preventing one from having to use the telephone or in-person interactions. -Diane, Staff Scientist, North America Yes, I believe that sale representatives will become unnecessary. At the moment they are still useful. For example a few weeks ago I had a sale rep from StemCell technologies. He could not provide me with any extra information on a product that I saw on their Web page. However, I got 50% discount that I could not find as an possibility on their Web page. -Dubravka, Staff Scientist, Europe Whether life science sales reps will become unnecessary depends on the product being represented. I do not need to waste time discussing consumables (tubes, pipettes, etc) with a sales rep - send the info (preferably by email) and let me decide. For biologics (kits, enzymes, antibodies), slightly more rep interaction is useful. For instrumentation, sales rep involvement is very necessary and a good rep is a big plus. -Ken, Staff Scientist, North America We can avoid the role of sales representatives up to technical information, product buying, discounts and all. But in case of installation it is necessary to install and demo for instruments which are having new or advanced facilities. -Adi, Staff Scientist, Asia They will not become unnecessary because in certain circumstances (starting up a lab) they provide useful information that is difficult to point up alone in the net. -Athina, Staff Scientist, Europe Sales reps will be necessary and useful, because regularly it turns out there are new developments/applications/innovations which are useful for a lab to implement but were unnoticed or bypassed by lack off time to look into new things. -Jan, Staff Scientist, Europe Sales reps unnecessary? Absolutely not! Quite frankly, I have WAY too much to read, and not enough eyes for the task. So the last thing I want is to read through a 300+ page catalog, or waste hours of my life searching the Web for the products I need. Give me 5-10 min with a sales rep any day, which almost always gets me my answers in a fraction of the time. However, I AM willing to buy products from companies using cyborg replacements of sales reps...so long as they bring me candy. -Anthony, Staff Scientist, North America No. They will let us know any promotion very soon. And it makes us to buy the products from that company. -Lihong, Staff Scientist, North America No. On the web, I have to look for a page of my interest. It sometimes takes times. In person, I can ask what I need to know immediately. -Hidenori, Staff Scientist, Asia No, I do not think sales reps will become unnecessary because the Web sites have not been able to keep up with product turnover nor do the Web sites provide customer feedback information about a product. Another reason I do not feel that sales reps will not become obsolete is because the Web sites do not offer extensive enough training for large equipment purchases--this is something only a trained individual can provide and training in person is always preferred to online or telephone training. -Michelle, Staff Scientist, North America No way! It is important to be able to communicate freely and spontaneously with another human being. Even those who may not completely understand your research can meet your needs better than fumbling through often less than obvious Web pages. -Constance, Staff Scientist, North America No I do not think they will become unnecessary. I find it much easier to call a rep if I need information about a product usually, especially with big companies like VWR to Thermo Fisher, as trying to locate information on their Web sites can take longer to find then placing a simple phone call. Sometimes the Web sites do not have the type of information I need on the product/instrument so I need to talk to either sales rep or tech rep anyways-so why waste time looking on the Web site if the info isn't there. I find a lot of the company Web sites hard to navigate to find what I am looking for, especially if they have many divisions (i.e. clinical, diagnostics, research, etc). Different companies have different ways of searching for information, and if you do not use them very often you can get mixed-up as to how to search on that particular Web site so it gets frustrating. I like the personal touch of talking to a live person. -W, Staff Scientist, North America No I do not think so. Because whatever the development of e-commerce, I believe communication between persons and sharing ides is IRREPLACEABLE. At final stage we always understand a MAN but we cannot get ideas from a machine even if it is very sophisticated. -Noureddine, Staff Scientist, Asia In the age of electronics, everything is accessible via Web. An individual has a limit in taking care of things on Web. A human connection makes a huge difference in using a new and yet valuable technique/method/ instrument. This in turn increases productivity and some times provide directionality in research. -Abhijit, Staff Scientist, North America In the age of electronic commerce and the Internet... I think we need even more contact with some real people, even if only once in a while. A computer will never invite you for a coffee or ask how your kids are doing. I really hope sales reps will still be around, at least until I retire. -Oscar, Staff Scientist, Europe In an age where so much information is available on the Internet at all the different life science Web sites it is almost impossible to trawl through all the Web sites looking at putative new products. This is the area where reps are able to effectively demonstrate new products suitable for their clients. -Stephen, Staff Scientist, Europe I wouldn't mind, some of them are really annoying. Still personal contact is very important for lots of people and with all those marketing etc. tricks, they will be still useful for bio companies. -Olga, Staff Scientist, North America I think the need for sales reps has decreased. But, I don't think they will become totally unnecessary. In case of new technology, the information needed might be very complex and varied by individual research. So, sales reps can provide customized information for each researcher as necessary. -Genryou, Staff Scientist, Asia I normally prefer to look up the answers myself on the suppliers Web site, no waiting. We have had situations however where the rep has made a valuable suggestion for an alternate product. Plus I like the special pricing deals to get us to try new products. -Catharine, Staff Scientist, North America I don't think the sales representative will become unnecessary. And here's why: If you buy a piece of equipment and after installation and months of use, the equipment has a problem, I have more input from the sales representative than from the Web site. They are the first people that I can contact if I have a doubt, or I need a rush order, or I am waiting for a product that didn't arrive. Although I am an Internet person par excellence, sometimes I need to speak to a real person, and even if I can call technical support or customer service, they don't know me in person. My sales representatives do. And just because of this they will try help me as soon as they can do it. -Laura, Staff Scientist, North America I do not believe they will become unnecessary. First of all the "easy access to product information" on supplier's Web sites is of varying actual usefulness. They tend to only have the MSDS and the product insert available on the Web site. If you already have the product and can not find the insert, this is very helpful and you do not actually need the sales rep. However, if you need any actual information, that is not available in the insert, the sales rep generally gets me the best results. If I call technical service for the product, 50% of the time, they just send me the product insert as a PDF. Second, if I need a product to fill a gap in the lab, I will search for it on the internet or email the sales rep from a company that I know markets similar products. However, if a new product comes along that may make my research faster and of higher quality, I don't just randomly google products I currently use to see if there is a better alternative waiting for me to discover it. I just don't have that kind of time. So, if a sales rep drops by my lab and tells me there is a better way to do things, that just saves me a lot of time. The Web will not be able to replace that service. -Beverly, Staff Scientist, North America I believe they will never become unnecessary. The e-commerce trend will certainly change the way life science products are marketed and sold. Reps will probably become fewer and more specialized in certain applications and instrumentation. I cannot imagine myself making a purchasing decision about an expensive instrument utilizing new technology based only on Web site information. I would certainly want to go through my questions and doubts in person with a qualified representative. -Irene, Staff Scientist, Europe I believe that sales rep will remain necessary if they become more technically savvy. It is much easier to gather information from talking with someone than from searching the web. A sales rep also can help people in the same geographical areas form small networking group based on new tack or instrumentation they use. -Claire, Staff Scientist, North America I believe that life science sales reps will not become unnecessary, as researchers do not have time to browse suppliers Web sites, and good reps can suggest their products for special problems too. -Zsuzsanna, Staff Scientist, Europe Humans will never fully replace machines. The human point of contact will become more and More important, as we become more entangled in automatic e-mail responses and electronic phone answering carousels. The sales rep will become rarer, but more vital, as a TRUSTED source of information and action. -David, Staff Scientist, Europe Absolutely not! A Web site is not flexible enough to meet the varied demands that each separate order generates. If a company removes its sales reps it might as well give up trading. -Richard, Staff Scientist, Europe Yes, sales rep are important. They provide insight into what is currently available and what is in the pipeline. The latter is especially helpful in making a purchase decision given that you may not know exactly what is being developed. So long term planning can be made. Sales rep also can help in terms of custom made orders or parts. They have contacts you may not have, plus they have references that may help you decide if the product is right for you. -Ignatius, Professor/Teacher, North America Yes, but only if some form of personalized, push-style information (in this case, product) selection tool becomes available. At present is difficult to substitute a person that gives you an idea of novelties, either products and economical conditions. -Vincenzo, Professor/Teacher, Europe When research is 100% done by robots, then, and only then, will sales reps be obsolete. -Simon, Professor/Teacher, North America Web sites are useful when you know what type of items you need for your research. However, when I need to use a technique that is new to me, a sales rep's knowledge is very useful. They can save me time researching reagents and instruments that may be best for my application by recommending products and providing me with reading materials on the products. Web sites can be daunting when you are not sure what you are searching for. I think that there will always be a place for a life science sales rep. -Jayne, Professor/Teacher, North America We have very little need to see them anymore as it is. The Web will usually lead to answers needed quicker. -Clint, Professor/Teacher, North America Though Internet and e-mail access has proved to change the scenario as researchers worldwide (mostly developing countries) have witnessed the revolutionary change and are more accessible to suppliers than before, but I still feel sales reps will continue to be a large force to reckon with as they will personally bring instrument support with them. Lively discussions with them will be more than useful in recommending for a product. -Bharat, Professor/Teacher, Asia They are needed!!! If somebody does research, he has no so much time to go through all companies to get the best equipment, which fulfill the needs. -Diana, Professor/Teacher, Europe They are necessary, because reps are only reliable people to ask troubleshooting on payments. They have been very helpful upon the trouble with Payable department, which saved a lot of time and effort from me. I tend to choose an equipment from vendor with a reliable reps. -Masumi, Professor/Teacher, North America There will always be sales reps because of the personal touch. Over the years, they get to know you and understand what is important to you and can thus, be a valuable source of help in making purchasing decisions. -Mike, Professor/Teacher, North America The spontaneity and personal interaction that comes from a chat with a sales rep will always be more convincing and satisfying than a virtual two-dimensional, distant cyber-rep . -James, Professor/Teacher, North America The sales reps in terms of providing information and pricing should become unnecessary, if Web sites are well-constructed to be informative and user-friendly. Yet in terms of installation, problem solving or trouble shooting and technical support they would remain vital. -Asmaa, Professor/Teacher, Asia The job profile of sales reps will change, they will work more by e-mail contact rather than by personal visits. Once you know and trust the person behind the e-mail it will work well, so traveling is not so important for them anymore. -Carsten, Professor/Teacher, Europe The human touch will always be necessary. Reps will always be needed to explain things, to answer questions that arise, to help people do customized work. If you expect the unexpected in your research, you need the help of other people; computers can't do it. -Beverly, Professor/Teacher, North America The contact with a sales rep enables to solve the problems and actual modification of requirements, which is impossible via Web sites. From this point of view sales reps are very useful. -V_clav, Professor/Teacher, Europe Sales reps will still be necessary as they can still bring a product to one's attention, which a Web site cannot do on its own. They can also point a researcher towards a supplier's Web site, which the consumer might not have known to exist. Electronic commerce has been and will continue complimenting sales reps but cannot replace them. -Willias, Professor/Teacher, Asia Sales Reps will continue to have their role and will never become unnecessary. We as human beings will always keep on appreciating to have the personal contacts rather than to deal with Web sites all the times. -Amanat, Professor/Teacher, Asia Sales reps provide personalization and immediacy that cannot be matched by a Web site; they are indispensable. -Francine, Professor/Teacher, North America Sales representatives can draw your attention much better to one new product and give you unpublished hints. I hope that they will not be replaced completely by the internet. -Marie-Theres, Professor/Teacher, Europe Reps are necessary because actual humans are able to provide the most direct response tailored to your specific question, and potentially understand the nuances of your request. Web sites can not do this. -Ken, Professor/Teacher, North America Regardless how fast technology will reach, personal contacts will always be, at least for me, the most convenient way to get what one may need for research. -Amr, Professor/Teacher, Asia Not, they will be always necessary to find in the user manual the answer to our problem, which we have not been able to see. -Claudio, Professor/Teacher, Europe Not, because the sales representative brings human touch to the table. -Ateequr, Professor/Teacher, North America Not necessarily. For most biological products, a knowledgeable sales rep can facilitate optimization or at least direct you to a technical expert who could help troubleshoot problems. Also, the sales rep would know who else in the vicinity is using/has used the products and may be able to set up a technical consultation with another user. -Flerida, Professor/Teacher, Asia Not entirely, but their role has certainly changed in recent years. Most suppliers have extensive online technical and purchasing support. I rely less and less on reps for assistance with smaller items. Large equipment purchases almost always do require installation and training. That role will continue to be important. But query software on most suppliers Web sites are really adequate to obtain support for lower cost equipment and material purchases. -John, Professor/Teacher, North America Not at all! Personal contact and live presentation is still very useful for access the product information. -Milan, Professor/Teacher, Europe No. They will NOT become unnecessary. I don't have the time or patience to wade through Web sites looking for the technical information, or quotations I need. We are already inundated with Web sites, emails etc. I prefer to speak with someone who will do the legwork necessary to make a sale. -Howard, Professor/Teacher, North America No. They frequently provide us information not suitable to be disclosed in the internet. For instance, who else is using that product, reputation of that product, and so on. Those are still quite useful for us. -Jun, Professor/Teacher, Asia No. There's no substitute for a personal contact who knows what to do and can help you when you can't find the information you need or need to get problems resolved. -Beth, Professor/Teacher, North America No, they will be more important. Face-to-face interactions enable us to make the maximum utilization of what the science products manufacturers have to offer. -Balmukunda, Professor/Teacher, Asia No, the human contact is and will be necessary. -Donatella, Professor/Teacher, Europe No, since personal information about equipment and new reagents cannot replace then and are very useful. -Hans-Martin, Professor/Teacher, Europe No, I think that sales reps are necessary because you can discuss with they about your doubts and troubles. -Ana, Professor/Teacher, Europe No, I do not. Because the sharper the berry, the sweeter the wine. -Ken, Professor/Teacher, Asia No, because I like them and enjoy my visits with them! Their insights based on their knowing my specific needs are invaluable. The personal relationships allow for knowledge such as how often I need materials, what things will better help me (rather than a bunch of useless info that goes into the garbage or email trash), basically them knowing what I would be interested in and whether I have the budget to afford it. -John, Professor/Teacher, North America Life science sales reps will remain necessary because the flow of information into Web sites is slow and patchy and the Web still lacks the ability to connect concepts. I often have encountered salespeople who suggest alternative projects or protocols which I would never have even thought to look for on the Web. -James, Professor/Teacher, North America Life Science sales reps will always be needed to demonstrate how pieces of equipment work in relation to a competitors. As grant funds become more difficult to obtain, the laboratory decision for equipment and software becomes imperative to productivity and survival. -Anna, Professor/Teacher, North America It's true that I have seen my sales reps less and less in recent years, but I hope they don't disappear completely. Well, not all of them. -Jeremy, Professor/Teacher, North America In Saudi Arabia, sales reps are in fact integral part of our research. Usually we buy all the materials (instruments and consumables) from local suppliers and sales reps are the valuable connectors. However, in global aspect, I feel that a direct communication between user and supplier could be a time- and money-saving approach. -Haseeb, Professor/Teacher, Asia In many ways they are already unnecessary. -Allan, Professor/Teacher, North America I think the sales reps are still necessary. The reason is that I rather talk to a person then to a computer. Talking to a good, knowledgeable and patient sales rep is a nice way to seek useful information about the products and trouble shooting. -June, Professor/Teacher, Asia I think that sales reps will become more necessary. Now and in the future, there is or will be access to an enormous amount of information about supplies and types of supplies. The amount of information can be examined over the Web but this takes a very large amount of time. Sales reps that have done their research and can explain and compare products will greatly facilitate the selection and purchase of their companies products. -Bonita, Professor/Teacher, North America I think sales reps are still necessary. They provide a knowledge base that can not be replicated by a Web site yet. Also, the human connection to other humans in the sales rep's company is quite important for expanding research capabilities. -Matthew, Professor/Teacher, North America I guess so if the information on their Web sites is sufficient. -Huangen, Professor/Teacher, North America I guess it may look unnecessary in a close future. But human contact, human advice will appear necessary again. -Jean, Professor/Teacher, Europe I don't think so. Even though it currently seems that everything can be done electronically, I believe most people including myself prefer to have a responsive from people like in this case to the sales reps. An appropriate training sales reps would make the unforeseen problem easier and, in my opinion, could solve this a lot better than e-mail correspondence. -Ekachai, Professor/Teacher, Asia I do not believe that life science reps will become unnecessary. In any business dealing in any Asian countries, the human contact between customers and sales reps is important in order to establish trust and long time relationship. It is nicer to talk to a human being face-to-face than to a machine or a voice over the phone. -Hishamudin, Professor/Teacher, Asia I believe that they will never become unnecessary. They make us aware of new products and new ways of doing things and they provide us (but not all the time) with free samples giving us an opportunity to try things out. I always enjoy talking with the sales reps and look forward to their visits. -Helene, Professor/Teacher, North America I believe that some sales reps will become unnecessary but others will continue to be highly valued. This will depend on the size of the company (as companies get bigger a good sales reps is worth their weight in gold and makes it so much easier to navigate through the layers of a company that has merged several times. Also for the companies that deal with high end instrumentation I think that a great sales rep is also a huge asset and is irreplaceable with internet information. For everyday supplies, however, from smaller companies or organized larger companies sales reps. may be more dispensable. It also depends on their ability to broker promotions for their clients and help with different products. -Jani, Professor/Teacher, North America I believe that life science sales reps will not become unnecessary. This is because life science is an ever expanding field in the coming years, and no one would be able to put all up-to-date info online. In addition, a talk with an experienced person on a product with multiple use is always of great value. -Zhanpeng, Professor/Teacher, Asia For most of the mundane purchases (consumables, enzymes, etc), yes the sales rep will become like the dinosaur. However for large-ticket items they are still useful to have around in negotiating good prices and in showing us the various types of instruments they have. -George, Professor/Teacher, North America Considering the increase in electronic commerce, I believe that the role of sales reps will be diminished. However, it is still good to be able to interact with a human being when I have questions or concerns, or am scrambling to find some specific information. Sales reps will be necessary to still maintain that human touch that people desire. -Dubear, Professor/Teacher, North America As long as the sales rep is providing a service and making purchasing more convenient, there will be a need for sales reps. But if the rep is providing the same level of service as the Web site, it will be more convenient to use the Web and there will be no advantage to having a representative. -Lori, Professor/Teacher, North America Absolutely no. Because I often need sales reps' supports when I have very specified problems or specified demands about their products. It has been very rare in my experience that I could find solutions for these matters in the suppliers' Web sites. -Masahiro, Professor/Teacher, Asia A knowledgeable, approachable and responsive sale reps can never be able to replace electronic commerce. -Zainal, Professor/Teacher, Asia A good rep has the ability to winnow the one produce of interest to you from the thousands of products offered by their company. It's very difficult to search for something you don't know exists, so having a talented sales rep there to recommend solutions provides an avenue for discovery that is otherwise hard to fill. -Amy, Professor/Teacher, North America A demonstration is better than hundreds of words in a manuscript or in a product brochure. -Fernando, Professor/Teacher, Europe Yes, sales reps will become unnecessary for general purchases. Especially with the ability to contact technical support people at most companies. The Tech support always seems more helpful addressing our lab needs (i.e. how to get an antibody to work). The only area where a sales rep has proved extremely useful to my lab is in the setting up large expensive equipment and then training the lab to use it. -Laura, Principal Investigator, North America Yes, but only if they are trained and well resourced. -Sarabjit, Principal Investigator, Europe Yes and those that do not adapt to changing technology will find themselves unwelcome in many labs. -Gayle, Principal Investigator, North America Unfortunately not all suppliers' Web sites include all the info needed. It is important to have the opportunity to talk to a sales representative directly, at least before major purchases. -Vicente, Principal Investigator, Europe Till we have borders between countries I believe that sales representatives will help scientists to avoid custom, delivery and ordering problems. Molecular Biology practice is often needs very delicious reagents and techniques, so an experienced person will help to keep the lab reagents storage in good conditions, and keep the lab's team informed about latest technical resources. These issues cannot be solved without sales rep's. -Dmitry, Principal Investigator, Europe Though we can access to most of the product information from the suppliers Web site, in our busy work schedule, we do not have sufficient time to look for these information. Science sales reps are the real "Science messengers" who always inform us about new products and technologies. -Manickam, Principal Investigator, Asia As part of a university lab the role of the sales rep in setting up online purchases is small because we have a central account dept that prefer all orders to placed by themselves. I always use suppliers Web sites initially to find out prices, technical info etc, I then contact our accounts dept to find if we receive a discount as a university. I only contact the sales rep if the prices are not stated in a catalogue or on a Web site, or if I think we could acquire a discount (for multiple orders etc). I do like to meet sales reps at meetings and conferences etc as I often come across products that I haven't noticed before and then I find that the reps often can explain the advantage of their products over others or they listen to my research needs and advise me on how their products could help. -Lynn, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Although Web site etc. are replacing many conventional ways of assistance. Those electronic approach will never be enough to solve all our problems, because in many cases, problem solving requires intellectual and creative approaches which should be flexibly done by smart and caring people, not machines. Also, many of the situations, we need certain levels of faith between sales reps and customers, which never will be achieved electronically. -Dohun, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Although there are some reps that we routinely hide from due to there pushy sales techniques, on the whole I like having access to reps. I think that it is useful to be provided with information on new produces that may be useful for my work and when purchasing equipment for them to come in and do demonstrations first. As a scientist we have so many other demands on our time that it is just not possible to keep up to date with all the new products coming out and it is useful to have people coming and presenting them to you (and preferably bringing you freebies at the same time!). -Rebecca, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Yes. They just try and sell you stuff, it's so annoying. If you need something, then we'll go buy it. If you want to show us your new products, then send us an email, don't send duplicate catalogues all to the same lab. -Gemma, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Yes. Our University is located in the middle of Montana, so we hardly ever deal with actual sales reps. I find that ordering wise, we do just fine without one on one contact with a rep, and that as long as we receive mail issues of new products that are coming out from each company, we feel up to date as far as new products and ordering are concerned. -Dana, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Yes. because this is faster to get your request process. -Chee, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Yes, I do believe. However, in my country we still need sales reps as most of the products are sold by distributors, not the principal companies themselves. Most sales reps are not experienced enough to provide useful information on their products. Sometimes they need to consult their principal company before they can provide any solution for troubleshooting. If I can purchase online or obtain technical support online, I believe I won't need assistance from life science sales reps. -Chuen, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia They are definitely needed, since they can respond immediately to our request and at least initiate action in some way. And they are definitely more difficult to ignore when compared to e-mails offering promotions. Overall there is more interaction which leaves both sides at least partially satisfied. -Goleeta, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America They are also vital as you cannot beat that personal touch. People can answer questions where computers can not always. -Caroline, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe They are a holdover from before the web, the usefulness of the reps is when the company screws up your order. The trade shows are interesting and most of the interaction that I initiate is either there or to resolve a problem. There is no way they can understand every aspect of the research their company's products are used to perform. -James, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America The sales representative are the backbone of the research, we cannot imagine the research without the them. -Bindhyachal, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Science sales reps may become unnecessary for the purchase of consumables or other everyday items. These have become very easy to order online and we rarely get promotions from the sales reps that are not available online. However, for major equipment or kit purchases, sales reps are still a valuable link to the company and can make the ordering, purchase, and delivery much smoother. -Meredith, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Sales reps will not be unnecessary. Personal relations/contact is always most important in deciding to choose/bye a product. -Vidar, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Sales reps will never become unnecessary, although their importance may lessen. Most researchers still do not have the time to sift through all the product information located on a company's Web site. It is still nice to see a friendly face who is able to give you a quick synopsis of all the new products available. -Stephen, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Sales reps are always necessary. Because web-based information or assistance is only dependent on the product knowledge of the researcher I think. On the other hand, the sales reps may answer my questions those are far away from my knowledge (e.g. a special application of the product, discounts that special just me, resolving the payment problems if occurs due to my institution..). -Cenk, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe No, believe that sales reps will not become unnecessary. They generally have information, from personal communications with other researchers, that is not available on company Web pages. They are a great source of information. -Michael, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America No, because I think that most people are too lazy to inform themselves about all the products of a company no matter how nice a Web side is. -Barbara, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe No they will not/should not, as when there is a problem it is better to deal personally with a person rather than an electronic communication medium. It allows quicker troubleshooting and eliminates confusion. -Hilton, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe No I don't think life science sales reps will become unnecessary. Firstly, they are not only selling products, but are valuable sources of technical expertise. Secondly, trawling through a lot of Web sites is a nuisance, it is much easier to pick up the phone or drop an e-mail to a rep. Thirdly, a lot of institutions, such as the University where I work, still do not accommodate online purchasing. -Jennie, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe From the scientist's standpoint, sales reps are almost completely unnecessary. Finding information online or over the phone, getting technical support, and ordering are all easily accomplished without a sales rep. Occasionally, a sales rep will let you try out an instrument beforehand, which is useful for evaluating their equipment. From a bioscience supplier's standpoint, I am sure sales reps are quite useful. There is no substitute for someone making contact with people in the lab and making sales. So, while most sales reps are unnecessary, I doubt that the job will ever be eliminated. -Michael, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Except for installing new instrumentation followed by its demonstrations and services, other time it's not necessary to see sales reps every week. Nowadays it's much easier to have up-dated (field relevant) products either by colleagues or by reading the research literature or by visiting the suppliers Web site (where we can see (the up-dated products)as well as compare 5 products from different companies, within few seconds). -Rajesh, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Definitely not. It is necessary to have someone approach you to actually pay attention to new products and promotions. I skip over most of the emails I get regarding these areas. -Katie, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Certainly not! Because in manuals and protocols is not written everything. And that is why there are people who should know more, who are supposed to be able to offer solution to a problem etc. -Jan, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe As suppliers' Web presence increases, I believe that sales reps will become less important, but will never disappear. Although accessing information on a suppliers' Web site is easy and convenient, nothing can compare with having an actual person discuss the products with you. This is especially essential in the identification and evaluation of new products. -Michael, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America No, they introduce new products that I normally would not be aware of. They also provide discounted pricing which is extremely important in the smaller business. If I know the rep I feel I have a more personal relationship with the company and more likely to order from that company. One thing that is most important to our business is to have supplies not on backorder and delivery on time. I almost stopped using VWR and Fisher a while back because large equipment purchases were not delivered on time. I've have also noticed that many of the suppliers do not have equipment (incubators, refrigerators etc)in stock it is made to order resulting in long delivery times. Usually when we decide to purchase equipment we need it as soon as possible, especially since qualification protocols are more complicated than they used to be. -Kym, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I find that product information on the Web is useful if I know what type of product that I need. Being in a small private lab, I am not always up-to-date on some of the newer reagents and equipment. Therefore, I do not always know that certain items that I would find useful actually exist. In my experience, the sales rep has been the one to identify useful new technology or products. The sales rep listens to me talk about what we do and what we need, and they bring my attention to specific items. I much prefer this type of interaction to an electronic interaction which usually simply ends up in me being frustrated and calling the company anyway. -Janice, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I believe that Sales Reps will become more important with time as the complexity of testing becomes more prevalent. We are seeing a tremendous surge in new tests becoming available and need Sales Reps to keep us informed on new products for these tests. It is becoming harder and harder to know as scientists what is available to purchase that will benefit the work we do and need these Reps to keep us up to date on their products to make informed decisions. Using a web-site will be only one of many steps with which to decide how to spend money on products. A knowledgeable Sales Rep is extremely important in that decision making process. -Susan, Department Head, North America No. Sales reps are necessary for negotiations of pricing and staying up to date with changes to current products, product shipping changes and new product information and may be able to provide more detail than the literature. Plus, if you have a great rep, sometimes that makes all of the difference in whether or not you will purchase an item. -Sheri, Staff Scientist, North America No, necessary. Web sites are not responsive to particular interests. They are good for disseminating general information, literature, etc. They are not good at resolving problems or negotiating terms. -Scott, Staff Scientist, North America A good sales rep in the life science market needs to be selected, trained and organized in a way that reflects the real needs and expectations of scientific customers. These people are very useful if they are innovative and open minded as they bring new ideas to your research group and thus helping you being progressive. For me, these guys are useful and they shouldn't be replaced by "cold" electronic commerce services. -Oswald, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Though technology has certainly dramatically increased the ease and speed with information can be accessed and orders can be placed, I hope that there will never be a time when the human element is considered completely irrelevant. Technology can never completely replace the value of human intelligence and experience, not to mention the value of genial person-to-person contact. -Suzanne, Staff Scientist, North America It will be a disadvantage to the scientific community if science sales reps are not around. They still form a very important technical link between the company that makes a product and the scientist. With them in the chain it is easier to solve problems. They are an absolute necessity in scientific progress of a lab. -Shankar, Staff Scientist, North America Absolutely not. Regardless of how well a supplier's Web site is designed, there is the advantage of having someone respond to an inquiry who can take the time to understand the customer's particular needs. Web sites can only anticipate a few select groups of users and cannot anticipate the needs of all possible users. A personal visit from a sales representative most effectively meets the needs of the broadest set of customers. -Allan, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America No. The human contact will be always necessary. The peculiar human ability of problem solving won't be never be exerted by electronic intelligence. Sales representative are mainly necessary to answer the question "why should I spend so much money for this new instrument? or in other words to explain the application/use of complicated/novel instrumentation (for example a real time cycler, the Agilent bioanalyser and so on..) or kits. They are extremely useful for problems concerning prices or allocation of research founds. -Miriam, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Web sites are not updated that regularly. Thus, they do not have all the information available that researchers need. Sales reps fill the need to understand the problems of the customer. -David, Principal Investigator, North America No - a good sales rep is invaluable in navigating a company's technical and support infrastructure. Also a really good rep will provide an honest assessment of the products they sell and how they can be used to greatest advantage. Unfortunately, I've only ever had two sales reps that I'd put in this category. -Cory, Principal Investigator, North America No, I think that they are still necessary because the suppliers' don't always put all of the information that I am looking for on their Web site. Also, the sales rep has hands on experience using the kits and can give you information about little "tricks" that one can do when using the product to make it work better, or more efficiently. If I am having a problem with the product, I can also call the sales reps. and get help, if they can not help me then they will try hard to find out the information I need, and you can not do this interaction with a Web site. -Beverly, Laboratory Technician, North America No, because you will always need the human element to react to differing situations. -Daniel, Laboratory Technician, North America Life science sales reps will never become unnecessary. When you work in a busy lab and spend the majority of your time conducting research, you rarely get the change to check out the new products that emerge onto the marketplace. A sales rep is someone that a researcher can rely on to contact us when their company has a new product or technology that will help us to do our work more efficiently. The field of life science is so dynamic, that it is difficult to keep up with the latest advancements that are being made. A life science sales rep serves as a valuable tool enabling us to keep up with the latest trends and is a welcome addition to the product information that is available on the suppliers' Web sites. -Deborah, Laboratory Technician, North America Definitely not- I often come across unique problems while in the middle of an experiment that require trouble-shooting beyond the generic information available on-line. -Jackie, Laboratory Technician, North America Considering the state of some suppliers Web site and the poor information available, sales reps are still required. Sales reps should always be required since they understand the needs, the quantities and the need for ideal pricing, whereas a computer does not. Product information is ideal for a Web site and that is where it should be. A sales rep's job is different than just provide product information, they are required to provide a service. -Donovan, Laboratory Technician, North America As Web sites grow, it becomes harder to search, find and compare products. It will become more important for a sales rep to navigate product lines and recommend suitable products. It will be most important for reps to have hands-on knowledge and experience with the products, not just catalogs to hand out. -Dave, Laboratory Technician, North America Yes. Even in our computer era people want to communicate with real persons who you can directly ask questions, give tips, and discounts, etc. It makes (scientific) life a bit more human. -Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Yes, I hope so. Actually I think personal visits of sales reps on a regular base have been unnecessary all the time. -Frank, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Why should they?? There is no way that I can ever extract EXACTLY the information I need at EXACTLY the moment I need it. One call to the sales rep - and I have the answer within half an hour. Look at Invitrogen's Web site: a graveyard for information, a useless piece of junk... Only the sales rep knows the exact answer to your question since it's his (or her) passion to know it all. -Daniel, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe They won't become unnecessary because although some people like to read and find out information for themselves (visual learning style) others prefer or need to have things explained or demonstrated to them (listening/doing learning style). Both these types will continue to exist and the latter will still need sales reps. -Janet, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe There will always be a need for a Sales Rep to make direct, face to face contact with a customer to answer questions and provide support. This will never become unnecessary. -Anthony, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America The job becomes more sophisticated, the sales rep must be trained use modern tools (PDF instead of paper). Anyway - we hardly meet sales reps because of a central purchase department. -Roland, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe The flexibility of a personal contact cannot be substituted by a Web site. -Alessandro, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Sales reps will remain necessary. They provide a better understanding of the products and applications and how they may fit into a particular project. Web sites are becoming more and more cumbersome to maneuver through often leading to a significant loss of time spent looking for something. -Colette, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Sales reps are necessary, because they give us the personal touch to the instrumentation we use. -Guenter, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Sales Reps are critical to educate my lab on what's new and how the new products will assist our research. We don't surf suppliers Web sites so do not know what is the latest and greatest. -Russell, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Sales Reps are always necessary. Although this is the age of electronic commerce, electronic communications are not always rapidly answered. As well, trying to get specific information on a product, trying to trouble shoot a product or trying to resolve other problems work best when a sales rep is involved. Many times, I have tried to get things done through the Web site or electronic communications but have become frustrated at the speed and/or lack of results. When you call your sales rep, things are usually taken care of seamlessly and rapidly. The sales rep usually understands the problems and knows enough of the internal workings of his/her company that they can get results rapidly. The sales rep will (hopefully) be around forever. -Ray, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Only a sales rep would be able to demonstrate techniques more efficiently than an online demo. -A.K., Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia Not unnecessary, there role will evolve into technical experts, not just detailers putting the brouhures in front of the scientists. -Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Not necessarily considering that some Web sites are simply not easy to navigate and finding information is sometimes a challenge. I still find it reassuring to talk to someone (doesn't have to be face-to-face, can be over the phone) about a product that I would like to purchase but am not sure that it is suited for my needs. -Julie, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. There are still a lot of decisions made based on the trust between human beings. Sales reps still add value to the knowledge of equipment and reagents, and they can quickly identify the needs of clients. -Betty, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. The life sales rep can help end-users understand the products more and make the order process easily. -Chenya, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No. Progress in life science technology and knowledge is fast. I believe suppliers' help should be necessary for persons who focus on life science. -Hisao, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia No. Even though most information is readily accessible, the time involved searching for and compiling vendor-specific information could be better utilized actually performing experiments. Thus the sales rep can provide a valuable timesaving service if utilized appropriately. -Alan, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, they will not become unnecessary. They provide vital information about picking the right instrument or consumable for the intended use. Due to their frequent contact with other users, they can provide important information about how to use the products, thus shortening considerably the time until the product can be used to produce valuable results. Working in an environment of a large pharmaceutical company, the main advantage of e-commerce - speed - does not come into play since all purchases have to be processed through the purchasing department anyway. So, better talk to the sales rep to pick the right product from the beginning rather than try to identify the right product via Web sites. -Henning, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No, the support on the Web sites is too varied from excellent to none at all. Even on those that have a great deal of information there is always something more that is needed. On site help with instrumentation setup and operation can not be provided from a Web site. -John, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, not unnecessary but more rarely. In most cases, the Web gives the best and broadest information base, but all other things are further necessary getting more detailed information - and that more personally. -Claudia, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No, many Web sites are not intuitive and are difficult to navigate. It's also difficult trying to get specific questions answered in the absence of a sales rep. There will always be a need for people behind the products; a Web site alone is insufficient. -Nicholas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, it is always beneficial to have interaction with a person from time to time. Sometimes things are easier to explain talking to a live person. -Reid, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, I do not believe so. Sales reps and other contact with companies' personnel enables the end-users such as us to ask questions and provide FEEDBACK to the company as to which product(s) to produce. So its a two-way street, we get info from them and they get market feedback from us. -Enal, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No, especially for instrumentation and software, support and personal contact is key. Further the investment in expensive instrumentation or software is usually linked to negotiations! Regarding products linked to applications, good sales reps usually come along with non-public information and networks. This can be quite helpful. -Michael, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No way. First, electronic commerce does not translate to error-free order processing. The life science sales rep is my personal advocate to correct inevitable problems arising from delivery mistakes/delays as well as my personal conduit for new product information. Second, the sales rep serves as a fast-track pipeline for customer feedback. However, do I think that the sales rep needs to have a physical presence in my lab? No. Wouldn't it be reasonable for electronic commerce to incorporate a sales rep that contacts me solely through personalized e-mails? I still get my personal attention, but this saves me time in meetings and allows the company to have a centralized sales staff (better trained, consistent policies, back-up system, etc.). -Karl, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America No -they can tell you how it really is and not what the Web site wants to tell you. They can also get to the person who can answer your question if they are not able to. -Rob, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No It will always be useful to have a person known to you that you can contact with any problems. -Thelma, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe No - The life sciences sales reps are essential in dealing with technical problem, product identification as per the requirement and to get to know more information about the new products. -Krishnamurthi, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia No - for technical support and discussion of application of new technologies - one on one personal discussion absolutely necessary. -Peter, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Never. A good sales rep with a personal visit can assess so many intangibles, and with careful listening skills, a good scientific background and good product knowledge prove very valuable in a purchasing decision. The Internet may be useful for some things, but major purchases in the scientific instrument field is not one of them. -Marion, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Life Science field sales reps are a vital part of my interaction with key vendors that supply my lab. I tend to have more faith and trust in companies that have helpful professionals that can make things work in my lab. -John, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America In the words of a rock and roll song, "You always need that human touch." -Teresa, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I do not think life science sales reps will be eliminated completely because there are certain times sales reps are really useful especially when they introduce new products the sales reps can do a better job than just looking through company Web site. Also, they are critical when we purchase expensive equipments which we would like to get good discounts etc. Considering these examples I do think the sales reps play a key role. It's just that they have to multi-talented and multi-tasking to fit better into the current electronic commerce. -Madaiah, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I do not believe that they will become completely unnecessary, although I rely most heavily on Web sites and Vendors Technical Assistance phone lines for most of the support I seek. Sales reps arrange valuable product-oriented seminars which often have as much (and often more) science as sales pitch. Online Webinars are beginning to supplant the in-person seminars, but Q & A is much easier with the in-person seminars and generally can extend to almost limitless personal conversation if the consumer has an interest. -Bob, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I do not believe life science sales reps will become obsolete. There is no substitute for the experience and knowledge of a dedicated local sales rep. A good local sales rep not only provides information on their company's products, but also provides a vital networking service. When you need a new research partner, the local sales rep may know of another company that might make a perfect fit for both parties research programs. Furthermore, when you are in a bind, a well connected sales rep can provide RUSH needed products faster than the main company. -Renee, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America I believe that interaction with sales reps will remain an integral and important part of the research lab environment. As a busy researcher I don not have time to scan through Web sites or read through dozens of emails to find new products that I may be interested in. Interaction with a good rep allows me to use that person as an additional resource, especially when they understand my research area and my needs and frequently stay abreast of changes in my research directions. -Scott, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Custom orders are often necessary, and almost always require personal assistance. -John, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Absolutely not. Because there is nothing that can substituted an information or help give directly face to face. -Guido, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Yes largely. The most useful help we need is technical assistance not on pricing or ordering. -Hongming, Department Head, North America No, they will not become unnecessary (there is a fair share of negatives). I look at the relationship of researcher and rep as one of helping. There are just too many times when a face-to-face conversation is needed. Probably the best example is to consider how one learns a new computer application...is the book better than a live teacher? -John, Department Head, North America Excellent question which was bothering me from the beginning of the survey because I was expecting it at the very top of the debate. I would consider the Sales Reps (SR) as the coast guard; you want them there just in case but not in "your face". They should be well trained and be the "help desk" of science applications (broadly meant). Too many time they involve themselves way too much, with good intentions, but it is still 'invasive'. A call-away would be excellent. -Patrick, Department Head, North America Yes.. I already think that sales reps are not that useful. We get almost all of our information from the web, especially if the company has a good Web site. Companies with poor Web sites are more likely to need sales reps in the fields. -R, Staff Scientist, Europe Yes, I think they have outlived their usefulness. The time it takes to interact with reps detracts from research time and the same info is available when I want it from the Internet. -Sara, Staff Scientist, North America Yes, I believe they will become unnecessary. Sales reps do not know all products from their company. As a rule, they can provide me with information that also is accessible on Web site. -Alexandre, Staff Scientist, North America Yes, I believe person to person contact will be necessary. No one is impartial and one's personality will influence the decision to buy a product from so and so, specifically when on paper they all use the same technology. How do I negotiate a good price with a computer? -Simon, Staff Scientist, North America Yes - except for new instrument installations. -Amanda, Staff Scientist, North America With the merging of suppliers every few months, the catalogs of each supplier becomes voluminous. The information may be available online, but the current Web sites are not well organized for browsing and the search tool do not always work, even when you know that the supplier carries a particular product. This is partly due to inconsistency in the titles and keywords used for the products and partly due to the multitude of accessories for certain products which would also come out of the search. Many products are difficult to identify online because the Web sites do not have pictures of most of their products, whereas the print catalog have the pictures. Furthermore, without previously knowledge that the supplier carries the product, it is not worth the invested time to thoroughly find an item. Although Web sites can be improved, the never-ending introduction of new products always leaves the Web site lacking in certain details. A knowledgeable sales rep is always useful since they know the details of the catalog and are trained to know the new products. -Hua-Poo, Staff Scientist, North America With strong Web sites plus the rapid turnover of sales reps and changes in companies due to mergers, we rely more on sales reps to help us with change. Change includes their company change such as new products or the customer changes as we shift into new research areas. Also, they help us get to the right person in their company, and can provide sample kits for us to test new products. -James, Staff Scientist, North America While standard uses of reagents and kits are probably well documented, more innovative "abuses" of the material for other uses invented on the spot cannot be anticipated by the supplier. In such situations, it is up to the supplier to provide in-depth understanding on the product/procedure background to the end users. This is especially important given more and more products contain proprietary formulations/information which is not provided to the end user, and has to be taken into account when considering new uses. Obviously, in this scenario the supplier is the only one who can fully understand the potential for success/failure outside normal use boundaries. -Guy, Staff Scientist, Europe Web sites do not always have the newest up-to-date information, and unless you know what you are looking for you might not find a product that might prove useful. -Katherine, Staff Scientist, North America They will continue to be a necessary part of conducting scientific business. Face to face discussions will continue to be the easiest means to attain new product information, especially from lesser known companies who have limited traffic through their Web sites. -Vincent, Staff Scientist, North America They are indeed necessary. Some of the problems that need to be solve out in the presence of a rep. -Toni, Staff Scientist, Europe Suppliers' Web sites are only as good as their organization. Often even if a site is set up well, there are glitches that prevent a researcher from quickly or efficiently locating the products that they need. A phone call or email to a sales rep that can streamline searching is invaluable, especially when a researcher is looking for a new product. Frequent in-person calls will become unnecessary, but an occasional personal call so that the researcher and sales rep are familiar with each other will still be welcome. Technology is never infallible, and even if it takes a sales rep a day to return an email or phone call to offer suggestions on products or the name of a new product, it is a wonderful service and a huge savings of researcher time to not be searching a Web site fruitlessly for extended periods of time. -Emily, Staff Scientist, North America Sometimes the Web sites are not all that user friendly--if you know that a certain product exists you might be able to find it, but a sales rep can steer you in new directions or for alternate product solutions. -Mary, Staff Scientist, North America Small start-up biotechs benefit greatly excellent from sales reps who take on the role of a traditional purchasing person at a larger firm -it is also nice to have someone who can work pricing deals. -Patricia, Staff Scientist, North America Sales reps will not become unnecessary as direct interaction with a knowledgeable person is irreplaceable. -Anton, Staff Scientist, Europe Sales reps will never become unnecessary because a properly trained, well educated and organized sales rep can listen to and learn about your product and research needs, and help you to answer questions that you didn't even contemplate prior to consulting the sales rep, which is something a Web site can not do. -Stephen, Staff Scientist, North America Sales Reps will always be necessary because when a researcher is extremely frustrated with a product, the researcher desires a speedy resolution of the problem. Emails still get lost in cyberspace once in awhile and sometimes nothing can replace the sound of a helpful, sympathetic voice on the other end of the telephone line. -Stephanie, Staff Scientist, North America Sales reps will always be necessary because a Web site cannot offer the nuances and insight of the products, company, and competitors that sales reps can offer. -John, Staff Scientist, North America Sales reps are becoming unnecessary for placing orders because of online catalogs, SAP systems, and purchasing agents. Sales reps should focus on knowing their products, making recommendations, and making researchers aware of new technology. -Brian, Staff Scientist, North America Sales reps are already irrelevant. It is difficult to be an expert in one field let alone all of them so can it be fair to assume a rep can answer questions regarding large ranges of products? -Sam, Staff Scientist, North America Not likely to become unnecessary, particularly for large capital purchases such as instrumentation. In these cases technical experience and training are necessary. However there is likely to be a decreasing role as it becomes easier to set up accounts, order and obtain new information via Web sites. -Kyle, Staff Scientist, North America Not exactly coz some of the things are to be discussed with sales representative only about the technical things. -Deepak, Staff Scientist, Asia Not a chance -- we'll always need someone to listen to us and give us actual "hands-on" demonstrations of products, instructions, and advice. Sales reps also are very good at giving recommendations for additional products that we may never have known about or considered. -Mark, Staff Scientist, North America |
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