On January 20, the Chair of Marketing Management was delighted to welcome Engelhard Arzneimittel for a visit to this years’ Sales Management course. Within the guest lecture, Tobias Frank - Sales Director National - shared valuable, practical insights on the topic of sales territory alignment and an in-depth look into the pharmaceutical industry. Engelhard Arzneimittel’s visits to the Sales Management course represents a long held and highly appreciated tradition. Tobias Frank made the journey from the HQ of Engelhard Arzneimittel in Niederdorfelden near Frankfurt to Münster to give the presentation in presence of the audience

The guest speaker kicked-off the session with an introduction to the family-led company Engelhard Arzneimittel and its history. Then, Tobias Frank gave an overview of the pharmaceutical market in Germany based on which they provided reasons why their sales territory needed to be aligned. Some of those reasons are the entrance of new competitors, stagnating market shares and sales, as well as modified consumer behavior. In order to counteract these challenges, Engelhard Arzneimittel strives to develop into an innovative, flexible, and professional sales organization ultimately becoming market leader.

Afterwards, Tobias Frank presented Engelhard Arzneimittel’s approach of territory realignment to the class. The theoretical approach consisting of current territory configuration and the application of the territory design process was complemented by practical insights. The perspective of the salespeople was also highlighted, since a territory realignment causes reactions on their part.

Subsequently, the guest speaker talked about the short- and long-term effects of territory realignment. In so doing, Tobias Frank highlighted the satisfaction with the sales territory realignment as the central influence impacting a salespersons’ motivation, performance, and job satisfaction. The mentioned satisfaction with the sales territory in turn depends on territory-related, outcome-related, and behavior-related factors. The results of the sales territory alignment for Engelhard Arzneimittel were impressive: there has been an exponential growth in turnover ever since.

The guest lecture was completed with a presentation of entry opportunities and the work culture at Engelhard Arzneimittel. At the very end of the lecture, there was a final meet & greet on the MCM premises, where there was time for individual questions and a relaxed exchange.

The Chair of Marketing Management would very much like to thank Engelhard Arzneimittel in person of Tobias Frank again for his visit to this year’s Sales Management course.