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Business Acumen: A General Understanding of Business Principles
By S. Anthony Iannarino Business acumen doesn’t follow closing, differentiation, or prospecting, even though it is fourth on the list. Although there are salespeople who may be able to close and obtain commitments, most of the time the ability to obtain commitments is reinforced or enabled by the salesperson’s business acumen. There are lots of ways to differentiate yourself and your company from competitors, and business acumen is surely one of the most important. These two attributes and skill sets enable and reinforce each...
read more5 Ways to Win at Business Acumen
The Oxford English Dictionary defines acumen as “the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.” Our definition of Pharmaceutical Business Acumen is ability to make critical business decisions (targeting and strategic resource allocation) to achieve sales objectives. There are many challenges involved in developing strong business acumen in your sales force. IN this article I want to share some of the best ways to win the game. Building strong Business Acumen requires multi dimensional approach which involves training people...
read more5 Pitfalls to Developing Strong Business Acumen
The head of sales of your organization has decided that business acumen is a critical skill to help the organization meeting its’ objectives in 2012. So a team of top sales managers, training and sales effectiveness are assembled to develop a plan. The team comes back with new business planning templates and training. After some consultation and development work, your team rolls out your business acumen initiative. Here are the pitfalls: Pitfall #1: Aligning Planning Processes Marketing plans are built on strategies and tactics on a per...
read moreBusiness Acumen – Fuelling Pharmaceutical Sales Growth
Business Acumen has been identified by sales leaders as the critical sales skill in order to compete and win in the new era of leaner and meaner sales forces. With fewer sales reps and resources companies have become more reliant on the existing sales reps to deliver sales. Pharma companies have shifted away from the traditional marketing driven model to a customer centric business model. As a result greater decision making has shifted from product managers to sales reps and front lines sale managers. Business acumen is defined as the critical...
read moreGrowing Sales in the New Pharma Era
Growing Sales in the New Pharma Era. Business Acumen is Critical Success Factor. The Pharmaceutical Industry has undergone enormous change. The number of sales reps has declined significantly over the last 4 years. Declining sales has not only forced the industry to reduce the number of sales reps calling on physicians but has also created the need to better focus on customer needs. The days of adding sales forces are dead and companies are struggling to find ways to deliver value to their customers. Many companies have realised that in...
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