You are correct, much of what the sales organization does is now obsolete. It’s all about R&D and payer access now, with some marketing thrown in. Best way to sell a good drug is to invent something new that works well and price it so that doctors throughout the world are allowed to use it.
It will take awhile for the industry to catch-up, because as you mention a lot of senior management’s power, influence, and existence is dependent on “having a lot of headcount” to “manage.” They will fight to keep it by pretending that it contributes to the bottom line.
All of that said, sending in these low level middle managers to watch reps in a clinic is crazy and is not gonna last.
