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PubMedDate not supplied

Sales skills for health-care professionals: the emotional side of sales.

Health-care sales continues to be an area of opportunity for many laboratory professionals. For those who possess the necessary skills and the desire to enthusiastically embrace the unique challenges of a sales career, a new CLMA publication by CLMR contributor Donna L. Nigon, MT(ASCP), titled Sales Skills for Health-Care Professionals, will provide the knowledge of sales structure and techniques needed to succeed. This Sales Skills excerpt, "The Emotional Side of Sales," describes many of the emotional aspects of sales and selling, including how to handle the transition from a technical or medical role to that of sales representative, relationship building, maintaining personal and professional support systems, dealing with rejection, avoiding burnout, time management, and customer concerns. For more information about this book, please see the order form that accompanies this excerpt, or visit www.clma.org.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed2001

Handgun sales, beer sales, and youth homicide, California, 1972-1993.

Whether regulating access to firearms and alcohol will reduce violent injuries is an important policy question. Empirical answers are difficult to obtain because only observational data are available. The present study estimated the association of firearm sales and alcohol sales with subsequent homicides, after adjusting statistically for potential confounders (e.g., unemployment rates) using California data from 1972 through 1993. Handgun sales and beer sales were lagged one year and used to explain variation in the homicides of Californians (e.g., 1990 sales were used to explain 1991 homicides). Differences across population groups were investigated, with a focus on 15- to 34-year-olds, the highest risk age group. Even when taking potential confounders in the base population into account, beer sales and handgun sales generally are associated positively one year later with homicide, particularly among young men. Reducing beer sales may reduce homicides. And, although they represent a small fraction of existing firearms, regulating the number of handguns sold may reduce the number of homicides.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Interventions for preventing tobacco sales to minors.

BACKGROUND: Laws restricting sales of tobacco products to minors exist in many countries, but young people may still purchase cigarettes easily. OBJECTIVES: The review assesses the effects of interventions to reduce underage access to tobacco by deterring shopkeepers from making illegal sales. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction group trials register and Medline. Date of the most recent searches: July 1999. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included controlled trials and uncontrolled studies with pre- and post intervention assessment of interventions to change retailers' behaviour. The outcomes were changes in retailer compliance with legislation (assessed by test purchasing), changes in young people's smoking behaviour, and perceived ease of access to tobacco products. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were prescreened for relevance by one person and assessed for inclusion by two people independently. Data from included studies were extracted by one person and checked by a second. Study designs and types of intervention were heterogeneous so results were synthesised narratively, with greater weight given to controlled studies. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 27 studies of which 13 were controlled. Giving retailers information was less effective in reducing illegal sales than active enforcement and/or multicomponent educational strategies. No strategy achieved complete, sustained compliance. In three controlled trials, there was little effect of intervention on youth perceptions of access or prevalence of smoking. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Interventions with retailers can lead to large decreases in the number of outlets selling tobacco to youths. However, few of the communities studied in this review achieved sustained levels of high compliance. This may explain why there is limited evidence for an effect of intervention on youth perception of ease of access to tobacco, and on smoking behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The distribution of sales revenues from pharmaceutical innovation.

OBJECTIVE: This report updates our earlier work on the returns to pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) in the US (1980 to 1984), which showed that the returns distributions are highly skewed. It evaluates a more recent cohort of new drug introductions in the US (1988 to 1992) and examines how the returns distribution is emerging for drugs with life cycles concentrated in the 1990s versus the 1980s. DESIGN AND SETTING: Methods were described in detail in our earlier reports. The current sample included 110 new drug entities (including 28 orphan drugs), and sales data were obtained for the period 1988 to 1998, which represented between 7 and 11 years of sales for the drugs included. 20 years was chosen as the expected market life for this cohort, and a 2-step procedure was used to project future sales for the drugs--during the period until patent expiry and then beyond patent expiry until the 20-year time-horizon was completed. Thus, the values in the first half of the life cycle are essentially based on realised sales, while those in the second half are projected using information on patent expiry and other inputs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS: Peak annual sales for the top decile of drugs introduced between 1988 and 1992 in the US amounted to almost $US1.1 billion compared with peak sales of less than $US175 million (1992 values) for the mean compound. In particular, the top decile accounted for 56% of overall sales revenue. Although the sales distributions were skewed in both our earlier and current analysis, the top decile in the later time-period exhibited more rapid rates of growth after launch, a peak that was more than 50% greater in real terms than for the 1980 to 1984 cohort, and a faster rate of expected decline in sales after patent expiry. One factor contributing to the distribution of sales revenues becoming more skewed over time is the orphan drug phenomenon (i.e. most of the orphan drugs are concentrated at the bottom of the distribution). CONCLUSION: The distribution of sales revenues for new drug compounds is highly skewed in nature. In this regard, the top decile of new drugs accounts for more than half of the total sales generated by the 1988 to 1992 cohort analysed. Furthermore, the distribution of sales revenues for this cohort is more skewed than that of the 1980 to 1984 cohort we analysed in previous research.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1987

Over-the-counter sales of drugs in Sweden 1976-1983.

The over-the-counter (OTC) sales of drugs were estimated by subtraction of sales on prescription and to hospitals from total drug sales in Sweden during the period 1976-1983. Increased sales of antitussives and decreased sales of expectorants characterized cough remedies. Making topical nasal decongestants available as OTC drugs immediately resulted in a large and increasing volume of OTC sales. Among analgesics, sales of acetaminophen and acetylsalisylic acid + caffeine combinations increased, while those of other groups decreased. Drugs for disorders of the alimentary tract were second to analgesics in the numbers of packs sold; amongst them antacids and laxatives dominated. Laxative sales decreased due to decreased sales of stimulant preparations. Vitamin C and multivitamin preparations dominated OTC vitamin sales. The sales of topical corticosteroids, only available as OTC drugs during the last quarter of 1983, were substantial. The OTC drug sales statistics reflect patterns of self-medication and may be used to monitor this important part of health care.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Factors associated with tobacco sales to minors: lessons learned from the FDA compliance checks.

CONTEXT: Tobacco products continue to be widely accessible to minors. Between 1997 and 1999, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted more than 150,000 tobacco sales age-restriction compliance checks. Data obtained from these checks provide important guidance for curbing illegal sales. OBJECTIVE: To determine which elements of the compliance checks were most highly associated with illegal sales and thereby inform best practices for conducting efficient compliance check programs. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analysis of FDA compliance checks in 110,062 unique establishments in 36 US states and the District of Columbia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Illegal sales of tobacco to minors at compliance checks; association of illegal sales with variables such as age and sex of the minor. RESULTS: The rate of illegal sales for all first compliance checks in unique stores was 26.6%. Clerk failure to request proof of age was strongly associated with illegal sales (uncorrected sales rate, 10.5% compared with 89.5% sales when proof was not requested; multivariate-adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.04). Other factors associated with increased illegal sales were employment of older minors to make the purchase attempt (adjusted ORs for 16- and 17-year-old minors compared with 15-year-olds were 1.52 [95% CI, 1.46-1.63] and 2.43 [95% CI, 2.31-2. 59], respectively), attempt to purchase smokeless tobacco (adjusted OR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.90-2.45] vs cigarette purchase attempts), and performing checks at or after 5 PM (adjusted OR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1. 21-1.35] vs before 5 PM). Female sex of clerk and minor, Saturday checks, type of store (convenience store selling gas, gas station, drugstore, supermarket and general merchandise), and rural store locations also were associated with increased illegal sales. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis found that a request for age verification strongly predicted compliance with the law. The results suggest several ways in which the process of compliance checks might be optimized. JAMA. 2000;284:729-734

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Supermarket sales data: a tool for measuring regional differences in dietary habits.

OBJECTIVE: To assess how well supermarket sales data from a major supermarket chain can reflect on regional differences in dietary behaviour by comparing the sales data with the results provided by the annual health behaviour surveys. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: The study was carried out in six Finnish cities situated in different parts of Finland. For the study supermarket sales data of milk, sour milk, fats and oils for 1 month, September 1997, were obtained from eight supermarkets. Proportional sales of different types of dairy products were calculated as well as mean salt and fat per cent and the proportion of saturated fat to total fat. The health behaviour surveys from spring 1995, 1996 and 1997 provided information about dietary habits of the adult population in the cities. The reported use of dairy products was compared with the percentage sales. RESULTS: The proportional sales of dairy products varied between the cities. In Pori in western Finland the sale of milk fat was highest in all food groups. In Oulu, northern Finland, the sale of non-fat milk was high. In the capital region the sale of oil was highest. Regional differences could also be seen in the survey data. The similarity between the two different datasets was high. CONCLUSIONS: The use of supermarket sales data for assessing regional differences in health behaviour is feasible. The challenge will be to get supermarket managers willing to provide sales data on a routine basis for monitoring and research.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Impact of the change in Connecticut syringe prescription laws on pharmacy sales and pharmacy managers' practices.

We assessed the impact of the 1992 change in Connecticut syringe prescription laws on pharmacy sales and pharmacy managers' sales practices. A mail survey was conducted in 1994 of all current pharmacy managers in the five largest cities in Connecticut (Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and Stamford) and a random sample of those practicing in all other areas. Of these, 89.3% of the pharmacies in the five largest cities and 85.1% in the other areas had ever sold syringes without a prescription since the July 1992 law went into effect. Most pharmacists identified safety issues as very important in their personal decision about the sale of syringes without a prescription. Although the purpose of the change in the prescription law was to provide expanded access to sterile syringes by injection drug users (IDUs), only 31.4% of the managers who were allowed to sell in all instances and 18.1% of those who sold at their discretion were very willing to sell syringes to IDUs. In the logistic regression model of pharmacies with a sell-in-all-instances policy, the perceived benefit of the sale of syringes on health and community well-being was the only influence independently associated with managers support for nonprescription sales. Overall, managers reported they did not know what other pharmacists thought (40.4%) or did (42.9%) regarding the sale of syringes. When pharmacists had discretion over syringe sales, managers' beliefs about what other Connecticut pharmacists thought and did about the nonprescription sale of syringes remained a significant influence on the degree of support for sales. Most pharmacies implemented and maintained policies permitting the sale of syringes without a prescription. Several issues, including risk of discarded contaminated syringes around pharmacies and in the community and reluctance to sell to IDUs, reduced pharmacists willingness to sell syringes. Efforts to incorporate pharmacists as active partners in HIV prevention in IDUs should promote the sale of syringes without a prescription to IDUs as acceptable public health practice.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2003

Detection of pediatric respiratory and diarrheal outbreaks from sales of over-the-counter electrolyte products.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sales of electrolyte products contain a signal of outbreaks of respiratory and diarrheal disease in children and, if so, how much earlier a signal relative to hospital diagnoses. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis was conducted of sales of electrolyte products and hospital diagnoses for six urban regions in three states for the period 1998 through 2001. MEASUREMENTS: Presence of signal was ascertained by measuring correlation between electrolyte sales and hospital diagnoses and the temporal relationship that maximized correlation. Earliness was the difference between the date that the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method first detected an outbreak from sales and the date it first detected the outbreak from diagnoses. The coefficient of determination (r2) measured how much variance in earliness resulted from differences in sales' and diagnoses' signal strengths. RESULTS: The correlation between electrolyte sales and hospital diagnoses was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.93) at a time offset of 1.7 weeks (95% CI, 0.50-2.9), meaning that sales preceded diagnoses by 1.7 weeks. EWMA with a nine-sigma threshold detected the 18 outbreaks on average 2.4 weeks (95% CI, 0.1-4.8 weeks) earlier from sales than from diagnoses. Twelve outbreaks were first detected from sales, four were first detected from diagnoses, and two were detected simultaneously. Only 26% of variance in earliness was explained by the relative strength of the sales and diagnoses signals (r2 = 0.26). CONCLUSION: Sales of electrolyte products contain a signal of outbreaks of respiratory and diarrheal diseases in children and usually are an earlier signal than hospital diagnoses.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2000

Alcohol sales to underage adolescents: an unobtrusive observational field study and evaluation of a police intervention.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to assess the ease with which adolescents in the United Kingdom are able to buy alcohol, to obtain information concerning vendors' perceptions of alcohol sales to adolescents, and to evaluate a police intervention intended to reduce underage alcohol sales. DESIGN, SETTING, SUBJECTS: An unobtrusive naturalistic field study was conducted in two urban locations. Pairs of 13- and 16-year-old boys and girls were trained to attempt the purchase of different types of alcohol (alcopops, beer, cider, wine, spirits) from four different types of retail outlets (corner shops, off-licence, public houses and supermarkets), under the supervision of a researcher and typically a parent. The assessment was repeated, with the omission of the 13-year-old boys, following a police intervention in one of the performance sites, consisting of warning letters and visits to vendors, and the issue of a small number of police cautions. A total of 62 underage confederates in all attempted 470 test purchases in phase 1 and 348 in phase 2. Between the two waves of test purchases a sample (n = 95) of the same vendors was surveyed by telephone. FINDINGS: In phase 1, sales resulted from 88.1% of purchase attempts by 16-year-old girls, 77% of attempts by 16-year-old boys, 41.6% of 13-year-old girls and 4.1% of 13-year-old boys. These figures were generally comparable across locations, alcohol types and outlet types. Refusals were more likely when another vendor was present. Eighty per cent of sales to 16-year-olds and 65% of sales to 13-year-old girls were made without challenge. "Prove-It" ID cards were requested in fewer than 12% of purchase attempts in both age groups. Overall, there was no evidence that the police intervention reduced sales of alcohol to 16-year-olds. There was a hint that the intervention may have caused a very short-lasting decrease in sales to 13-year-old girls, but this was contained within an overall increase in sales to this group. Alcohol vendors reported that they rarely encountered underage customers or refused sale though 90% of vendors said that if they became suspicious, they would request ID. Only two vendors believed that they were likely to suffer adverse consequences if they sold alcohol to minors. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that 16-year-olds, and girls as young as 13, have little difficulty in purchasing alcohol, and that there is little difference between different types of outlets in their willingness to sell alcohol to minors. Vendors perceive little risk in selling alcohol to adolescents. The fact that the police intervention failed to decrease sales suggests that vendors do not change their behaviour in response to the threat of legal action.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Progress in reducing per capita cigarette sales in Wisconsin, 1985-1999.

Over the past several decades, initiatives have been undertaken both on a national and state level to reduce cigarette smoking and its resultant health consequences. We compared trends in per capita cigarette sales in Wisconsin versus other states from 1985-1999. During this time period, per capita cigarette sales declined 21% in Wisconsin, versus 26% in the United States. Although the average per capita sales in Wisconsin were less than sales in the United States in both 1985 (107 versus 122 packs per capita) and 1999 (84 versus 90 packs per capita), Wisconsin's sales have declined at a slower rate, narrowing the gap between Wisconsin and US sales. Other states, such as California and Massachusetts, with large statewide tobacco control programs had rates of decline in cigarette sales over twice the Wisconsin decline from 1985-1999. In 1985, only 10 states had lower per capita sales than Wisconsin. By 1999, 24 states had lower rates, indicating greater relative progress in reducing sales in other states. Possible explanations for the greater decline in per capita cigarette sales in other states include differences in tobacco control programs, tobacco excise tax increases, and other tobacco policy initiatives.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗