"How many reps do we need?"
In many budget meetings, the honest answer is: about the same as last year. Or whatever headquarters will approve.
Neither answer can be defended when someone asks why.
The method I trust starts from the customer, not the headcount.
Target customers. The doctors, pharmacies and hospitals in the segments we have chosen. Who must be seen, not who could be.
Call frequency. How often each segment needs a visit for anything to change.
Calls per rep. A realistic number a day, after travel, meetings and training. Not the number on a slide.
Put those together and the headcount almost calculates itself.
Then comes structure. Generalists or specialists. Hospital or retail. Which region, which rep, which customer.
Two checks before anything is final. Can each first-line manager still coach every rep in the team? And have we explained the logic to the team before a single territory moves? People accept change far better when they can see the reasoning behind it.
One more thing I have learnt: when a brand is not growing, the first instinct is often more reps. Sometimes the real problem is the message, and more people only carry it further.
“Count the customers first. The reps follow.”
Lesson 2 of 17 in Step 5: Building the organisation, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.