Pfizer HR Training: Building a Competitive Sales Culture

Introduction: Pfizer's Training-Centered HR Philosophy

Pfizer is one of the most famous pharmaceutical companies in the world. The company's careers webpage advertises: "You may never set foot in a laboratory or work directly with scientists or health care providers, but your talent will impact people worldwide. At Pfizer, everyone contributes to our breakthroughs. Everyone adds value to our products. And everyone shares in our success." ("Find a Career at Pfizer," Pfizer Careers, 2006)

Success is the key word. Pfizer makes sure that every employee is trained to see Pfizer as the best company of its kind, and that every employee is instilled with a sense of pride and competitive drive, so that they remain committed to performing at their best. Unlike some of its competitors, Pfizer puts genuine training resources behind the rhetoric of its Human Resources department. Pfizer does not only offer outstanding benefits and salaries — many pharmaceutical companies do the same. What sets Pfizer apart is the depth and intentionality of its training culture.

Although Pfizer has been affected by lawsuits regarding certain products, such as Celebrex, this cannot overshadow the considerable success it achieved in marketing one of the most sought-after drugs in recent memory: Viagra. That success was not accidental — it was built, in significant part, on a foundation of rigorous employee training.

Former Pfizer salesman Jamie Reidy, in his memoir Hard Sell, describes attending what he called Pfizer boot camp, where new salespersons were isolated in hotel rooms, quizzed, and immersed in information and enthusiasm to the point that he became thoroughly convinced he was selling the best drugs in the world. (Reidy, 2005, p. 14) Although Reidy eventually left the company, he noted that one of Pfizer's greatest assets was its training, which continued throughout a drug representative's entire tenure.

As Reidy grew more experienced, his education continued — for example, under the guidance of individuals he called "Pfizer Masters," sales representatives with long records of service and proven results. (Reidy, 2005, p. 112) The company's emphasis on backing up its claims with data when speaking to physicians, combined with a clear vision statement and a collective competitive ethos, made its salespersons among the most persuasive of all competing drug representatives. A sale was not merely a transaction; it was a victory — and not just a personal one, but a blow against the competition. Reidy describes himself as deeply competitive toward rival drug reps, to the point of disdaining any interaction with them outside the doctors' offices he visited.

Competitive Culture and the Pfizer Training Experience

This competitive ethos permeates the training of all Pfizer employees, not just the sales force. Pfizer proved particularly skillful at engaging physicians through multiple arms of the company. Its IT staff, for example, when working to support data submissions for FDA approval of an antibiotic using an early electronic submissions system, successfully recruited physicians to participate. As one executive noted, the strategy worked because "getting the business users — many of whom are medical doctors — to sign on...was easy. Doctors are competitive...[so] we'd say, [to the doctors] So-and-so is...benefiting...and the next thing you know, another business unit would want to be involved," because the doctors did not want to be seen as lagging behind their peers when it came to adopting innovative treatments. (Blodgett, 2000)

Motivating a competitive spirit and a sense of quality — even superiority — has thus been central to Pfizer's approach to training employees across all departments, and to its outreach to physicians. (Blodgett, 2000) The IT staff operates under the guiding goal "to 'deliver the right information to the right people at the right time.'" ("Knowledge Management at Pfizer," Eyeforpharma, 2000)

This emphasis on training is directly supported by the company's vision statement: "To achieve our Purpose and Mission, we affirm our values of Integrity, Respect for People, Customer Focus, Community, Innovation, Teamwork, Performance, Leadership, and Quality." ("Vision and Values," Who We Are: About Pfizer, 2006) Notice how people — and a focus on attracting quality individuals to create a sense of shared teamwork and leadership — forms the core of this healthcare company's stated philosophy. The company recognizes that it cannot develop or sell its products without a human face.

Pfizer's mission statement is equally direct: "We will become the world's most valued company to patients, customers, colleagues, investors, business partners, and the communities where we work and live," and "we dedicate ourselves to humanity's quest for longer, healthier, happier lives through innovation in pharmaceutical, consumer, and animal health products." ("Mission Statement," Who We Are: About Pfizer, 2006) Again, people are placed at the forefront of its corporate philosophy.

A letter from CEO Jeffrey Kindler reinforced the company's commitment to people and patient care above all other values, demonstrating that the view of human beings as invaluable resources — as well as consumers — is a crucial element of the healthcare company's projected identity to its employees. (Kindler, 2006) Health care is fundamentally about people, and at Pfizer, caring, human connection, and competitive drive are all woven together into a unified corporate ethos.

As described by former sales representative Reidy, Pfizer employees did not simply believe their drugs were effective — they were convinced that a Pfizer product was inherently superior to any competitor's equivalent. For example, they believed the allergy drug Allegra outperformed rival Claritin simply by virtue of being a Pfizer product, and they communicated this belief with force, clarity, and statistical evidence when speaking with physicians.

One independent marketing report observed, regarding the pharmaceutical industry more broadly: "Companies should strive to optimize their competitive strategy capabilities, and utilizing head-to-head studies can be a key determinant of success for large and small pharmaceutical companies alike." (MarketResearch.com, 2000) In short, willingness to confront the competition directly — and preparing one's staff to do so — is a proven prescription for success. Pfizer's training infrastructure ensures that its employees are always ready to make that case.

Conclusion: Strengths and Vulnerabilities of the Pfizer Model

Reidy, Jamie. Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman. New York: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005.

"Vision and Values." Who We Are: About Pfizer. 2006.