NSPST changes name to SPBT

At the May 7-10 Annual Conference of the National Society of Pharmaceutical Sales Trainers, the membership voted to change its name to the Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers. Ted Miller, president of the Society and manager of management development at Merck & Co. Inc., U.S. Human Health, cited three principal reasons for the name change.

"We recognized that the term 'pharmaceutical' did not adequately include the biotech industry," Miller said. "Plus, the word 'sales' was dropped since it was only one component of the total training commitment of the industry, and the word 'national' was eliminated as it was too restrictive in scope."

Miller added that the name change is not a shift in focus for the Society. "Our mission continues to be to provide education and resources for trainers, as well as training in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries." Today, the Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers is comprised of 950 trainers from 160 companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

New benchmark study published

In other news, the Society has published a new benchmark study that will help sales and training executives make better budgetary decisions and launch more effective sales force initiatives. The benchmark study provides more than 250 pages of meaningful information on the state of training in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

"Nowhere else will pharmaceutical and biotech executives find such detailed benchmark information on current trends in training practices and policies," said Brian Fagan, SPBT executive director.

The study was conducted in partnership with Sales Staff Surveys, a division of the Hay Group. This year's report, a follow-up to the Society's 1997 survey, is based on participants' responses to a 20-page survey mailed last spring.

The 2000 report contains an easy-to-follow executive summary, which highlights key findings from data collected from 61 pharmaceutical and biotech companies. While the executive summary provides a thorough overview of the survey results, the heart of the 250-page study is the interpretive report, which includes detailed written analysis of the major areas covered by the survey. These include: training department size and structure, budgets, training's return on investment, measuring training performance, designing training programs, use of multimedia, trainers' career paths, computer technology, support for training delivery.

In addition, the survey includes easy-to-read, comprehensive data tables that break down survey responses by company type and size, training budget, sales revenues and location.

Society leaders believe the study reveals surprising new data about industry training standards and trends that are not available elsewhere. "One of the most striking findings of the survey is the growing sophistication of training programs being offered to salespeople, as well as the impact that technology is having on the way in which training is delivered," Fagan said.

The Society plans to reinforce the value of the study by conducting follow-up surveys every other year. "We are committed to continually improving the study by ensuring that it meets the most current needs of our members," said Fagan.

Member companies that participated in the survey can purchase a hard copy and CD-ROM version of the report for $5,500. Member companies that did not participate may purchase the study for $13,750. For more information, call (860) 675-1824, (518) 449-1504 or (804) 794-5563.

Newspost staff changes

Society leaders are saddened to report that Newspost Editor Vince Badala died on June 11 at age 69. A lifelong industry expert and active member of the Society, Badala served as president of NSPST from 1985 to 1986. He became editor of Newspost in 1996 and is credited with promoting the publication's continued growth and success.

The Board of Directors recently announced the appointment of Laura Ramos as editor of Newspost. Ramos was editor of Pharmaceutical Representative from 1993-1997. She will work with Newspost Publisher Bill Senger beginning with the winter issue. PR