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The “80/20″ rule is very important in sales:  medical sales, healthcare sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, laboratory sales, medical device sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, cellular products sales, molecular products sales, and biotechnology products sales.  Really, it’s a universal principle that can be applied/interpreted any number of ways:  20% of the people do 80% of the work; 80% of the sales come from 20% of the customers; 80% of the sales are made by 20% of the salespeople….you see what I mean.  Knowing this principle and how it works is very useful in deciding where to focus your effort and what to plan for.  It makes you more effective.

The “80/20″ rule was created by Joseph Juran, who passed away recently (at the age of 103–wow!).  Juran named this rule the Pareto Principle, after an Italian economist who observed that 80% of the wealth in Italy was held by 20% of the people.  Juran applied that idea to quality management issues in manufacturing, and it became one of the most useful tools available for modern-day managers as well as a general principle that the rest of us can depend on.

Dr. Juran’s contributions to sales, marketing, and mangement through his ideas and insights are tremendously important.  I just wanted to pay my respects, and give you all a little education about where that “80/20″ rule you all use came from. 

2 Responses to “The 80/20 Rule”

  1. […] Author Byline: the medical sales recruiter Author Website: PHCConsulting […]

  2. on 03 Jun 2008 at 8:21 amTom Ruff

    I own a medical and pharmaceutical sales company, Tom Ruff Company, and we use this philosophy in our recruiting as well. It’s a timeless principle and good reminder to focus on where your business is coming from.

    Thanks for the great post,
    Tom Ruff

    Tom Ruff Company

    How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales: A Headhunter’s Strategy