Two years ago, Pfizer, one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical firms, launched its Vista Rx program, the industry’s first flexible field force. Vista’s main innovation is that it offers sales people a 60 percent work schedule while they retain 100 percent of their full-time employee benefits. While the majority of sales reps choose Vista in order to keep their careers on track and spend more time with their children, reps may join Vista for any reason — including a desire to shave strokes off their golf score. The program is clearly popular — Pfizer reports that there are currently more than 100 reps waiting for a spot to open up on the Vista sales force.

MWorld’s Shari Lifland spoke to Bruce Fleischmann, National Sales Director of Vista Rx, about how the program works and about its impact on the Pfizer sales force.

Bruce Fleischmann (BF): The Vista Rx program began in mid-1999. The original structure included 70 flextime sales representatives. Because it performed very well and exceeded Pfizer’s expectations, the number of representatives in the field was expanded by around 80-85 percent in October 2000, to our current number of 130 flextime reps.

SL: What were the criteria for the expansion of the program?

BF: First and foremost Vista Rx has helped meet Pfizer’s business objectives in terms of increasing our ability to make contact with physicians who have high potential to use our products. So it’s a win/win situation: Pfizer gets the business advantage of effective representatives calling on a group of physicians that have high potential and we help the representative balance work/life issues. We’ve also had a lot of interest throughout the Pfizer field force from people who are interested in joining the flextime force.

SL: What are the criteria for acceptance into Vista Rx?

BF: Number one, they must be Pfizer sales force employees. Number two, they must have a minimum of two years of sales experience. Number three; they must have a strong Pfizer track record of performance. The average rep in Vista has 8-1/2 or 9 years of sales experience. They’re tenured, expert people.

A lot of people are expressing an interest in joining Vista. Whenever we have an expansion or an available position, any representative at Pfizer who meets the criteria is eligible to apply. Then they go through an equitable but rigorous interview process. So everyone has an opportunity to be considered for Vista.

SL: I’m assuming that sales people travel a great deal as a normal part of their job. How does this fit in with a flextime schedule?

BF: I would correct that. At Pfizer that would not generally be true. We have enough sales reps that most territories are relatively small geographically. So generally, there is not much travel.

SL: Do you see the Vista Rx program as a temporary situation for employees, to help balance work/life demands, or is this a permanent career change option?

BF: For some reps, we would expect that they would return to the full-time sales force, depending on how their personal circumstances might change. For other individuals, it may be a permanent arrangement. The program includes the opportunity for them to return, in which case we would simply offer the opportunity for flextime to another person. Since Vista’s only been in existence for about two years, the situation hasn’t yet become common for people to return to full-time.

SL: What is the attitude of non-Vista sales staff toward the program?

BF: I would say it’s been very positive. Because these are experienced Pfizer people in the program, they are generally well known to their counterpart representatives, and have very positive reputations. We’ve done some analytics and we’ve seen increased sales in the areas where we have Vista representatives. I would say they are welcome additions to the Pfizer sales staff.

SL: Can you explain how the benefit/flextime situation works?

BF: The compensation and bonus incentive plans are based on a 60 percent work schedule. However, on the benefits side, it’s a very unique situation — our Vista reps receive full company benefits, even though they’re on a flextime schedule.

SL: Pfizer has a terrific reputation. It was ranked number 20 on Fortune Magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” (January 2000), is included in Sales & Marketing Management’s “Best Sales Forces,” and repeatedly appears on Working Woman’s list of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers". However, on the Working Woman list, although Pfizer was rated 4 out of possible 5 points for childcare benefits, it was rated only 1 out of 5 for women advancing. You’re on the sales side and can’t speak for the entire corporation, but — are they working on it?

BF: I know that in field force management there are a substantial number of female managers, although interestingly there have been some existing managers who have opted to move into the Vista organization for work/life balance issues, by choice.

SL: Is it true that most of the Vista sales force members are women who want to have more time with their children?

BF: Yes, that would be the majority of them, but there are some exceptions to that.

SL: Has there been any evidence that participation in Vista has impacted negatively on the women’s careers?

BF: I don’t believe so. The reasons I would say that is the comments that I get from managers from other divisions of Pfizer — and I know many of them, because I’ve been with the company for 27 years — is that they’re so complimentary about the added impact the Vista people have had. I don’t believe there is going to be any kind of career detriment. They still do basically the same functions. In fact we have a catch phrase: “100 percent of the commitment, 60 percent of the time.” What we’re seeing is people who have the same drive to excel — they’re still persistent, they still really enjoy the job. They enjoy the interaction with the physicians and with their counterpart Pfizer reps. I don’t think there is a sense out there that Vista reps aren’t contributing, and because of that, I don’t see that it would be a detriment to their long-term careers, should they decide to return to full-time.

SL: What has been the biggest surprise about Vista Rx, and if there are any, what may have been a downside or a disappointment with the program?

BF: As far as the biggest surprise, I think it may be the speed by which the Vista reps were accepted by the sales organization and also that they have been very productive in a very short period of time. I can’t really think of any downside so far. We’ve exceeded the sales projections and people in Vista are very enthusiastic about the program.

SL: Do you think that other companies will follow Pfizer’s lead? They’re no doubt watching Vista’s performance closely.

BF: You’re asking me to crystal ball gaze. What my reps report to me is that the competition expresses great envy of the flextime field force. We’ve received applications from reps at other companies who want to join Vista, but the program is exclusively for Pfizer reps. I would say that other companies certainly should be listening.

Click here for brief profiles of several Vista Rx employees.

For more information about Pfizer or its Vista Rx program, visit www.pfizer.com.

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