What is a Healthcare Contract Sales Organization (CSO)?

At IQVIA we help customers optimize commercial value. We have the world’s largest contract sales organization dedicated to the launch and marketing of products on a country-specific, regional, or global basis. With over 10,000 field professionals in more than 30 countries, there’s limitless opportunity for you to unleash your potential, and join a diverse and inclusive community committed to creating a healthier world.

We provide customers with medical solutions staffing and help them to build and deploy teams that reach the physicians and patients they want in a scalable way, adaptable to changing market dynamics.

Our Contract Sales Organization (CSO) team brings over 50 years of experience to the table, our local presence, global expertise and expansive proprietary knowledge and data make us uniquely positioned to support healthcare around the globe. 

What does a Contract Sales Organization do?

A Contract Sales Organization (CSO) is a company that provides outsourced sales and marketing services in the healthcare industry on behalf of a client company. Services may include full-time or part-time sales staff, specific quotas for marketing activities and sales goals, and recruitment of dedicated medical sales team members.

Our Teams help biopharma, medical device and diagnostic companies to get their therapies to the people who need them. We help customers gain insight and access to their markets and ultimately demonstrate their product’s value to payers, physicians and patients. A significant part of our business is acting as the company’s sales force to physicians or providing nurses to educate patients or prescribers. With the right experience, you can help deliver medical breakthroughs in the real world.

At IQVIA we offer a flexible and efficient way for companies to meet hiring needs. With our recruitment capabilities, we deliver a talent pool that’s ready and able to deliver results, allowing an overall customer satisfaction score over 88% in 2021.

As a CSO, we understand true partnership. We’re an extension of the companies we serve, investing in essential resources to implement optimal strategies.

How is a CSO different than a staffing agency?

A CSO team at IQVIA is a leading service provider of patient-engagement solutions and a full-service partner from analytics through to commercialization. We provide outsourcing capabilities to help our customers better execute across technology, analytics and field-force operations.

At IQVIA we provide seamless, full brand integration through dedicated resources who are specifically recruited and trained on the hiring company’s products and applications. 

On the other side, outsourcing parties work as recruiting firms that bolt on to existing teams, working somewhat separately rather than an integrated partner.

Our CSO offers customers a cost-effective way to respond to changing workloads without adding to their fixed costs. This allows customers to maintain a perfect balance between what they need and what they have by tapping into our validated talent pool.

How does a CSO impact the marketplace?

We work with companies to enable a more modern and effective healthcare system.

We help companies optimize their commercial and medical strategies. They look to our people solutions to help promote a launch, support a switch to a new market, promote mature brands, fill temporary vacancies, boost underperforming territories, open up advancement opportunities for in-house team and coach and develop existing teams. 

Our CSO enhances operational and cost efficiencies, enabling access to new capabilities through innovation, and helping organizations maximize their value through an evolving commercial model. This offers flexibility, allowing companies the ability to free up resources for more innovation, maintain expertise across their corporation, and embed sustainability within core business strategies.

Benefits of working at a CSO

Reports reveal that the global pharmaceutical contract sales organizations market was valued at USD 8.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% from 2023 to 2030. 

Additionally, working in IQVIA’s CSO division can allow you to work with multiple clients while remaining employed by the same company. Our CSO hires both entry level/early career roles as well as experienced hires in specialty sales roles. Every team member is provided training to ensure they are set up for success. 

Whether you’re a recent graduate or considering a new career path, amongst many reasons why you should work in medical sales, is the positively thriving outlook offering many exciting opportunities ahead of you.

Choose a career at IQVIA

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive workplace. Together with our customers, we work together to improve patients’ lives. We know our employees are essential to the success of our mission. IQVIA has been recognized as a great place to work by providing employees with benefits and wellness programs which will allow them to reach their full potential.

Does the promise of working amongst a passionate, talented team of global experts light a fire in you? Why not see what a career with IQVIA could look like for you. Explore vacancies and medical sales careers.