Success Story
Scaling a Commercial Sales Force for Rare Disease Launch
Background
Preparing to launch its first therapy in a highly competitive rare disease space, a biopharmaceutical company turned to Mix to build a commercial sales team from the ground up.
This high-stakes initiative required not only speed and precision but also deep expertise in aligning candidate experience with the unique demands of a first-in-class product launch.
The client needed support with:
Building a national sales team of Regional Sales Directors (RSDs) and Therapeutic Sales Specialists (TSSs) in advance of launch.
Ensuring candidates had the right mix of rare disease, cardiovascular, and institutional selling experience.
Guiding a leadership team that had never managed a commercial build before through timelines, milestones, and best practices.
Approach
To help the client achieve their goals, the Mix team:
Established clear timelines and milestones to ensure the field was fully staffed and trained prior to PDUFA date.
Deployed a cross-functional team of recruiters, TA operations, and consultants to cover sourcing, interview coordination, and offer management.
Supported the design and execution of three large-scale, multi-day hiring events for both RSD and TSS final interviews, covering 135 total hires and 150+ virtual interviews.
Leveraged Mix’s proprietary assessment tools – Front-Line Leader (FLL) and SPARQ – to evaluate candidates and ensure strong cultural alignment.
Expanded beyond the original scope to support Market Access hiring, including event management and offer processing.
Results
15 RSDs hired
with 100% offers accepted and all onboarded by the target start date
111 TSSs hired
with 95% offers accepted by the deadline
Assessment reach:
34 RSDs completed FLL, 173 TSSs completed SPARQ
Strong experience alignment:
93% of RSDs with rare disease backgrounds; 92% of TSSs with cardiovascular experience