"Quota thinking is alien to me"

Ms. Beck, what does the job of an audit manager actually involve?
Nicole Beck: The focus is on tasks relating to the organization of the examination process and the coordination of the individual steps. This means ensuring - in collaboration with the secretary's office and the subject directors of our individual examination subjects - that the following processes run smoothly: registering the candidates, preparing the cases for the written examination, conducting the written examination and putting together teams of experts who are competent in every respect for the oral examination and, of course, conducting the oral examination itself. The aim is to ensure that we offer a technically correct, level-appropriate and organizationally flawless examination. This is in the interests of the OPET and the SMC, and we represent both as a team.

When in the year are which tasks due?
Our year begins in the fall, at the beginning of October, with preparations for the invitation to tender for the exam and editing the cases for the written exam; for the latter, topics and requirements must be discussed and determined in the specialist team. Parallel to the registration phase after the announcement, the cases are prepared and everything is set in motion so that the first examination - the written one - can then be held in the spring. Once the definitive number of candidates is known around February, the teams for the oral examination, which takes place at the beginning of the summer, are put together. These teams are still being trained and optimally prepared for their assignment. Once again, I am involved in the parallel work of organizing the rooms and the entire process through the secretariat. It's pure teamwork, and it doesn't work without team spirit and the joy of working together.

What actually makes a good salesperson?
Selling alone would be far too easy! Joking aside, today's sales professionals need to be people with broad horizons and networked thinking! They need to understand who their company is and what its strategic goals are, and then use their skills to achieve them. Not only must the company be internalized, the customer must of course also be understood so that supply and demand can meet. This is a challenge and requires specialist know-how and social skills.

Are you born with a "salesman gene" - or can you learn perfect salesmanship from scratch?
Many things can be learned, but I often observe that there is this born salesperson who can then stand out from the other well-trained and dedicated colleagues. There are simply people with whom you can sense a special joy, a special instinct, quite simply talent! Surely you have already met people who have this talent...

Is it a problem for you to be the only woman on the management committee of one of the four major Swiss marketing exams?
I have to admit that I didn't notice this per se, and my colleagues probably didn't either. In other words, gender probably doesn't play a role in our committee. I would imagine that the issue of gender and gender-specific roles and positions is less of a reality in education than in business. But maybe I am the token woman after all?

Do women approach sales differently than men?
Yes, I think so! It's not a principle, but you can certainly always observe a difference: I would assume that women think a little more than men in terms of "we" than in terms of "I". But as I said, there are undoubtedly exceptions! Is it a question of the general role in biology, in society? A sociologist and a psychologist would probably give a more conclusive answer....

Which national or international company do you admire in terms of sales and marketing strategy?
Admire is a strong word. I "admire" companies with a sustainable and holistic way of thinking, which also touches me when it's not just about profit. But there are few of these, maybe just Max Havelaar... As far as sales and marketing strategies in particular are concerned, I have to admit that I can't admire any company. In the end, it's not the strategies that I admire, but the people, in their commitment to their company, in their joy of selling what they stand behind. So a company is doing a good job when I observe the buyer on the sales front and see how he or she puts their heart and soul into it. Then the company, its strategy and philosophy stand out.

From your own work, you naturally know the pharmaceutical industry in more detail. Who stands out?
I don't want to mention any names here - just this much: I am impressed by companies that don't just push sales through their sales force and marketing measures, but are really committed to patients, doctors and other stakeholders in the indication areas for which they are responsible. Every company I deal with tries to somehow manage this balancing act between ethics and commerce, but it remains a balancing act when you have to serve the needs of shareholders and the public or patients at the same time.

Are you in favor of a quota for women on the boards of directors and management boards of large companies?
Quota thinking is alien to me. I grew up in a family context and being involved in the professional world was and is a matter of course. If you take a closer look, it is certainly healthy from a social point of view if both genders are represented as equally as possible and, above all, are valued equally! And in certain countries, this may still require the "boost" of quotas.

What do you do when you're not on the road for Swiss Marketing or on business?
Together with my husband, I run an agency for marketing research and marketing consulting in the healthcare sector, which we set up ourselves. Our clients are mainly large pharmaceutical companies, which we support in marketing. The projects are very varied and we never get bored. We get our strength from the appreciation of our skills and from the close cooperation with our customers. Our nine-year-old daughter also takes center stage. I love all the tasks involved in supporting her as she grows up, from homework to preparing the Easter decorations, currently in season... And as Bryan Adams sings so beautifully "Everything I do, I do it for you" (or her...). Of course, I don't forget my husband or my friends, for whom there is often barely enough time...

IN BRIEF
Nicole Beck, 47, comes from the canton of Neuchâtel, where she completed primary and secondary school as well as high school. After graduating from the University of Bern (two years of dentistry, five years of economics), she completed a Master's degree in Health Administration. After working for Sandoz-Wander Pharma and Glaxo Wellcome, she set up her own company for market research and marketing consulting in the healthcare sector in 1997; her husband has been co-owner since 2007. Nicole Beck, who now lives in Aeugst am Albis, has been an SMC examination expert in market research (oral) for sales specialists since 1995.