We Don't Recommend and Leave.
We Embed and Stay.
The average consultancy delivers a report. We deliver results.
749 days. That's our average partnership duration. Not weeks. Not quarters. Years. Because transformation doesn't happen in a boardroom presentation. It happens in the field, with your team, one customer interaction at a time.
The Problem We Solve
You've hired consultants before. They interviewed your people. Built impressive slides. Recommended changes. Then invoiced and vanished.
You were left holding a strategy document and the same problems you started with.
We operate differently.
Herbst Group is an embedded execution partner for pharmaceutical and healthcare commercial operations. We bring proprietary platforms, senior principals who stay on the engagement, and an implementation model that creates measurable outcomes—not theoretical frameworks.
Proprietary Intelligence Platforms
We've invested years building analytics tools purpose-built for pharmaceutical commercial operations. You won't find these elsewhere.
SNIPER™
Transaction intelligence that reveals where revenue is hiding and where it's leaking. Customer-level precision. Territory-level visibility.
FARM™
Revenue management that gives executives actual visibility into their business. Not reports. Dashboards that move with the market.
SKII™
Field force diagnostics that expose productivity variance. When we tell you there's a 91x gap between your top and bottom performer, we can show you why.
Auto-Snipe™
Weekly intelligence delivered directly to reps. The right customers. The right products. The right conversation. Every Monday morning.
DiaDoc™
Execution methodology that turns strategy into daily action. Call frequencies. Customer prioritisation. The operational discipline that makes everything else work.
Her-Zone™
Geographic intelligence and territory visualisation that reveals coverage gaps, travel inefficiencies, and the customers falling through the cracks.
These platforms represent substantial R&D investment. Alternatives would require 18-24 months and significant capital to replicate. We bring them on day one.
Territory Design & Optimisation
Your territory structure is either driving revenue or strangling it. There's no neutral.
We use SNIPER™ analytics and Her-Zone™ geographic intelligence to reveal exactly where coverage gaps exist, which customers are unattended, and how workload imbalances are destroying productivity. Then we rebuild territories that make commercial sense.
What you get:
- Customer-level territory mapping with workload balancing
- Coverage gap analysis with revenue quantification
- Rep assignment optimised for travel efficiency and customer potential
- Call frequency frameworks calibrated to customer value
What you get:
- Customer Classification List (CCL) with clear tier definitions
- Call frequency matrix aligned to customer potential
- Declining account early warning system
- New business opportunity identification
Customer Segmentation & Classification
Not all customers deserve equal attention. Most sales forces treat them equally anyway.
We build classification systems that direct your reps to the right customers at the right frequency. Potential-based. Behaviour-based. Backed by transaction data, not gut feel.
Sales Force Effectiveness
When productivity variance between your best and worst rep exceeds 10x, the problem isn't people. It's systems.
SKII™ diagnostics expose exactly where effectiveness is breaking down. Then we install the execution frameworks, KPI structures, and accountability systems that close the gap.
What you get:
- Field force diagnostic with variance analysis
- Incentive scheme design with aligned KPIs
- Weekly execution management frameworks
- Performance dashboards for frontline managers
What you get:
- Executive dashboard with revenue and margin visibility
- Customer performance tracking with early warning alerts
- Product line analysis with contribution insights
- Automated reporting that replaces manual compilation
Executive Dashboards & Revenue Intelligence
You shouldn't have to wait until month-end to know what's happening in your business.
FARM™ delivers real-time visibility into commercial performance. Revenue trends. Customer health. Rep productivity. The numbers that matter, when they matter.
Rep Enablement & Weekly Intelligence
Your reps start every week making decisions about who to see and what to say. Most of them guess.
Auto-Snipe™ delivers weekly intelligence directly to each rep. The right customers. The right products. The right priorities. Every Monday morning.
What you get:
- Personalised weekly call recommendations per rep
- Product focus priorities based on customer opportunity
- Performance feedback integrated into workflow
- Mobile-accessible intelligence for field execution
What you get:
- Territory design and headcount planning
- Full recruitment service with competency screening
- Multi-module training programme (selling skills, data literacy, clinical knowledge)
- Incubated sales management for the first 6 months
- Structured handover to your permanent leadership
Sales Force Build & Incubation
Building a sales force from scratch (or rebuilding one that's broken) requires more than recruitment.
We design territories, recruit teams, deliver training, and provide embedded leadership during the critical formation period. Then we hand over a functioning commercial operation.
Execution Methodology
Strategy without execution is entertainment.
DiaDoc™ translates commercial intent into daily discipline. Call frequencies. Working day calculations. Quarterly focus areas. The operational backbone that turns plans into outcomes.
What you get:
- Execution playbook customised to your portfolio
- Daily workload planning frameworks
- Governance rhythms that maintain momentum
Ongoing Partnership
Transformation isn't a project. It's a capability.
Our embedded model keeps senior Herbst resources alongside your team: refining, adjusting, and driving continuous improvement. Monthly governance. Quarterly reviews. Annual recalibration.
What you get:
- Dedicated partnership team with named contacts
- Quarterly strategic recalibration
- Compounding improvement over 24+ months
Investment Philosophy
We price on value delivered, not hours consumed.
Our fees represent 10-15% of the value we help you capture: generating 5-7X returns for our clients. We don't pad prices to accommodate discounts. We don't compete on cheap. We compete on outcomes.
Typical engagements range from R500K to R5M annually depending on scope and complexity. If you're serious about commercial transformation, we should talk about what that means for your business.
Start a Conversation5-7X
Client ROI
10-15%
Of Value Captured
R500K
Minimum Engagement
R5M+
Enterprise Solutions
Our Track Record
We've partnered with Aspen Pharmacare, iNova Pharmaceuticals, Gulf Drug Company, Sun Pharma, and others across the South African pharmaceutical sector.
The results are consistent: double-digit improvements in commercial performance, millions in recovered revenue, and transformation that sticks because we're there to make it stick.
This isn't aspiration. This is track record.
23
Active partnerships
180+
Years combined experience
5-7X
Documented ROI
749
Avg partnership days
15-30%
SFE improvement
90-120
Days to realisation
Who We Work With
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Who need commercial excellence in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Healthcare Distributors
Transitioning from order-taking to strategic selling.
Specialty Pharma Companies
Building or rebuilding their commercial operations.
International Pharma
Entering the African market without local infrastructure.
We work with enterprises and mid-market companies. If you have a sales force, commercial complexity, and the ambition to win, we should talk.
Let's Talk
If you're managing a pharmaceutical or healthcare commercial operation in South Africa and you're leaving money on the table—we can find it.
The conversation costs nothing. The delay costs revenue.
Start a Conversation