Marketing Health Optimizing sales & marketing yield

(PSR: Pharmaceutical sales representative)

Pharmaceutical industry has been dedicating massive efforts towards product detailing, but to a dramatically less receptive audience.

However this is seemingly getting difficult to sustain as the industry growth has hit the brakes. The glorious trends of 20% growth per annum cease to exist now. No block-buster molecule in near future, $60 billion worth of molecules going off patent in 2011. The environment is getting turbulent. Industry is experiencing declining bottom lines, declining sales, reduced marketing budget, etc.

The focus has now shifted to efficiency of operations, maintaining healthy bottom-lines, restructuring sales force (even slashing their strengths) and so on.

Amongst the various challenges in optimizing the business and process, one key challenge has been - "how do the pharmaceutical company optimize point of contact with their customers-"Doctors"?"   This has been major cost area for the companies for ages.

Pharmaceutical representatives usually act as sample delivery individuals who often fail to engage the meaningful dialogue at doctor's office. Recent survey shows that an average time allocated by doctors to a sales representative is about 2 minutes.

Pharmaceutical companies have been trying to address this challenge through various innovative channels like edetailing, search marketing, social media marketing, etc.

I think its important to look at how can the current traditional process of PSR be optimized? How can this enhanced process lead to better utilization of time at doctor's office? How can the enhanced process lead to better relation between doctor and PSR.

Here is an idea that can add value to PSR process.

This idea adds value to doctors:

1. Creating effective engagement with the company/brand.
2. Creating a brand impact by enabling unique services for their patients
3. Medical and practice related Info on the tips

This idea adds value to PSR:

1. Creates opportunity for effective appointments
2. Increase qualitative meeting at doctor's office

This idea adds value to pharmaceutical product / marketing managers.

1. Gains real time analytics of doctors interaction with brand
   1. No. of interactions with widget (which would also mean that doctor interaction with the brand. It's a branded widget)
   2. Key searches that doctor performs
   3. Duration of interaction with widget.
   4. Information downloads from doctors.
   5. Number of meetings that were initiated due to interaction of doctor with the branded widget.

2. Allows customization of communication- Hence every interaction gets more effective

The approach is through offering doctors a branded utility tool- widget for desktop or cell phones. It serves most of the common need (related to info) of the doctors in their practice.

A utility tool is used only when there is intent and hence gets full attention while in use. Since it's a branded "utility" tool, any activity of the doctor on this tool would lead to assured brand interaction.

This utility tool also enables extending doctor's services to the patient outside the office.

Utility function for doctors:

            1. Drug-Drug interaction search

            2. Medical dictionary

            3. RSS

            4. Info search

            5. Info on demand

            6. Call for a meeting with the company.

Utility for doctor's practice (extending service to patient):

•1.       Tracking patient compliance

•2.       Reminding patient of schedule dosage of drug or meeting with doctor.

Enhancing doctor's practice and differentiating value through tools like this would lead to a better brand recall.

A demo for this is conceptualized in the video below.

Part 1 of the video: This shows how doctor uses the utility tool and how the interaction of PSR and doctor is enhanced. The video also shows that when ever the doctor demands a custom info, he immediately gets a synopsis. If the doctor expects a full report, then the PSR gets automatic intimation. PSR downloads the requested info from company info server and meets doctor for the info delivery. Since the visit is predefined and doctor expects a PSR visit, it becomes easier for the PSR to use the opportunity for info delivery and perform an interactive product demo on tablet PC/Laptop. The level of acceptance would be relatively better than traditional practice of product detailing.

Part 2 of the video allows brand engagement in absence of PSR. This happens through extending doctor's service to the patient and updating the doctor on compliance. It helps doctor personalize the service to the patients - Hence enhancing the relation.

Overall, its a value addition to the ecosystem with the help of the branded tool that doctor would use frequently. 

Your thoughts ...................