February 2013 |www.medicinman.net TM MEDICINMAN FIELD FORCE EXCELLENCE ebruary is the shortest month, but a lot is happening at MedicinMan. The Second Edition of Brand Drift is on the 9th of February and seats are filling up real fast. We look forward to a day of meaningful interactions with Brand Managers. We have lined up an outstanding faculty and some fantastic topics that will challenge the current thinking among Indian Pharma brand managers and transform them from „gift managers‟ to „gifted managers‟ who can differentiate their products through innovative promotions and well- trained team members - in an increasingly generic market. MedicinMan has gained international visibility and recognition. This month we have two eminent people - Hanno Wolfram from Germany CATCH THE DRIFT. MUMBAI, 2013 and Renie McClay from United States of America joining our newly-formed International Editorial Board. You can read their articles in this issue to know their areas of expertise. We plan to bring these ex- perts to India in 2013 for the benefit of Indian Phar- ma. Welcome Hanno and Renie. I have had the privi- lege of participating in Renie McClay‟s programs in India and she is a fantastic resource person with some outstanding books on Sales Training to her credit. Hanno Wolfram is known to many of you as he has written several articles in MedicinMan. F
Read it if you have anything to do with - Pharma Brand Management, Field Force Excellence, Key Account Management in Pharma, Medical Reps, Field Sales Manager, Teamwork, Sales Force Effectiveness.
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February 2013 |www.medicinman.net
TM
MEDICINMAN
FIELD FORCE EXCELLENCE
ebruary is the shortest month, but a lot is happening at
MedicinMan. The Second Edition of Brand Drift is on the 9th
of February and seats are filling up real fast. We look forward
to a day of meaningful interactions with Brand Managers. We
have lined up an outstanding faculty and some fantastic topics that will
challenge the current thinking among Indian Pharma brand managers
and transform them from „gift managers‟ to „gifted managers‟ who can
differentiate their products through innovative promotions and well-
trained team members - in an increasingly generic market.
MedicinMan has gained international visibility and recognition. This
month we have two eminent people - Hanno Wolfram from Germany
CATCH THE DRIFT. MUMBAI, 2013
and Renie McClay from United States of America
joining our newly-formed International Editorial
Board. You can read their articles in this issue to know
their areas of expertise. We plan to bring these ex-
perts to India in 2013 for the benefit of Indian Phar-
ma. Welcome Hanno and Renie. I have had the privi-
lege of participating in Renie McClay‟s programs in
India and she is a fantastic resource person with
some outstanding books on Sales Training to her
credit. Hanno Wolfram is known to many of you as
he has written several articles in MedicinMan.
F
Both Hanno and Renie are great “Friends of India” and
we look forward to learning from them through their
books, articles and programs.
I was privileged to be the keynote speaker at an exclu-
sive Indian Pharma Leaders meeting organized by
Cambridge Consultants of U.K. at the Four Seasons
Hotel in Mumbai on the 16th and 17th January 2013.
Read my brief on the interaction on page 12.
We have launched a new initiative for young profession-
als at MedicinMan: the “MedicinMan ChangeMakers
Board". Kumar Saurabh, a Key Account Manager from
Strides Arcolabs, comes on board as the first
“MedicinMan ChangeMaker”. We plan to take up many
activities that will give practical insights to bring about
Field Force Excellence. We want more people who are
willing and able make a positive change in the industry
to join us and contribute to fostering Field Force Excel-
lence in Indian Pharma and Devices.
At MedicinMan, we believe that Key Account Manage-
ment will emerge as a thrust area for pharma and we
have “KAM in Pharma: Another Success Story” by Tony
O‟Connor et al. For those of you interested in reading
the entire article, it is available for free download on
www.medicinman.net
We have some fantastic articles in this issue – please
share MedicinMan widely with your friends and
colleagues. †
2| MedicinMan February 2013
Catch the Drift | Anup Soans
We are All Salesmen
Book Review
Whether we‟re employees trying to convince colleagues
about a new idea or parents and teachers cajoling children
to study, we spend our days trying to move others to
action. Like it or not, we‟re all in sales now.
To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science
of selling. Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social
science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new
ABCs of moving others (it‟s no longer “Always Be Clos-
ing”), explains why extraverts don‟t make the best sales-
people, and shows how giving people an “off-ramp” for
their actions can matter more than actually changing their
minds.
Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the
elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another‟s
perspective, the five frames that can make your message
clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is
a perceptive and practical book – one that will change
how you see the world and transform what you do at
“The less access you have, the poorer is your degree of excellence. There are pharma companies that have fully abandoned measuring the outcome of field force efforts and today measure „client satisfaction‟.”
www.branddrift.com
9 February 2013
Mumbai
BRAND DRIFT Info to
Insight
2013
Pharma’s Premier Branding Event
Excitement
9| MedicinMan February 2013
K. Hariram is the former MD (retd.) at Galderma India. He is
Chief Mentor at MedicinMan and a regular contributor.
¤ Would the current family owned structure be able to meet the
challenge of being global players?
¤ What regulatory environment could be expected?
¤ What governance and leadership changes need to be done?
¤ What would be the Indian government‟s role and how can the
Indian Pharma represent itself to policy makers?
¤ Finally, what would an increasingly active consumer demand from
Pharma and healthcare providers?
The discussions were preceded by insights into these areas and expert-
ly facilitated by Cambridge Consultants team that had flown in from UK
and the US. Tell us what you think about the above questions.
Cambridge Consultants are in the process of putting together a report,
the highlights of which, we will share with our readers. So keep watch-
ing this space. More importantly write to us if you would like to be part
of such future meetings.
Report
A thought-provoking discussion
facilitated by Cambridge Consultants
on 16th and 17th of January 2013 at the
Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai.
www.cambridgeconsultants.com
Cambridge Consultants is a 50-year
old international technology develop-
ment and consultancy company,
providing outsourced Research and
Development to clients - from start-
ups to blue-chip multinationals - who
need to develop innovative, techno-
logically novel, breakthrough prod-
ucts. The company also provides busi-
ness consulting services in the areas
of innovation management, market
strategy and technical due diligence.
Cambridge Consultants employs
about 300 engineers, scientists, math-
ematicians, consultants, analysts and
support staff in both Cambridge, UK
and Cambridge, USA
Founded in 1960 by two Cambridge
graduates – Tim Eiloart and David
Southward – to "put the brains
of Cambridge University at disposal of
the problems of British indus-
try. Cambridge Consultants was one
of UK‟s first technology transfer busi-
nesses
Their early work laid the founda-
tions for what is now known as the
Cambridge Phenomenon or Silicon
Fen.
– Adapted from Wikipedia
13| MedicinMan February 2013
India Driving World Pharma by 2030 | Anup Soans
“Cambridge Consultants is a 50-year old international technology development and consultancy company, providing outsourced Research and Development to clients - from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals -
who need to develop innovative, technologically novel, breakthrough products.”
V. Srinivasan has headed Sales Administration & HR functions in reputed Pharma Companies. He has to his credit over 325 published articles in India and abroad.
“give it a try” option. What they don‟t realize is
that they are into the most dynamic profession
where rewards are transparent and directly pro-
portional to the efforts. But cracking the code to
T MEDICAL REP OF THE YEAR!
get that reward is always a mystery to them. The problem is there is no
written guideline which clearly specifies the dos and don‟ts to become
the “Salesman of the year”. The solution is to practice good salesman-
ship and the rewards will follow.
Even though Pharma sales strategies have undergone a rapid change,
the characteristics of a good salesman remain unaltered. While only a
few are born salesmen, anyone can inculcate those qualities with prac-
tice provided they have the desire to learn and have tremendous pa-
tience. Even the born salesman needs to sharpen his skills, display pa-
tience and remain updated about the changing dynamics of the mar-
ket in order to do wonders. Here are some of the characteristics which
if developed will help to achieve the golden dream of becoming “the
salesman of the year.”
Confidence Confidence is the most
desirable and basic characteristic a
salesman needs to possess but
confidence alone cannot cause
sale. This explains why many fresh-
er candidates initially brimming
with confidence tend to lose it after
few rejections and quit. They need
to realize the fact that confidence is
the facilitator but not the key to
success. Confidence in self and
trust in the product helps a sales-
man yield a good presentation and
convince the prospect. Without
confidence all other skills go wast-
ed. By-hearting the technical as-
pects will never yield results until it
is presented well with confidence,
persistence and passion.
Differentiation As we all are created
different, discovering that unique-
ness and using it to differentiate
oneself from competitors should be
an important strategy to attract the
customers. One has to remember
that all the iconic personalities are
remembered for their unique set of
characteristics which differentiated
them from all their contemporaries.
Don‟t we want variations in food,
clothes, songs, movie-stars and all
other things of life? So do the doc-
“Confidence alone does not lead to sales. This explains why many fresher candidates initially brimming with confidence tend to lose it after few rejections and quit. They need to realize the fact that confidence is the facilitator but not
the key to success.”
tors. A good salesman under-
stands this fact well and uses his
creativity to register his brand as
well as himself as a brand in the
minds of the doctor.
Stays updated Remaining updated is
the thumb rule of this profession.
The more the better. The
knowledge of medical representa-
tive may not be of importance to
his doctor but definitely enhances
his confidence in the clinic. He is
not only updated about his product
and company, but is also well in-
formed about the industry and
competitor. When he is aware of
the strengths and weaknesses of his
competitor‟s product, he becomes
better equipped to position his
product with competitive edge.
Is organized
A good salesman is a
great planner and organizes his
day, thoughts and actions with per-
fection. He sets objective for each
call based on his previous discus-
sion with the doctor and always
connects the last call with the pre-
sent one. This makes all his call
linked up to make a single call di-
vided into small modules and each
module with different stories but
ultimately same moral. Well-
connected calls help the doctor to
remember the representative as
well as his brand better than stand-
alone calls.
1/
2/
3/
17| MedicinMan February 2013
4/
The Medical Rep of the Year | Rachana Narayan
Listens & understands
Listening should be active and the
salesman should have the capabil-
ity to „listen between the words‟. He
should be empathetic towards the
concerns raised by the doctor and
should ask relevant questions to
identify his needs. He should not
be impatient to fill the gap with
wrong products for mere selling
instead he should share authentic
and correct data with the purpose
of helping the customer. The mo-
tive should be to provide apt solu-
tion to the problems identified
through questioning.
5/
“A good salesman consistently challenges himself by setting lofty goals for him-self, achieving them and breaking his own records. “
Passionate about his
brands and loves his profession
The salesman has to have passion
for his brands. If he cannot buy his
own product for himself, he can
never convince others to buy it. So,
he has to love his brands in order
to deliver compelling brand
presentations, deliver solutions in
terms of both features and benefits.
Then automatically he is able to
handle objections with confidence
and present logical arguments.
6/ Builds relation-ship on values
The foundation of pharma sales is
based on converting customer into
a client. The fact that 80% of busi-
ness comes only from 20% of the
customer clearly demonstrates the
need for developing a strategic
partnership with the customer. It
requires long term commitment,
mutual respect, sincerity, honesty,
punctuality and value-added ser-
vice to create that partnership in
the long run. Honesty in sales is so
important that it is almost impossi-
ble for this skill to be taught. When
a salesman provides authentic facts
and consistently keeps his commit-
ments, he is already on the path of
success.
7/
18| MedicinMan February 2013
“The fact that 80% of business comes only from 20% of the customer clearly demonstrates the need for developing a
strategic partnership with the customer.”
The Medical Rep of the Year | Rachana Narayan
A salesperson without integrity will
have many struggles which will of-
ten include hopping from job to
job. A feel-good factor created by
providing continuous quality ser-
vice with responsibility keeps the
relationship alive. While Salespeo-
ple perceived as being pushy, un-
empathetic or dishonest are less
successful in the long run.
Is professional
A good salesman is highly
professional in his dressing, behav-
ior, punctuality. He loves his own
time as well as others. He does not
get involved in unnecessary politics
and avoids any objectionable be-
havior. Instead he is busy concen-
trating on his targets, converting
doctors and making his products
available.
Has Positive Attitude
A salesman should develop tre-
mendous patience to accept con-
sistent rejections without getting
influenced by negative thoughts.
He makes things happen in spite of
problems and never complains. He
does not blame his luck, company
or product rather brings about
positive changes in himself that
increases his closing ratio and im-
proves his average. His enthusiasm
is infectious and gets transferred to
his customers. A good salesman
consistently challenges himself by
setting lofty goals for himself,
9/
8/
“A good salesman is highly professional in his dressing, behavior, punctuality. He loves his own time as well
as others.”
achieving them and breaking his own
records. He constantly puts effort
towards self-improvement by coach-
ing and learning from his own mis-
takes.
As I summarise, let me also add that
these qualities are not only required
to be a great salesperson. In fact,
most of these are pre-requisites to
be successful in any profession. How
could anyone be successful without
having knowledge of the work he is
doing, without passion, honesty,
sincerity, confidence and positive
attitude? Being organized, achieving
targets and building good rapport at
workplace is of utmost importance
for any professional to succeed in his
career. A person with good person-
ality, friendly, good communication
skills and a good listener is always a
winner no matter what profession he
chooses. Mahatma Gandhi,
Rabindranath Tagore, Dhirubhai
Ambani etc. were all great salesmen
of their era who sold their ideas,
vision to entire country. In present
context, APJ Abdul Kalam, Narayan
Murthy, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin
Tendulkar, Lata Mangeshkar etc. are
all great sales personalities of their
own field. They have created a brand
of themselves, have differentiated
from their peers, have their own
unique characteristics and have
fought against all odds with their
positive attitude.
So, I totally agree with J. C. Penny,
“Salesmanship is limitless. Our very
living is selling. We are all salespeo-
ple.” †
19| MedicinMan February 2013
The Medical Rep of the Year | Rachana Narayan
www.branddrift.com
9 February 2013
Mumbai
BRAND DRIFT Info to
Insight
2013
Pharma’s Premier Branding Event
Challenge
21| MedicinMan February 2013
Renie McClay, MA, CPLP and Inspired Learning focuses on helping companies to design and deliver solutions for
improved productivity. Renie is the author of the recent book, 10 Steps to Successful Teams, ASTD Press. She‟s
managed training departments for several Fortune 500
“the key to your success will be in shifting your customer from one brand to another every quarter with better value addition to entice him and ensure his continued loyalty to the organization.”
Whatever little loyalty in Rx's that
you are seeing today is only in the
territories where you have Reps
who started working before 2003-
2004. They have been able to sus-
tain some loyalty in their Rx be-
cause of old time‟s sake and the
value-added support of the parent
organization, but that too is not
100%. If you survey the market of
people who joined after 2004, you
will find the Rx loyalty factor is ex-
tremely low.
Time has come for the Indian Phar-
ma market to quickly shift gears.
Forget about brand loyalty; the
important thing is to focus on
“Continued Customer Loyalty” irre-
spective of what brands the Doctor
writes for you.
With the competitors latching on
fast to your customer for the same
generic, with better value addition,
the key to your success will be in
shifting your customer from one
brand to another every quarter
with better value addition to entice
him and ensure his continued loy-
alty to the organization.
This brings in a bigger challenge.
Do we shift the customer every
quarter on existing brands or give
him new brands to prescribe.
For that you will have to asses your
own Marketing Strength and Capa-
bilities. You could rotate him on
existing brands for two quarters in a
year and give him new products in
the next two quarters or you could
keep rotating your current targeted
portfolio with him. This will test your
marketing team‟s skills and their
grasp of ground realities.
The most important thing today is “to
retain the customer” irrespective of
what he writes for you because it is
very difficult to bring in new custom-
ers to your fold.
With the 348 Drugs NLEM list com-
ing into effect, generic competition
will increase.
There will be no price advantage –
on which several companies were
thriving.
Volumes of key players will dip –
therefore more pressure will be ex-
erted in the market on customers to
compensate those volumes, hence
there will be a “ customer crunch” .
Profits will come down – new innova-
tive business approaches will be
adopted to acquire customers.
This also means – no Annual Product
Plans will work. Product strategies,
number of targeted customers per
brand and targets will have to be
revisited and fine-tuned every quar-
ter - the Annual Total Business Vol-
ume Plan remaining intact.
Retaining customers with “Innovative
Value Addition” will be the key factor
and then rotating brands with them
successfully will ensure continued
business. †
29| MedicinMan February 2013
Brand Loyalty: A Thing of the Past | Sharad Virmani