We will need to find a way to bring together the capabilities of the Medical Rep, the changed scenario of the visit and the ways we can reach doctors into one single strategy rather than looking at the physical and the digital parts separately. Our medical reps will continue to be the core of our promotion, and our digital strategy will need to empower them to not only do a better call but also support their efforts by building processes that will help them beyond the few minutes that they spend in the Clinic. Marketing budgets will have to move away from conventional investments and also think beyond hardware to increase digital engagement.
Editor's Note - This issue of MedicinMan is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Tarun Gupta, TG as he was fondly called. Executive Editor, Salil Kallianpur, dear friend Subrato Banerjee and long-time MedicinMan patron Vivek Hattangadi, pen their tributes to TG.
The October 2016 Issue of MedicinMan features articles by K. Hariram, Vivek Hattangadi, Anup Soans and has a special focus on ethics and morals in the healthcare profession. Other topics covered include new product launches, the role of emotions in pharma sales and sales coaching.
There was a phase when the industry feared that digital would eventually replace the medical sales representative but it appears that digital engagements work best when facilitated by an affable and knowledgeable person, who can personalize the information, and the conversation, to the doctor. In pharma, there’s no substituting face-to-face dialogue it seems. And why should it?
“Rather than digital replacing a person in pharma, the need of the hour is digitalizing the approach of person. The person and the technology are HERE TO STAY”, says Archis Joshi, Commercial Head at Dr. Reddy’s.
The sales role is getting tougher. Medical information, at one point pharma’s greatest value, is today much more freely available than it used to be. In the Indian market which is dominated by generic medicines lacking differentiation, simply informing doctors about the product, isn’t a viable prospect any more when it comes to piquing their interest.
“Why are brands that have been around for some time still unable to cross the marketing funnel and are still stuck at either the ‘awareness’ or the ‘interest’ stages, and unable to move towards the ‘purchase’ or ‘recommendation’ stages?” wonders Mehul Shukla, Director, Marketing Excellence at Cipla.
HomeField Force Excellence conference+CEO Roundtable
Field Force Excellence conference+CEO Roundtable
Field Force Excellence (FFE)+CEO Roundtable is MedicinMan’s flagship Field Force Excellence conference bringing together industry thought leaders and senior managers to set the annual agenda for Field Force Excellence in the industry.
Past topics include:
Practical Issues in Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) implementation
Role Clarity from Front-line Manager to National Sales Manager
Role of Technology as a Field Force Multiplier
Social Learning for the Field Force
Data Analytics: Actionable Insights for Segmented Marketing
Role of Marketing, Medical, HR and L&D in Building the Rx Capabilities of the Field Force
Navigating UCPMP, MCI Guidelines and other regulatory issues
Reinvention of Doctor-Field Force interaction through Digital and Social
Business Intelligence for Field Force Productivity
Employee Engagement: The New Paradigm for Enhancing Field Force Productivity
Past CEO Roundtable participants include:
K. Hariram– Managing Director, (retd.), Galderma India
Sanjiv Navangul – Managing Director, Janssen India
K. Shivkumar – Managing Director, Eisai Pharmaceuticals
