medicinman december 2011
DESCRIPTION
Great collection of articles. Go to http://www.medicinman.net and enter your email to receive copies on time every month - FREE. Ask your Medical Reps, FLMs and SLMs to subscribe - they will benefit immensely from reading it. Just 16...moreHow to Make KAM Work for Pharma - Get MedicinMan medicinman.netA Brand Called YOU! The Magic of Marketing In Sales; What Do MRs Need to Make Their Work Enjoyable? Med Rep - Med Adviser Partnership and Many More...TRANSCRIPT
December 2011
~ F I E L D F O R C E E XC E L L E N C E ~
TM
P H A R M A | M E D I C A L D E V I C E S | D I A G N O S T I C S | S U R G I C A L S
A BroadSpektrum Healthcare Business Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
Vol. 1 Issue 5
MedicinMan
Editorial
- A MedicinMan Survey -
WHAT DO MRS NEED TO MAKE THEIR WORK ENJOYABLE?
www.medicinman.net
CONTRIBUTORS
B. RAMANATHAN 3
NOUMAAN QURESHI 4
SALIL KALLIANPUR 6
MEDICINMAN SURVEY 1.8
CRAIG DIXON 10
SHALINI RATAN 12
WILLIAM FERNANDES 13
DEVANAND CHENURI
VENKAT 14
MOHAN LAL GUPTA 15
The MedicinMan Poll clearly shows the complete disconnect and mismatch be-tween what senior managers think and what young professionals want in order to enjoy their work.
MedicinMan Poll received 140 votes and nearly 50 comments at the time of going to Press. The Poll listed 5 factors as contribu-tors:
1. Company Culture 13%
2. Job Satisfaction 12%
3. A Mature Immediate Supervisor 26%
4. Social Respect for Their Work 26%
5. Opportunity to Learn & Develop 24%
As the Poll began, Mature Immediate
Supervisor was the frontrunner. This was
mainly because LinkedIn seems to be
frequented by senior managers. MRs
and FLMs being on the Field were slow
to respond to the Poll. But once they did;
their verdict was clear – They wanted
Social Respect for their Work and Op-
portunity to Learn and Develop as most
important factors to enjoy their work.
The LinkedIn Poll is very comprehensive
in giving detailed demographics of the
voters. Professionals in the 18 to 29 age
year group – an equal spread of male
and female voters overwhelmingly want-
ed 1. Social Respect for Their Work and
2. Opportunity to Learn and Develop.
The December issue Success Stories
have remarkable similarities. Both
Ramanathan and Devanand spent
close to 16 years in a single company.
Both still cherish their stint as front-
line sales professionals and have no
hesitation in attributing their profes-
sional success to the development
efforts of the MNCs they worked in –
Pfizer and May & Baker.
Sales leaders like Ramanathan and
Devanand are solid performers. Indi-
an Pharma will need more of them to
reach $70 billion instead of $50 bil-
lion by 2020 as per media reports.
Their performance was a result of
clear-cut learning and development
PEOPLE BUILDING—A LOST ART IN PHARMA? plans by their companies.
These role models are what industry
needs to showcase, if the profession
of MRs has to gain Social Respect for
their profession. More such leader-
ship has to emerge from field sales.
There is enough talent; Indian Phar-
ma needs the will and commitment to
build people who build businesses.
Only that will attract and retain fresh
talent at the entry level, where it real-
ly matters.
Pfizer is perhaps like the HUL
(Unilever) of Pharma, when it comes
to producing leaders. There are oth-
ers too like GSK, Hoechst – now
Aventis and Novartis who have not
only built great businesses but more
importantly built great leaders.
In this issue, we have some great arti-
cles from Salil Kallianpur on the Mag-
ic of Marketing and Dr. Shalini Ratan
on the need for Medical Advisor –
Medical Rep partnership. Noumaan
Quereshi a healthcare PR profession-
al has written on personal branding,
which is vital to both professional and
personal success. There‟s also a great
article on “How to Make KAM Work
for Pharma” by Craig Dixon, courtesy,
eyeforpharma. So enjoy your profes-
sional development and share your
success stories with MedicinMan. ▌
Cont. on Page 8
MedicinManCampusConnect
Best Healthcare Companies
to Work For
Find Out More:
M: +91 934 2232 949
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
3
Many people join pharma selling by chance rather than choice. I am certainly one of them. One common mis-conception that prevails is that 'I am not cut out for Sales'. Let‟s get one thing straight- “Selling is not just an art... It’s science too”. This means, selling is a transferable skill; just like any other skill; like computer program-ming, which seems very difficult in the beginning. Great companies focus on training and believe in making this transferable skill an asset for their or-ganization. So, if you have the inclination and atti-tude, YOU can be success-ful in Sales.
Though I started my ca-reer with Alidac, I worked with Pfizer for most part of my career - almost 16 years. I owe my professional skills to the training that I received at Pfizer, which I left as a senior District Manager. I joined Novo Nordisk as a Regional Manager and since two years I am a Sales Manager with Ranbaxy. In my 22 year career, I have met field sales people who reached top positions and many who stagnat-ed. So, what are the ingredients of career growth?
Selling is all about experience. One learns from his own experience and from others. My first learning is that you can learn something from everyone. I learned a lot even from new MRs. If you believe that you can learn something from everybody, you will pick up the right thread from every as-sociate and weave your own fabric. Indulg-ing in gossiping and criticizing doesn‟t take you anywhere. Learning and unlearning is part of development. Many times, you can-not learn something new and effective be-cause you are unwilling to unlearn a wrong habit.
Be conscious of what you do. This is the essence of development. When you are con-scious and aware of your actions, you will find your behavior improving. This is what Yoga has taught me. In yoga, you will not be able to do a certain asana in the desired way for the first time. But you are aware of where you are, you know what you should
do to reach the desired level. With practice, you progress. This is true in our work-life as well. Be conscious and aware of your thoughts and actions to improve your skill levels.
There is no substitute for hard work. One may get quick gains by shortcuts. But for
sustainable success, there are no shortcuts. In Sales, one moment you could be on Cloud Nine and in the next you may go through severe adversities. The best part of Sales is that every adversity makes you men-tally stronger and intellec-tually wiser. Once you realize that a well ex-plained failure is better than an unexplained
success, you will know to learn from adversities.
Finally, companies look for stability in can-didates. I have seen youngsters changing companies for flimsy reasons. Though there are different schools of thought regarding career growth, youngsters should realize that real career is not a hundred meter sprint but a marathon. Pharma selling is one of the most rewarding careers. Posses the right attitude for hardwork, an inclina-tion for continuous learning, add a strong dose of discipline and you have the right recipe for success. Above all, be passionate in whatever you do. Doing something with less skill and more passion will bring you greater results than doing something with
more skill but less passion. ▌
You Too Can Be Successful in Sales!
“SELLING IS
NOT JUST AN
ART... IT’S
SCIENCE
TOO” THIS
MEANS,
SELLING IS A
TRANSFERA-
BLE SKILL;
JUST LIKE ANY
OTHER SKILL”
PHARMA SELLING IS ONE
OF THE MOST REWARDING
CAREER. POSSES THE RIGHT
ATTITUDE FOR HARDWORK,
AN INCLINATION FOR
CONTINUOUS LEARNING,
ADD A STRONG DOSE OF
DISCIPLINE AND YOU HAVE
THE RIGHT RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS.
B. Ramanathan
Sales Manager Ranbaxy
4
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
Asked about the growth drivers for his organisation
at a media interaction, the CEO responded, “my sev-
enteen hundred boys on the field”! One generally
hears phrases like „higher disposable incomes‟,
„growing disease incidence‟, „increased patient
awareness‟, etc. But here was a CEO who was de-
scribing an internal strength as a growth driver. As a
good general, was the CEO exhibiting his personal
leadership style or was his statement reflecting a
genuine truth about a pharma industry‟s success
secret at large?
Time and again during interactions with the senior
management of pharma companies, field force effec-
tiveness emerges as the key constituent and concern
for success. If field force is so important and leader-
ship is aware of their critical utility, then why does
one hear about issues like high attrition and youth
not getting attracted to the Pharma field sales job?
Based on interactions with field force people, one
clear concern that emerges is the narrow space for
manoeuvring and the limited target customer uni-
verse that Pharma serves. When the same constitu-
ency is being wooed by a whole industry, and there
is only „push‟ marketing strategy at play, how does
one stand out from the crowd?
Tom Peters seems to be addressing Medical Reps
and Field Sales Managers with his trademark 3R‟s:
Rolodex, Resume and Reputation. Every field force
person knows the importance of Rolodex (Customer
List) and constantly works towards developing it,
and every professional strives to constantly enhance
his Resume. But do field force people think about
Reputation? Personal and the profession‟s reputa-
tion?
In an article titled „The Brand Called You’ Tom
Peters said: “It's time to learn from the big brands, a
lesson that's true for anyone who's interested in
what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new
world of work. To be in business today, our most
important job is to create and market The Brand
Called You”. While people have a personal style
and temperament that builds their reputation, they
can also earn from the way organisations build and
manage their corporate reputation.
Prioritising stakeholders
Identify and prioritise the important people in your
personal and professional sphere – friends, family,
work place colleagues, Doctors, Chemists etc. Repu-
tation is built in a social context; it is how others
perceive you.
How do you wish to be perceived by the
stakeholders?
„Trustworthy‟, „knowledgeable‟, „ethical‟, „reliable‟,
„honest‟, „go-getter‟, „initiator‟, „trouble-shooter‟, etc.;
identify how you wish your stakeholders to perceive
you. You cannot be the master of all, but be the best
in one or two areas.
What behaviours will shape desired percep-
tion?
Words and Actions are two components of com-
munication (people mistakenly believe that commu-
nication happens only through words). Your ac-
tions/ behaviour should be consistent with the de-
sired perception you want to create.
Self-assessment: analyzing personal
strengths and areas for improvement
„Reflected Best Self‟ is an interesting exercise that
helps one to identify personal strengths. Attitude,
skills and knowledge are the personal development
areas that require constant improvement.
Evaluation
Ultimately progress has to be monitored and results
must be measured. In a professional set-up, your
appraisal is an indicator whether you are moving
towards your desired reputation. On a personal
front, what the stakeholders are discussing with you
will indicate whether they perceive you to be capable
of what you believe your capabilities are. If there is a
gap in their perception – you must work to bridge
that gap.
We all realise that we have a reputation, but few
people consciously put in efforts to develop, nurture
and sustain personal reputation. “Control Your
Own Destiny Or Someone Else Will” said Jack
Welch, the legendary business leader and author.
Are you ready to take control of the process of build-
ing your own reputation?
Noumaan Qureshi works with one of India’s lead-
ing Public Relations firm and is associated with the
healthcare industry for over a decade. He frequent-
ly interacts and interviews Pharma Business Lead-
ers. Views expressed are personal.
THE BRAND CALLED ―YOU‖ HOW TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD - Noumaan Qureshi
Med
icinM
an C
reative
s MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
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Promedik Algorithms are also designed keeping in mind the relationship-building and branding needs of
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To find out more call:
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Rahul Mishra : +91 96118 76767
THE MAGIC OF MARKETING IN SALES It all began with an innocuous
query from a young professional
on a social networking site. The
gentleman was em-
ployed with one
of the fin-
est com-
p a n i e s
in the
w o r l d .
“Sir, I
need your
help”, he wrote. “I
am an MBA and need your ad-
vice on whether to continue with my career
in sales or switch over to marketing. What
must I do to be able to get a break into the
marketing team?” he enquired. I was in-
trigued. I knew nothing about this person
and he was seeking career advice from me.
What would my advice be based upon?
Were there general traits that determine
whether someone „had it in him‟ to be suc-
cessful in sales or marketing or in any other
discipline? Or did a certain years of experi-
ence or an MBA guarantee success in mar-
keting? Neither, I‟d say, although undoubt-
edly, both experience and qualifications are
indeed important. Yet, neither determines a
person‟s success or failure as a marketer.
Sales and marketing are two sides of the
same coin. So while both functions have the
same goal of ensuring success for the
brands they handle, there are subtle differ-
ences in actual day-to-day functioning. That
subtle difference was best summarized by a
management guru who said, “Sales sees it
like it is and marketing sees it like it ought
to be”.
So here are my two cents on how I think a
person can best transition from a sales role
into a marketing role. Before I begin
though, I‟d like to add that selling doesn‟t
stop when one moves into marketing. In
fact, selling is the biggest thing on a mar-
keter‟s mind. It‟s only that the customer
canvas increases many-fold to include ones
other than those who consume the compa-
ny‟s products and services. With that said,
let‟s begin.
There is nothing wrong
with either (or
any other)
s t r e a m .
Both sales
and mar-
keting lay
the founda-
tion for young
professionals to un-
derstand the importance and the
difficulty of serving customers. Both
streams help young professionals interact
with, observe and understand the nuances
of customer behavior and the economics
that powers the consumer-seller dynamic.
From this experience arise the predomi-
nant characteristics that determine how
well the professional will perform in selling
or graduate into marketing. Some of those
characteristics that I have observed and
encourage young readers to adopt are listed
below.
Product based information – It is im-
portant to always know everything you can
possibly know about your products and
services. There is no faster way to lose cred-
ibility than to give your customers the feel-
ing that you‟re ill-informed. More im-
portantly, over time, that knowledge must
morph into analysis. One must begin to
think of new things and ways to create
more value. When one begins to analyze
facts, questions begin to pop in one‟s mind.
If customers are hard-pressed for time and
don‟t have more than a minute to discuss
products and services, is there value in pur-
suing the same strategy of talking about
single brands or will a more coordinated
portfolio positioning strategy be effective?
If so, what are potential positioning rela-
tionships between the different brands of
the portfolio? What is the strategy (and
timing) for new communication themes?
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5.
6
“The subtle
difference between
Sales and Marketing
is best summed up in
the words of
Management Guru
Peter Drucker:
“Sales sees
it like it is;
Marketing
sees it like
it ought to
be.””
SalilSpeak
- Salil Kallianpur
THE MAGIC OF MARKETING IN SALES
THE MAGIC OF MARKETING IN SALES Creating demand at every opportunity –
When time and effort is spent in the market
place meeting customers, channel partners and
other stakeholders, we must be sure that every
minute is utilized productively. Think about
what will emerge as new sources of business?
Where can more demand be created? How
would brands be used by our key customers? To
which patient segments will physicians Rx? Do
we really know the answers to these questions?
Even if we do, do we keep a track of it regularly
to be able to identify new areas to sell in?
Financial paranoia – Consider the money you invest as your own. If you really do, would you invest in all the areas where you recently did? Ask yourself that honestly. When there is little accountability, every opportunity seems lucrative. Do you understand that resources are scarce? There is no unlimited source of money. How comfortable are you prioritizing invest-ments? Conversely, if every opportunity is lu-crative, do you ensure that lucrative opportuni-ties are encashed fully? Are you aware and con-stantly thinking of what is the financial impact of 1) losing Rx to competitors 2) patients drop-ping out and 3) varying market events? Do you have contingency strategies to mitigate risk of losing business?
Obsession to execute – Peter Drucker, the famous management guru said, “Strategy is on-ly noble intentions unless it degenerates into hard work”. How many times have we missed that late night call out of laziness? How many times have we decided not to go back to the chemist for the all-important audit because he was rude to us? How many times did we simply “parrot detail” and walk away without thinking about the impact of the call on the customer? How often do we think of the product promo-tion plan for the quarter? What are the timing/key decision points for the plan? Can we identi-fy key strategic initiatives and milestones to allow for strategic adjustments as needed? What feedback needs to be sent back to HO? How quickly must this be done? This is what Drucker meant by “hard work”.
Some may find this list broad and superficial while others may wonder why there is such de-tailed explanation. It is that very paradox that defines success in business. The ability to zoom back to look at the “big picture” and zoom in to the “nitty gritty” is as important to decision
making as are other things. The “big picture” provides us with context and perspective and helps us be rational in our decisions, consider-ing a host of factors rather than focusing on issue-based decision making. Marketers must zoom out all the time to ensure that communi-cation strategy is in perspective with market challenges making it relevant. Dealing with the “nitty gritty” is the day-to-day do‟s and don‟ts. This provides actionable items that are invaluable in executing a plan.
At the end of the day, the things that people want to accomplish in their lives don't change quickly, and expecting change is futile. You may or may not be successful in sales, market-ing or both. It doesn‟t mean you‟re abnormal. My advice is to flow along and build on your strengths without worrying about things you can‟t do. It doesn‟t mean you‟re bad. It just means that you‟re strong elsewhere. You may not even be aware of career opportunities that haven‟t come to your notice yet. Frame a po-tential career opportunity from the perspec-tive of the experience that you most enjoyed. It may have been interacting with doctors and patients. Or, you may have enjoyed making friends with channel partners and people from the purchase departments in hospitals. Some-times, you may well enjoy creating and assist-ing patient groups for some of your key cus-tomers. And, you may enjoy giving new ideas to the marketing teams in your organizations. Each of these experiences trigger a sequence of events that may help you build a fruitful career path. That is much closer to where you will ultimately discover true value.
Whatever that path may be, always remember that for successfully creating and dominating a career, focused execution of a simple con-cept with fanatical consistency is required. A starting point is developing an action plan with milestones for implementing each of the key elements. So don‟t worry whether sales is better or marketing. Focus on whether you‟re enjoying your work. As a friend once said, “marketing is like making a movie. You‟re the director and you have a vision. Its how you get scores of other people to see that vision that determines how good the film turns out.”
Here‟s to finding that vision. Good luck! ▌
Salil Kallianpur is Marketing Manager at Medtronic. He is an influential healthcare blogger at salilkallianpur@word press.com
7
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5. MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5. SalilSpeak
IN
MARKETING
THE ABILITY
TO ZOOM
BACK TO
LOOK AT THE
“BIG PIC-
TURE” AND
ZOOM IN TO
THE “NITTY
GRITTY” IS
AS IM-
PORTANT TO
DECISION
MAKING AS
ARE OTHER
THINGS.
Salil Kallianpur
- Salil Kallianpur
8
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
It was the 45+ year age group that felt Mature Immediate
Supervisor as the most important factor. This disconnect is
very significant and further probing is needed to under-
stand the reasons for this disconnect. Perhaps the young
professionals are resigned to the fact that Mature Immedi-
ate Supervisor is a myth as companies hardly invest in de-
veloping front-line managers. Except for a few MNCs and
top Indian companies, FLM development is left to chance
and he is at best a Super Salesman.
The Success stories of B Ramanathan and Devanand also
show the kind of importance that great companies like Pfiz-
er and May & Baker gave to developing people at all levels.
All companies must re-think their human resources strate-
gies to attract and retain talent in the light of these findings.
Of course, this is too small a study to be definitive but it is a
good pilot study and indicative of trends. MedicinMan is
willing to collaborate with healthcare companies to do a
larger and more comprehensive survey to really understand
Field Force issues.
For the 18 – 29 year olds job satisfaction and company cul-
ture also hardly mattered. Perhaps they are realistic enough
to know that these are hard to come by given the tough and
demanding market conditions. Job Satisfaction was most
important for 37 – 44 year olds, signifying the likelihood of
fatigue caused by doing the same kind of work. What the
MedicinMan Poll shows is that at different stages of career
different factors are significant and companies must identi-
fy these factors and address them – different strokes for
different people instead of one-shot broad-spectrum antibi-
otic!
It is also heartening to note that 18 -29 year olds considered
Opportunity to Learn and Develop as the second most im-
portant factor belying the common perception that today‟s
generation is not interested in learning and development.
Companies should take note of this; maybe the youngsters
are tired of the routine classroom training and are looking
for learning that will actually help them excel at work.
The mandate from this Poll clearly points out to Social Re-
spect and L & D; companies would do well to focus on how
they can creatively address these issues that is important to
18 – 29 year old professionals, who are most likely to be
working as MRs. And, yes developing great FLMs is defi-
nitely a crucial factor. Together these will lead to better
Company Culture and Job Satisfaction.
What Do MRs Need to Make Their Work Enjoyable Results of the Survey :
9
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5 MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
Thank you to all who participated. Here are
some significant comments:
Pallab Mukherjee - I think social respect
is the most important factor for MRs. Imme-
diate Supervisor is important, but that‟s true
for any job. MRs spend most of their time in
field and the respect shown to them is a fac-
tor on basis of which lot of MRs decide to stick or quit the
job. Patients look at them as a waste of time and increas-
es their waiting period. Pharmacies keep them as the last
priority and doctors hardly treat them with respect. Over-
all, if you see, they are considered as "add-ons" and not
"nice to have". On basis of my experience of interacting
with more than 1000 reps, I realize that every MR has
loads of bad stories to share about their field. If MRs get
respect, we will attract much better talent. I mean it.
Amarbir Singh - I agree that people be-
come MRs by chance because there is lack of
awareness about this career in the society.
After coming to this profession, people real-
ize that there are ample opportunities and
rewards for the result oriented and hard
working. I don‟t agree that doctors don‟t respect MRs;
they still respect MRs who are sincere and knowledgea-
ble. They know whom to respect and whom not to; be-
cause doctors are an intelligent class of people.
Bhaskar Chakravorti - In my opinion
(based on 3 decades of relevant experience) a
Mature Immediate Supervisor can make the
Med Reps job enjoyable. He is the one to cre-
ate Opportunity to Learn and Develop; make
the Med Rep taste success and obtain job satisfaction. A
confident and successful Med Rep gets Social Respect for
their work.
Vivek Kant Tripathi - I strongly feel that
Social Respect may be one of the factor but
not a decisive factor. Had social respect been
a key factor, Medical Reps would not be leav-
ing one company and joining other or join at
next level where the nature of job is more or
less the same. In my opinion it is the company culture
and then supervisor which makes a big difference.
Manjunath Shetty Muddappa - Immediate
boss makes lot of difference. Hand holding for
the first 6 months is very important to guide,
coach, and train the Medical rep. Identify his
needs and keep reminding the goals. During
joint working the Manager must work with passion; 90%
of MRs, pick up 40-50% of their immediate boss‟ traits.
C S Mehta - No doubt, a Mature Immediate Su-
pervisor has a vital role to play. At the same time
this fact is realized and practiced only in compa-
nies with good culture.
Chandan Mishra - I would say all five factors
are important but to any MR, what is the com-
pany? It is his immediate supervisor; if he is
good and has respect and value for the MR the
MR is bound to deliver his best too.
Kapil Garg - All the 5 factors are important.
But I think Social Respect for the Work is more
important. It gives confidence to MRs, so that
they can do their work more professionally and
interestingly. It will also bar entry of under
skilled people into the industry and improve the value of
an MR in the society, because we deserve the best!
Pramodh Nagarajan - It all depends on
how a Medical Rep is inducted from day one
by his FLM. If the induction is done as per the
company's system and policy, then the MR
enjoys his work. He will contribute well and
willingly; not under the pressure of his FLM.
For an MR his FLM‟s joint field work is very important. In
2 to 3 days field work he should feel that his FLM has
contributed to his success. If he feels that joint field work
is painful then he leaves the company. Therefore it is in
the hands of FLMs to make Medical Reps job enjoyable.
Stacey Ordner - For experienced reps with
documented success, all of these are important,
mostly because those reps have options and are
typically highly recruited within the industry.
When I was a field rep, the factor that had the
most impact on my day to day was FLM. However, in
terms of long term job satisfaction, opportunity for ad-
vancement to BE the FLM was most important. Individu-
als that require "instant gratification" for motivation are
not likely to succeed in this industry because the sales
cycle is much longer than selling tangible product. ▌
What Do MRs Need to Make Their Work Enjoyable
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
10
HOW TO MAKE KAM WORK FOR THE PHARMA SALES FORCE I was a young Medical Rep (MR) when I first heard the
term Key Account Management (KAM). I was sitting
in a GP‟s waiting room, when in walked an MR
whom I had not seen for a while. He had been on a
training course, as his company was adopting
KAM. I was eager to find out more about this new
terminology. So I asked what the difference was be-
tween being a Key Account Manager and an MR. The
answer was simple: Nothing really, he had a business
card with a new designation as Key Account Manager;
his role remained the same. Is KAM still seen as some-
thing just for the sales team? Do companies, and peo-
ple, really view it just as a change of business card?
Understanding the customer environment
The healthcare market has changed significantly. Doctors
were the sole decision makers, with freedom to prescribe
whatever they wanted. Now, decision making involves a
wide range of stakeholders in most corporate hospitals
and large clinics. When there was just a single decision
maker, a single contact within the company (the MR) was
sufficient. The industry typically adopted a noise ap-
proach, (share of the voice) hiring more MRs with the
sole purpose of delivering messages repeatedly and en-
suring their brand had the loudest voice. However, now
there is a multidisciplinary approach to decision making,
and therefore there are multiple stakeholders with whom
the pharma industry needs to interact.
The logical response from the pharma industry would be
to mirror the customer‟s changed environment and have
multiple contact points within the organization; each
with the skills and knowledge to deliver a valuable inter-
action to their counterpart on the customer‟s side. This
type of approach is not just about delivering messages to
a range of stakeholders. This requires a coordinated ap-
proach based around a deep understanding of the cus-
tomer‟s environment, what they are looking to achieve
and how your brand can meet or exceed their expecta-
tions. This is about delivering real value to the customer
and the whole account. The Key Account Management
(KAM) approach therefore seems a logical fit. But what
do we really mean by KAM?
The Real Meaning of KAM
The term KAM is used a lot, and people have different
understanding of what KAM really means. To some, it‟s a
business plan; to others, something for sales departments
only; and to some, merely a change of business card!
Despite the fact that KAM has become a buzzword recent-
ly, it is not a new concept. First proposed in the 1980s,
KAM has been used in other industries for some time.
Pharma is a late adopter of KAM. But this does
mean that pharma can benefit from the experience
already gained in others. At its most basic, KAM is
about customer-orientated co-ordination, or putting
the customer at the heart of the organization, determin-
ing what value you can bring to the customer and, ulti-
mately, being seen a genuine partner. KAM is not a tac-
tic. KAM is not something just for the sales team. KAM
is not something that can be done overnight, and KAM
is certainly not about generating noise in the market-
place. KAM is an organizational approach and, as such,
needs to go right through the organization and be em-
bedded in the company culture at all levels to be success-
ful.
Themes of KAM
1. The formation of KAM is influenced by the market
environment and the customer and buyers characteristics
2. KAM is multifunctional, including R&D, Medical, Fi-
nance, Supply Chain and market access in addition to
marketing and sales functions
3. KAM programs result in special activities for key ac-
counts that are not offered to average accounts
Dedicated staff are required to manage key accounts, they
require strong interpersonal skills and usually report high
in the organization (adapted from Homburg et al)
The next step along the road to KAM involves ad-
dressing a few key questions.
1. How will your organization define an account? Which
accounts are key or strategically important? Who will
manage your key accounts and in what fashion?
The definition of accounts and determination of key ac-
counts is largely dependent upon your market, product
portfolio, and strategy.
Addressing these two questions requires a robust process
that ultimately defines and selects accounts in alignment
with your commercial opportunities and your long-term
strategies. This is not just a case of selecting your current
big customers and throwing in a couple of big hospitals
for good measure.
The answer to these two pivotal questions will be unique
to each organization, and the answer to this question in
particular is crucial: Who will manage the key accounts
and (most importantly) in what fashion? The latter part of
- Craig Dixon
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5 MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
11
HOW TO MAKE KAM WORK FOR THE PHARMA SALES FORCE this question concentrates on the fashion of account man-
agement and is probably the single biggest challenge
on the road to KAM. This is largely an organiza-
tional challenge.
Managing key accounts
The first part of this question is not about title of the
people, but what knowledge, skill set, and processes
they will need.
The Key Account Manager is not a sales person in the
traditional sense, but co-ordinates the cross-functional
activities relating to the key account.
The Key Account Manager will set up and run a cross-
functional team, making sure all internal functions and
stakeholders buy into the KAM process.
The Key Account Manager requires strong interpersonal,
networking, and team-building skills.
The Key Account Manager must be able run internal meet-
ings and will need to understand the roles and functions of
all internal stakeholders to enable them to seek out internal
knowledge and information that will add real value to the
key account.
The Key Account Manager will need strong strategic plan-
ning skills as well as the ability to interact with people at all
levels of the organization and exert influence over people
over whom they have no line authority.
The role of Key Account Manager requires a very different
skill and knowledge base compared to the traditional rep,
who was there just to deliver messages and create noise in
the marketplace.
Different forms of KAM
Researchers examined 375 organizations in Germany and
the US from the chemical and pharmaceutical, machinery,
electronics, banking, and food industries. The researchers
identified seven different approaches to KAM, which varied
in their degree of formalization and level of senior manage-
ment involvement. So what can we take away from this re-
search?
1. The top management KAM approach may have some
relevance in smaller companies or niche therapeutic areas.
2. However, given the physical size of most pharma com-
panies, the top management approach to KAM may not be
practical.
The cross-functional model of KAM therefore may be the
most relevant KAM model for the pharmaceutical industry
to examine.
Cross-functional KAM
Cross-functional KAM means that internal stake-
holders who may not have been customer-facing
previously will now need to be part of the account
team. The shift from sales being seen as the sales
team‟s job to the job of everyone in the organization
will not happen overnight and will often require learning
new skills. The team-based selling approach that cross-
functional KAM utilizes is commonplace outside the
pharma industry. The competencies of internal stake-
holders therefore will also need to be considered along-
side the change management process and changes to the
traditional marketing and selling processes.
It takes time to drive change within an organization and
even longer to embed that change within the company
culture. If you are currently looking at KAM, you can be
sure that the road to KAM is going to be long with lots of
bends and bumps.
But with a clear vision, the right change management,
senior management buy in, and people with the right
knowledge, skills, and processes, you can minimize your
chances of breaking down en route and ensure the jour-
ney results in success. ▌
Craig Dixon is director and principal consultant
at Marketing and Sales Solutions Ltd. For exclu-
sive business insight into and analysis of KAM,
download eyeforpharma's Pharma Key Account
Management Report 2011-2012.
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
12
MED REP – MED ADVISOR PARTNERSHIP MR (Medical Repre-
sentative) – MA
(Medical Advisor)
partnership can be a
tool to convert
Knowledge into
Sales.
A drug has a medical and
commercial value for a
pharmaceutical company.
Medical advisors play a
role of an expert to bridge
the gap between Medicine
and Marketing. This is
both for the internal and
external customers.
There are various roles
assigned to a Medical Ad-
visor. This can be from
content writing to sales
training. Besides the con-
ventional role being played
by the medical expert, a
new dimension of “On field
training” to an MR can be
looked into. It can open the
gates for an MR into the
doctor‟s chamber. Also a
visit by a medical team
member prevents compla-
cency to set up between an
MR and the doctor.
Understand doctor’s
behavior: A doctor can
understand a doctor well.
Every doctor needs to be
assessed differently before
following any particular
approach like offering
gifts, request for prescrip-
tions, talking about USP‟s,
detailing the product etc.
Understanding customer‟s
body language, facial ex-
pressions and keenness to
listen, if observed with ac-
curacy can give lead to a
fruitful communication.
Additional learning:
Being with the medical
advisor on field can be tak-
en as an opportunity for
additional learning of the
therapy area. ▌
This would maximize the
impact of the doctor meet-
ing on business.
Learn from the discus-
sion: A sales call along
with the medical advisor
should not be a detailing
session. It should be a
learning experience of
“How to address a doc-
tor…” It is to understand
how scientific data can be
converted into a business
opportunity, learning to
leverage clinical studies,
building relationships, get-
ting more information on
therapeutic areas.
Become memorable:
This is to create a personal
space in the doctor‟s mind.
Handling questions and
curiosity of a client is
sometimes more important
to engage a customer than
informing only about the
product and its USP‟s. The
query may or may not be
related to the product.
Discuss beyond sci-
ence: This could give an
opportunity to spend more
time with the doctor. A
Gynecologist might be in-
terested to know some-
thing about Tuberculosis
or a Nephrologist would
like to know about latest
happenings in Healthcare.
Such discussions give a
competitive edge to the
visiting MR-MA team.
“A SALES CALL
ALONG WITH THE
MEDICAL ADVISOR
SHOULD BE USED
TO UNDERSTAND
HOW SCIENTIFIC
DATA CAN BE
CONVERTED INTO
A BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY,
LEARNING TO
LEVERAGE CLINI-
CAL STUDIES,
BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS,
GETTING MORE
INFORMATION ON
THERAPEUTIC
AREAS.”
Dr Shalini Ratan
Founder, Nirvan Life Sciences
“DISCUSS
BEYOND
SCIENCE: THIS
COULD GIVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEND MORE
TIME WITH THE
DOCTOR. A
GYNECOLOGIST
MIGHT BE INTER-
ESTED TO KNOW
SOMETHING
ABOUT TUBER-
CULOSIS OR A
NEPHROLOGIST
WOULD LIKE TO
KNOW ABOUT
LATEST HAPPEN-
INGS IN
HEALTHCARE.
SUCH DISCUS-
SIONS GIVE A
COMPETITIVE
EDGE TO THE
VISITING MR-
MA TEAM.”
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5 MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
13
Sales gurus believe that there are many
techniques and processes of Selling.
Thousands of books have been written on Selling
Processes and Techniques. There are two broad
groupings of Selling Techniques.
Impact Selling and Emotional Selling - There
are different selling processes. They can be short or
long, direct or indirect but finally any product can be
sold by using either Impact or Emotions.
Impact Selling - In Impact selling the Salesman
uses the impact of his Communication Skill, Selling
Skill, Presentation Skill, Features and Benefits of
products, Differentiation, After-sales service etc. to
convince his customers. Usually with Impact selling
results are faster than through Emotional selling.
Impact selling needs thorough preparation and
planning. The Salesman must have sound product
knowledge, competitor knowledge, good market and
customer knowledge to get early success. Sales-
man‟s personality and skills are very important in
this type of Selling. Factors like new territory, new
customers and new products make little difference
in the success of the Impact Selling. The salesman
who adopts Impact Selling will survive in any situa-
tion on the basis of his self confidence. This type of
Salesman will always focus on self development and
progress in his career to become a Manager faster
than others.
Emotional Selling - In Emotional Selling, the
Salesman uses his Emotional Intelligence (EI) to
win over the customer. EI includes intrapersonal
and interpersonal skills to develop relations with
customers over time. The EI Salesman uses factors
like brand association of customers in the past, third
party endorsement and appeal to emotions of the
customer to clinch the deal. In Emotional Selling the
Salesman has to establish his identity/image in cus-
tomer‟s mind or the product/company image, de-
pending on the significance of either to the custom-
er. In Emotional Selling, relationship should always
lead to achieving sales objectives and should not be
lost in merely making friendship with the customer.
It is a well known fact that if Salesmen become too
friendly they may hesitate to close the sales aggres-
sively. Emotional Selling can take longer time and
usually addresses the current need of the customer.
Customer also tries to take advantage of this
relation to get better deal. However, there are
many benefits of Emotional Selling -- as in new
product launch, getting competitor‟s infor-
mation from customer and closing target deficit
gap in the last moment.
The Salesmen who adopt Emotional Selling are
very successful and though they may not be
very ambitious to progress in their career, they
are very successful when they get promoted as
Managers due to their Emotional Intelligence.
In this supersonic era quick results are ex-
pected from salesmen; added to this there is
very little time you can expect from a customer
for a Sales Call. There is lesser time to follow
Selling Steps or to build a relationship during a
Sales call. Therefore the need of the hour is to
develop the skills required to be expert in both
types of Selling. Successful salesmen are those who
can combine both types of Selling in different situa-
tions and with different customers effectively. ▌
IMPACT SELLING and EMOTIONAL SELLING
William Fernandes is Senior Training
Manager at Blue Cross Laboratories.
Contact him at: [email protected]
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
14
My first job was with Natco
Fine Pharmaceuticals in
Hyderabad. I was part of
the team that introduced
Time Release Technology,
a novel drug delivery sys-
tem for the first time in
India.
Later joined May & Baker
(M & B) and worked with
them from 1987 t0 2004. It
was a great journey of my
life which I can‟t forget till
my last breath.
M & B was a very unique
organization to work for;
we had brands from A to Z,
starting Ascabiol and end-
ing with Zephrol. I joined
as Animal Health Repre-
sentative promoting won-
derful brands to Veterinari-
ans.
In 1995, I became Tech-
nical Representative for X-
ray Products and general
brands in the Human Med-
icines division. We were
taught how important a
customer is and we stood
by that standard always,
due to which doctors re-
spected us as equals.
Culture makes all the dif-
ference for an MR to stick
to a company. I never felt
that I was working as an
individual; the work cul-
ture was like a family. We
used to celebrate Family
Day and it was mandatory
for everyone to attend.
After becoming Rhone-
Poulenc the culture did not
change. One fine day we
were with Nicholas
Piramal. I was selected as
Regional Manager to head
the Respiratory Specialty
Division, Actis. My success
mantra was risk taking and
facing challenges boldly in
my career.
In 2005, I took up a new
role as Business Manager
to launch Genzyme, a bio-
tech company. They had
great products like Thymo-
globulin and we made
them very big brands. I had
the privilege of launching
these brands in Sri Lanka,
Nepal, Bangladesh and co-
ordinate Genzyme‟s pres-
ence in Pakistan.
Presently, I am working as
a Marketing Manager in a
new pharma company.
This is the short story of
my successful journey in
the Pharma industry.
I am always interested in
sharing my experience for
the benefit of MRs. I feel
nowadays companies
have stopped giving
proper training and
there is an absence of
good work culture
among the MRs. I am
sorry to say this - may
be due to mushroom-
ing of so many small
companies or lack of
training infrastructure,
companies are not in-
vesting in manpower
development and as a
result, respect for the
profession of MRs has
declined steeply.
SUCCESS STORY: DEVANAND CHENURI VENKAT
MY
SUCCESS
MANTRA
WAS RISK
TAKING
AND
FACING
CHAL-
LENGES
BOLDLY IN
MY
CAREER.
CULTURE MAKES
ALL THE DIFFER-
ENCE FOR AN MR
TO STICK TO A
COMPANY. I
NEVER FELT THAT
I WAS WORKING
AS AN INDIVIDU-
AL; THE WORK
CULTURE WAS
LIKE A FAMILY.
WE USED TO
CELEBRATE FAMI-
LY DAY AND IT
WAS MANDATORY
FOR EVERYONE
TO ATTEND.
Devanand C. Venkat
Devanand C. Venkat is cur-rently GM Exports at MGMR
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
Career Development Resources for Medical
Reps and Front-line Managers
Rs. 599/-
Rs. 799/-
To place your orders or find out more about Career Development Programs :
M: +91 934 2232 949
“SuperVision for the SuperWiser Manager is a must for front-line managers of every pharma company. It is tailor-made to transform Medical Reps to leadership positions.” Akshya Mahapatra, Head–Sales and Marketing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
“If you are willing to read HardKnocks for the GreenHorn, it means you are willing to do whatever it takes to build your career.” - K. Hariram, Managing Director, Galderma
MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5
14
MOTIVATION makes people INITI-ATE actions, MAINTAIN actions and thereby KEEPS life going. In manage-ment, MOTIVATION helps increase productivity and growth of an organi-zation. MOTIVATION is one single word most often used in all walks of life including management. GOOD or LACK of motivation are used to ex-plain SUCCESS or FAILURE. Let me share a real life episode:
Mohan, an up-country MR, while on vacation, came to Mumbai for sight-seeing. Mohan decided to visit the head office of his organization. At the head office Mohan, meets the Mar-keting Chief. Here is the dialogue be-tween the two:
Mohan: Good morning sir, I am Mo-han, your MR at Lalupura in Bihar.
Hari: NICE to see you Mohan. I have heard a lot about you and your per-formance.
Mohan: Naturally sir, after all I am your top performer; delivering more than your expectations but all due to your Remote Guidance (salesmen Butter well).
Hari: Mohan, are you on leave or furlough (without leave).
Mohan: sir, how could have I dared to visit you if I was on furlough (a big hearty laughter by both).
The chit chat, tea, snacks continue. A little business follows:
Hari: Let me see your sales this month (the drawer opens); Oh! Won-derful, Mohan, your sales are jump-ing even this month.
Mohan (the smart): Sir, before leav-ing, I motivated all my doctors to con-tinue to prescribe.
(chit chat continues but Mohan has to go to washroom and; the talk restarts when he returns)
Hari: Sorry Mohan, I saw a wrong file. Actually your sales are miserably down this month.
Mohan (takes courage): Naturally sir, I am on leave and all the doctors are de-motivated (another hearty laugh-ter follows).
Friends, motivation helps initiate an action but there is more to it. WE need continuous motivation to keep the action going. Motivation is the Propeller of life and actions. You Can‟t Act or Move Without Motiva-
tion. ▌
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF MOTIVATION - Mohan Lal Gupta
The 10 Days That Never… An Elegy for My Mother
She’d been ailing for a while, after a fall
I saw her strength ebb every visit; but her smile was bright as ever; whenever she saw me come
The joy my visits brought her were profound; she’d been proud of her only son always
I worked as a Rep in Mangalore; a small town in the 80s
Each day to see me go out with a tie gave her immense pleasure
Not many in Mangalore had jobs that called for grooming and dressing well
It was one reason I loved my job – made mother so proud each morning to see me go
When I got promoted and moved to Mumbai, she was unhappy to leave her moorings
Yet, she came to share the joy of her son’s success to Mumbai and then to Delhi
Delhi was cruel – the heat and the people too; she chose to return home.
I’ve been shuttling since; work and home; work and home.
Lately I felt her too frail; I had decided I must spend 10 days with her in the hospital; now her home for close to two years
Planning, planning, planning; we are so good at planning
The 10 days remained just a plan – a number I never hit;
because there were other numbers to hit
Then I got the call; she was slipping
Mumbai to Bangalore and then to Mangalore and Udupi
I sat at her side for three days – at times I felt she knew I was there; at times she was just slipping away
I waited for her; just once to open her eyes and see me; tell me sweet nothings; one last time.
Maybe she would have, if only I had made it to be at her side for the 10 days that never came…
My mother passed away on the evening of 23rd November. I want to thank all my friends in pharma for their condolences. Special thanks to the Edit Team for their support and prompt submission of articles. And the biggest thanks to my son Joshua, but for whose toil, this issue would not have come on time as is our wont. – Anup Soans, Editor
Serofin Soans
(1935—2011)