medicinman december 2011

16
December 2011 ~ FIELD FORCE EXCELLENCE ~ TM PHARMA | MEDICAL DEVICES | DIAGNOSTICS | SURGICALS A BroadSpektrum Healthcare Business Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Iniave 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

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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

Page 1: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 2: MedicinMan December 2011

MedicinManCampusConnect

Best Healthcare Companies

to Work For

Find Out More:

E: [email protected]

M: +91 934 2232 949

Page 3: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 4: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 5: MedicinMan December 2011

Med

icinM

an C

reative

s MedicinMan Vol.1. Iss.5

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leading to better outcomes for patients. Promedik Algorithms include patient education information to

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To find out more call:

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Rahul Mishra : +91 96118 76767

Page 6: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 7: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 8: MedicinMan December 2011

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 :

Page 9: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 10: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 11: MedicinMan December 2011

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.

Page 12: MedicinMan December 2011

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.”

Page 13: MedicinMan December 2011

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]

Page 14: MedicinMan December 2011

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

Page 15: MedicinMan December 2011

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 :

E: [email protected]

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

Page 16: MedicinMan December 2011

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)