medicinman february 2012

12
February 2012 ~ FIELD FORCE EXCELLENCE ~ TM PHARMA | MEDICAL DEVICES | DIAGNOSTICS | SURGICALS A BroadSpektrum Healthcare Business Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Iniave Vol. 2 Issue 2 MedicinMan Editorial www.medicinman.net Alvin Toffler wrote Future Shock in 1970 to accurately foretell the dra- matic changes that would impact ca- reers, businesses, societies and na- tions in the 21st Century. Like George Orwell‟s 1984, Future Shock went on to become a bestselling classic. Future Shock is a certain psychological state of anxiety, fear and inaction caused by too much change in too short a period of time. Career Shock is the rapid and drastic changes in market dynamics and its massive negative impact on job opportunity and securi- ty. And those who cannot cope with the challenges of Career Shock will lose their career, just as farmers lost out to industrialization in the early nineteenth century. According to Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow and other marketing clas- sics, “the current recession is a forev- er recession" because it's the end of the industrial age, which also means the end of the average worker. Seth Godin goes on to say – “If you're the average person doing average work, there's going to be someone else who can do the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it's assigned to you, or never mind the race to the top, you'll be racing to the bottom. However, if you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more. Seth Godin gave away 1/3 of his book, Permission Marketing free to anyone who sent an email. Well, taking cue from Seth Godin, I‟m giving away the key concepts of my new book, Repeat Rx free to all the readers in this issue of MedicinMan. For those of you who do not want to race to the bottom, send me an email and “I‟ll make you an offer you cannot refuse” - Don Corleone in The Godfa- ther.[email protected] CAREER SHOCK! The Uncertainty and Anxiety of Our Times There are 3 types of people in this world: 1. Those who make things happen. 2. Those who watch things happen and 3. Those who wonder what happened. Mary Kay Ash “If you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more.”

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India's 1st Magazine for Field Force Excellence

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  • February 2012

    ~ 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 Medias Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative

    Vol. 2 Issue 2

    MedicinMan

    Editorial

    www.medicinman.net

    Alvin Toffler wrote Future Shock in

    1970 to accurately foretell the dra-

    matic changes that would impact ca-

    reers, businesses, societies and na-

    tions in the 21st Century. Like George

    Orwells 1984, Future Shock went on

    to become a bestselling classic. Future

    Shock is a certain psychological state

    of anxiety, fear and inaction caused

    by too much change in too short a

    period of time. Career Shock is the

    rapid and drastic changes in market

    dynamics and its massive negative

    impact on job opportunity and securi-

    ty. And those who cannot cope with

    the challenges of Career Shock will

    lose their career, just as farmers lost

    out to industrialization in the early

    nineteenth century.

    According to Seth Godin, author of

    Purple Cow and other marketing clas-

    sics, the current recession is a forev-

    er recession" because it's the end of

    the industrial age, which also means

    the end of the average worker. Seth

    Godin goes on to say If you're the

    average person doing average work,

    there's going to be someone else who

    can do the exact same thing as you,

    but cheaper. Now that the industrial

    economy is over, you should forget

    about doing things just because it's

    assigned to you, or never mind the

    race to the top, you'll be racing to the

    bottom. However, if you're different

    somehow and have made yourself

    unique, people will find you and pay

    you more.

    Seth Godin gave away 1/3 of his book,

    Permission Marketing free to anyone

    who sent an email. Well, taking cue

    from Seth Godin, Im giving away the key concepts of my new book, Repeat

    Rx free to all the readers in this issue

    of MedicinMan.

    For those of you who do not want to

    race to the bottom, send me an email

    and Ill make you an offer you cannot refuse - Don Corleone in The Godfa-

    ther. [email protected]

    CAREER SHOCK! The Uncertainty and Anxiety of Our Times

    There are 3 types of

    people in this world:

    1. Those who make things

    happen.

    2. Those who watch

    things happen and

    3. Those who wonder

    what happened.

    Mary Kay Ash

    If you're different

    somehow and have

    made yourself

    unique, people will

    find you and pay

    you more.

  • More on Page 11

  • MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    3

    People with the right skill set form one of the major driv-

    ers of sustainability for any business. Thus, hiring the right

    kind of talent forms a vital part of the human resource do-

    main. When we look at the pharmaceutical sector, it is

    highly evolving and facing grave challenges. As the compe-

    tition becomes intense, there is a need to differentiate

    through innovative platforms wherein the fresh talent

    could come handy.

    Well, there are many reasons why pharmaceutical firms

    should hire fresh talent. Firstly, the fresh graduates have

    the ability and more importantly a willingness to adapt to

    a new environment, a variety of situations, responsibilities

    and relations since they realize that in the formative years

    of their careers they need to have an exposure of all kinds.

    Such willingness is not very commonly seen in the industry

    otherwise. This characteristic along with the appetite to

    learn and learn quickly can be harnessed by any firm to

    groom the graduate to meet the requirements of the organ-

    ization. Several organizations have successfully learnt the

    art of grooming fresh graduates to create a pool of future

    leaders not only for themselves but for the industry as a

    whole.

    Another reason for a firm to hire fresh graduates from

    campus is to create a connect with the student community.

    Campus recruitments will inspire current and future stu-

    dents to aim for, or better still, dream of getting into firms

    with campus connect. This has been used by leading or-

    ganizations for company branding amongst the future

    working professionals.

    The role of fresh graduates is even more important in the

    pharmaceutical sector. The pace of growth of this sector

    has been so fast that the current pool of professionals can-

    not fill the growing human resource requirements. Hiring

    at lateral levels just shifts human resource from one organ-

    ization to another within the sector without increasing the

    overall size of the talent pool. Therefore for a sustained

    growth, hiring fresh graduates is the only solution. Fresh

    talent also challenges long-timers in the industry to move

    away from their robotic ways and look at new ideas espe-

    cially in emerging media like the Internet and other digital

    solutions to connect with customers. Thus there exists a

    clear need to bring in fresh talent, which brings along new

    ideas, new approaches, a willingness to challenge the sta-

    tus quo and helps in setting up a culture of thinking dif-

    ferently and accepting changes in the organization.

    by Neha Ansal

    WHY SHOULD PHARMA HIRE FRESH TALENT?

    Youth

    Speak

    Fresh graduates have the ability and

    more importantly a willingness to adapt

    to a new environment, a variety of situa-

    tions, responsibilities and relations since

    they realize that in the formative years of

    their careers they need to have an expo-

    sure of all kinds. Such willingness is not

    very commonly seen in the industry

    otherwise.

    Neha Ansal is a PGDM Student at IIM-Raipur (Batch of 2012) Email: [email protected]

  • 4

    MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    Repeat Rx A New Chapter in Pharma Sales line Manager creates a learning and development

    ecosystem that will enable field sales professionals

    to progress through the 4 stages of Calling, Connect-

    ing, Consulting and Collaborating. Repeat Rx is not

    a one-time-read book; it is a skill certification and

    competency building program to progress from be-

    ing a Beginner to Amateur, Apprentice and Achiev-

    er. The Repeat Rx Competency Framework is an

    assessment tool that can be fine-tuned to meet the

    specific learning objectives of companies.

    I wrote HardKnocks for the GreenHorn to address

    the learning needs of new Medical Reps (MRs) who

    were taken as replacement for attrition. Companies

    did not have time to train the new MRs (Green

    Horns) before sending them on field sales work.

    They had to learn the HARD way by being

    KNOCKED around, hence the title - HardKnocks for

    the GreenHorn.

    HardKnocks for the GreenHorn was written in an

    easy to read format and focused on Knowledge,

    Skills and Attitude to be an effective pharma field

    sales professional. HardKnocks for the GreenHorn

    was also designed as an on-the-job training tool,

    which Front-line Managers could use to train their

    team of Medical Reps to have uniform and essential

    skill sets.

    My second book, SuperVision for SuperWiser Front

    -line Manager was written to comprehensively ad-

    dress the learning and development needs of the

    Front-line Managers. Often MRs are promoted as

    Front-line Managers without adequate understand-

    ing about their changed role. They do not have a

    manual they can refer to understand their role and

    responsibilities. SuperVision for SuperWiser Front-

    line Manager is written in 3 parts The first part

    discusses the Must Have managerial competencies;

    the second part focuses on the Good to Have emo-

    tionally intelligent leadership skills. The third part

    focuses on Great to Have breakthrough skills that

    help them to move to the next level of performance.

    My third book, Repeat Rx is targeted at Sales Train-

    ing Managers, as well as Front-line and Second-line

    Managers and others who want a comprehensive

    manual to build High Performance Sales Teams. It is

    also very useful for MRs to want to move into Key

    Account Management. Repeat Rx along with Hard-

    Knocks for the GreenHorn and SuperVision for Su-

    perWiser Front-line Manager are the first learning

    and development resources that address the lacunae

    in building high performance sales teams. Repeat

    prescription or repeat purchase (Repeat Rx) is an

    outcome of Knowledge, Skills, Attitude and the

    Hardwork (KA$H) of the field sales force combined

    with the opportunity in the market and the level of

    trust and relationship with customers (doctors and

    Chemist). Repeat Rx along with HardKnocks for the

    GreenHorn and SuperVision for SuperWiser Front-

  • MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

  • For many Medical Reps and Front-line

    Managers, their job has become a Grinding

    Stone instead of a Stepping Stone. Compa-

    nies no longer plan your career. You have to

    do it yourself. Continuous Learning is the

    only Stepping Stone, which will empower

    you to enjoy a satisfying work-life. We are

    all born with nearly similar hardware

    (brain); its the software (Learning Inputs)

    that transforms work into Work-oh-Frolic

    and performance into Perfo-Romance. The

    8 Maxims of Repeat Rx are like killer soft-

    ware applications that will enable you to

    focus on the needs and wants of customers.

    These Maxims are like Windows that will

    give you clearer and sharper Rx insights.

    These 8 Maxims will be discussed through-

    out Repeat Rx.

    Repeat Rx is written to empower Medical

    Reps and Front-line Managers to use their

    current position as a Stepping Stone. With-

    out Continuous Learning your job becomes

    a Grinding Stone. Make the right choice

    become a Work-oh-Frolic; produce great

    Perfo-Romance and move up the value

    chain in field sales management or product

    management, depending on your aptitude

    and inclination. Field sales management is

    all about people employees, customers

    and others in the value chain. Product man-

    agement is all about ideas that influence the

    behavior of people employees, customers

    and others in the value chain. Repeat Rx

    offers insight into both People and Ideas,

    making it your Stepping Stone to great ca-

    reer options in the future.

    Repeat Rx revolves around customer

    knowledge. How well you know them; their

    motivations NEEDS and WANTS; LIKES

    and DISLIKES and Preferences. To know

    this, you must think like a customer; not

    like a salesperson. You must ask QUES-

    TIONS that customers are likely to ask.

    When you have clearer insights into indi-

    vidual customer motivations, you will find

    it easier to progress from Calling to Con-

    necting, Consulting and Collaborating with

    customers.

    Repeat Rx depends on excelling in 4 key

    areas:

    1. Choosing the right customers through

    systematic and regular RCPA

    2. Achieving the right call frequency

    through POEM - pre call planning and

    preparation

    3. Delivering the right message that an-

    swers the WSI and WIIFM of doctors and

    Chemists through effective use of MMFI

    and KA$H

    4. Understanding AIDA and executing the

    marketing programs effectively by doing

    WIN

    WSI Why Should I? This is probably the

    question in your mind as you flip through

    this book. The title Repeat Rx might have

    caught your Attention and created an Inter-

    est to know more. But after scanning the

    book and evaluating the effort needed to

    learn new skills, you might be wondering,

    Why Should I? This is a perfectly natural

    and spontaneous response. Unless you are

    convinced, of the benefits of reading Repeat

    Rx, the WSI Maxim will act as a road-block

    and prevent you from reading, learning and

    putting the learning into practice. WSI op-

    erates in all SELLING situations you

    should be able to answer the WSI of cus-

    tomers convincingly. Think like a customer

    who asks Why Should I? Plan for the an-

    swers based on the market intelligence

    about the customers likes and dislikes

    needs and wants. Read Repeat Rx repeat-

    edly till you are confident of facing the WSI

    questions of doctors, Chemists and your

    distributor.

    AIDA Why do you think advertisers place

    an attractive model next to even the most

    technically high-end car? Because before

    MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    6

    Repeat Rx

    is written to

    empower

    Medical Reps

    and Front-line

    Managers to

    use their

    current

    position as a

    Stepping

    Stone. With-

    out Continu-

    ous Learning

    your job

    becomes a

    Grinding

    Stone.

    A STEPPING STONE OR GRINDING STONE?

  • 7

    MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2 MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    the potential buyers Interest is evoked, the advertiser

    must attract his Attention with a stimulating visual. Then

    the story-line creates Desire leading to Action. The cus-

    tomers Attention is first drawn to the attractive model

    who is standing next to the car. Once his visual senses

    are stimulated it is easier to create Interest in what is

    inside the car. Attention and Interest combine to pro-

    duce Desire and Action this is the basic premise of all

    selling efforts. Many new selling Maxims have been in-

    troduced but AIDA remains at the core of any selling ef-

    fort.

    WIIFM Whats In It For Me? This is the next question

    that comes naturally to our minds. By nature we are pro-

    grammed to do only those things that give us pleasure or

    relieve us from pain. WIIFM must answer how your

    product addresses this WANT (give pleasure) and NEED

    (relieve pain). A Skilled Persuader learns how to SELL

    the WIIFM to doctors to get Repeat Rx.

    WIN Whatever Is Necessary. Everybody wants to WIN,

    but not everybody is willing to do Whatever Is Necessary.

    Repeat Rx is the first-of-its-kind Toolbox that equips you

    with Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits KA$H

    needed to WIN in your career and life.

    KA$H Everybody wants CASH; but they dont focus on

    gaining the Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits

    KA$H, that are needed to produce CASH. Repeat Rx is a

    customized Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits

    KA$H Toolbox for Medical Reps and Front-line Manag-

    ers to earn more CASH.

    MMFI Make Me Feel Important. This is one of the

    greatest WANT of all human beings. Once a persons

    basic NEEDS are met, the focus shifts to Social Recogni-

    tion, Self Esteem and Self Actualization. Social Skills is

    the ability to understand this fact and develop ways in

    which you can make all your customers FEEL important

    in some unique way according to their personality prefer-

    ences.

    POEM Planning, Organizing, Executing, Monitoring.

    You may have all the Knowledge and Skills, but if you

    dont have the Habit of POEM, your performance will be

    inconsistent and you will be considered as unreliable de-

    spite your talent. POEM transforms work into Work-oh-

    Frolic and performance into Perfo-Romance. POEM is

    the SECRET of all consistent performers.

    RCPA Market Intelligence is critical to promoting the

    right products to right doctors and this can be done only

    through systematic and regular Prospecting and Qualify-

    ing through Retail Chemist Prescription Audit - RCPA.

    A STEPPING STONE OR GRINDING STONE?

  • 8

    MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    Success in any profession is a result of excellence in charac-

    ter and competence. Character is who you are and Compe-

    tence is what you can do. Character combines with Compe-

    tence to produce Confidence within you and makes others

    to Trust in you.

    The 4 progressive stages of Calling, Connecting, Consulting

    and Collaborating focuses on developing character and

    building competence to produce Confident Pharma Sales

    professionals who can trigger Trust.

    Trust creates a positive perception, which persuades the

    doctor to Trial Rx. The value derived from Trial Rx reinforc-

    es Trust; leading to Relationship and Repeat Rx.

    Repeat Rx is not an outcome of a hit or miss unplanned and

    unorganized approach, but a result of becoming a Skilled

    Persuader who can influence doctors and Chemists.

    The Repeat Rx Matrix is at the crux of becoming a Skilled

    Persuader and illustrates how character and competence

    create Trust and builds Relationship and Repeat Rx.

    Lets look at the 4 quadrants to understand the process of

    getting Repeat Rx.

    Character is demonstrated by your Sincerity and Caring

    attitude and establishes your Ethos and Pathos in the Call-

    ing and Connecting stage.

    Competence is demonstrated by your Credibility and Exper-

    tise and establishes your Logos in the Consulting and Col-

    laborating stage. When all the three elements, Ethos, Pa-

    thos and Logos are present as in quadrant IV leading to

    foundational, emotional and rational trust, the outcome is

    Relationship and Repeat Rx.

    In quadrant I, you are a Beginner and yet to demonstrate

    your character and competence, which are both low and

    hence No Rx. Any Rx would be due to the work of your pre-

    decessors work or due the uniqueness/monopoly of the

    product.

    In quadrant II, as an Amateur you have just begun to

    demonstrate your competence. Based on your knowledge

    and the doctors need, you will get Erratic Rx whenever you

    call on doctors.

    In quadrant III, as an Apprentice in addition to some com-

    petence, your character is demonstrated by your sincerity

    and caring attitude and builds Rapport with some doctors

    and you get Some Rx, whenever they remember you.

    In quadrant IV, both your character and competence are

    high, making you an Achiever. This leads to Trust based

    Relationship and Repeat Rx.

    Repeat Rx is divided into two parts for easy learning and

    application. In the first part of Repeat Rx, the emphasis

    will be on effective Communication Skills and Selling Skills

    the two most important skills for Pharma Sales Profes-

    sionals. The key learning in Part 1 is the three levels of

    trust Foundational, Emotional and Rational Trust trig-

    gered by your Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

    Part 2 of Repeat Rx focuses on developing character and

    competence to produce Confident Pharma Sales profes-

    sionals who can trigger Trust. The key learning in Part 2

    are the 4 progressive stages of Calling, Connecting, Con-

    sulting and Collaborating to build lasting Relationship for

    Repeat Rx. We will learn through models and matrix like

    the Repeat Rx to stimulate your analytical thinking (Left

    brain Logic/IQ) as well as through stories, examples and

    metaphors to stimulate your creative thinking (Right brain

    Emotion/EQ) as both IQ and EQ are needed for effective

    learning. This combination of Knowledge (IQ) and Persua-

    sion (EQ) is at the crux of becoming a Skilled Persuader

    who can trigger Repeat Rx.

    [email protected]

    HOW TO GET REPEAT RX ?

    Repeat Rx is not an outcome of a hit or

    miss unplanned and unorganized

    approach, but a result of becoming a

    Skilled Persuader who can influence

    doctors and Chemists.

  • MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2 MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2 M

    edicin

    Man

    Creati

    ves

    Promedik Algorithms give Doctors an edge by delivering the latest clinical research in an easy-to-use format

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

    ensure treatment compliance and quick recovery.

    Promedik Algorithms are also designed keeping in mind the relationship-building and branding needs of

    Pharma. Call us now to find out more.

    ENHANCING PHARMA-DOCTOR-PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

    POWERFUL ALGORITHMS. LASTING RELATIONSHIPS.

    A very useful tool for doctors. - Dr. Hari Goyal - Sr. Oncologist BL Kapur Memorial Hospital

    Asth

    ma

    Hype

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    Asth

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    A thought of the future

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    Promedik is a right step

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    (Director, clinical epidemiology,

    To find out more call:

    Dr. Vishal Bansal : +91 97172 18558

    Rahul Mishra : +91 96118 76767

  • MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

    10

    Pharma field selling is tough. You must study and learn

    from athletics and sports, which are far tougher and in-

    tensely competitive. The only difference is that athletes and

    sportspeople set very clear and exacting goals and they

    thoroughly enjoy their work. Thats why they are called

    players. It is worthwhile to remember that once they meet

    their goals, they earn far more for playing than most peo-

    ple do by working. We need to change from this working

    mindset to playing mindset in order to enjoy our profes-

    sional life. Working is for those who are physically engaged,

    but emotionally disconnected from their profession. To en-

    joy your career, you must engage your heart first; then your

    head and hands will follow. If you fall in love with your

    work, youll never have to WORK. When you move from

    working to playing, instead of workaholic, you will become

    a Work-oh-Frolic and your performance will be trans-

    formed into Perfo-Romance. Athletes and sportspeople are

    highly motivated and goal centered and thats the only way

    to thrive in any hyper competitive profession. Since you

    have decided to make pharma sales your career, you must

    learn from athletes. Without continuous learning, motiva-

    tion, goals, planning and time consciousness, your sales

    target will seem like an insurmountable mountain.

    If you want to move from performance to Perfo-Romance

    then start learning the new rules of the game. Become con-

    scious of time as the only resource that can never be recy-

    cled. Learn from athletes and sportspeople. They spend

    every minute of their waking hours in reaching their goals

    and their sleeping hours dreaming about their enjoying the

    satisfaction of reaching their goals. You must become pas-

    sionate about your profession; about your personal effec-

    tiveness. Like the athletes and sportspeople, you must de-

    velop every muscle that is needed for you to play your role

    effectively. Athletes and sportspeople are highly focused;

    they are clear about which event they will contest and go

    about training and practicing till they are sure that they

    measure up to compete successfully. You must also be clear

    about your goals and objectives and go about learning and

    developing skills that will enhance your Ethos, Pathos and

    Logos.

    Do you want to know what transforms mundane, routine

    performance into breakthrough Perfo-Romance? PRAC-

    TICE. Athletes and sportspeople PRACTICE for several

    hours every day, measuring their progress carefully before

    the contest. But most Medical Reps and Front-line Manag-

    ers work for hours without ever practicing. The hallmark of

    all great Perfo-Romancers is Continuous Professional De-

    velopment (CPD) through practice. You can succeed in any

    field; provided you believe in YOUR SELF and are commit-

    ted to WIN; doing Whatever Is Necessary.

    Time Management is Life Management There are only 3

    things you can do with Time and Money 1. Invest it. 2.

    Spend it. 3. Waste it. Planning helps you to invest your

    time and money for best returns. Personal effectiveness

    will give you the discipline to spend time only on essential

    activities like sleep and personal affairs and money on ne-

    cessities. Procrastination will lead to inaction and waste of

    time. POEM is a process that helps you to develop the

    Habit of investing time for maximum returns. When com-

    bined with acquiring KA$H, it will make you an outstand-

    ing professional with bright career prospects. This should

    motivate you to remain focused on your goals. When I was

    working with Eureka Forbes, most afternoons were rela-

    tively free and I could go back home and take a nap. In-

    stead I spent the afternoons in seeing some great movies,

    which I used to improve my English language skills. I rare-

    ly saw a movie, which did not teach me something about

    improving my Knowledge, Attitude, Skills or Habits. When

    working as a Medical Rep, I read all the product literature,

    journals and books that my company used for CME. The

    knowledge and skills gained led to joining a medical pub-

    lishing firm where I worked for 12 years to become the

    youngest marketing director. If you want a great life invest

    time in activities that will make your dreams come true.

    Set SMART goals; Manage time by POEM; acquire KA$H.

    Study this and other professional development books

    Repeat Rx will lead to Repeat Success for you.

    To Realize the Value of One Year,

    Ask a Student who Failed the Final Exam

    To Realize the Value of One Month

    Ask a Mother who Lost a Premature Baby

    To Realize the Value of One Week

    Ask the Editor of a Weekly Magazine

    To Realize the Value of One Day

    Ask a Daily Wage Worker with Six Kids

    To Realize the Value of One Hour,

    Ask Lovers who are Waiting to Meet

    To Realize the Value of One Minute,

    Ask the Person who missed the Train

    To Realize the Value of One Second,

    Ask the Athlete who Missed the Gold and Won Silver in the

    Olympics.

    PERFO-ROMANCE AND WORK-OH-FROLIC Some people find life an empty dream because they put nothing into it

    Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.

    P. Drucker

  • MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.2

  • Medi

    12

    LEAD KINDLY LIGHT

    Prof. Chitta Mitra, a doyen of the Indian phar-

    maceutical industry passed away on the 3rd of

    January 2012. His death is a great loss to the

    industry and a personal loss to me.

    The present growth of the Indian pharma in-

    dustry can be attributed to Prof. Mitra in a

    good measure. Since the 1980s, he took upon

    himself the responsibility of bringing a para-

    digm shift in the mindset of the Indian pharma

    industry from sales orientation to prescrip-

    tion generation. His oft quoted and famous

    pearls of wisdom to the pharma marketers still

    reverberate: The health of a pharma company

    is related to the prescriptions that the company

    is able to generate not just volume sales. His

    emphasis was on prescription generation and

    looked down on deals, bonus offers as an un-

    healthy practice and effort to steal prescrip-

    tions of another company.

    He and his dedicated team of analysts and re-

    searchers analyzed millions of live prescrip-

    tions of doctors. And from the analysis of these

    prescriptions his gems of wisdom emerged.

    Prof Mitra was a strong believer in developing

    and training people in the pharma industry. He

    initiated training and development of brand

    managers to make them understand and inter-

    pret the data provided by C MARC, collated

    from live prescriptions from the twenty differ-

    ent specialties of doctors.

    Prof. Mitra helped brand managers to take

    strategic decisions that strengthened marketing

    edge over competitors. He taught them how to

    evaluate and do SWOT analysis of an organiza-

    tion to provide appropriate strategic guidelines

    to the brand managers. He developed newer

    analytical methods to create a marketing edge

    over competition. He helped in distinguishing

    between qualitative data and quantitative data

    and to correlate with internal sales.

    The widely prevalent CRM activities were

    termed by him as customer gratification that

    had nothing to do with the health of a

    pharma company. He believed in honest

    brand building activities which were

    prevalent till the middle 90s.

    In his memory, I have evolved the Prof.

    Chitta Mitras Oath for Pharma Market-

    ers which is inspired by the Hippocratic

    Oath taken by medical professionals

    when they graduate. Professionals in the

    pharma industry should take Prof.

    Chitta Mitras Oath and cleanse the

    pharma industry from unhealthy and

    corrupt practices.

    EXECUTIVE TEAM

    EDITOR

    Anup Soans

    * COO

    Arvind Nair

    ADVISORY BOARD

    Prof. Vivek

    Hattangadi

    *

    Jolly Mathews

    EDITORIAL BOARD

    Shashin

    Bodawala

    *

    Salil Kallianpur

    *

    Dr. Shalini Ratan

    * Prabhakar Shetty

    * Varadarajan S

    * Dr. Mandar Kubal

    CONSULTANTS

    Joshua Soans

    *

    Amit Shekhar

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    A Tribute to a Pioneering and Outstanding Pharma Marketer

    Death is not the extinguishing of light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. - Rabindranath Tagore

    By Prof. Vivek Hattangadi

    Editors Note: Pharma professionals inter-ested in taking the Prof. Chitta Mitras Oath for Pharma Marketers can visit www.theenablers.org. The Enablers is an excellent skill and value development re-source for pharma professionals.