medicinman november 2012
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Pharma Field Force Excellence Resource.TRANSCRIPT
November 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 Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
Vol. 2 Issue 11
MedicinMan
Editorial
www.medicinman.net
n recent times no other issue has ruffled Indian Pharma as
much as the generic vs. brand issue. At stake are millions of
jobs and revenues. But we forget that serving the needs of
patients through the physician community has created these
jobs and revenues. When commerce triumphs at the expense
and not at the benefit of consumers, then sooner or later the-
se storms are certain to strike like Hurricane Sandy. Remem-
ber, consumers are the ultimate drivers and shapers of mar-
kets whether through social activism or by influencing gov-
ernment policy. Industry leaders and associations should put
their heads together in enlightened self-interest and become
active players in reforming healthcare to benefit patients –
their ultimate payer.
We have an insightful article by Salil Kallianpur on the ge-
nerics vs brands issue on page 18; as well as links to articles
by Prof. Vivek Hattangadi and Gauri Kamath – both of them
are well known pharma industry commentators.
On the positive side, we have an excellent addition to the
learning and development of pharma professionals by way of
a new book by Prof. Vivek Hattangadi – ―Pharma First-line
Leader to CEO‖. This should serve as valuable guide to
those who aspire for career growth. Prof. Vivek Hattangadi
also assumes additional responsibility as Dean – Professional
Skills Development of MedicinMan Academy.
K. Hariram, our Chief Mentor continues his series on Coach-
ing for FLMs. We also have insightful articles by Dr. S.
Srinivasan, Dr. Amit Dang, V. Srinivasan adding to the skill
development of field force.
The article, ―KAM – Is it a New Sales Model?‖ by interna-
tional team of authors, Ralph Boyce, Ken Boyce and Tony
O‘Connor will add to our understanding of this new emerg-
ing area in Pharma Sales.
LinkedIn is emerging as an important learning platform for
pharma professionals and I invite all our readers to connect
with me on LinkedIn. Please send an invite to http://
in.linkedin.com/in/anupsoans. We have featured two ―Hot on
LinkedIn‖ discussions for the benefit of our readers.
HURRICANE GENERIC HITS INDIAN PHARMA
- Anup Soans, Editor
Digital Dose by Dinesh Chindarkar is especially useful for
those who want to use Social Media to further their profes-
sional interests.
We believe in lighting a lamp instead of cursing the darkness
– however clichéd that might sound given the decline in
skills of the Indian Pharma‘s field force (see page 8 for my
article). But unless we take remedial actions, how can we
expect a turnaround? A Medical Rep‘s skills can be only as
good or bad as his trainer‘s ability to equip and motivate
Medical Reps with knowledge, skills and attitude needed at
the workplace.
MedicinMan Academy will conduct a 3-day Pharma Sales
Trainer Certification Program in December 2012 (for details
see page 5) to bring about uniformity in the training of Medi-
cal Reps and FLMs. The program is ideally suited for those
who are working in training departments as well as senior
professionals in Sales, Marketing, HR, SFE and related areas
who wish to move into training.
The program will cover all essential areas of adult learning
and development relating effective development of Medical
Reps including psychometrics.
In the future MedicinMan Academy will also conduct vari-
ous other programs for the development of Front-line Man-
agers, SFE, SFA and related areas.
We invite senior managers in Pharma to connect and offer
your suggestions. – [email protected]
MedicinMan welcomes Prof. Vivek Hattangadi as Dean –
Professional Skills Development at MedicinMan Academy.
4. Customer Targeting for High Im-
pact Sales.
Regularly updated customer lists
are key to high ROI on sales efforts.
V. Srinivasan
6. Making “Calls” Effective
Making joint-work with Medical
Reps productive through coaching.
K. Hariram
8. “You” Matter Most in Getting
Repeat Rx
In the sea of generics, “you” are a
key differentiator for your brand.
Dr. S. Srinivasan
10. Field Force Excellence: Are we
kidding ourselves?
Is Field Force Excellence attainable
in this era of hyper-competition?
Anup Soans
14. Hot on Linkedin
1. How to make productive field
visits.
2. What are the key drivers of SFE?
Discussion seen on Indian Pharma
Connection and SFE respectively.
Contents
CLICK TO NAVIGATE.
18. India’s Health Policy - flip flops and
policy shifts.
What the recent DGCI order on generics
means for Indian pharma & healthcare
Salil Kallianpur
20. Digital Dose - Part 1
A regular column on social media for
pharma by leading experts.
Dinesh Chindarkar
21. Pharmacology Essentials - Pharmaco-
kinetics Parameters
Concepts of bioequivalence, steady-
state, leading dose, maintainence dose
and others explained.
Dr. Amit Dang
22. Key account Management - a new
sales model?
Key Account Management is a distilla-
tion of existing strategies & approaches
Ralph Boyce, Ken Boyce, Tony O’Connor
25. Book Preview: Front-line Leader to
CEO
What it takes to move up the ranks written
in a simple, conversationalist style.
Prof. Vivek Hattangadi
Editor and Publisher: Anup Soans CEO: Chayya S. Sankath COO: Arvind Nair Chief Mentor: K. Hariram
Advisory Board: Vivek Hattangadi; Jolly Mathews
Editorial Board: Salil Kallianpur; Dr. Shalini Ratan; Shashin Bodawala; Prabhakar Shetty; Varadarajan S; Dr. Mandar Kubal;
Dr. Surinder Kumar
MedicinMan Academy: Dr. S. Srinivasan, Dean, Medical Education Prof. Vivek Hattangaadi, Dean, Professional Skills Development
Now Available as an Ebook on
Calling → Connecting → Consulting → Collaborating
Repeat Rx
REPEAT Rx is the first-of-its-kind skill certification and competency
building program for creating trust and building relationships with Doctors
leading to lasting relationships and generating Repeat Rx.
REPEAT Rx is conceptualized and developed by Anup Soans who is the
Editor of MedicinMan and author of the widely read ―HardKnocks for the
GreenHorn‖ and ―SuperVision for the SuperWiser Front-line Manager.‖
Visit: http://amzn.com/B009G3SJ1Y
Repeat Rx can be read across devices such as iPad, Kindle, Android, MAC and PC.
Download the appropriate reading app for free HERE.
ustomer list is the foundation upon which the building
called Sales is built. If the foundation is strong, and main-
tained properly, then the building will also remain healthy
and strong. Let us see below how to keep the customer list
strong and active by periodical pruning, cleansing, and
updating so that it remains active and healthy at all times,
and yields the best possible results to the business.
First and foremost: the total number of customers, as well
as specialty-wise composition/ break-up of the same,
should be exactly as per Sales & Marketing strategy. The
selection of customers must be done only after thorough
RCPA to ensure right customers for right products are
chosen. The Line Managers and Product/Brand Managers
must ensure this, because there is a tendency at the lower
level to include customers who are easy to call on, irre-
spective of whether they are the right customers or not,
and whether they have potential to prescribe the products
being promoted or not. Having prepared the customer list
as per strategy, the next step is to give visits to each of the
listed customers strictly as per desired number and fre-
quency.
Having ensured both the above, the next, but important
step is to ensure that we get business support from each
customer on whom we are investing efforts and resources,
even though the quantum of support may vary from cus-
tomer to customer. This can be ensured by periodical au-
diting and cleansing of the customer list, as per following
procedure. Let the Medical Rep makes at least 6 calls, i.e.
if 2 calls are slated for a customer every month, after 3
months of visits and promoting the identified products to
the Doctor by the Medical Rep and at least two more visits
by any of his superiors like Area Manager, Regional Man-
ager, Zonal Manager, Sales Manager, Product Manager, if
no support has come from the customer, then such names
may be deleted from the coverage list. After a total of 8
visits (6 by Medical Rep & 2 more by any higher officials)
decide whether to retain or not. In that vacancy, another
potential customer from the same locality from the same
specialty who has the best potential to prescribe our prod-
ucts, based on RCPA already conducted, may be included.
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Customer Targeting ← Home
Customer targeting
for high impact sales.
V. Srinivasan
While doing this exercise, side by side, we can also plan
for improving the business volume from customers from
whom we are getting very low volume of business sup-
port. If it is very clear that irrespective of any further
efforts, the business volume may not improve, then we
need to decide whether such customers can also be delet-
ed, and instead, new but potential customers from whom
we can get better business support can be included in the
coverage list.
A similar exercise with other customers like stockists and
retailers can also be conducted, and wherever necessary,
dead wood can be removed, and new but potential ones
included. Such an exercise will ensure that we remove
dead wood, and the customer list (i.e.foundation) is very
active, and we get support from all the customers in the
list. It also ensures that we focus all our efforts, activities,
and resources on the potential and right customers only,
thus avoiding wastages of promotional efforts and field
working. Many organizations do not do this activity sin-
cerely, and leave it at the discretion of the Medical Rep
and the Line Manager concerned.
Once we ensure active and updated customer list, besides
number and frequency of visits as per strategy, we should
also ensure proper detailing of the products being pro-
moted (i.e. communication) which can have the desired
impact for conversion of identified customers.
The whole exercise is aimed at keeping the business tree
free of dead wood, and dried leaves, and keep it hale and
healthy. If Organizations ensure the above in all sinceri-
ty, the results will be highly rewarding.▌
V. Srinivasan has headed Sales
Administration & HR functions in
reputed Pharma Companies, with
over 325 published articles in India
and abroad. He can be reached at
Mob: 8056168585
Become A Certified Pharma Sales Trainer.
To register, email: [email protected]
17th, 18th & 19th December, 2012 at Mumbai
Fee: ` 22,500/- per participant.
Early bird fee: ` 19,500/- (for registrations before 10th November 2012)
uring joint working by the FLMs with their sales people,
post call analysis is a common practice. Mostly it ends up
as a post-mortem, or after-action call discussions. Gener-
ally you will look at what went well and what could have
gone better. But how many of the FLMs have considered
conducting 'advance-action sessions'?
Can the earlier experiences of the 'calls' be reflected? Can
the communication required to make the call be articulat-
ed and practiced? Look at this as 'pre-mortem' activity.
Prepare this by asking these 3 questions :
1. What worked well in previous calls that is worth
considering for this call?
2. What could have been done differently in previous
calls that should be kept in mind now?
3. What new things should be considered for trying on
the new calls ?
Lessons from the past is very helpful during ON THE
JOB coaching and helps find newer solutions. It also
breaks falling into the rut of the routine.
Creating a "high performance" climate. When you are dealing with 5 to 6 people in your team,
building the team's morale is your important responsibil-
ity. You can do this by ensuring that each of your team
member is engaged, enthusiastic and ready to make posi-
tive contributions.
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Coaching | Page 6
Making “calls” effective. K. Hariram
Take these 4 steps :
1. Spend one-on-one time with each team member. Spend
time with each person and know how the individual is
doing on both personal and work level. Provide feedback
promptly.
2. Coach on the job. Show them how to do even better.
Help them in finding solutions to job-related problems.
Support them in finding alternate resources for solving
personal problems, without becoming too much involved
in the details of their personal lives.
3. Make their jobs more interesting. Build variety in their
assignments and challenge them positively. When they
demonstrate their competence, recognize and share it
with other team members.
4. Let them know you trust them. Clarify and explain
what you want them to do and allow them to suggest
ways. Set boundary lines and parameters and monitor the
same. Help them to learn from past mistakes. ▌
To create a “high-performance” climate
at work follow these 4 steps:
1. Spend one-on-one time with each
member of your team.
2. Coach them on-the-job.
3. Make their work interesting.
4. Let them know you trust them.”
K. Hariram is the former MD of Galderma
India. This article is fourth in a series on
“Coaching” authored by him.
“
← Home
MedicinMan PRESENTS
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In Partnership with:
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BREAKFAST
FOR THE BRAIN
hen I moved from 1st MBBS to 2nd MBBS, the initial
excitement of bedside medicine was understandingly a bit
too overwhelming, given that I was all of eighteen going on
nineteen at that time. The burden of the white coat was
getting somewhat bearable but not the over-bearing pres-
ence of our medicine professor who prided himself on not
only superlative clinical knowledge but impeccable
Queen‘s English as well.
His favorite question was, what are the three most im-
portant things in clinical medicine? After we would hazard
one wild guess after another for ten minutes or so, he would
make his pronouncement in a triumphant voice from a
puffed up chest: ‗diagnosis, diagnosis, diagnosis‘. At that,
our awe for him would go up three notches: wow, how
clever! Never mind what today‘s professors and students
think about the disposable commodity called diagnosis!
3 ‘P’s A decade and a half later, my first ‗sales promotion man-
ager‘ (yes, marketing manager came later) with a similar
personality trait would ask a similar question: what are the
three most important things for a ‗medical rep‘ to succeed
in his career? Assorted sound bytes would come from dif-
ferent corners of the room, to which the manager would
only shake his head slowly and then pronounce in a serious
voice, ‗product knowledge, product knowledge, product
knowledge‘. And we would go, wow, how clever!
Mind you, it worked. And still does. Your display and dis-
semination of razor sharp product knowledge would surely
get you the doctor‘s ears as well as admiration, often culmi-
nating in that vital document called prescription. But when
the landscape of products underwent a sea change with
more and more branded generics flooding the market, there
came a time to re-think strategies.
Half - dollar A standard challenge in selling/marketing was, is and will
be, how to promote your half dollar over the other guy‘s?
The art and science of making a doctor prescribe your ge-
neric (forget the branding façade) version of say azithromy-
cin in preference to your competitor‘s generic version of
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Personal Success | Page 12 ← Home
Dr. S. Srinivasan
“You” Matter Most in
Getting Repeat Rx.
azithromycin is still posing formidable challenges across
the board and up and down the hierarchy of most marketing
organizations.
And this started applying not only to small molecules but
also large ones like insulins, monoclonal antibodies and so
on. There was a phase when the ‗original‘ MNC marketer
of a molecule would attack the ‗copies‘ on quality issues to
justify his higher price. But this didn‘t last long as Indian
companies surged ahead with good quality products at low-
er prices, not only in India but even in ‗sophisticated‘ mar-
kets.
On expiry of the patent period for a block-buster, the origi-
nal discoverer would argue that his generic is superior to
the lesser mortal‘s generic but that argument too does not
wash any more as seen in recent examples of lipid lowering
and other types of drugs.
‘You’ matter
So, where do you stand in a crowded bazaar where you
have to out-shout the other guy selling the self-same medi-
cine at crazy prices with bizarre messages? Well, there is
no magic wand that would save you here save your own
self. By that I mean, when product knowledge alone won‘t
take you far, you wear one of de Bono‘s hats, or make your
own, and showcase yourself in clever ways.
There are doctors who would / should be asking for / think-
ing of YOU when it comes to writing a prescription. Your
command over the product, your communication skills,
your sense of anticipation of the doctor‘s thinking, your
unique value systems that make you what you are….these
are the things that somehow create a bond between you and
the prescriber and clinch the sale. In short, YOU should
start mattering more than the product. Sounds odd? Think
about it anyway. ▌
Dr. S. Srinivasan is former Sr. VP at
Aventis. He is currently a lifecoach
and Dean, Medical Education at
MedicinMan Academy.
Vacancies brought to you by Kingpins Management Consultancy
Position / designation
Area Business Manager (Rachi & Aurangabad). (MNC, Diagnos-
tics)
Essential qualifications:
B. Pharm/B.Sc in Bio Science/Chemistry
Critical attributes / qualities:
Good communication and Negotiation skill, good team player,
Fast learner, Good relationship with Diabetologists/Physicians
and Cardiologists of the area
Brief Job Description:
1. Promote the products to Diabetologists /Physicians/
GPs / Laboratories
2. Procure institutional business
3. Visit retailers to make the product available and collect
the information on competition. Arrange for product
displays at retail chemists.
4. Conduct diabetes awareness programmes
5. Attend to the product complaints.
6. Train and guide salesmen of the distributors who supple-
ment the sales efforts of the company sales staff.
7. Appoint distributors as per the business need
8. Organize CMEs for doctors
9. Organize training for the Nursing staff on the handling of
our products in institutions who use our products
Preferred age group: 24-28 years.
Compensation package: Rs 1.5 lacs- 2.25 lacs.
Job Description
Retail Business Manager (Mumbai & Chennai) (MNC)
Qualification: B.Sc. (minimum)
Experience: 1.5 – 4 years
CTC Offered: Rs. 1.65 Lacs – Rs. 3 Lacs
Reporting: Zonal Manager
Team: Marketing Associates (3 – 6 people as per the location /
market requirement)
Responsibilities:
1. New business development & maintenance of existing
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2. Meeting up with chemists, retailers (medical shops) for
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3. Managing the marketing associates & motivating them
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4. Organizing promotional events in banks, corporate offic-
es as well as relevant exhibits.
Job Description
District Manager (2 Positions—Nasik & Mumbai (Thane down
& Central Mumbai)
Job Title: District Manager
Span of Control: 5 Medical Representatives (outsourced – 3rd
party payroll)
Business Potential: 30 lacs / month
Salary offered: up to 5 lacs
Key Skills:
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er, in a Pharmaceutical company featuring in TOP 50
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language – Conversational & Written.
3. Candidate must have a good clarity of the role of a First
Line manager. Must have good management skills.
4. Candidate must be achievement oriented. Please provide
data of previous 2-3 years target achievement.
5. Candidate must have a passion to excel in Pharma Sales.
6. Candidate must have basic knowledge of MS Office.
Job Description
Medical Business Manager (Jaipur, Bangalore & Mumbai)
Experience: Fresher / 1.5 – 4 years
Qualification: B.Sc (minimum)
CTC Offered: Rs. 1.50 Lacs – Rs. 3 Lacs
Reporting: Zonal Manager
Responsibilities:
1. Generating new business leads &taking care of the
existing clients.
2. Meeting up with doctors, nursing homes & various
hospitals for Glucometer sales & getting prescriptions.
3. Actively participating in the special activities conducted
by the doctors.
Contact: Balraj Chandra Mob: 91.9769058671, +91.9833580904
Email: [email protected] Website: www.kingpinsindia.com
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ield Force Excellence (FFE) can be defined as field
force – doctor engagement wherein:
1. The doctor experiences tangible value in their in-
teraction with pharma field force leading to better
patient outcomes.
2. The field force experiences satisfaction with their
career and meaning in their daily work.
3. The field force – doctor engagement results in in-
creased productivity for pharma companies.
―Field Force Excellence - are we kidding ourselves?‖
This remark by a senior SFE professional from a
reputed MNC summed up the thoughts of some of
the delegates at the first ever Pharma CEO
Roundtable on Field Force Excellence on June 16,
2012 at the JW Marriott, Mumbai.
In response, veteran CEO, Narayan B Gad of Pana-
cea Biotec took the question head-on by saying –
―Excellence might seem like a utopian idea, but we
can certainly move forward from efficiency to effec-
tiveness, which together will take us closer to excel-
lence as envisaged by MedicinMan, the organizers of
FFE 2012.‖
FFE 2012 was conducted in the backdrop of deterio-
rating quality of pharma field force in India. On
stage and in the audience were senior Indian pharma
industry professionals including CEOs, who had
risen from the ranks of field force in the preceding
25 years. Where had the Indian pharma field force
gone wrong so dramatically that it was now strug-
gling to find quality people to shore up the ever-
expanding front-lines and sales leadership positions?
Field Force
Excellence:
Are we kidding
ourselves ??
The rise of Indian pharma both in India and globally is
matched only by the Indian IT and BPO sector, which gave
the Indian professionals a great opportunity to build careers
at a hitherto unknown pace. Twenty somethings were be-
coming General Managers and VPs and acquiring houses
and cars within 5 years of working. The rise of IT and BPO
had a cascading effect on the increase in job opportunities in
Retail, Insurance, Finance and Banking and a host of other
Greenfield sectors. Pharma became a laggard in attracting
talent at the entry level and this has had a negative effect in
building a sales leadership pipeline in an industry that was
growing at thrice the speed of Indian economy.
Feet-on-street was the logic of many Indian pharma compa-
nies that were growing at a break-neck speed from the 80s
and forwards. MNCs and many Indian companies tried
Anup Soans
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Field Force Excellence | Page 8
FFE 2012 hosted by MedicinMan, saw intense discussion on the fea-
sibility of field force excellence in the current business environment.
“
This article was first published in Pharmaphorum.
The Indian IT and BPO sector gave Indian
professionals an opportunity to build ca-
reers at a hitherto unknown pace and
had a cascading effect on Retail, Insur-
ance, Finance and Banking and a host
of other Greenfield sectors. Pharma be-
came a laggard in attracting talent at
the entry level and this has had a nega-
tive effect in building a sales leadership
pipeline in an industry that was growing
at thrice the speed of Indian economy.”
← Home
swimming against the prevailing trends by recruiting
and training people to perform at earlier levels of com-
petence. But it was a losing battle – the fast-growing
Indian pharma companies were liberally poaching from
the MNCs and other well-managed Indian companies
instead of nurturing their own field force. Medical Reps
in MNCs who had to wait for 10 years and more for
promotions now found themselves moving up the steep
ladder at the rapid pace of IT companies.
Just as prosperity comes with a price of obesity and a
host of related lifestyle disorders, the price of rapid
growth in the Indian Pharma has been the decline of
quality of field force people. Indian Pharma companies
not only reverse engineered and copied IP products of
MNCs, they added their own ‗jugaad‘ in creating ra-
tional and irrational combinations that had the doctors
reeling from an overdose of too many branded generics
(60,000) and their combinations.
Along with jugaad drug combinations, came the jugaad
promotions that did not need much talent. Carrying
expensive gifts and booking exotic tour locations re-
quired as much talent of a street-smart pizza delivery
boy. Irrational drug combinations, irrational copycat
promotions – nobody questions the sanity of methods
when the growth is assured. Ethics went for a toss as
MBAs competed with veteran field sales leaders to
prove their worth through get-rich-quick MLM like
strategies, which unfortunately led to decline of field
force – poor quality recruits, little training, promotions
without development and high pressure management.
Talent fled the pharma industry in large numbers and
mediocrity ruled the day. No wonder veterans look at
the present scenario and remark: ―Field Force Excel-
lence - are we kidding ourselves?‖
But the darkest night is also just before the dawn. The
declining productivity of field force, increasing social
activism against pharma-doctor nexus, governmental
regulations and an uncertain global economy are forcing
Indian Pharma to rethink their way of doing business.
The transactional relationship with doctors has run its
full course and the returns are diminishing steadily. To
reverse these negative trends and bring about a transfor-
mation in the relationship with doctors, Indian Pharma
will have to reinvent its field force again. The new gen-
erations of students coming out of campuses are coming
equipped with some unique skill sets – they are
the digital natives. The rise of technology enabled doc-
tor and social media will provide Indian Pharma with
unique ways of engaging the doctors – from fatigue to
fun. Both doctors and field force have been experienc-
ing a high level of dissatisfaction in their interactions.
While field force will remain the lynchpin of doctor-
pharma equation, it will be the technology enabled
Medical Rep and Front-line Managers who will re-
create trust and build relationship by understanding the
doctor‘s business and adding real value.
The repositioning of Field Force has to be well thought
out and must address the needs of patients and doctors
and not just the promotional interests of Pharma compa-
nies. There is a lot that pharma field force can do in this
MedicinMan November 2012 | Page 9 Field force excellence - are we kidding ourselves?
“ Along with jugaad drug com-
binations, came the jugaad
promotions that did not need
much talent. Carrying expen-
sive gifts and booking exotic
tour locations required as
much talent of a street-smart
pizza delivery boy.”
“Jugaad” - the Indian approach to
skirting obstacles.
regard as they are on the field where the action is.
Social media has the potential to engage, build trust
and communicate effectively in a media format that
already has the patients and doctors tuned in. Gadgets
like iPads have the potential to take CRM and other
customer engagement models to effectiveness levels
not possible earlier. These gadgets also have the po-
tential to make learning an ongoing practice instead
of periodic events.
iPads have the potential to transform the Medical
Reps learning process and make them more knowl-
edgeable about the therapy areas in which their cus-
tomers operate. A seamless loop that connects Medi-
cal Reps, Front-line Managers, Training Managers,
doctors, chemists and other stakeholders has the po-
tential to go beyond the present silo approach and
bring HR, Sales, Medical Affairs, Administration and
other function including finance on the same page. It
can bring about beneficial changes in neglected areas
like ADR by systematic reporting and response in
real time, adding much value to medical practice.
In short, the scope for field force excellence is enor-
mous if Indian Pharma takes the leap and re-
configures its field force strategy from recruitment to
management.
The results of a MedicinMan Poll with more than 400
respondents on LinkedIn are instructive of the aspira-
tions of employees. Learning and Development was
the No.1 job satisfier for employees in the 18–29 age
group (for details and comments of the poll: http://
linkd.in/MDfstI). This is very heartening indeed.
Entry-level employees are aware that Learning and
Development is the key to success in their career.
Presently most Indian Pharma companies pay scant attention
to learning and development needs of Medical Reps and
Front-line Managers. The high attrition rate serves as a
dampener on investing in people. This has led to the entire
ecosystem of field people being ill equipped to handle the
new challenges of healthcare marketing.
With the advent of Cloud Computing and the high involve-
ment of Gen Y in social media and the emergence of cell-
phone as an ubiquitous device, it is possible for pharma to
engage its field force on a regular basis and bring about field
force excellence in the near future.▌
MedicinMan November 2012 | Page 10
The scope for field force
excellence is enormous if
Indian Pharma takes the
leap and re-configures its
field force strategy from
recruitment to manage-
ment.”
“
MedicinMan poll on factors
influencing job-satisfaction.
Bringing about employee
engagement by taking these
factors into account is a key
part of Field Force Excellence.
Field force excellence - are we kidding ourselves?
Anup Soans is an author, facilitator
and the Editor of MedicinMan. Connect
with him on Linkedin (linkedin.com/in/
anupsoans) or write to him at
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MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin
“ ”
| Page 14
Field Managers are going blindly for their co-visit in the market with their field staff.
FLMs are going for fieldwork with medical reps blindly just to show to the top management that they
have done their job. They visit the areas and doctors from whom medical rep is already getting prescrip-
tions. They visit the stockist to get the order to achieve the budget through their visit influence. FLM‘s
visit cannot be called productive till the time they follow these guidelines:
1. Do a survey with chemists regarding Doctors that can prescribe products of the company. Who are
prescribing the competitor‘s brand?
2. Manager‘s visit can be called productive if he has been able to convert the doctors with his visit. He should ask the
medical rep to follow up with doctor for Rx in the subsequent call by medical rep.
3. Manager should check with chemist and stockist regarding any distribution problem.
4. He should solve problems being faced by the medical rep.
5. During the next visit FLM should find out the from medical rep regarding the outcome of his last co-visited areas and
he should give some time to the last visited area.
6. Manager should cover the complete territory of medical rep in a year.
7. Manager should give preference to territories from where sales are low to check what the reasons for low sales are and
give guidelines to medical reps on how to increase sales.
8. Manager should use his strengths to strengthen the medical rep.
Ajay Kumar
The entire industry is afflicted with the ―free radical syndrome‖ (high attrition), largely due to poorly em-
powered, uninformed and ill equipped FLMs, who come on board with limited knowledge of managerial
competencies - namely decision making, delegating, problem solving, team work, etc.
In the earlier days, the selection process used to be elaborate, comprehensive and tested a potential candi-
date from multiple perspectives, through group discussions, case study presentations, inter-
views. Candidates who came out successful from such intense screening were found to match the rigors &
demands of the managerial job.
The immediate need today therefore is to identify the potential in the system, not just in terms of sales
performance, but in terms of overall potential to succeed at the next level. This obviously requires mapping FLMs against
well defined job related competencies, investing time and effort to nurture & develop them on these competencies. Then
put them through a robust assessment process and put them on the job. The process is certainly time consuming, will not
show immediate visible results. However it is bound to pay rich dividends in the long run. For people don't leave organiza-
tions, they leave their bosses.
Sankaran SS
← Home
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin | Page 15 ← Home
During the 1st week & last week of the month, the Area Manager is found running from pillar to post to
close sales in order to fulfill sales commitments given in the monthly meeting. Once sales are closed, he
has to do preparation for presentation, compilation of secondary sales and deficits. For this he requires
time and nearly 1/3 of the month is lost in this process. What is the need for these monthly meetings?
This is a disincentive for carrying out productive joint in-clinic work. I have also observed higher man-
agement of some companies speaking late at nigh - at 10 PM or later - or in early morning, without any
concern about what time the AM / RM was back from tour or what time he has started his work.
These are the reasons for high attrition rates and the need to fill vacancies by compromising in the selection of MRs / AMs.
I can only say there should be come code of conduct, work norms, discipline in talk & clear communication especially dur-
ing month-ends, when the standard of talk goes down drastically. (paraphrased)
Manoj Singh
As long as 'come what may, get numbers by month end' approach continues, merely criticizing FLMs or
for that matter, even SLMs will only add to the problems. Sales force cycle meetings should be for renew-
ing, refreshing & rejuvenating the sales team and not merely to take out their frustrations and demoralize
the team. Create an environment where people have inner motivation. Do not simply throw motivating
words which are manipulative. Let the sales team get involved in their budgeting process. Yesterday's
work force swallowed the Top Down approach; certainly the current generation may not...unless con-
vinced. Focus on FLMs‘ development; the multiplying effect will be beneficial. At each level avoid
BLAME game; build a TAKE CHARGE attitude. Do not compromise on basics and fundamentals. Treat
the FLMs with respect and anything critical, discuss separately - in short, protect his self respect in front of his team. Right
from top to bottom, let every person ' walk the talk'. (paraphrased)
K. Hariram
FLM should spend good and quality time in field with MR. He should go in the field after doing proper
home work. Now, just imagine the situation we offer to FLM in most of the companies: with fixed days for
meeting and travelling, how much time do we give to him for his analyses / homework? Beside time, what
are the tools which we give to him to do analysis? Even in today's hi tech world, many of the companies are
working on ghostly looking excel sheets / pivot table, having lot of data but nothing obvious ACTIONA-
BLE shown. (paraphrased)
In order to bring about the role transformation from M.R to A.S.M. specific programs are needed to con-
sciously build the confidence of the A.S.M. as an observer and then a solution provider to the problems faced
by a M.R. An A.S.M. has to differentiate between product training (hard skills) ROLE training (soft skills) to
add value to joint work. This can be achieved by periodic induction. (paraphrased)
Jyoti Jain
Deb B.
It has been my personal experience that it is the FLM / SLM ( 80—20%) responsible for a company's fate.
In every cycle meet, I personally allot a day for product knowledge developmental activity. Accordingly,
each FLM/SLM has to come fully prepared with presentation on assigned ONE product each, and take
class in detail. It works wonderfully. All FLM, SLM, ZSMs are made to mandatorily visit and work along
with subordinates on permissible regular intervals. The visit plan must include Dr's (at least 2 of
each specialization, so as to ensure promotion of maximum available/ stocked products), C&F, Stockists
and Retail visits. Besides, even senior managers should follow the laid guidelines during their visits, so
as to set examples and help take appropriate decisions if problems exist. (paraphrased)
Pramod Sharma
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin ← Home | Page 16
A Field Manager, before going to field work with medical rep, should visit the stockist/super stockist and find
out the product movement. Examining the medical rep's tour program he must find out which areas have poor
performance. Then the Manager should visit the poor performing areas with the medical rep and analyse the
reason for poor sales. After that he should find a solution for the problem and hand over the area to MR. In
his next visit again he should visit that area and see the results. With this exercise the sales will increase and
MR will be happy because AM has solved his problem. Also AM will build a personal bond with MR. R. Shetty
The basic objective of the FLM is to develop his MR, be it by demonstration, direction (training if required),
observation and delegation once ready. I would be a little concerned if the FLM is sorting out problems of the
MRs regularly, he should not be a solution provider but a solution facilitator.
Kultaran SS
Its true that the field managers go to field without any preparation and just become passengers on the bikes of
medical representatives. They go to doctors along with the medical representative and hijack the call, become
a ―super representative‖, try to boss over the poor Medical Representative and go home with false satisfac-
tion. This is true, not only for the line managers, but also most of the bosses of the medical representatives.
They feel delighted in doing super-MR's job. As a result, a good MR, who may need coaching or support or
delegation, feels depressed and remains disengaged. He simply waits for his so-called bosses to return to do
his job after 15 days or a month and does all the manipulations to achieve numbers. Finally, getting disappointed, he leaves
the organization with a hope that, someone, somewhere will take care of him. But it remains same across the companies
and across the management community. It can only be changed if, the bosses change their mindset from doing to observing,
giving proper feedback and caring for their subordinates.
Manas Dash
“ ” What are the priority areas? What do you think an SFE Manager/Analyst should focus on first? Is it segmentation
and targeting? Or maybe call frequency optimization? Or maybe the sales incentives program?
- Krzysztof Lasocki
The starting point always is the company's objective. Then you analyze and look into the sales process: from target-
ing to segmentation to segment strategies to execution. Once these details are all coherently driving and pointing
towards the company objective, you look into the call process. (Re to "objective" please look here.)
The effect of incentives (in mature markets) in any case is disputable. In general anything you measure must match
and drive objectives. SFE in this context should be defined as getting more for the same or the same for less. Hanno Wolfram
In my experience the Key Driver of any SFE initiative is communication and buy in. If the field sales force does not
understand the objective of the initiative then the data captured (if using a CRM system) can be manufactured to "Hit
the Number". As stated in Hanno's post the Objective must align with the process but the understanding of the Value
must be communicated and all stakeholders in agreement. James Buck
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Hot on Linkedin | Page 17 ← Home
Assuming that we are leading a start up organization and the primary objective is to generate productivity from the budgeted re-
sources from day one, then applying the 4S principle will help.
1. Structure - Deployment of field force on the basis of customer, coverage and competition . Also consider their alignment
basis channel of distribution.
2. Systems - set clear KRA, KPIs, sales targets, daily/weekly reporting formats/CRM.
3. Skills - KAM, multi stake holder selling.
4. Spirit - Reward/incentive and recognition.
Finally lot of discussion is happening on CLM and if implemented correctly the yield could be above average.
- Arupendra Das
Prescriptions are not only the reflections of one's sales behaviour but the reflections of one's beliefs. One of the
main drivers of SFE sould be to address this belief. High technical skills and conceptual skills are always impart-
ed. But what is neglected is the human part. In a highly competitive environment it is important that people
should be made to believe what an organization considers as "Effectiveness". If the indicators are "profitability &
target achievement‖ then we are missing the core of SFE. Many universities teach subjects ranging from history
to economics to Marketing but only few are really coaching people for "Sales‖. The curriculum should be fo-
cused on "Communication & Sales Behavior‖. Govindrajan D.
I like that Govindaraj has mentioned "profitability and target achievement are not the key indicators of effectiveness". This would
bring us to the question of what is meant by "Effectiveness". Would you consider a field force person who has very good
knowledge of the product and can communicate with the doctor very well, but cannot get the extra prescription that his manager
demands as ―effective‖ or would you consider a street smart rep who can discuss everything under the sun with the customer and
get the extra prescription?
I think before we even discuss the drivers of effectiveness we should understand what effectiveness means for various levels of
hierarchy in Pharma. For the frontline manager who has to keep his team‘s commitments it is totally sales and target driven, for
the brand manager it is totally strategy and campaign management driven and for product manager it is by the feedback on the
key messages that he creates every cycle. And the one person who has to keep everyone plus his doctors satisfied is the poor
rep.
- Venkatesh Annadevara
Following Venkatesh's request let me quote Peter Drucker, THE Management Teacher of the last century:
―Effectiveness = doing the right thing. Efficiency = doing things right‖
The problem in pharma is to know what is "right"!
1. I fully believe that "right" varies by company, by product portfolio and even by market place, There is noth-
ing like an interchangeable "best practice" (another one of those buzzwords) like a "one size fits all".
2. If "right" at all is defined in and for a company it is defined "inside-out": right for our revenue, right for our bottom line or
our fame etc.
3. The client perspective, be it prescribers, be it nurses or even patients is widely neglected.
In our daily life we are offered perceptions, solutions, concepts, feelings, ideas and not (no longer) products! (e.g. iPad, Coke,
BMW or Viagra). We are asked and offered to make our individual choice and no one "sells" something to us. All products we
ever buy or purchase meet our expectations and we have a preference, which was triggered by the marketing efforts of the re-
spective company.
SFE in pharma at the end of day could mean: Change perspective and look at your company (brand?) or product outside-in,
acknowledge what you see, hear and feel and then decide what is the right thing to do. Once this is done, identify the right way
doing it.
Hanno Wolfram
he directive from the Drug Controller General of
India‘s (DCGI) office to all State Drug Controllers to
issue trademarks for generic names instead of brands
– even if it was just to resolve trademark issues - is
yet another display of confounding decision making
by the Union Government that has been plaguing the
country in general and the health care sector in par-
ticular.
Over the years despite knowing of its multiplier ef-
fect on GDP, India never attached great importance
to the improved health of its population. Policy laps-
es witnessed the private sector stepping in to address
a fast rising demand for health care, creating one of
the most privatized medical systems in the world. As
a consequence, India is confronted with the problem
of meeting growing expenditure on health care which
is heavily skewed towards out-of-pocket expenses
for its citizens, driving large sections into poverty.
India‘s future lies in its demographic dividend – the
advantage of having a young, healthy and productive
work force. And to reap the benefits of this work
force we have to achieve decent health and education
outcomes for the majority. India averaged 8% p.a.
GDP growth rates over the 11th Plan period. And
yet, its public spending on health has hovered around
an abysmal 1-1.2% of GDP, one of the lowest in the
world. The Approach Paper to the 12th Plan declared
an increase to only 1.58% by 2017. And how is this
possible, given the government‘s recently vocalized
desire to move towards universal health care (UHC)
for not just its citizens but its residents that include
millions of illegal immigrants as well?
India chose to begin its journey towards UHC with
one step - to provide free medicines through its pub-
lic health system. The Centre released approximately
Rs. 30,000 crores to the States to fund the procure-
ment of medicines over the next 5 years (2012-17)
under the ongoing NRHM. After the Supreme
Court‘s intervention and with the five public-sector
pharmaceutical companies lying in shambles, the
government quickly approved the new drug pricing
policy that led to the inclusion of 348 medicines
(approximately 30% of medicines and 60% of the
market) into the National List of Essential Medicines
(NLEM) and effectively under a price controlled not
by the market, customers and competition but by the
government.
Over the years despite knowing of
its multiplier effect on GDP, India
never attached great importance
to the improved health of its pop-
ulation. Policy lapses witnessed
the private sector stepping in to
address a fast rising demand for
health care creating one of the
most privatized medical systems in
the world.
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Industry Insight | Page 18 ← Home
Salil Kallianpur
India’s Health
Policy:
and opaque policy shifts.
Flip-flops
“
Indian
Health
Care
Simultaneously, in an ostensible effort to make medi-
cines affordable to its residents (not citizens), the gov-
ernment did two other things: 1) allow foreign direct
investment into brown field projects in the sector with
caveats such that foreign companies who invest in India
will produce stipulated quantities of essential medicines
and invest in local manufacturing and R&D 2) demon-
strate that it will use compulsory licensing more as a
weapon of choice than as one of need.
Both these steps make sense in the short term thus
providing political capital to the government for the
upcoming general elections in 2014, but harm the fu-
ture of India as a preferred destination in the long term,
thus depriving the opportunity to create economic capi-
tal. What vindicates this point is that to this date, there
has been no effort from the government to invest in
creating the infrastructure required to deliver superior
health outcomes to the population despite it being the
root cause for the inflow into the private sector despite
all its societal evils.
However, all this pales in comparison to the DCGI di-
rective to state drug controllers to not issue marketing
licenses for trademarks or branded drugs but in their
generic names alone. While the technicality of this de-
cision alone warrants a separate column, it suffices to
say that this makes no sense whatsoever. Authorities
are expected to regulate or legislate to help either the
industry, traders or end consumers. This decision helps
none of these groups or anyone else. All it does is com-
moditize the industry thus threatening to wipe out small
and medium players who lack the financial strength to
compete with MNCs who despite severe pressure on
profit margins will survive. The consumer has little or
no knowledge of the brands of medicines and therefore
is unlikely to benefit from the decision. The only group
that will benefit are the middlemen – the traders – who
will control the supply of medicines and make unholy
profits in the bargain. Under harsh criticism, the DCGI
recently clarified informally that this directive was
more to resolve trademark issues. Apparently, too
many similar sounding trademarks confuse doctors and
retailers. If it really is the reason, the decision is laugh-
able. Isn‘t it easier for similar sounding trademarks to
be denied by the regulators, thus pushing the onus back
on the industry to decide on clearly differentiated trade-
marks?
On one hand, India signals that it will welcome much
needed FDI into the sector. But on the other it threat-
ens to disregard product patents, invoke compulsory
licensing, discontinue issuance of marketing licenses
to trademarks while controlling prices on essential
drugs and also considers controlling prices for patent-
protected innovative drugs as well. Such indecisive-
ness about policy bodes ill for a country that faces the
daunting challenge of enrolling, financing and provid-
ing acceptable health outcomes for 1.2 billion citizens
and millions of other residents, illegal or otherwise.
For such largesse, it could actually do well with help it
can garner from all quarters.
Why then is the government alienating itself both from
the domestic industry as well the international society?
These policy flip-flops are confounding! Why would
the Indian government risk global criticism by openly
demonstrating clear indecisiveness? Is this driven by
an argument about poor public sector performance in
delivering health care? Undeniably, it has been lack-
ing, which reflects in the dismal health outcomes in the
country. Or as noted academic scholar, Kaveri Gill
wonders in a blog post, is this seemingly open decision
-making process merely a dangerous opaque shift in
policy, which has very little to do with evidence and
even less to do with broad-based consensus? ▌
The only group that will benefit
(from the DGCI’s recent directive)
are the middlemen – the traders –
who will control the supply of medi-
cines and make unholy profits in
the bargain.
MedicinMan November 2012 | Page 19
“
Salil Kallianpur is a health care market-
ing professional based in Mumbai, India.
He is an avid reader and follows the
health care industry, its politics, strategy
and current affairs and writes on the
intersection of health care and life in
general at his blog “My Pharma Reviews”. The views in this
article are his own. His twitter handle is @salilkallianpur.
India’s Health Care - flip-flops and opaque policy shifts.
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Pharmacology for the Rep
Digital Dose
| Page 12 MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Social Media | Page 20 ← Home
For Natives and Immigrants
Dinesh Chindarkar
We are living in the Tech Age. The world is changing every
second. The quest for faster, better, more and beyond is rever-
berating throughout the globe. We are breaking barriers, reach-
ing across borders and exploring new dimensions in every
field, be it medicine, space travel, communications or enter-
tainment. Going Digital is the new mantra.
In this rapidly changing world, the concept of marketing is
rapidly undergoing a paradigm shift. The emerging digital me-
dia has not only attracted many marketers but growing number
of consumers are also getting hooked onto it. In developed
markets, even Pharma marketing is following the techno path.
This pattern is also being replicated in India as increasingly
aware patients are seeking more information. Indian medical
community is fast climbing on to the digital & social media
bandwagon apart from just browsing through studies on the
net. Hence, Digital marketing opens up a Pandora's box and
also throws up newer opportunities to marketing & sales to
connect with the customer & the consumer.
Hence we are initiating this series of articles – ‗Digital Dose
for Indian Pharma‘.
‗Digital Dose for Indian Pharma‘ – is a series that will take
you step by step through the varied properties of Digital and
Social Media world. We understand that social media is not
just about Facebook or posting Videos…its much more than
that.
IS IT THE END OF THE ROAD FOR THE INDIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY?
By Vivek Hattangadi
Is it the end of the road for the maturing pharmaceutical industry in India?
The signs are ominous. If the DCI goes ahead with its plan, (as reported in
Times of India of 16th October) to have only generic drugs in India, it will
sound the death knell of the industry. The market than will be dominated by
the militant middle men who already enjoy very high profit margins – over
35% - much higher than any other industry. The middle men are already
sucking blood from those who need blood transfusions – the critically ill!
Read the complete article HERE.
INDIA‘S MOVE TO VANILLA GENERICS: DON‘T HOLD
YOUR BREATH
By Gauri Kamath (apothecurry.wordpress.com)
By now, the news that India wants to move away
from branded generics and encourage vanilla gener-
ics to bring down drug prices has gone around the
world. But all those who think a structural reform of
the Indian drug industry is around the corner : stop.
And breathe.
Read the complete article HERE.
This series will help you gain an insight into social media
and will help you get comfortable with new media trends,
identify various opportunities in this segment and inform
you about some successful digital media strategies in the
Pharma space. In this part we are going to understand the
term Social Media.
What is social media?
To put it in simple words Social media is an interactive
means of social communication with the world. Newspa-
pers or TV are also informative medias but are not inter-
active channels – it is a one-way communication. So these
traditional media are like a one way lane, an article can be
read but your views on it cannot be expressed simultane-
ously or a television programme can be viewed but not
influenced in any way. On the other hand, social media is
like a two way lane in which information is given and
feedback is taken simultaneously. It is both informative as
well as interactive. At the core of Social Media lies
‗instant gratification‘.
The next part in this series will cover Facebook.▌
Dinesh Chindarkar is Co-Founder
& Vice President - Operations at
MediaMedic Communications and
is Country Head for Global
HealthPR.
ontinuing with the topic of Pharmacokinetics, this section
covers some of the remaining important definitions.
As mentioned in the earlier sections, liver is the major site
of drug metabolism, and the initial metabolism of drugs
in the liver is referred as Hepatic First Pass Metabolism.
When a drug is absorbed across the gastro-intestinal sys-
tem, it enters the liver before entering the circulation. If
the drug is rapidly metabolized by the liver, the amount of
unchanged drug that gains access to the systemic circula-
tion is decreased. Many drugs like propranolol undergo
significant biotransformation during a single passage
through the liver. The drugs given by the oral route un-
dergo significant hepatic first pass metabolism whereas
drugs given by parenteral route (e.g. intravenous or intra-
muscular route) do not undergo hepatic first pass metabo-
lism, thus achieve a higher a bioavailability. So, certain
drugs which are efficiently inactivated in the liver like
lidocaine cannot be given by oral route and have to be
given parenterally.
Another concept about the metabolism and excretion ki-
netics is the order of elimination i.e. first order or zero
order kinetics. Most of the drugs demonstrate first order
kinetics in standard therapeutic doses, i.e. the amount of
drug that is metabolized or excreted in a given unit of
time is directly proportional to the concentration of drug
in the systemic circulation at that time. On the other hand,
a small number of drugs e.g. phenytoin and aspirin
demonstrate zero order kinetics or saturation kinetics in
which the clearance rate remains constant despite increas-
ing plasma drug levels. This can result in dangerously
elevated plasma concentrations of the drug with a small
increase in the dose of the drug.
Some other clinically important definitions include bioe-
quivalence, steady state, loading dose and maintenance
dose.
Bioequivalence: Two related drugs are said to be bioe-
quivalent if they show comparable bioavailability and
similar times to achieve peak blood concentrations. Two
related drugs with a significant difference in bioavailabil-
ity are said to be bioinequivalent.
Steady state: Immediately following the initiation of drug
therapy, the rate of drug entry into the body is much great-
er than the elimination rate, therefore the drug concentra-
tion in the blood increases. As the plasma concentration
increases, the rate of elimination also increases, because
this rate is proportional to the plasma drug concentration.
Steady state is reached when the two rates are equal.
Loading dose: After administration of the drug, plasma
concentration increases, but distribution of the drug leads
to a decrease in the concentration. This decrease can be
significant for the drugs with high volume of distribution.
So, it takes four-five half-lives to achieve the therapeutic
concentration. Sometimes, a ‗loading dose‘ or a higher
dose is administered (or injected) as a single dose to
achieve the desired plasma levels rapidly.
Maintenance dose: The loading dose is followed by an
infusion to maintain the steady state and this is referred as
the maintenance dose.
All these parameters are important while deciding the dos-
ing schedule of drugs.▌
Pharmacology essentials: pharmacokinetic parameters
Dr. Amit Dang
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Pharmacology for the Rep | Page 21 ← Home
Dr. Amit Dang is Director at Geronimo
Healthcare Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
This article is 3rd in a series of pharmacology
for the Medical Rep.
Figure 1: First order kinetics and zero order kinetics
any people think of key account management (KAM)
as a new sales model, developed as a strategic solu-
tion to the changing business needs of the healthcare
market. Do we restructure our whole organisation
around some new grouping of customers and move
completely away from the favoured coverage and
frequency model, which increasingly is being shown
to no longer work?
KAM is more of an evolution towards a more appro-
priate sales approach and does not require radical
change to be effective. Perhaps, more accurately,
KAM can be viewed as a distillation of the various
aspects of the promotional mix. While the pure aca-
demic theory of KAM promises one account plan per
key account regardless of therapy area, brand or ser-
vice, is this feasible (or even sensible) within the
pharma industry structure?
The KAM process
According to Dr Brian Smith, Open University Busi-
ness School, ―KAM is a contingency model, which
means that there is no single best way of doing it, but
rather a number of ways which work best in different
circumstances‖.
Whatever your approach, it is important to accept that
KAM is a process and not a simple one-off exercise.
In order to implement a KAM strategy, the process
must be clearly identified and metrics put in place to
monitor progress, success and what remains to be
done to achieve defined objectives.
In simple terms, KAM can be considered in three
basic steps, each of which requires further subdivi-
sion to suit specific circumstances.
Key Account
Management
Is it a new sales
model?
Account identification
The first stage of the KAM process is account identification,
profiling and segmentation. Who or what is our customer
and what is a key account? This is a familiar question be-
cause, as an industry, pharma has been profiling, segmenting
and targeting its customers in various ways. All that the
KAM approach seems to add is the need to break these cus-
tomers down into account groupings and then designate
some of them ‗key‘ to the business.
For some industries, identifying the customer is a straightfor-
ward task. However, in pharma, the question of who is the
customer always meets with the answer ―it depends‖. For
pharma, the first step in the KAM process is to agree to the
mission and purpose of the required KAM implementation
and accept that different therapy areas will probably require
Ralph Boyce, Ken Boyce, Tony O’Connor
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Key Account Management | Page 22 ← Home
“ KAM is more of an evolution
towards a more appropriate
sales approach and does not
require radical change to be
effective. Perhaps, more ac-
curately, KAM can be viewed
as a distillation of the various
aspects of the promotional
mix.”
different but philosophically aligned KAM processes.
Once what needs to be achieved has been established,
we can move on to defining what constitutes an account
or ‗core unit‘. This can be almost anything depending
on the objective, ranging from a Cancer Network and
linked primary and secondary care bodies for an oncol-
ogy sales team, to a purchasing group of pharmacies for
a commercial sales team.
A pharma company that correctly identifies the account
or ‗core unit‘ it needs to influence and then segments
the most important ones as key accounts will greatly
increase its chances of success. The familiar
‗Pareto/80:20 rule‘ is once again an important factor in
determining the actual number of accounts that should
be considered as key.
Strategic and tactical planning
The next step in the process is to identify the individu-
als in the various parts of the key account and assess
how they interrelate. Often these individuals will work
in different locations within the key account and have
specific but related roles, such as financial, advisory
and clinical. There is then a need to repeat the profiling
and segmentation process at an individual level within
the key account, and construct the required processes
and plans. There are many experts who can help with
producing meaningful, relevant and actionable key ac-
count plans.
An individual customer contact plan will also need to be
designed to achieve objectives within the existing finan-
cial, legal and operational constraints. Once this is done,
the structure to deliver on the plans will be ready for
implementation.
Implementation
The ability to successfully implement a KAM approach
depends upon the company fully understanding its situa-
tion, developing a relevant proposition and process for
achieving its objectives and supporting the implementa-
tion with the appropriate business tools.
Analysis of different therapy areas will produce com-
pletely different key accounts. Correctly identifying the
account/core unit and applying realistic metrics to deter-
mine its importance are critical first steps. There is no
‗one size fits all‘ solution in the implementation of
KAM. Another major driver for a successful KAM im-
plementation in the pharma industry is the seniority/
maturity of the key account managers responsible for
the implementation.
MedicinMan November 2012 | Page 23 Key Account Management - a new sales model?
Key Account Management Implementation Process in
Pharmaceuticals
Profiling & Segmentation
Organisation Structure
Recruitment, Allocation & Training of KAM’s
Key account Selection
Key Account Plan
Process Implementation Process Implementation Tool
Performance Monitoring Process
Relationship Development Process
Resources Management Information & Intelligence
Purpose & Mission
© Pharma MI 2008
Key
Acc
ou
nt
Pla
nn
ing
Key
Acc
ou
nt
Exe
cuti
on
The old sales model of simply selling products to custom-
ers no longer applies. In a successful KAM approach de-
veloping a ‗win-win‘ proposition for the key account,
where the key accounts see the value of working with
pharma, will be a critical success factor. However, KAMs
are commercially astute people who have the company‘s
objectives at the forefront of their minds and who can
interact persuasively and credibly with the customers
identified as key accounts.
It must also be accepted that the KAM approach is a sales
process that has logical, time dependent, sequential steps
which, if followed correctly, will lead to success. Follow-
ing and tracking progress through the process with appro-
priate KAM business tools is another critical success fac-
tor. However, it is evident from practical experience that
many of the CRM tools pharma companies are familiar
with are no longer appropriate as they cannot adequately
support the implementation of KAM.
Measuring KAM effectiveness
Implementation of any KAM process requires the capture
and review of a number of performance indicators. These
fall into two categories: operational performance indica-
tors (OPIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). It is
important that they are ―indicators‖ of the direction the
business is moving in and not ―measures‖ of what the
business has done. This becomes crucial at the KPI level.
From a performance management perspective, in order to
measure effectiveness it is essential that OPIs and KPIs
are derived together. KPIs must represent a summary
view of OPIs in order to maintain continuity of measure-
ment. KAMs mainly use OPIs to support their actions
when seeking to achieve high performance. They allow
the individuals concerned to record the achievement of the
various stages in the implementation plan and flag areas
that still need to be improved. KPIs pull these OPIs to-
gether and are used by the KAM management team to
monitor the performance of the business unit as a whole.
Conclusion
KAM is not as revolutionary as some suggest. Yes, it is a
departure from the traditional sales model, but it is only
evolving away from an approach that is failing. The phar-
ma industry‘s traditional relationships with its customers
are changing and, in response to this, progressive compa-
nies have adopted and successfully implemented KAM .
If the healthcare market continues to change as predicted,
the companies that are waiting and watching may find that
not only are their multiple sales forces no longer required,
but that they are unable to put a meaningful proposition to
their customers.▌
Operational Performance Indicators: The following are important indicators of performance,
i.e. they show the direction of the business as opposed to
what the business has done, such as other systems like
corporate dashboards and the balanced scorecards do.
Activities report - shows the current status of a key ac-
count plan or opportunity as compared to plan
Late task report - shows the current status of all tasks as
compared to planned completion
Key account relationship index report - tracks the sta-
tus of the supplier / client relationship over time
Key contact relationship index report - tracks the status
of the KAM / client contact relationship over time
Decision making unit (DMU) report - tracks the status
of the DMU status and relationship over time
Key account sales tracker - tracks sales by key account.
Key Performance Indicators
Time allocation analysis - tracks time allocation by cate-
gory over time
Key account relationship tracker - summary of equiva-
lent OPI
Key contact relationship tracker - summary of equiva-
lent OPI
Decision making unit - summary of equivalent OPI
Key account sales tracker - summary of equivalent OPI.
“ The KAM approach is a
sales process that has
logical, time dependent
sequential steps.”
Ralph Boyce, Ken Boyce, Tony O’Connor are
Directors at Pharma MI
This article was previously published in Pharma-
ceutical Marketing May 2008.
Published in MedicinMan with the permission of
authors.
MedicinMan November 2012 | Page 24 Key Account Management - a new sales model? MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Book Preview
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Book Preview | Page 25 ← Home
Book Preview: Pharma Front-line Leader to CEO
by Vivek Hattangadi
The ost exciting characteristic of the pharmaceutical
industry in India is that many CEOs have started their
careers as humble medical representatives. By the time
they became first-line leaders, the ambitious amongst
them dreamt of reaching the top. This book is a guide for
such forward looking people!
The book has been written in a unique style – the entire
book is in the form of a conversation between a budding
First-line Leader Vinod Kamat and his Mentor. The les-
sons which the Mentor gives are the take-home messages
for the reader.
Prologue to the book. We all know that in 1999 India won the Kargil war
against Pakistan. The sacrifices of the jawans and officers
set many a young heart on fire. One of them was Vinod
Kamat, the only son of his parents. Vinod, who was then
barely 13 years old, declared his intention to join the
armed forces via the National Defence Academy route
and serve the country. His mother was in a state of shock
when she heard this. She spared no efforts to dissuade
him from taking up this risky career. However Vinod
was firm; nothing could shake his determination. He stud-
ied hard for the entrance examinations and passed with
flying colors. No sooner had he received a call for an in-
terview than his mother went on a hunger strike to dis-
suade him from attending it. After she went for three days
without food or water, Vinod‘s stand softened and he
bowed down to the wishes of his mother.
He joined Bhavan‘s College, Andheri, Mumbai to pursue
B.Sc., but his heart was not in studies. He scraped
through B.Sc. examinations with just 37% marks. And
who would give him a decent job with this ‗brilliant‘ aca-
demic record?
His first job was as a shop-to-shop salesman selling medi-
cated cough drops introduced by a well-known FMCG.
His customer audience included retail chemists, general
stores, grocery shops and even ‗pan-bidi-wallahs‗. Selling
the stuff packed in polythene bags, he was accompanied
by a cycle-rickshaw puller carrying the wares. A chance
encounter with the regional manager of Capella Pharma-
ceuticals changed his destiny. While in the field and
working at retail chemists, this gentleman spotted his
talent and invited him to join Capella Pharmaceuticals as a
medical representative; he was offered Ahmedabad as his
headquarters. Vinod was delighted and accepted the offer.
Capella Pharmaceuticals was a very fast growing organi-
zation which had acquired licenses to market some of the
top brands of various MNCs. Vinod decided to excel in
this company with an ambition to reach the top and be-
come a CEO one day.
Unfortunately for Vinod, his district manager at Ahmeda-
bad was a new incumbent. His behavior was more like
that of a super-medical representative. Vinod could neither
get any guidance from him nor learn anything from him.
Day in and day out he bragged about his success stories as
a medical representative. Vinod and his colleagues often
heard him saying, ―If I were you, I would have done this,
and I would have converted this doctor to our brands. I
converted a key opinion leader, Dr. Sharma, to our brand
within three visits.‖ Instead of leading the team forward,
he was boasting about his successes all the time!
Vinod realized the limitations of his immediate superior. He
was career conscious: – ―I couldn‘t join the armed forces; I
will make a career in selling, which is also tough and chal-
lenging,‖ he said to himself. Capella Pharmaceuticals was
growing rapidly and his growth prospects here appeared
very bright. Instead of leaving Capella Pharmaceuticals, he
began searching for someone who could guide him as a
mentor and found one in his father‘s friend, who was the
National Sales Manager of a large Indian multi-national
pharma company based at Ahmedabad. We shall refer to
him as Mentor (with a capital M) here. Mentor became his
constant guide. Vinod sought Mentor‘s help and advice
frequently to help him excel in his chosen profession.
Mentor taught him many things – and the most important
one was on his accountability as a medical representative.
Said Mentor to Vinod, ―As a medical representative you
have many roles and responsibilities; but you are accounta-
ble for results: to achieve value-wise, brand-wise targets
every month, month after month.‖
―Accountability,‖ explained Mentor, ―means being liable
for rewards or punishments for the tasks assigned to you.
Some of the responsibilities can be shared even with your
district manager, but accountability can never be shared.‖
Time and again Vinod continued to get guidance from
Mentor. Despite having a weak superior, he worked on
sharpening his skills. He worked very hard and displayed
his leadership qualities during cycle meetings, new product
launches and other developmental programs. He came into
the limelight and within four years was called for an inter-
view for the position of district manager, as the first-line
leaders in Capella Pharma were designated. After a grueling
four hour interview he was selected and posted at Pune.
Vinod went to share his success story with Mentor. It was
then that Mentor said, ―The job of the First-line leader
(FLL) is the most important position in the hierarchy of any
pharmaceutical company, whether in India, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Nepal or the USA. A company is as strong or as
weak as its First-line Leaders (FLLs). Over 95% of the time
of a First-line Leader (FLL) in the pharmaceutical industry
is spent in working along with medical representatives. This
also means that a pharmaceutical company should invest
substantially to make joint field work effective and thus
develop his team of medical representatives. Pareto‘s Prin-
ciple is highly visible here,‖ went on Mentor. ―If 95% of
the time of an FLL is spent in joint field work, then 95% of
the investment on an FLL should be for making joint field
work effective. As a corollary, 95% of the training efforts
by an organization on an FLL should be to develop him to
make effective joint calls. If this is not happening, it needs
immediate attention.‖ Mentor continued to coach Vinod.
The lessons Mentor gave Vinod are narrated in this book.
After reading this, today‘s FLL should be able to spend his
time very constructively during joint field work which
eventually will be the roadmap to success. ▌
MedicinMan November 2012 >>> Book Preview | Page 26 ← Home
“ “Over 95% of the time of a First-
line Leader (FLL) in the pharma-
ceutical industry is spent in
working along with medical
representatives… If 95% of the
time of an FLL is spent in joint
field work, then 95% of the in-
vestment on an FLL should be
for making joint field work effec-
tive. If this is not happening, it
needs immediate attention.”
Mentor continued to coach
Vinod.
The lessons Mentor gave Vinod
are narrated in this book.
Prof. Vivek Hattangadi is a
Consultant in Pharma Brand
Management and Sales Training
at The Enablers. He is also visit-
ing faculty at CIPM Calcutta
(Vidyasagar University) for their
MBA course in Pharmaceutical
Management.
To find out more about the book write to Prof. Hattangadi:
The Half-Time Coach
A Psychometric Assessment-based Feedback and
Feed-forward Program for FLMs and SLMs
What do you expect
your FLMs and SLMs
to be good at?
1. Management Games
Relearning by Reflection,
Feedback by Observation
2. Case Studies
3. Movie Clippings
What are you doing to ensure that
they gain proficiency in the desired
skills?
Contact: [email protected]
Ph. +91 93422 32949
The Half-Time Coach is delivered by Anup Soans, Editor MedicinMan &
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