Result oriented analytic marketing
Marketing with result oriented perspective
Marketing Trends
Intro to Assistive Intelligence the vision of future technology
Assistive Intelligence is making trends in marketing based on data with Big Data processing tools like Map reduce and Hive application will predict marketing trends and activity to be done, Real time algorithm predict the success path.
Marketing ROI will consider the value of satisfied customers.
When an unhappy customers situation is flipped on its head by a small expense approved by an empowered customer service professional what you have is an investment in your customer; to create and keep them, and that is without a doubt a marketing investment. Furthermore, the cost of replacing a customer is 6x the cost of retention, so why wouldn’t we want to keep our customers happy? Another great example is the way companies such as Dell and Starbucks use online communities to drive product development and innovation. While one company is a technology company and the other is a beverage company, both have invested substantially in building their brand evangelists by making their most loyal customers ideas and input feel welcome and sometimes even utilized in their product optimization. While Steve Jobs may have been known for never putting his ear to the street and just ”knowing” what his customers want, he was the exception and not the rule. Companies that can find ways to listen and adapt to their customer feedback can build a new type of loyalty that translates into dollar returns. The challenge again is how do you attribute that to a campaign? Is it even possible? – Daniel Newman on Forbes.com
Marketing will increasingly become about customer relationships.
The shift reflects a wider acceptance that marketing is not about the latest campaign and trying to sell a product or service to as many people as possible. Instead it is about managing relationships, engaging with customers and putting consumers at the heart of communication. Marketers are also increasingly finding themselves pulled into different parts of the business, from IT to HR, managing vast IT spend or how a company is portrayed to potential employees. The internet puts consumers more in control than ever before, with brands no longer able to talk at them but instead having to build a two-way dialogue. They must think about what a customer wants and build their marketing plan around that, rather than looking at the product or service and the best way to communicate its benefits. – Sarah Vizard on MarketingWeek .
How to get success working as medical representative
First make a list of hospitals in your surroundings. Make a list of famous medicals in your surroundings. Than classify your list according to area like which hospitals comes under the range of 2 k.m or 5 k.m. Classify medicals according to above process. Find connections like talk to your relatives and friends if they know someone. For example your uncle or father may know the owner of hospitals or owner of medical shops. Ask for help from your relatives and friends for establishing first meeting. Set a time table according to your list. For example if 5 hospitals are in same area than approach those 5 hospitals first. This will save your time and fuel.ways carry your company's portfolio with you. Find 10 extraordinary qualities of your product. Find 10 difference between your and competitor's product. First describe yourself than your company and than your product. Practice at home before meeting to any doctor. Try to speak in English. Memorize everything in English that’s why you need to practice in English. Wear dark colors in day time and light colors in evening.Keep some samples of your medicines and products in your bag because a doctor may demand. Do not smoke before meeting to any doctor. Always be happy and keep smile on your face. Do not force any doctor and hospital's official in first meeting. Approach to doctor 2 times in a week. Make a deal with medical shops officials if they do not agree to keep your products like giving 5 percent on overall sales. Tell medical shops owners that some of the famous doctors have prescribes their medicines.
Essential Skills for the Future Marketing Manager
1. Critical Thinking
In a 2010 survey by the American Management Association (AMA), a majority of executives responded that they need employees with solid critical thinking skills, but the current pool of workers has not sufficiently developed them. Critical thinking, or the ability to analyze situations or statements and determine their validity, is the foundation on which modern management professionals build their careers. Critical thinking breeds creative thinking, which in turn solves problems. This is exactly what employers need from managers.
2. Project Management
In business today, you don’t have to hold the title of project manager to be one. Projects can be simple or complex, short- or long-term, but in marketing, they are increasingly happening in quick response to social media opportunities and customer engagement. Future marketing managers will need to sharpen their project management skills in order to lead their teams and accomplish their objectives.
3. Analytical Skills
Successful marketing managers have analytical minds. They know the value of the vast amount of data available today, and are highly interested in what that data can reveal about consumer behavior, efficacy of various marketing approaches and more. The best managers also know how to look beyond the data and pick up on trends and patterns that can lead to better, more successful marketing efforts.
4. Holistic Approach
Future managers will approach marketing by thinking in terms of integrated, interconnected systems, and how they affect each other. From trade show displays to Twitter feeds, it’s vitally important to see how the relationships between all parts of the marketing plan work, and to manage them effectively.
5. Technical Skills
Because technology will continue to advance and closely influence how marketing is accomplished, it will always be important for marketing managers to be tech savvy. Customer engagement will occur in more ways, and competing for their attention will mean delivering the services and information they want, through user-friendly apps and relationship-building tools. So while marketing managers will depend on technology innovators to create the tools, they must be familiar with what consumers want and how best to deliver it.
Essential Skills Marketing: Pharma Selling: What Doctors expect from Medical Sales Reps?
Sales representatives in the healthcare industry are expected to manage their “territories” as if they were running their own business. That’s the very reason top performing medical sales Reps have entrepreneurial mindset. To be successful in your sales territory its important to know which customers drive you more business, what their “buying” style is; so that you can match your selling style to it, have a investment budget, and also manage your daily and weekly call schedule either by yourself or working with your team to implement the overall territory business plans.
One major goal of a medical sales representative is to be seen as a valued consultant by Doctors. These conversations allow reps to become a valuable resource for their customers. Being a resource, or a trusted advisor, allows them to gain new levels of access and sales growth for their products. Reps still need to describe new options and provide more education during a majority of their calls, but understanding their customers’ desired outcomes allows them to differentiate themselves by bringing significantly added value to the table.
Doctors typically have very full day schedules, with no direct access (mostly accessible through an office manager or receptionist) and they may frequently need to reschedule appointments due to medical emergencies. That makes face to face meetings rare and precious when you get a chance to have one.
What are the various sources of information for Doctors & Pharmacists
Medical representatives
Continuing medical education courses
Conferences and conventions: some are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies
Colleagues
Videos and electronics
Discussion groups
Newsletters and e-mails… toll-free numbers to get a gift
Medical journals designed to create awareness of a product
Targets of pharmaceuticals promotion
Pharmacists
Doctors
Nurses
Dentists
Insurance companies
Hospital managers
Company managers
Medical Reps Must have a database of:
Customer profile
Product profile: all studies done, all information collected.
Doctor’s card: personal information, writing habits, class.
Before any visit: things Medical representative should know about:
Drug information,
Updated info,
Competing products,
Personality of the customers,
The key to convince the doctor with our product,
Selling skills,
To make sure that you know your company well and also that the company is well known to the doctor,
Must have detailed information about how your drug can be helpful and how it differs from other drugs,
Should know details about the disease,
It is helpful to take advantage of certain events such as knowing the doctor birthday and to time your visit at that day bringing a small gift with you.”
Be professional. Doctors must maintain solid reputations, and this extends to their affiliation with companies they do business with.
What New Medical representatives should do?
Work on the appearance of a medical representative. “the bag, clothing, nails, hair style…etc…”,
Ability to convince/persistent/credibility,
The frequency of visits, ”to set a program for visits”,
Planning: Yearly, every 6 months, every 2 weeks or daily,
“A plan is set by medical rep., then approved by regional managers, then by the promotion department.
What doctors expect to get from medical representatives?
An effective drug,
Information concerning the drug,
An idea concerning drug price,
Available dosage forms,
Free samples,
Brochures,
Conferences,
Services,
Frequent visits.
What does a medical representative expect from a doctor?
To prescribe his products,
To greet him upon his visit,
To understand the properties of his product over competitors’ ones,
Feedback
Why doctors may not prescribe your specific product?
No frequent visits
If he is not convinced with your product,
Previous trial failure of the drug,
Simply because he does not like you,
Negative opinion or bad relations with your company,
There is no product in your company that matches his needs,
His loyalty to other company,
Not enough information concerning the drug,
He is used to other specific drugs,
.
FOCUS ON FEATURES AND BENEFITS
It is always important for a medical and sales representative to try to translate any features of his product into benefits that will appeal or be attractive to his customer whether he is a pharmacist or a patient.
Example:
mouthwash -> concentrated
you tell the patient -> it lasts for a long time and is economical
A toothpaste is prescribed by doctors -> more sales for the pharmacist.
.
6 Steps Toward Pharma Selling Success
1. Lay out the groundwork
Knowledge
Attitude
Techniques
2. Approach and relate
Sell the relationship
Help customers buy the right thing
3. Make the Presentation
Know the features
Sell the benefits – by answering “What is in it for me?”
Sell the advantages- by answering “Why should I buy from this person?” and “Do you knock the competition?”
4. Overcome the Objections
Types of Obstacles
1. Concern :
“I’m concerned with the dose-related increases in hypertension with VIOXX. ”
2. Misunderstanding :
“I just read a news story stating that VIOXX has a higher incidence of heart attacks than Celebrex . ”
3. Inability to Act:
“VIOXX is not available on our Hospital attached Pharmacy ”
4. Indifference :
“There is no difference between VIOXX and Celebrex. ”
What are possible call outcomes?
1. Yes
Once the doctor answers yes he is to a certain extent emotionally bound to it. However saying yes
is very easy for him and in most cases said automatically the next minute he can forget about it and
do whatever he likes.
2. No
This answer helps you at least to direct whether the benefits of your product are not clear to the
doctor or do not fulfill his needs. The disadvantages is however that if you ask: why not? you let
him restate negatives of your product and general rule is that we should avoid those in detailing
starting arguing about benefits may not be valid at all. Apart from that, this situation brings you in a
defensive position that is something to be avoided.
3. We will see
This answer helps you at least to direct whether the benefits of your product are not clear to the
doctor or do not fulfill his needs. The disadvantages is however that if you ask: why not? You let
him restate negatives of your product and general rule is that we should avoid those in detailing
starting arguing about benefits may not be valid at all. Apart from that, this situation brings you in a
defensive position that is something to be avoided.
4 steps to answer a question properly
Listen patiently until the doctor has finished his question. Do not interrupt.
Rephrase the question, to make sure you have understood it correctly.
Answer the question as well as you can.
Make the doctor confirm your answer or ask him to solve the problem by using your product.
What to do when you don’t know the answer to a question?
Always keep calm and objective.
Do not respond to provocation.
Don’t try to fill in gaps in your knowledge with `invented’ information, this will lead to a discussion beyond your control – and if the customer is aware that you have gone beyond your limits he will lose his respect for you.
5. Close and Supplement
Always be closing by helping customer decide how to buy and not whether if they will buy.
– Can you see how this would meet your needs (or solve your problem)?
– Since I haven’t heard any objections, I’m assuming you agree with me? Right?
– Are you ready for us to talk about the final details?
– Shall we go ahead and get started with your order?
Ask for the sale
Suggest more products after initial decision has been made.
6. Follow up and Make them Customers for Life
Contact customers after sale
Send a “customer satisfaction” survey
Prove your dependability
Handle complaints promptly
Add customer names to mailing list and keep regular contact
Ask for referrals
How is a typical day in the life of a medical rep?
A typical day starts by 9 am either reviewing my diary or by spending some time on my laptop. By 10 am i start my journey with my two wheeler and visit pre-scheduled doctors. I also carry samples with me to give it to my doctors. I also network with nurses, hospital purchase officers and other administrative people. This gives me an edge over other competitors and help me get fresh orders. A lot of time (30-40%) is spent in waiting rooms and busy roads. If i get time , i also make it a point to visit the nearby chemists and distributors. I also make it a point to use my smartphone to save my day report. This way i can have it sent by the end of the day without delays. This daily report helps my managers to track and monitor the sales performance in my region and help me fulfill my targets.
Tell us some tips and tricks for selling?
It’s all about analyzing the pharmaceutical market, i have been assigned to. Every given market comes with some Pros and Cons. Once that is analyzed – I learn everything about the product I am going to present; example, its advantages, whether therapeutic (composition, properties) or marketing (name, dosage form, etc.) ones, and its disadvantages (such as, adverse reactions). Thirdly i get more and more insights about the product’s competitors. This helps me in short and in the long run to effectively pitch and sell my product.
What’s your goal when you are inside the doctors cabin?
I give them updated and useful information on indications, dosage, symptoms and side effects. Aspiring Medical Reps should remember – if they try to preach the doctor, it wont help. They have studied medicine for more than 5-7 years. Merely pointing them to the right and credible medical journal or clinical trial paper is enough. But, this requires constant coordination with other departments and management, following the media, public statements, latest research and developments.
What’s the most important factor according to you; that helps make good Medical Reps?
I could build and maintain relationships with prescribing specialists and general practitioners, a feat that was greatly due to the rigorous training and education provided to me over time. E-learning definitely has a big role because e-learning does not comes in the way of my daily work. I can learn and test my skills from anywhere anytime. I think technology is a key enabler when it comes enhancing field productivity.