66 May 2013 � PharmaVOICE

here is ever-increasing pressureto maximize the return on sales-force effectiveness throughoutthe global pharmaceutical in-dustry. Year after year, sales-

forces represent the largest promotional spendfor companies, and year after year studies re-veal the returns from this spend are not yield-ing the desired results.According to IMS Health, in 2011, compa-

nies spent more than $6.4 billion on sales repdetail activities.As in all industries, the measure of success is

increased sales, whether this is measured asgrowth in total prescriptions, new prescriptions,or market share. And vital to this success is thesales rep’s connection with prescribing physi-cians and other office-based staff members. It’s this connection that has come under fire

as of late. There are many more no-see physi-cians than ever before. PhRMA code guidelineshave eliminated some of the most popular, ef-fectiveness aside, tactics. And an increased focuson patient outcomes has many companies re-evaluating their sales strategies. There are a slate of new technologies that

are helping to re-engage physicians and pro-vide sales representatives with the tools and in-formation they need to make the interactionnot only memorable but powerful.

Technology: Key to Bridging theRep to Doc ChasmThe growing numbers of doctors limiting

their access to sales representatives over thepast few years, as well as the recent reductionin overall salesforce numbers, has created aninformation gap. Many in the industry say notto worry, there are plenty of technologies avail-

T

channels. Pharma sales reps can now increasethe number and quality of customer interac-tions, reach low-access and no-see healthcarepractitioners, and deliver drug information tocustomers across channels and extend the salescall without losing the control of the messageleveraging approved and registered email en-abling reps to quickly and compliantly emailapproved content directly to customers and seethe interaction data through their CRM.”Mr. Bhuta also identifies point-of-care

(POC) solutions as a way to enhance physician-patient interactions.“By leveraging digital — Web/mobile —

tools at the POC for physicians and offices tohave easy access to drug information, sales reps

able that can help bridge any educational gapsin this crucial relationship.“The next generation of technologies will

center around tools that enable life-sciences salesreps to get drug information to physicianswhen, where, and how they want it,” says PaulShawah, VP of CRM strategy at Veeva Systems.“The tool that started it all was closed loop mar-keting (CLM), which has helped dramaticallyimprove face-to-face interactions. But today weare extending beyond CLM with tools such asreal-time video conferencing to enable immedi-ate conversations with remote specialists. Also,email tools such as Veeva’s new Approved Emailapplication allow reps to send emails to physi-cians with approved drug information that theycan access when they want. Combined, thesetools plus the growing number of additional in-novations emerging every day are transformingrep to doctor communications as well as cus-tomer relationships.”Nature and technology abhors a vacuum,

which is why the industry continues to innovateto drive value creation in customer interactions.Vyom Bhuta, global partner sales and mar-

keting practice - life sciences, Cognizant, saysthese innovations are tailored to increasephysician engagement, expand reach, and en-hance physician-patient interactions.“Next-gen interactive detailing is one exam-

ple to increase physician engagement; by lever-aging interactive technology beyond traditionalCLM presentations reps can engage physiciansin creating a visual patient profile on the fly andthen having a dialogue on a personalized careplan or solution for that patient that includesdrug therapy and value-added patient servicesoffered by the various pharmaceutical compa-nies,” he says. “Multichannel CRM and digitalmarketing are other examples that reach across

Salesforce Effectiveness

According to Vyom Bhuta, global partner sales and

marketing practice - life sciences, Cognizant, there

are three things that pharmaceutical companies can

do to improve the effectiveness of their salesforces.

1. Create a scientifically focused salesforce to

enable a deep technical dialogue with physicians.

2. Develop and train a patient-centered

solutions-focused salesforce that understands

physician and patient types and helps physicians

communicate the value of their recommended

care-therapy to patients.

3. Provide support materials/tools for physicians

to use with the patient that are focused on

improving patient outcomes. And monitor the

progress of physician-patient interactions to improve

the relevance of sales efforts to patient outcomes.

The key to closing the divide between what hasalways been a personal exchange between salesrepresentatives and physicians, ironically, might

just lie in digitally based communications.

Salesforce Technologies

Taren Grom

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68 May 2013 � PharmaVOICE

Salesforce Technology

“Sales reps must continue to provide avaluable service to physicians and healthcarepractitioner communities by being experts inthe science behind their brands,” he explains.“Being able to have a clinical dialogue byleveraging digital interactive technology is es-sential to increasing physician engagement,”Mr. Bhuta says.Furthermore, Mr. Bhuta says when sales

reps can inform physicians of managed careand market access changes affecting theircompany’s brands they have the opportunityto teach office staff protocol to ensure patientsreceive reimbursement.In this era of outcomes-focused everything,

both physicians and sales reps need to have athorough understanding of what this meansto the healthcare journey for patients. “Physicians need to do a better job commu-

nicating the value of healthcare solution op-tions to patient outcomes, and pharmaceuticalsales representatives need to have the skills toprepare the physician for a meaningful dialoguewith the patients about how their product,services, and solutions generate outcomes,” Mr.Bhuta says.Veeva’s Mr. Shawah says with the growing

number of new technology tools and commu-nications channels, sales reps will need to be-come skilled at leveraging each one strategi-cally. “Reps will need to focus more on using

these new tools to improve the quality of thephysician interaction rather than just thequantity,” he says. “For example, just becausereps may now have a convenient email toolthis does not mean that they should spamtheir physicians; obviously, this can have theopposite of its intended effect. Reps will needto spend more time understanding individualphysician preferences and then apply tools ina way that leverages that information so thatthey can create meaningful physician interac-tions that add greater value to the rep-physi-cian relationship.”

Facing a Digital Future

Given the current ecosystem, the future forsales reps, our experts say, lies in the digitalworld.“More and more interactions will be digi-

tal in nature, so in addition to face-to-face

conversations, reps will have to be comfortablecommunicating with their customers digitallyvia email, text, remote digital communication,etc.,” Mr. Singhal says. “Reps will need to bemore technologically savvy, and be able to addvalue to conversations using information thatthey gather through digital channels.”Cognizant’s Mr. Bhuta elaborates further

that the future of pharmaceutical selling willinvolve combining the medical/scientific mer-its of products with compelling patient‐fo-cused solutions that enable betterphysician‐patient interactions, leading to bet-ter support throughout the point-of-care con-tinuum and creating better health outcomesfor patients.“Sales reps need to play a critical role in help-

ing physicians communicate key messages moreeffectively to patients,” he says. PV

“ Leveraging interactive technology

beyond traditional CLM presentations,

reps can engage physicians in creating

a visual patient profile on the fly and

then having a dialog on a personalized

care plan or solution for that patient.”VYOM BHUTA / Cognizant

or MSLS can provide patient services, coupons,samples, and an option for click-to-connect viaphone, text, or video call at anytime.”Neeraj Singhal, VP, product management

and innovation, at Cegedim Relationship Man-agement agrees that new technologies that willhelp bridge the rep to HCP gap will be moreand more focused around digital interaction. “This will start with a CLM solution that al-

lows the rep to present customer-focused con-tent, with the ability to switch presentationswithin the viewer, based on the customer’sneeds,” he explains. “The next wave of tech-nologies will support remote detailing, wherethe rep or his or her peers are able to engagewith the HCP remotely, at a date and time ofHCP’s choosing, thereby enabling longer andmore effective conversations.”As digital interactions increase and be-

come more prominent, it will become imper-ative for sales reps to understand the digitalpreferences and proclivities of the HCP. “This will enable companies to engage

with the HCP based on his or her digital pref-erences, and in a forum or location thatmatches with the digital preferences,” Mr.Singhal says. “Multichannel marketing willenable this transition, and power the nextwave of interactions.”

Beyond the Bag

Sales reps will need new skills to effectivelycommunicate with prescribers and other office-based practitioners.Mr. Singhal says sales reps will need to be

experts in assessing the needs of the customersbefore the visit and be masters at communi-cating effectively. “Having the tools to research and assess

customers’ digital interactions will go a longway in enabling more effective interactionswith customers,” he says.More than the typical detailing skills or

business planning skills, one of the most im-portant skills reps need today, Mr. Bhuta says,is the ability for the sale representatives toconnect with prescribers and healthcare prac-titioners across three dimensions: clinicalknowledge, managed care and reimburse-ment, and patient engagement and outcomes.

“ Reps will need to focus on

using new tools to improve the

quality of the physician

interaction.”PAUL SHAWAH / Veeva Systems

“ The next wave of technologies

will support remote detailing,

where the rep or his or her peers

are able to engage with the HCP

remotely.”NEERAJ SINGHAL

Cegedim Relationship Management

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Add another channel …not another risk

With Approved Email from Veeva, pharma sales can finally benefit from the extendedreach and flexibility that email provides – without putting the company at risk. Field

representatives can now quickly and compliantly email approved content to customers and track every interaction.

Only the latest, approved content is viewed, all customer activity is automatically captured, and customer centricity is achieved all with Veeva CRM and Approved Email.

Find out more at VeevaSystems.com/AddAChannel

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