The document discusses the career progression of Chhaya Sankath and Vishal Verma. Chhaya started her career as a Medical Representative in 1992 and over the years took on roles of increasing responsibility in medical communications and publishing, currently serving as Head of Medical Communications at Wolters Kluwer. Her story shows that a career as a Medical Rep can be a launching pad for opportunities in the healthcare sector. Vishal's story details his journey from working in his father's grocery store to his current role as Regional Business Manager for Stryker India. He overcame financial difficulties and career setbacks to progress through roles with pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He shares lessons about passion, decision-

1. Outliers: Another Success Story – from MR to Business Head
Success Story
September 2011
~ F I E L D F O R C E E X C E L L E N C E ~
TM
P H A R M A | M E D I C A L D E V I C E S | D I A G N O S T I C S | S U R G I C A L S
A BroadSpektrum Healthcare Business Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
Vol. 1 Issue 2
MedicinMan
Editorial
www.medicinman.net
UCPMP* Special Issue
UCPMP: Does Healthcare Need a Anna Hazare?
Outliers: The Story of Success
written by Malcolm Gladwell
was on the New York Times
Bestseller list for eleven con-
secutive weeks. In Outliers,
Gladwell examines the factors
that contribute to high levels of
success. Gladwell examines
how Microsoft co-founder Bill
Gates achieved his extreme
wealth, and how two people
with exceptional intelligence -
Christopher Langan and J.
Robert Oppenheimer - end up
with vastly different fortunes.
Gladwell repeatedly mentions
the "10,000-Hour Rule", claim-
ing that the key to success in
any field is, to a large extent, a
matter of practicing a specific
task for a total of around
10,000 hours beginning at an
early age.
The inaugural issue of Medicin-
Man carried the remarkable
success story of Mr. K. Hariram
who rose from the position of a
Medical Rep to that of a Man-
aging Director of an MNC
pharma company. On closer
study of Mr. Hariram‘s success
it becomes evident that the
10,000 hour rule holds good.
In this issue, MedicinMan looks
at another remarkable individu-
al, Ms. Chhaya SS who started
her career as an MR and is
presently the Head of Medical
Communications at of one of
the world‘s most reputed medi-
cal publishing company. Read
her story to be inspired to reach
for the stars.
“Chance favors the prepared
mind,” said the brilliant scien-
tist Louis Pasteur. MedicinMan
seeks to inspire and
prepare profession-
als in healthcare
field sales to open
their minds to the
vast opportunity
that exists in allied
fields of healthcare.
The success stories
carried in this issue
highlight the im-
portance of being
dedicated to profes-
sional excellence,
which is crucial to
achieving success.
If you are serious about succeed-
ing, stop listening to negative
talk and focus on how you can
create your 10,000 hours that
will transform you from being an
amateur to an achiever. ▌
The Uniform Code of Phar-
maceuticals Marketing Prac-
tices (UCPMP), issued by the
DoP is a 14 page document
(see medicinman.net) that
covers important areas per-
taining to product promotion
by Pharma companies. In the
backdrop of Anna Hazare‘s
movement against corruption,
UCPMP gains signifi-
cance, as the once
noble profession of
medicine is now in-
creasingly viewed
with mistrust by pa-
tients who suffer; and
with frustration by
sales people who pro-
mote pharmaceuticals.
While doctors still retain
their aura of invincibil-
ity and sit on the pedes-
tal of know-it-all, in-
creasingly patients are
eager for transparency,
involvement and ac-
countability in health
care.
(Cont. on Page 8)
Read ChhayaSankath‘s rise
fromMedicalRepresentative
to Head Medcom, Wolters
Kluweron Page3
Career Growth
MalaRajtellsMedical Reps
and Front-lineManagershow
to makethetransition to
ProductManagement
onPage5
Against All Odds
Astoryofcourage&pas-
sion. Vishal Verma‘s rise
from grocerystore sales-
man to RBM with MNC
onPage4
Introducing our new Editorial
Board on Page 17
*Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices issued by Dept of Pharmaceuticals; Govt of India.

2. Career Development Resources for
Medical Reps and Front-line Managers
“SuperVision for the SuperWiser Manager is a must for front-line managers of every
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Akshya Mahapatra, Head–Sales and Marketing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
Discount on bulk purchase for
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starting at 10 copies and range
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based on quantity.
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whatever it takes to build your career.” - K. Hariram, Managing Director, Galderma
To place your orders or make an inquiry:
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Rs. 599/-
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To find out more about the programs email:
anupsoans@gmail.com

3. Page 3
MedicinMan
Life is full of beginnings, and
many beginnings are
difficult.
I was born in a modest Guja-
rati family, as the first girl
child, my journey com-
menced as the eldest amongst
four siblings, three of which
belong to the fairer sex.
Early on, fate dealt a cruel
blow in form of my father‘s
demise. Being the eldest in
the family, it was expected
from me to contribute to the
family‘s financial resources.
Thus after graduating from
Bombay College of Pharma-
cy, plans for higher education
had to be shelved. Neverthe-
less, I had a firm belief with-
in me that ―Graduation is
only a concept. In real life
one graduates everyday. It is
a process that will go on until
the last day of our lives.‖
Drawing inspiration from two
famous quotes of Winston
Churchill: “Never, never,
never, never give up” and
―Success is the ability to go
from one failure to another
with no loss of enthusiasm”, I
set-out for a career and my
quest for success. I landed
my first job as Medical Rep-
resentative in 1992, with
―Criticare Labs―. It was a
routine sales job. However
the two years of employment
helped me create a strong
network with various stake-
holders in the industry.
After marriage, I migrated to
Indore, in Madhya Pradesh,
and joined ‗Cabdrul Pharma‘
as Sales & Administration
Manager in 1994, handling
twin states of Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh. While read-
ing the pulse of the market, I
constantly mapped stake-
holders‘ response and expec-
tations to various promotion-
al initiatives to analyze the
need gaps.
My interest in medical com-
munication grew stronger and
I returned to Mumbai, where
I joined IJCP Publications as
a Business Manager, in 1996.
The six years in medical
communications at IJCP ena-
bled me to acquire invaluable
knowledge about how good
content given at the right
time helped in creating
awareness amongst doctors
and patients, to promote
niche prescription brands.
Brand Management was a
field that always intrigued
me. Thus I spent the follow-
ing five years with Indegene
Lifesystems Pvt. Ltd.— pio-
neers in medico-marketing
segment. This period was
instrumental in honing my
skills in formulating and exe-
cuting, complex, comprehen-
sive strategies for Brand
building across product life-
cycles.
It was now time for another
beginning, to add Healthcare
Advertising to with my reper-
toire of medico-marketing
and medical communications.
So I joined McCann
Healthcare and launched its
Medical Communications
Division. During my three-
year stint, I donned multiple
roles as a Mentor, Guide, and
Team Leader and conceived a
plethora of campaigns in-
volving various media for
Domestic and Multinational
Organizations and Institu-
tions in Healthcare across the
country.
I have now moved into Medi-
cal Publishing, as Head -
Medical Communications
with an MNC – Wolters
Kluwer, the largest medical
communications conglomer-
ate globally.
Finally I would like to share a
famous quote of Anatole
France with upcoming
youngsters, “To accomplish
great things, we must not
only act, but also dream; not
only plan, but also believe”.
▌
Chhaya‘s success story clear-
ly shows that the career of a
Medical Rep is an ideal
launching pad for a career in
the healthcare sector.
By publishing such success
stories MedicinMan seeks to
make MRs and FMs aware
of the opportunities for ca-
reer growth, for which they
need to plan their careers
carefully. ~ MM
Success Story: Medical Rep to Business Head
Chhaya Sankath
Head, Medcom; Wolters Kluwer
UNABLE TO
PURSUE
EDUCATION AFTER
B. PHARM, I
NEVERTHELESS
BELIEVED THAT
“GRADUATION IS
ONLY A CONCEPT.
IN REAL LIFE ONE
GRADUATES
EVERYDAY. IT IS A
PROCESS THAT
WILL GO ON
UNTIL THE LAST
DAY OF OUR
LIVES.

4. MedicinMan
From Grocery Store Salesman to RBM with an MNC
I was always an obedient son
at home and very good stu-
dent at school. When I passed
8th
Standard, I was bitter and
surprised to be sent to a vil-
lage school almost 80 km
away from Lucknow. I was
11 years old that time, but
slowly I realized that some-
thing bad had happened to my
father‘s government job.
This incident made me under-
stand how to live and adjust
with limited resources. I start-
ed working in my uncle‘s
shop and became financially
independent at the age of 11.
After completing high school,
I came back to Lucknow and
came face-to-face with a
worsening financial situation
at home. I was 13 years old
when I started taking tuitions
along with my elder sister and
started supporting my family
and the education of my
younger sister. It wasn‘t
enough, but it was better than
nothing. I could see the help-
lessness of my parents and
their sacrifices for their chil-
dren.
This was the time when I lost
focus on studies and did poor-
ly in my 12th
standard exams.
My parents were shocked
with this - they had a lot of
hope for me since I was their
only son. My father decided
to open a small grocery shop
as his dreams were shattered
by my performance in 12th
standard. I started working in
that shop with my father and
completed my graduation.
Business started growing tre-
mendously because of my
aggressive business tactics.
During this period my father
got his job back and I com-
pleted my Post Graduation. I
and my father decided to
close business, so that I could
focus on my studies and ca-
reer. I tried with various com-
petitive exams but I could not
crack any.
During my Post Graduation, I
befriended someone who was
working with an Indian phar-
maceutical company. He sug-
gested me to try my luck in
this industry.
My first interview was with
Glaxo Pharmaceuticals. I was
selected and joined duty in
Gorakhpur, a small city in
eastern U.P. It was a great
learning experience for me as
a fresher. But soon I was
bored as there wasn‘t any-
thing new to learn and after
two years, I moved to Eli
Lilly in 2001. It was great
learning experience at Lilly
where I developed my soft
skills. I learnt how to convert
aggression into assertiveness.
After five successful years
with Eli Lilly, I decided to
move to Medical Devices. I
was lucky to start working
with Boston Scientific, a lead-
er in Interventional Cardiolo-
gy. Today whatever I have
achieved, a lot of credit goes
to my training and develop-
ment in Boston Scientific.
Under the guidance of my
exceptionally talented super-
visors, I learnt how empower-
ment and exposure transforms
young professionals into
achievers. In 2009, Boston
Scientific decided to partner
with an Indian Medical De-
vice Company; it came as a
shock to me. I was upset, but I
remembered what my father
always told me when I was
working with him in our shop
- “Never worry about things
that are not in your control,
always focus on what you
can control.”
So though upset and angry, I
decided to move to Stryker,
medical device company with
market leadership in technolo-
gy and products. I still work
at Stryker; here I have learnt
finer things of handling a
team, people management,
product launches, marketing
strategies & ethics of busi-
ness. My journey of learning
is still on and when I look
back, I feel that I have pro-
gressed a lot in my personal
and professional life. But
when I look forward then I
can see that there is still so
much to learn from the world
around me.
I have followed certain thumb
rules in my life and I want to
share them with you. Always
be passionate about your
work, never take decisions
in haste, care for your exter-
nal and internal customers,
compete with yourself every
day, be your own critic and
always be ethical in whatev-
er you do.,▌
Write to Vishal Verma at:
vishalverma101@gmail.com
ALWAYS BE
PASSIONATE
ABOUT YOUR
WORK, NEVER
TAKE DECISIONS
IN HASTE, CARE
FOR YOUR
EXTERNAL AND
INTERNAL
CUSTOMERS,
COMPETE WITH
YOURSELF
EVERY DAY, BE
YOUR OWN
CRITIC AND
ALWAYS BE
ETHICAL IN
WHATEVER YOU
DO.
—— Personal Growth Story ——
Vishal Verma
RBM, Stryker India
Page 4

5. Page 5
MedicinMan
This article is aimed at Medi-
cal Reps (MRs) and Front-
line Managers (FMs) who
want to become Product/
Brand Managers.
Medical Reps generally fall
into one of 4 categories after a
few years of field work:
1. Hard Core Seller: Has
experienced good results with
his efforts; is keen on continu-
ing in selling more volumes in
his territory & enjoying the
rewards.
2. Team-oriented Seller:
Enjoys selling; has observed
and learnt a lot from his im-
mediate manager; desires to
head a team of MRs..
3. Marketing Oriented
Seller: Understands the art
and science behind each
brand that he sells; attempts
consultative & participative
selling; is a keen participant
in cycle meetings; tries to
understand competitors‘ strat-
egies, thinks far beyond rou-
tine doctor and chemist calls.
4. Confused Seller: Is in
the job because he has no-
where else to go.
How to Move from Field Sales to Product Management
While the Hard Core Seller
goes on to becoming one of
the organisation‘s top achiev-
ers, Team-oriented Seller
soon becomes a Front-line
Manager, Marketing Orient-
ed Seller tries to explore ave-
nues to enter product manage-
ment team (PMT).
Quite often, during the course
of my field working with
MRs, I have come across the
Marketing Oriented Seller:
MRs who make best use of
the waiting time between calls
to ask and clarify many issues
on how to shift from Selling
into Product Management.
Here are a few questions
raised by them that will be
helpful to MRs and FMs who
aspire to become Product
Managers:
Q1. What does a Product
Manager do? What is his
main role?
A product manager is respon-
sible for the profitable pro-
gress of his brand in the mar-
ket place over both short and
long-term through effective
Planning, Execution, Control
& Training. For details
see:www.expresspharmaonline.co
m/20090531/pharmalife01.shtml
Q2. Can a Medical Repre-
sentative enter PMT?
Yes, most certainly he can. In
the 1980‘s, it was mostly
medical reps who moved into
PMT. There were not too
many MBA institutes then
and a Bachelor‘s in any bio-
logical sciences was consid-
ered adequate for entry into
PMT.
Product Managers who have
risen from the field have the
distinct advantage of actually
interacting and selling to the
customers for many years.
They have studied ‗Consumer
Behaviour‘ for a major part of
their selling years and have
actually faced the competition
at ground level. This experi-
ence is so vital, that, in most
companies, it is a practice to
send PMTs to the field for at
least 2-6 months before being
given product management
role.
Q3. Is a B.Sc adequate to
become a PM?
Well, Yes & No. Yes, be-
cause, many winning brand
strategies have been crafted
by science graduates. The
difference lies in how keen a
learner you are. Science grad-
uates, with some effort, will
comfortably be able to under-
stand the science behind sell-
ing medicines too. This has to
be coupled with what is called
as ‗MBWA‘: Management by
Working Along. He learns the
management tactics by work-
ing alongside others in the
PMT.
No, because, times have
changed now. Candidates
with B.Pharm, M.B.A are
available in plenty. They are
already exposed not only to
Pharmacology and all other
pharmacy subjects, but also
important concepts of Man-
agement, viz., Planning, Exe-
cution and Control. They
know how to make presenta-
tion, how to train, etc. Hence
they are preferred over plain
graduates. (Cont. on Page 6...)
Mala Raj
The ideal person
to move into PM
is the “Market-
Oriented Seller.”
He understands
the art and sci-
ence behind each
brand that he
sells; attempts
consultative &
participative sell-
ing; is a keen
participant in cy-
cle meetings;
tries to under-
stand competi-
tors‟ strategies &
thinks far beyond
routine doctor
and chemist calls.
— Career Growth Focus —

6. Page 6
MedicinMan
(Cont. from Page 5...)
Q4. How can an MR with
just B.Sc. get entry into
PMT?
First and foremost, if you
really want something, you
must do all that it takes to
reach there through your hon-
est and sincere efforts. A B.Sc
cannot be changed into a
B.Pharma. However nothing
stops you from reading all
about medicines, their actions,
pharmacology, com-
parative evaluation,
etc. Nothing stops
you from reading
books on Brand Man-
agement, on Market-
ing Strategies, etc.
Nothing prevents you
from keeping yourself
abreast of the recent
happenings in your
industry. It has never
been as easy as it is
today, to have quick
and easy access to
‗Reliable and Quality
Information‘ in any field;
thanks to the internet revolu-
tion. So, there is absolutely no
need for anyone to remain
stuck with that ‗Only B.Sc‘
tag, which is not enough to
get you into PMT unless you
are exceptionally creative and
talented.
Q5. What course should one
pursue to improve the
chances of entering PMT?
‗Full-time‘ or ‗Part-time‘
course? ‗Diploma‘ or a
‗Masters‘? ‗General Manage-
ment‘ or ‗Pharma / Healthcare
Management‘? If you are
keen on entering PMT then a
Management qualification
will definitely be an asset that
you must try and acquire at
the earliest.
Since, you are already em-
ployed, it will be a major de-
cision to quit and opt for a
Master‘s in Management /
Business Administration.
That has to be carefully evalu-
ated by you, keeping all your
priorities in mind. While ‗Full
-time‘ courses certainly do far
better justice to the Manage-
ment curriculum, there are
many good ‗Executive Pro-
grams / Post-Graduate Diplo-
mas‘ available for the em-
ployed candidates.
Likewise, an MBA in Phar-
ma/Healthcare Management
is better for a career in Phar-
ma PMT than a general man-
agement course.
Q6. What important skills/
qualities must I have for
being a PM?
Knowledge is an important
area where prospective PEs/
PMs are evaluated -
knowledge of multiple disci-
plines, including Pharmacolo-
gy, Microbiology, Basics of
Medicine (Anatomy, Physiol-
ogy, Systems of the body,
Diseases and their treatment),
Principles of Marketing Man-
agement, Marketing Research
(Data Analysis & Interpreta-
tion), Drug Policies and Pric-
ing policies of the country,
Patent regulations governing
drugs and many such areas.
So be an ardent reader and
keep abreast of industry hap-
penings. Secondly, you must
have exposure of how to
manage all resources allotted
to you to meet the objectives
set for your role. Computer
literacy with mastery in Mi-
crosoft Excel, Word, Power-
Point, etc; is a prerequisite.
A good command of English
is an absolute must. Many
among the field force fail on
this criterion. Make sure you
improve your basic com-
mand on English prior to
entry into PMT. Product
Managers must have excellent
oral and written communica-
tion skills.
Q7. How do we go about
making the switch from
field sales to PMT?
Plan your moves in a system-
atic and time-bound manner.
Put it on paper: ‗where you
stand now, where do you wish
to be and by when‘ and pin it
up prominently in your room,
so that your goal always re-
mains in sight. List the Quali-
ties that a ‗Product Executive‘
must have. Tick the Qualities
that you already have & make
(Cont. on Page 7...)
To move into
PMT, firstly
knowledge of
multiple disci-
plines is a must
– be an ardent
reader and
keep abreast
of industry
happenings.
Secondly, you
must learn to
manage re-
sources allotted
to meet your
goals. Finally,
computer liter-
acy and a
good command
over English is
a must.
How to Move from Field Sales to Product Management

7. MedicinMan
To move from
selling to PM,
plan your moves
in a systematic
and time-bound
manner. List the
Qualities that a
„Product Execu-
tive‟ must have.
Tick the Quali-
ties that you al-
ready have &
make a plan for
acquiring those
you do not have
but must have.
How to Move from Field Sales to Product Management
However, keep your eyes and
ears alert to any openings in
PMT that meets your require-
ments of location, company
profile, emoluments, etc.
Q9. How do the other PMT
members accept field mem-
bers in their team?
Once you have been selected
for the post, rest assured that
you will be good for the job,
irrespective of whether you are
from the field or from a prem-
ier B School.
Make sure to use your key
strength of having actually
sold the product and having
interacted with the customers.
Soon your colleagues will be
seeking your opinion on issues
like, ‗Is their campaign practi-
cal, will the field force accept
the idea, can it be implemented
properly, etc;
The going may not always be
smooth. At times, you may
still feel a little inadequate in
terms of making good presen-
tations to the top management,
in terms of convincing your
team about why more funds
must be allotted to your cam-
paign ideas, etc. But with con-
certed efforts you can certainly
overcome these doubts and
have a wonderful time working
as part of the marketing team.
Page 7
Q10. Does our „FIELD
MAN‟ image come in the
way of future promotions?
Once again, let me assure you,
that your future promotions
will be based on your current
performance and your poten-
tial for the next position. Your
being a ‗field man‘ will have
no bearing on the matter.
So in conclusion, if you want
to switch from being a MR or
Front-line Manager to Product
Management, do Plan, Man-
age, Think and Act according-
ly. This is not an overnight
jump. It is a strategic career
move. If you are certain, this is
where you want to be, go
ahead and plunge into doing
all that it takes to be there.
Wishing you all the best. ▌
Mala Raj is a Pharma Market-
ing Consultant with expertise
in Brand Management and
Training of Field force &
PMT. She has over 25 years
experience in the Indian Phar-
ma Industry and runs her own
consultancy at Product Man-
agement Support Services,
Thane.
Mail Queries / Feedback at
malaraj.pmss@gmail.com)
(...Cont. from Page 6)
a time bound plan for acquir-
ing those you do not have but
must have.
In the meanwhile, continue to
do your job as a MR well.
Simultaneously take a greater
interest in studying your cus-
tomers better (doctors & chem-
ists), monitor your direct and
indirect competitors very
closely, keep a watch on new
product launches in your terri-
tory, regularly share feedback
with your Marketing Manager,
collect and send competitors‘
literatures to your PMT, volun-
teer to undertake small market
research activities in your terri-
tory, participate in all the cycle
meets, have scientific discus-
sions about your brand with
doctors and offer to train new
MRs in your team during their
induction.
In due course of time, you will
certainly stand apart a Medical
representative having potential
to become a Product Manag-
er.
Q8. Should we try to enter
the PMT in our own compa-
ny or in another company?
Working in your own compa-
ny‘s PMT gives you more fa-
miliarity with the brands, as
you have sold all of them. You
know the customer‘s percep-
tions; you know the markets,
the competitors, etc. So cer-
tainly, there is more comfort in
the initial months as opposed
to working in the PMT of a
new organisation.
— Career Growth Focus —

8. Page 8
(Cont. from Page 1)
The UPA govern-
ment‘s insensitivity
to people‘s frustra-
tion with corrup-
tion, the rise of so-
cial activism and
the media‘s deft handling of
popular imagination has done
more for Anna Hazare‘s suc-
cess than inherent merits of
the Jan Lokpal bill itself.
If there is one place other than
a government office where
the common man experiences
anguish, trauma and helpless-
ness, it is the hospital, cloaked
in secrecy and jargons, which
intimidate the bravest. The
industry – healthcare provider
nexus puts profits before pa-
tients when burdening pa-
tients with unnecessary drugs,
devices and diagnostics.
That the chief of the MCI was
corrupt enough to be arrested
and locked up was shocking
enough for most people. If the
current CRM (Corrupt Rx
Methods) practices of phar-
ma, devices and other players
are made public like the Radia
tapes, then healthcare industry
will be in a similar predica-
ment like that of the Congress
led UPA.
Like the degeneration of the
Congress party from a free-
dom fighting movement to
that of a corrupt regime of
touts and middlemen, the
healthcare industry too has
fallen into bad times. The
once worthy inventors of Pen-
icillin, vaccines and other live
saving drugs, devices and
diagnostics are now obsessed
with market share rather than
patient care.
The healthcare industry in its
original avatar was not only
idealistic and patient oriented,
but most MNCs and leading
Indian companies were also
people builders.
A career as a Medical Rep
meant an opportunity to real-
ize one‘s personal aspirations
and professional goals. The
fact that a large number of
senior executives in
healthcare industry started
their careers as MRs is a testi-
mony to the sterling role
played by both MNC and
ethical Indian companies like
Sarabhai and Alembic, to
name only a few; is proof of
its commitment to people
development.
Pharma focused on inventing
products that brought relief to
patients for myriads of ail-
ments, while at the same time
empowering its people to
grow as individuals and pro-
fessionals. A rewarding life-
long career was a norm.
The pharma market began to
deteriorate as more and more
players entered the market
with less and less useful
drugs. The promotion of these
me-too products needed nei-
ther science nor art and the rat
-race of numbers began to
corrode the professionalism of
pharma marketers. Commis-
sion replaced Communication
as the enabler of Rx. The
growth was quick and heady
like the extra strong Brandy
that replaced Branding.
Suddenly nobody was com-
plaining at the discovery of
these new efficacious promo-
tions that produced instant
results as doctors flew from
Bangkok to Dubai; all in the
name of CME. Old-timers
who resisted were replaced as
trade unions also gave way to
the new era of liberal eco-
nomics.
The one-upmanship has
reached its nadir as industry
employs people who neither
know science nor have the
heart to learn the art of rela-
tionship building. Attrition is
sky-high but the approach is
assembly line – feet-on-street
sans brains.
MedicinMan contacted atleast
300 industry leaders for opin-
ion on UCPMP. The approach
is wait and watch. UCPMP is
yet to percolate down the
ranks; most MRs and Field
Managers are blissfully una-
ware of the DoP guidelines
and go on with business as
usual booking tickets and
delivering gifts.
UCPMP when implemented
has the power only to ensure
rational use of drugs, devices
and diagnostics but also at-
tract talent to the industry. In
many companies, MRs and
field managers are travel
agents and product managers
have become vendor manag-
ers. This hardly requires talent
or competence and healthcare
field sales profession has be-
come the last resort of unem-
ployables.
Implementing UCPMP volun-
tarily is definitely the way
forward both in the interest of
patients and people working
in the industry. However the
government must play an ac-
tive role as many players in
the market have neither the
interest nor the inclination for
ethical promotions and people
development. Healthcare must
reinvent itself and become
committed to patient care and
people development - market
share will follow. ▌
Write to the Editor:
anupsoans@gmail.com
MedicinMan
UCPMP: Does Healthcare Need a Anna Hazare?
UCPMP Special

9. MedicinMan
MedicinMan contacted industry leaders for their response to UCPMP.
Here‘s what they said.
"Broadly, I feel we have the
strongest provisions and stat-
utes in place but though cli-
chéd we have to go back to
the enforcement part. Unless
India strengthens its mecha-
nisms to check violations and
ensure strictures, it will be
very tough to bring any men-
tionable sanity to the idea of
ethical marketing of pharma-
ceutical brands.
India is slated to be a $55
billion market by the end of
the decade and we are al-
ready closing at $12 billion.
There is enough to do here by
means of awareness and val-
ue driven growth." ▌
Vikas Dandekar, India Bu-
reau Chief, Elsevier Business
Intelligence
Notable Comments on
―Appreciable and much needed initiative on the part
of the DoP. This should be widely publicized in me-
dia including TV. Norms regarding Medical Reps
should be reviewed periodically. An annual audit of
complaints will make certain concerns disappear.‖
R D Joshi, Secretary General OPPI (1984-2004)
The DoP
guide-
lines are
a wel-
come
move
and the
UCPMP
appears
fairly
similar to the guidelines in the
US. There is however a world
of difference in the sce-
nario here. It is very rele-
vant to countries where
patented molecules are
being introduced on a
regular basis and com-
parisons with existing
therapies and brands are
an essential part of a
launch strategy and tactics.
The Govt. and Trade Associa-
tions have already strangled
the Indian Pharma industry so
much that a large majority are
gasping for breath. I do not
think that Pharmaceutical
Companies are very keen to
squander their hard earned
money on freebies. Let's face
it, they are compelled by the
very noble profession to shell
out huge sums for all the free-
bies.
The debate about product
claims by the Pharma Compa-
nies in India, are also irrele-
vant. If a molecule is new and
the medical profession is be-
ing misled by a company,
citing flawed trials, that
would constitute a criminal
offence. Most of the mole-
cules marketed in India have
30 to 50 or more brands and
all knowledge about the mol-
ecules are in the public do-
main. Hence, the question of
misleading does not arise,
unless the Doctor is an igno-
ramus or a quack.
The UCPMP will however
usher in a new trend in Prod-
uct Management where the
wording of a claim or benefit
will adhere to the letter and
spirit of a clinical trial or a
publication. Most companies
do not have a Medical Advi-
sor or Department and adver-
tising copy is created by peo-
ple who know very little
about the molecule or its
place in therapy.
Coming to the underpaid hap-
less Medical Representative
who has to 'produce or per-
ish'. This MR is paid less than
Industrial Casual Labourers
and is expected to be well
versed in Medicine !! Most
Doctors are visited by about
20-25 MRs in a day. If
this UCPMP forbids
samples and various
promo materials, I feel
that the days of a few
1000 companies are
numbered.
The code will be effec-
tive when the Govt.
reins in Trade Cartels and
also regulates the Medical
Profession. Otherwise
UCPMP will turn out to be a
'ideal treatment' for the wrong
disease. ▌
Prabhakar Shetty is an
industry veteran. He rose
from MR to Assoc. Director
at Parke Davis.
He is currently a Director at
Acumen MMC.
Email: prshetty@gmail.com
Prabhakar Shetty
“I do not think that Pharmaceutical
Companies are very keen to squan-
der their hard earned money on
freebies. Let's face it, they are com-
pelled by the very noble profession
to shell out huge sums for all the
freebies.”
UCPMP Special
Vikas Dandekar
Page 9
―Seems unlikely that all companies will follow the guidelines... I think it be a great effort if all just read it !!‖ - Deepak Paliwal,
Head-Marketing, AIOCD AWACS
―Field representatives will be required to pull up their socks
and equip themselves with both product knowledge and skills.
Since sampling will be controlled, this will have a positive
impact on the bottom line of companies.‖ - Preeti Mohile,
Co-Founderand MD,MediaMedicCommunicationsPvt.Ltd.

10. MedicinMan
Love at Many Sights - Insights from Across the Border
Seeing the title of this article,
you might be tempted to think
of it as a matrimonial or a
marriage proposal. However
the title relates to my passion
and love for my profession
which is Pharma Marketing.
I was relocated by my compa-
ny PharmEvo to Sri Lanka
from Pakistan in January
2011 as a Product Manager.
I was selected to turn around
our operations in Sri Lanka
and was put in charge of
development and expansion
of the market.
It was my dream at the time
of completing my MBA to
become a CEO in 12-15
years‘ time and this assign-
ment is a blessing as it takes
me one step closer to my des-
tination.
When I was leaving my office
in Pakistan for this assign-
ment, I was instructed by my
seniors to: 1. “Create net-
works‖ by my Sr. M.M 2. “Be
a silent observer‖ by my
Director Marketing and 3.
“Follow up‖ by my M.D. I
was fortunate to have these
three persons to guide me – it
is like attending school for
being a future leader.
Now to lift the curtain on my
mysterious title, ―love at sev-
eral sights‖. Briefly it relates
to the way in which we treat
our customers – meeting them
regularly and caring for them
as a family.
James Stewart, an American
actor, once said, ―Never treat
your customers as audience,
always as partners‖.
Thomas. J. Peter (American
Author and consultant) said
―The magic formula that
successful businesses have
discovered is to treat
customers like guests and
employees like people.‖
Likewise, I say ―I love my
customers‖. That starts when
you remain with them like a
family and treat them as prior-
ity.
Whenever, I meet my custom-
ers, I always wear a smile to
make them feel at ease. I de-
liberately start my discussion
with any news topic or current
affairs and even with family
touch points. This helps me to
involve them in a way that I
want and receive insights
about what they want and
need.
I always try to Google their
interests and find personal
interest in those things. Some-
times, I meet them only to
provide an article / news
item / magazine or discuss
cultural / language and tradi-
tional differences and similar-
ities.
The most important lesson
which I give to my colleagues
is to serve the doctors as
MedicinMan has caught the
imagination of Pharma pro-
fessionals from all over the
world. This article from a
Pakistani professional work-
ing in Sri Lanka and writing
for an Indian Magazine is a
proof of that.
Pharma professionals in
South Africa are also inter-
ested in reproducing
MedicinMan in South Afri-
ca.
MedicinMan welcomes
contributions from Pharma
professionals from all over
the world. ~ MM
Abdul Basit Khan
though you are the only per-
son who can take care of
them.
I avoid formal or traditional
way of communication to
grab attention. Instead, I make
them feel that I can help them
when they need me. This in
turn helps me to connect with
external customers emotional-
ly. I apply the same rule to
my internal customers, so
they share all their concerns
with me.
I mentor and coach my col-
leagues and help them to for-
get their problems and take
their job as challenge and
opportunity. Sometimes, I
meet with their families, stay
at their homes and share my
past so that they realize that I
am not an alien or a spooky
manager but their friend. I
always take their challenges
on my shoulder and am ready
to support them in achieving
their goals.
I hate the word ―Boss‖ and
treat my people as family. I
keep them motivated through
infusion of internal healthy
competition and giving con-
tinuous encouraging enablers
and rewards.
This is all I do to keep my
topic alive - ―Love at several
sights‖. ▌
Abdul Basit Khan is a Prod-
uct Manager at PharmaEvo
Ltd. in Sri Lanka. He is origi-
nally from Pakistan.
Contact him at:
abdul.basit@pharmevo.biz
Abdul is a Pakistani National
working in Sri Lanka
Page 10
I MENTOR AND
COACH MY
COLLEAGUES AND
HELP THEM TAKE THEIR
JOB AS CHALLENGE
AND OPPORTUNITY.
SOMETIMES, I MEET
WITH THEIR FAMILIES,
STAY AT THEIR HOMES
AND SHARE MY PAST.

11. 60 Seconds for Patients and 16 Seconds for MRs
An article by Adi Narayan of
Bloomberg on the plight of
Medical Reps waiting for
cardiologist P.L. Tiwari in
Bombay Hospital has become
a trending story on the Net.
The good doctor is inundated
with Medical Reps (MRs) and
limits their visits to Friday
nights. He disposes of 30
MRs in 8 minutes flat; that‘s
16 seconds of the good doc-
tor‘s valuable time per MR.
The good doctor however
does not complain about be-
ing inundated by 50 patients
every day. One wonders about
the quality of patient care in
such situations given the seri-
ousness of cardiac ailments.
This gains significance in the
light of a Times of India re-
port about MCI‘s proposal to
make it obligatory for doctors
to spend quality time with
patients. Both the Bloomberg
and TOI article can be read @
www.medicinman.net
The highlights of the Bloom-
berg article are:
―Pharmaceutical sales in India
have increased at 14 percent
annually since 2005, stoked
by rising incomes and surging
rates of CAD, diabetes and
cancer.
DTC is banned in India,
so Pharma companies are
trying to tap the $12 billion
market through a sales force
of 100,000 that is predicted to
at least triple by 2020. (This
figure is suspect as a Business
World article in 2003 indicat-
ed the number of MRs to be
300,000.)
India‘s 10 biggest pharmaceu-
tical companies, Dr. Reddy‘s,
Cipla, Pfizer and Glaxo --
bolstered their combined sales
forces by more than 6,000.
India has 92,000 brand names
of registered pharmaceuticals.
About 90 percent of prescrip-
tions are generics, which
companies seek to differenti-
ate with unique names -- mak-
ing them branded generics.
Prices of the brands can differ
by as much as 75 percent for
10 tablets, according to
MIMS.
When prescribing, Indian
doctors typically refer to
brands rather than chemical
names. Chemists are prohibit-
ed from substituting one ge-
neric for another, even if it‘s
cheaper, so MRs persuade
doctors to think of their
brands first.
There are at least 43 brands of
blood-pressure drug, olmesar-
tan, which is sold by Merck
as Olmighty and by Glaxo as
Benitec.
According to McKinsey, there
will be at least three Medical
Reps for every 10 doctors by
2020. ―MRs are getting
crowded out of the doctors‘
chambers,‖ especially in In-
dia‘s largest cities.
Growth in salaries has out-
stripped productivity with
MRs at Ranbaxy, Cipla, Dr.
Reddy‘s and Lupin generating
less revenue than they were
two years ago, according to
Edelweiss Securities report.
The pharmaceutical industry‘s
influence in driving sales is
facing resistance from the
Medical Council of India in
New Delhi. MCI -- the top
government body responsible
for setting ethical standards.
MCI is restricting sponsorship
of medical events, including
paying for doctors‘ flights and
accommodations.
The council is seeking a sys-
tem requiring India‘s 800,000
doctors to continue updating
their knowledge and skills.
For some doctors, sales pitch-
es from pharmaceutical com-
panies are their only source of
new medical information.
Biased information from the
industry is influencing doc-
tor‘s decisions, said Pankaj
Chaturvedi, a cancer surgeon
at Mumbai‘s Tata Memorial
Hospital.‖
In the light of the above,
training and development of
Pharma field sales profession-
als gains even more signifi-
cance. For example they now
have to communicate like a
30 second advertisement jin-
gle on TV. Their attire and
appearance becomes the first
layer of communication and
they need to develop resili-
ence in their attitude. In short,
a complete shift of mindset.
Hopefully these adverse times
will lead to pharma compa-
nies taking genuine interest in
the development of their field
force that will equip them
with skills to deal with
changed market conditions. ▌
~MM
Page 11
MedicinMan
To train MRs first of all the
trainer should have the fun-
damental belief in communi-
cation as a medium of reach-
ing the customer.
20 seconds sometimes is
pretty long time to face a
customer when you have
nothing of substance to
communicate. Usain Bolt
covered 200 meters in
19.19 seconds. When you
train the MR ask him to sit
in front of you silent and
check how long it takes to
cross just 10 seconds.
If you have information on
the customer and can classi-
fy him as (1) Believer and
User (2) Believer but non-
user and (3) Non-Believer -
Non -User then your com-
munication can be fine
tuned. Believe me when a
good communicator meets
the doctor, the first surprise
begins - nowadays good
communicators are a rarity.
K. Chandrasekharan is a
Consultant—Pharmaceutical
and Life Sciences Operation
at “Chase” Corporation.
This comment was made on
Indian Pharma Connection
on Linked-in
Comments
K. Chandrasekharan

12. Page 12
MedicinMan
ONE NEED NOT
SHY AWAY FROM
REPORTING
ADVERSE EVENTS.
LEVERAGE ON
THE FACT THAT
THE SCIENCE OF
SAFETY CAN BE A
SOURCE OF
CONTINUING
BUSINESS. IT IS
NOT THAT ONE
DRUG IS BETTER
THAN ANOTHER.
IT IS ABOUT
FINDING OUT
WHICH PATIENT
RESPONDS BEST
TO WHICH DRUG.
- Viraj Suvarna
For the field force managing
adverse events (AEs) is an
onerous task, fraught with the
prospect of irritating an al-
ready irate customer. This
article empowers every field
sales person to use AEs into
Rx opportunities.
By looking at Pharmacovigi-
lance beyond drug safety and
compliance, Medical Reps
can turn it to a point of cus-
tomer engagement. Some-
thing that can be the differen-
tiator and a core competence.
The spontaneous adverse
event reporting system is a
mandatory requirement for
companies interested in dis-
charging their responsibility
towards their patients as long
as their product is marketed.
When a doctor reports an ad-
verse event, instead of getting
scared that the doctor may not
prescribe the product ever
again or worse still tell other
doctors not to prescribe,
Medical Reps should empa-
thize with doctors and inform
them about the company‘s
safety department which con-
scientiously collects all such
information and feeds back
the analysis of the safety pro-
file of the product in the real
world. The Medical Rep must
then inform his immediate
supervisor and the company‘s
medical department.
The company‘s clinical safety
officer then connects with the
concerned doctor and thanks
him for honoring their report-
ing obligation and puts them
in touch with the product phy-
sician who then proceeds to
engage the reporting doctor in
a conversation that enables
the product physician to un-
derstand the circumstance of
the case and gives an oppor-
tunity for the doctor to under-
stand the reason behind the
adverse event.
The product physician can
provide data on similar events
that may have occurred in
India and across the globe.
This way the doctor under-
stands the event fully. It is
possible that the adverse
event may not have been
causally related to the drug.
The event could have been
caused by a drug-drug inter-
action or perhaps the doctor
may not have used the prod-
uct as per the label.
Thus the doctor learns to
match the right patient to the
right drug and how to use the
product optimally, maximiz-
ing the benefit and minimiz-
ing the risk. He is reassured of
the wealth of evidence on the
product's safety and tolerabil-
ity, both in randomized con-
trolled trials and in the real
world, and continues prescrib-
ing the product with greater
confidence.
This experience improves
credibility of the company in
the eyes of the customer.
Continuing safety data on a
product, if analyzed carefully,
can reveal a whole lot of in-
formation which can help
further the science around the
product. At times it can lead
to a new indication and a
blockbuster product as hap-
pened with Viagra and erec-
tile dysfunction. Medical
Reps could even conduct
Pharmacovigilance work-
shops using real life examples
of the product which can lead
to more Rx opportunities.
To conclude, one need not
shy away from reporting ad-
verse events but instead lever-
age on the fact that the sci-
ence of safety can be a source
of continuing business. It is
not that one drug is better
than another. It is about find-
ing out which patient re-
sponds best to which drug.
And which patient may not.
Continuing benefit to risk
assessment (BRA) helps put
the product in perspective and
gives the medical community
a clearer picture of how to use
a product in as safe a manner
as possible. After all, all of us
can be patients. Even doc-
tors..▌
Viraj Suvarna is Medical Dir.
at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Email:..viraj.suvarna@boehri
nger-ingelheim.com
Differentiation Through Pharmacovigilance
How Field Force can convert Problems into Rx Opportunities

13. Dear Anup Soans, glad
you still support the classical
approach of clean (ethical!)
demand generation.
Believe me, it is not just the
quality of foot soldiers, the rot
comes down from the top!
When I entered the field, all
my superiors were hard core
field people. They were not
perfect, but they did have an
excellent grasp of the subject,
a good idea of what was ex-
pected of them, and a clear
idea of how to go about
it. Most of them ascended
from the ranks. Those who
came in at higher levels did
not overrule meth-
ods arbitrarily, but familiar-
ized themselves with opera-
tions, and only after discuss-
ing with core managers, did
attempt to change anything
they felt needed changes.
The scenario today is that
somebody who comes even
when the going is great dis-
cards existing practices, even
junks great products as soon
as possible, and attempts to
replace those with his/her
historical baggage, with-
out even assessing wheth-
er the changes would blend
with operations, resulting in
multiple obstacles, and the
decline thereafter is attributed
to the non-cooperation of the
field and inability to imple-
ment best practices from
across the spectrum - spec-
trum meaning the earlier en-
vironment that the new guy
comes from. Naturally attri-
tion multiplies manifold.
I would like to mention that
these new heads do not ever
experience the working of the
According to legend,
Mazatec Indians who live in
Mexico do not share anything
as they believe that even
greeting someone with good
wishes involves giving away
something from their personal
fortune.
Mazatec Indians do not make
any efforts to help ease the
burden of their fellowmen.
They do not even like to have
a second child because they
believe that they will have to
love the first child lesser.
Mazatec Indians are a dwin-
dling tribe toady with only
around 18,000 surviving.
MedicinMan
Are You a Mazatec Manager?
A SuperVisionSeries Insight
Many front-line managers
tend to operate like the
Mazatec Indians; they believe
that if they encourage, share
and develop their colleagues,
they will lose their position.
This insecurity is often at the
root of underdeveloped/poor
quality MRs in terms of
knowledge, skills and attitude.
How to overcome this insecu-
rity and develop team mem-
bers to facilitate great perfor-
mance? Leadership is like a
fish. The rot begins in the
head. Experienced fish eaters
check the head of the fish for
freshness before buying it.
If the head is good, then the
whole fish is good.
Many sales teams are led by
incompetent people at the top.
They feel threatened by com-
petent people. So they always
hire someone they can easily
manage; someone they be-
lieve knows less than them.
As a result the company at-
tracts only poor quality peo-
ple who naturally perform
less than their leader.
SuperVision for the SuperWiser
Front-line Manager is a first-of-
its-kind Learning and Develop-
ment tool crafted to address the
development needs of Pharma
Front-line Sales Managers.
systems followed earlier or
implementing their diktats
by working first hand. ―Run
after a huge segment!‖ It is
huge, because everybody is
into it! What you get out of it
is a fragment! There are too
many guys fighting for a
share of a 'Copy!'
In these circumstances, train-
ing of course must morph to
dance to the tune of this boss.
'Get sales, get sales, get sales!
Don't spend time even on
prospecting for the
right customer, or
waste time
on learning about
what you
are promoting! Do
what you are told!
Written by a veter-
an pharma sales
professional.
Page 13
Avail a Special Discount of
up to 45 % on bulk purchase
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Mail: anupsoans@gmail.com
Call: +91 934 2232 949
Anonymous Letter to the Editor
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up to 45 % on bulk purchase
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GreenHorn.
Mail: anupsoans@gmail.com
Call: +91 934 2232 949

14. E-reporting or Sales Force Automation?
Page 14
“Many a
wrong
step was
taken by
standing
still”.
Indian
Pharma-
ceutical
Industry is
one of the fastest growing
sectors at 14% growth rate.
Despite such buoyant growth
as well as increased penetra-
tion of Internet, Indian
Pharma has shown re-
sistance to embrace tech-
nology to enhance sales &
marketing effectiveness.
On the other hand compe-
tition is fierce given the
fact that there is minimal
difference between brands.
The company with better rela-
tionship with doctors and bet-
ter activity efficiency have a
notional edge in the market
place.
With redefined business prior-
ities, changing market scenar-
io and pressure from competi-
tion, companies look for a
quick fix solution. There is a
widespread talk of Pharma
SFA being the panacea for all
business problems. Some
companies jump into the
bandwagon without proper
understanding or research.
The reasons to look at an SFA
product are evident. Pressure
from competition, no proper
IT unit within the company
and no defined budgets.
Choosing the SFA product
then becomes a tactical initia-
tive mostly driven by fear.
Enter e-reporting. A stripped
down version of SFA provid-
ed as a cheap alternative. Low
cost turns out to be the USP.
The typical e-reporting tool
has a bunch of daily call entry
screens, sample management
and some reports. At best, the
information from this system
will help understand activity
efficiency of MRs. But the
one question that should loom
in front of the Pharma compa-
nies is that ―Do these features
help us achieve business pri-
orities‖?
I believe that business leaders
look for comprehensive solu-
tions to address business pri-
orities. Given this, let‘s at-
tempt to define what an SFA
should be.
Sales Force Automation: A
tool that:
Records all events in the
sales process
Records Pertinent data driv-
en by those events
Automate the process of
data collection
Integrates with other rele-
vant systems like Primary,
Secondary sales data, HR
systems
Has Built in Control indica-
tors
Instantly propagates data
into reports for meaningfully
decision making
Needs to align with Pharma
sales process
In essence SFA needs to dy-
namically link sales force
strategy and operational ac-
tions. A typical output of an
SFA should highlight
the cause and effect
variables i.e. which
action of yours has
yielded what kind of
results. Using this
information, the abil-
ity to forecast sales
numbers is of para-
mount importance.
If your goal is to manage by
objectives, Pharma SFA
should be a perfect ally in
automating all processes and
data collection and deliver
meaningful reports for deci-
sion making.
Do not fall for cheap me-too
alternatives of e reporting
tools sold under the garb of an
SFA. The cost of undoing and
redoing this work could be of
monstrous proportions. Make
a smart buy.
SFA should be Easy to buy,
Easy to Use.
Rajesh Rangarajan is Partner
and Chief Marketing Officer
at SwaaS Systems.
Email: rajesh@swaas.net
MedicinMan
Rajesh
Rangarajan
SFA needs to
dynamically
link sales force
strategy and
operational ac-
tions. A typical
output of an
SFA should
highlight the
cause and ef-
fect variables
i.e. which ac-
tion of yours
has yielded
what kind of
results. Using
this infor-
mation, the
ability to fore-
cast sales num-
bers is of par-
amount im-
portance.

15. Though I work as a Training
Manager today, I still have
the heart of a Sales Person. I
worked in the field for 15
years and I always felt proud
to be a Sales Professional.
A Sales Job teaches one the
Art of Living. A Sales Profes-
sional will always have an
edge over Rest of the World,
as the Sales Job provides Ho-
listic Development & Multi-
ple Intelligence.
A Sales Professional deals
with outside world on a con-
sistent basis. To be Success-
ful, he has to deal with every
Proud to be a Sales Professional !
Customer differently & he
learns the nuances of handling
different people.
Every day, he wakes up with
a Challenge and subcon-
sciously, he has programmed
his mind to perceive
―Challenge‖ as ―Opportunity
in Disguise‖. Experientially,
he learns how to convert a
Problem into an Opportunity.
A Sales Professional gains
from every experience:
 He meets a Friendly Cus-
tomer… he learns Rela-
tionship Building
 He meets a Conservative
Customer… he gains a
Never Give up Attitude
 He persists long enough
to convince a Custom-
er… he develops Com-
munication Skills
 He travels and stays in
different markets… he
becomes adaptable
A Sales Professional who has
a winning attitude and works
on self-development will
achieve Success in all walks
of life. ▌
MedicinMan Invites
Contributions
~
MedicinMan will chroni-
cle the achievements of
people who began their
career in pharma and
allied field sales like
medical devices and
grew to positions of emi-
nence. This is to moti-
vate the current crop of
MRs and other field
sales people as well as
to market the pharma
industry to attract tal-
ent.
Contributions, contacts,
and success stories are
welcome.
Joshua Soans
Executive Editor
joshuasoans@gmail.com
MedicinMan
RM Saravanan
Training Manager
Chiron Panacea
I have always considered
Medical Representatives to be
the knowledgeable front-line
warriors of the medical fra-
ternity, delivering the best to
the patient. Because of this
attitude, I have always been
engrossed in my work.
As a Rep, one is constantly
facing challenges.
Launching a product which
involves lots of care and pains
to make the patient communi-
ty understand the benefits of
the product is a challenge in
itself.
Secondly, seeking coopera-
tion from the medical fraterni-
ty to receive very personal
information on who can use
such a sophisticated lifesaving
drug is another challenge. But
overcoming them gave me
self-confidence to face more
challenges in such a way that
they have never been a hurdle
to me.
In conclusion, a Medical
Rep‟s job makes a person
confident enough to endure
the hardships of today‟s
corporate world. It should
be a part of professional
curriculum of those who see
themselves as future lead-
ers. ▌ -
Atish is Manager, eProbe
Research
Sales : A Stepping Stone to Success in Life
Page 15
First of all, a sales person is a
fearless person. He learns
how to overcome obstacles
and come out as a winner. He
learns tenacity. He cultivates
a never give up attitude and
patience. He sees every cus-
tomer as a teacher. The boss‘
pressurizing every month is
his monthly stress manage-
ment class. His demanding
customers teach him to care
for people and their needs.
He learns so many life les-
sons on the job and if he ap-
plies that in daily life he is
approaching towards becom-
ing a near perfect individual.
I salute to every such profes-
sional. He (or she) is not only
playing a pivotal part in mov-
ing the economy but also
close to becoming an ideal
human being. ▌
Amruta Bhavthankar
Exec. HR, Chiron Panacea
bamruta@gmail.com
Sales: An Education for Success in all Aspects in Life
- Atish Mukherjee

16. MedicinMan
―C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!!!
This is a brilliant initiative, and I strongly feel it's merely the first step
in a tremendous movement towards Field Force Excellence in times
to come.
I urge all my friends and colleagues to read the magazine, and grace
the initiative by contributing fully in the forthcoming issues, so that
we pave a way for a healthier tomorrow of our very own Industry for
the "future generations" to come.‖
- Sandhya Pramanik, Regional Training Manager, Merck India
Dear Anup Soans,
I am astonished by the outstanding work that was put into
the Sales Force Effectiveness Magazine. I am a Training
Manager at Adcock Ingram, a South African pharmaceutical
company.
I would like to adopt your idea to the SA pharmaceutical
industry since after reading your first edition, I realize that
the industry is similar.
- Rebone Edith Matlala, Training Manager, Adcock Ingram, SA
―Great work! Have spread the word for both the pdfs as well as the
online version to my sphere! Best Wishes!‖
- Dinesh Chindarkar, Country Head for Global HealthPR
―Congratulations for this innovative idea & its realization.
Ajit Kumar Singh, Pharma Trainer; Patna.
Good Initiative Anup. I am sure it will benefit a lot of people. The
content is simple and quite realistic. wish you all the best.
- Jay Anand, National Manager, Reckitt Benckiser
―MedicinMan… absolutely brilliant !!!
It has filled up a huge void in pharma biz.‖
- K.P. Ragina, Vice President, Sales Training and Development, Abbott
I felt delighted to read MedicinMan. It feels Great that Industry
does think of smaller players like ABMs and MRs when everywhere
figures matter.
I congratulate you for bringing this beautiful magazine to
address the needs of Pharma Sales Professionals.
- Ziaul Khan, Business Manager, Cipla Lifecare
―It's a good initiative. I am sure it will not only bring togeth-
er a lot of fellow professionals but offer them useful tips for
progress in their careers. Congratulations!‖
Narayanadas Upadhyayula, Veteran MR, Brilliant Columnist
and Chief Consultant, BRIHAS Consulting
MedicinMan reaches over 10,000 healthcare
sales, marketing and HR professionals.
~
To advertise and collaborate with us contact:
anupsoans@gmail.com
+91 934 2232 949

17. themselves aren‘t given
the necessary training to
improve their own skills.
Delta Point says: ―A sig-
nificant gap exists be-
tween the importance
placed on skills that
enhance customer rela-
tionships and the training
structure and opportuni-
According to an article
by Lisa Roner,
(eyeforpharma.com),
―More than 100 re-
spondents from 20 phar-
ma companies, includ-
ing eight of the largest
drug makers, say that in
spite of being in charge
of overseeing thousands
of reps in the field, they
ties that pharmaceutical
companies are currently
providing managers.‖
If this is the case in de-
veloped markets, the
situation in India could
be much worse. It is a
given that Medical Reps
and Front-line Managers
form the back-bone of
Neglect of Pharma Frontline Managers
We’ve Made Some Value Addition to Our Editorial Board !
I N T R O D U C I N G O U R N E W E D I T O R I A L B O A R DEditor
Anup Soans
Author & Former
Executive Director
and COO of India‘s
leading medico-
marketing and CME
publisher. He began
his career as a
Medical Rep
anupsoans@gmail.com
+91 934 2232 949
Executive Editor
Joshua Soans
MA Development
Studies, IIT-M
joshuasoans@gmail.com
+918553030949
COO
Arvind Nair
A Veteran in Medical
Communications. He
has worked with IJCP
& McCann Erickson
Published and
Printed for
MedicinMan by
Joshua Soans at
22 North Road,
Cooke Town,
Bangalore 560084
Shashin Bodawala
is Director Sales,
Boehringer Ingel-
heim. He has 25
years experience in
pharma with leading
MNCs like Pfizer. He
started his career as a
Medical Rep with
Hoechst India.
Product train-
ing has be-
come an eye
wash. Having
people with great com-
munication skills, right
vision for the career is the
requirement. But how
many of the MR's select-
ed really have these
skills?
Trending Discussion on Linked-in on Indian Pharma Connection
“Front line Managers today are either prematurely promoted or not trained properly adding to industry woes of
Attrition, Non Performance & Bad Image.”
Starting
from the
promotion
process, to
training, coaching and
mentoring is flawed in
most instances and the
result is evident. Like
breeds like. Why have we
forgotten that the today‘s
sales manager was also
selected through the same
route. What is the HR
Department doing?
Proper selection, training
is of utmost importance.
- Aditya Moona
Prabhakar Shetty
is Director, Marketing
and Training, Acumen
MMC. He started his
career as a Medical
Rep and rose to the
position of Associate
Director, Parke Davis.
He has held many
senior positions in
India and the USA.
Dr. Shalini Ratan
is Founder and Chief
Knowledge Facilita-
tor, NIRVAN Life
Sciences.
She has over 15
years‘ experience in
medico-marketing,
and training field
force. She was med-
ical affairs consultant
at Wyeth.
Pharma sales. Yet this
importance does not
translate to action in
terms of equipping
them with skills that
will empower and make
them effective. ▌
~
An MR is crushed be-
tween FM and Dr. They
always look forward for a
Tool which can help them
get Dr‘s attention. They
need to be made Self de-
pendent with confidence
and skills. But will people
with these skills want to
become an MR?
- Dr. Shalini Ratan
Salil Kallianpur
Marketing Manager at
India Medtronic. He
has over 16 years ex-
perience. He was
GPM at Pfizer
He is a leading
healthcare blogger at
salilkallianpur.wordpr-
ess.com