2 | MedicinMan May 2013
EDITORIAL | Science Vs. Non-Science Graduates as Medical Reps
The top management of each company must have
a clear understanding and ask - are we a ‘science’
company or are we a ‘sales organization’?
H
ere’s the question: Do all
the thousands of companies
promoting the 100th generic
molecule need to talk science? Even if
they want to, is the doctor interested in
listening to a ‘detailing talk’ by a poorly
motivated field force that changes their
company every year?
Sure, companies promoting IP prod-
ucts and even Indian companies
focusing on a particular therapy area
or niche market segment may need
B. Pharma or B.Sc candidates.
You need B. Pharma and B. Sc candi-
dates as MRs when the job role is to
generate prescriptions by giving highly
scientific information. Do you need
them when the job is largely a sales
job?
We have over 60,000 brands in Indian
Pharma Market - how many of them
are novel IP products?
Today the role of an MR/FLM in most
Indian Pharma companies is ‘science’
by title and ‘sales’ by necessity. Why
then this emphasis on science can-
didates? Will they really enjoy doing
an ultra high pressure sales job? Are
they cut-out for the role where 80%
of the time is spent waiting and only
20% in actually talking and listening to
doctors? How much science can an MR
talk in 180 seconds? The attrition rate
is clearly an indicator of dissatisfaction
brought about by mismatch.
Pharma is busy fitting square pegs in
round holes and as a result neither
the candidates are happy nor are the
companies getting enough productivity
from the field force.
Time to re-think?
I think the top management of each
company must have a clear under-
standing and ask - “are we a ‘science’
company or are we a sales organiza-
tion?”
Once this is clear, it becomes easier to
adopt the right strategy, hire the right
people and give the right training.
So far only a few Indian companies
like Mankind Pharma have dared to
address this issue head-on and their
splendid field force productivity and
low attrition is a proof that it works.
Even when it comes to product
management in most Indian Pharma
companies, the PMs are busy designing
sales schemes and not product man-
agement or brand building.
A strong, sales oriented field force
led by FLMs with good leadership
and managerial skills and supported
by field force friendly, physician-fo-
cused and patient centric, on-call
medico-marketing team might be a
better option.
What do you think? - MM
For further reading:
1. Report by the iOpener Institute for People
and Performance:“Job Fulfillment, Not Money,
Retains Gen-YTalent”. Full report is available
at - http://medicinman.net/2013/04/job-
fulfillment-not-pay-retains-gen-y-talent/
2.What Do MRs Need to MakeTheirWork
Enjoyable? A MedicinMan Survey. For full article
please download MedicinMan December 2011
issue -http://medicinman.net/archives/
3. How to Attract Freshers to Opt for Pharma/
Healthcare Career? LinkedIn Discussion - http://
lnkd.in/D7WAEj
Connect with Anup Soans on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Visit anupsoans.com.
Meet the Editor
Anup Soans is an Author, Facilitator and the Editor of MedicinMan.
Write in to him: anupsoans@medicinman.net
Editorial
“You need B. Pharma and B. Sc
candidates as MRs when the job
role is to generate prescriptions
by giving highly scientific infor-
mation. Do you need them when
the job is largely a sales job?”
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Field Force Excellence Tools for Individuals and Corporates
Field Force Excellence
1. Employee Engagement for Field Force
Excellence - Part I..................................................6
Who is an “engaged employee”? Why are engaged
employees so critical to a company’s success? How
can we bring about enployee engagement?
Joshua Soans
2. So, You’re the Boss Now................................10
How to make the transition from ‘sales’ to
‘people management’ (without intimidating team
members, micro-managing or losing your cool).
K. Hariram
3. Stakeholders in Field Force Excellence .......13
Many people in an organization are repsonsible
for FFE. A brief look at some of their roles and
responsibilities.
Vishal V. Bhaiyya
Marketing for the MR
4. Segmentation for the Medical Rep................16
Segmentation of customers is a critical skill and
tool for Medical Reps to increase the ROI of their
sales call.
Anup Soans from “HardKnocks for the GreenHorn”
In Memoriam
5. ‘Crocin Man’ Passes Away..............................19
Gurudas Masurkar was an industry veteran who
launched landmark brands like Crocin and Lacto
Calamine. He was Chairman Emeritus at Entod
Pharmaceuticals.
Vivek Hattangadi
Contents (click to navigate)
Emerging Areas in Healthcare
6. What is Pharmacoeconomics? .....................20
Pharmacoeconomics exposes the true cost to
society of a particular drug therapy in treating a
condition.
Richa Goyal and Mahendra Rai
7. Pharmacoeconomic Analysis........................22
An in-depth look at pharmacoeconomics - the
types of cost calculation, how they are calculated
and what they mean for different stakeholders.
Javed Shailk and Shafaq Shaikh
Coaching
8. Ten Coaching Nuggets for FLMs ..................27
Ten tips on how to get the best out of your team
by Coaching them.
K. Hariram
Contents (click to navigate)
MedicinMan Volume 3 Issue 5 | May 2013
Editor and Publisher
Anup Soans
CEO
Chhaya 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; Vardarajan S;
Dr. Mandar Kubal; Dr. Surinder Kumar
International Editorial Board
Hanno Wolfram; Renie McClay
Executive Editor
Joshua Soans
MedicinMan Academy:
Prof. Vivek Hattangaadi, Dean, Professional
Skills Development
MedicinMan ChangeMakers
Saurabh Kumar
Make a difference in Pharma. Join MedicinMan
ChangeMakers. Write in to our editor to find out
more:
anupsoans@medicinman.net
Letters to the Editor: anupsoans@medicinman.net
FFE 20135
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Date: Saturday, 8th June 2013
Theme:FieldForceProductivity
Place: Courtyard Marriott, Mumbai
Registrations
Open. Hurry!
Visit: medicinman.net/
ffe13-registration
E
6 | MedicinMan May 2013
Employee Engagement for Field Force Excellence | Joshua Soans
Employee
Engagement
for Field Force
Excellence.
Studies involving hundreds of thousands of employees across the globe have
shown that engaged employees invest more “discretionary effort”, have a
better understanding of their work, are far less likely to leave the organization,
positively recommend the organization to others and take fewer days off from
work. This article is the 1st
in a series on Employee Engagement.
Employee Engagement is a serious
commitment to aligning employee
aspirations with organizational goals. For
engaged employees, the line between
“work” and “life” is blurred or non-
existant - like this woman reporter in the
Sichuan Province of China who was on
her way to her wedding when a massive
earthquake struck on April 20th, 2013.
She immediately got to work interviewing
bystanders and reporting on the quake (see
video: http://youtu.be/bLsTs4DRv18)
FFE 20135
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10 15 20 25 30 35 35 40 45 50 55
y
SPECIAL REPORT
Employee Engagement for Field Force Excellence | Joshua Soans
7 | MedicinMan May 2013
Introduction.
E
very manager in charge of
achieving company goals
through a team of employees
would like to know how to motivate
them to put in 100 per cent effort and
some more. A pharma sales manager
would like to know how to get his
team to generate more sales, increase
customer satisfaction, take lesser time
off from work, make fewer mistakes
on the job, recommend the company
to others and motivate his colleagues
to do all of the above as well.
A number of authoritative studies
in recent years show that employees
who are “fully” or “highly” engaged
are much more likely to do all of the
above compared to their counterparts
with low engagement levels or who
are “actively disengaged”. The results
from these studies – involving up to
6.5 lakh employees globally1
– even
show a direct and stunningly large
correlation between increased profits
and employee engagement.
Consider these figures.
Research from organisations
representing more than five million
employees worldwide in the Aon
Hewitt database showed that in 2010
organisations with engagement
levels of 65% or greater posted total
shareholder returns that were 22%
higher than average; companies with
engagement levels of 45% or less had
a total shareholder return that was
28% lower than the average return
in 20102
.
A Gallup study (2006) looking at data
from over 23 thousand business units
demonstrated that those with the
highest engagement scores (top 25%)
averaged 18% higher productivity
and 12% higher profitability than
those with the lowest engagement
scores (bottom 25%)3
.
70% of the more engaged have a
good understanding of customer
needs against only 17% of the
disengaged (PwC). 67% of engaged
employees were happy to advocate
their organisations compared to only
3% of the disengaged4
.
Companies with highly engaged
staff report employees taking an
average of 7 absence days per year,
approximately half the 14 days per
year reported in low engagement
companies (bottom 25%). Those
employees in high engagement
companies also report significantly
less workplace stress, 28% versus 39%
(Aon Hewitt 2012)5
.
The CLC reports that highly engaged
organisations have the potential to
reduce staff turnover by 87%; the
disengaged are four times more likely
to leave the organisation than the
average employee (CLC 2008)6
.
What is Employee
Engagement?
As a manager, imagine if every
member of your team acted as though
he or she were the owner/CEO of the
company – taking direct responsibility
for increased sales, lower expenses,
better customer engagement,
increased territory coverage,
motivation of fellow team members
etc. Imagine all of this happening
without you having to constantly run
behind these individuals with a carrot
or a stick to prod them along.
Such employees can be said to be at
the highest levels of engagement with
the company and their jobs. They are
not working to win the “Salesman of
the Year” award. They are not working
for fear of losing their jobs. They do
what they do because they believe that
their work is meaningful, in tune with
their self-image and career goals and
makes a difference to the company
they work for and perhaps even to the
society they live in.
It is true that not everyone on your
team will reach such a state of “flow”
with their work – i.e. work for work’s
sake. Many will be working to get
References
1. Towers Perrin-ISR (2006) “The ISR Employee
Engagement Report” as cited in Macleod and Clarke
“Engaging for Success: Enhancing performance
through employee engagement.”
2. “Trends in Employee Engagement”. Aon Hewitt
(2011).
3. Harter, James K., Schmidt, F. L., Killham, E. A.
and Agrawal, S. (2012). “Q12® Meta-Analysis:
The Relationship Between Engagement at Work and
Organizational Outcomes.” (Gallup Organization.)
4. Fleming, J., Coffman, C. and Harter, J. (2005),
“Manage Your Human Sigma.” Harvard Business
Review 83(7): 106-114.
5. “2012 Trends in Employee Engagement (Aon
Hewitt 2012)
6. Corporate Leadership Council (2004). “Driving
Performance and Retention Through Employee
Engagement” Corporate Executive Board.
“employees... at the highest
levels of engagement with the
company and their jobs... are not
working to win the “Salesman
of the Year” award. They are
not working for fear of losing
their jobs. They do what they do
because they believe that their
work is meaningful, in tune
with their self-image and career
goals and makes a difference to
the company they work for and
perhaps even to the society they
live in.
9 | MedicinMan May 2013
Employee Engagement for Field Force Excellence | Joshua Soans
up elsewhere. Unless brought into
engagement or politely asked to
leave, these employees are often a
drag on the company.
How to Bring About
Engagement
The HayGroup, in its report on
Employee Engagement titled:
“Engage Employees and Boost
Performance”, tells the following
story:
Patrick, a call center team manager,
was a “good” employee. He was
prompt, did what he was asked and
was liked by his subordinates. Ask
Patrick how his job was going and he’d
say, “Fine, they pay me pretty well.”
Suddenly he resigned, citing no
complaints and saying only that a
competitor offered him slightly more
money.
But Patrick quit because he was
disengaged. He, like millions of
other employees, needed to believe
his job was important, that he was
contributing daily to the company.
That his work had meaning.
Former colleagues who talked to
him six months later said he was a
different person. His work was no
different, but he clearly had passion
for his job. His explanation? “My
team’s hourly sales are 40 percent
higher than before. But it's more than
that. My first day I got ‘induction
training,’where they explained the
company vision and values. My first
week my boss, Stephanie, explained
what I needed to do to meet the
company’s goals and act in sync with
its values. She spent time coaching me
on my managerial skills, something I
needed badly.”
Soon, Patrick received a “most
promising newcomer” award. At the
company picnic, Stephanie’s boss
asked him how he was doing. After
six months Patrick had an in-depth
performance review where he and
Stephanie candidly discussed his
performance and outlined training
and career growth options for him.
“I work extra hard when it’s needed
because they really care about me,”
Patrick told his ex-colleagues. “They
even let me leave early twice a week
to pick up my kids, which means a lot.
But in the end it really comes down to
leadership. My new company doesn’t
just have a business model; it has a
people model.”9
The HayGroup defines employee
engagement as: “a result that is
achieved by stimulating employees’
enthusiasm for their work and
directing it toward organizational
success.”10
An employee spends a significant
portion of his/her life at work. It is
important that they feel their work
is meaningful and that it matters to
the organization. This is what lies at
the heart of engagement. One cannot
simply trick or coerce employees into
feeling engaged with their jobs – it
is a mental and emotional connect
that is generated through a well
thought out process that enables the
employee to flourish by doing well
what he/she does best.
Think of what might enable an
employee to become attached to
his work and company. At the top
of mind are clearly defined roles
and KPIs, a belief in the vision and
mission of the organization, trust in
his immediate manager and senior
management (that they too believe
in the goals of the organization and
are willing to walk the talk), the right
tools to do his job well (including
training and skills), open and free
communication and voice in the
decisions of the company etc.
These are all serious points which
need further elaboration. And there
are many more. More on how to
bring about Employee Engagement
in the next issue. -MM
References
9. HayGroup 2001. “Engage Employees and Boost
Performance.
10.Ibid.
“An employee spends
a significant portion of
his/her life at work. It is
important that they feel
their work is meaningful
and that it matters to
the organization. This is
what lies at the heart of
engagement.”
Joshua Soans is the Executive Editor
of MedicinMan
joshuasoans@medicinman.net
10 | MedicinMan May 2013
W
hen I was promoted
from a MR to DM
(FLM) and that too at
a young age of 24 years, besides the
fear of unknown and the trepidation
of bigger responsibilities, the first
thought that came to my mind was
‘ I made it’. I felt that all my hard
work and consistent performance
has finally been rewarded. So it was
all celebrations at a reasonably good
restaurant with close friends apart
from my family members. More than
all these, I strongly believed that I
was more than ready to take on the
managerial role.
If I now sit and reflect on this part of
my transition, I have some interest-
ing perspectives to share which may
help many young managers and ‘to
be’ promoted managers.
The reality is, to be successful as a
first-time manager one needs to go
through a major transition for which
many people are not adequately
prepared.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect
of this transition is that first-time
managers are responsible for getting
work done through others rather
than on their own.
While a new manager may recognize
this transition theoretically, they
often refuse to accept it psychologi-
cally, as reflected by their on the job
behaviors.
Most often, they intimidate their
team members with their experience
and expertise. For example, a newly
promoted manager might start doing
So, YOU’RE THE
BOSS NOW.
K. Hariram is the former MD (retd.) at Galderma India.
He is Chief Mentor at MedicinMan and a regular contributor.
khariram25@yahoo.com
Howtomakethetransitionfromsalestopeoplemanagement(without
intimidating team members, micro managing or losing your cool).
“Perhaps the most challenging aspect
of this transition is that first-time
managers are responsible for getting
work done through others rather than
on their own.
While a new manager may recognize
this transition theoretically, they often
refuse to accept it psychologically, as
reflected by their on the job behaviors.”
E
11 | MedicinMan May 2013
So, Your the Boss Now | K. Hariram
everything from talking to doctors/re-
tailers to taking orders etc, himself rather
than helping his team member to do it;
this is all the more if he is well versed
with the customers and the market,
enjoying the thrill of exhibiting to every-
one his established skill in this area. In
other situations, the new manager may
end up challenging/competing with his
team members on assignments and lose
patience when the team member is slow
or shoddy in his approach.
Letting go of the tasks and responsibil-
ities that earned them a promotion in
the first place is a tremendously difficult
aspect of this transition.
Since these behaviors may impact
the overall development, morale and
therefore the productivity of the team
members, organizations must do more
than the normal induction to help the
newly promoted go through this import-
ant transition. The ‘transition training’
should include specific shift in skills,
time frame applications, and work values
in terms of ‘what’ and ‘how’. The new
manager should also understand how the
team members have progressed in their
performance, their skill areas, events
that have shaped them and their value
systems.
In today’s times the era of ‘command and
control’ type of managers do not help
or sustain the performance or for that
matter, the team members, too. Infor-
mation is accessible at all level and the
Generation-Y looks for more latitude in
handling their assignments. Unlike in the
past, they demand career opportunities
and loyalty is the thing of past.
First-line managers and the first time
managers need to wake up to these new
realities and not to the old ones. Not
always easy, because many of the people
who are promoted to this first manageri-
al level are/were good sales people; they
have spent their time developing great
skills at reaching their targets by manag-
ing themself rather than being in touch
with the expectations of their colleagues.
So, let us look at what could help first
time Manager to help through this tran-
sition to meet the needs and maximize
the performance of their team members:
Managers must cease thinking only
about themselves and start thinking
about their team members, their report-
ing managers, other supporting func-
tions, etc. Of course, saying this is easy,
but practicing and orienting takes time.
Clearly defining and assigning
work to be done, including
communicating with the boss and others
about needs or expectations, planning,
organizing, choosing people, and dele-
gating.
Enabling the team members to do
the work by monitoring, coach-
ing, providing feedback, helping with
resources, problem solving, and commu-
nicating.
Establishing relationships with
direct reports, bosses, and sup-
port functions that facilitate two-way
communication including building trust.
Bringing in the necessary
ATTITUDINAL shift from ‘self
to others’.
Investing the necessary time with
the team members. Joint working
with all the team members covering all
the important markets irrespective of
the discomforts of travel, weather, long
working hours and other hardships.
Of course, there are many other aspects
of this management function - and many
other techniques, skills and tools for per-
forming them - than what is mentioned
here.
I have attempted to bring these points to
help people who have transited or going
through the transition to have a basic
understanding of the requirements. I
am sure as one gets deeper into their job
they will be looking for new ideas, new
tools and new techniques.
The conventional definition of a manager
is ‘getting things done through the efforts
of people’.
The new version in the context of
knowledge era is “also helping people to
develop and evolve through work”. -MM
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Letting go of the tasks and
responsibilities that earned
them (managers) a promotion
in the first place is a tremen-
dously difficult aspect of this
transition.”
“In today’s times the era of
‘command and control’ type
of managers do not help or
sustain the performance or for
that matter, the team mem-
bers, too.
Information is accessible at
all level and the Generation-Y
looks for more latitude in
handling their assignments.
Unlike in the past, they de-
mand career opportunities and
loyalty is the thing of past.”
12 | MedicinMan April 2013
Speakers at FFE 2012
FFE 20135
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10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
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Date: Saturday, 8th June 2013
Theme:FieldForceProductivity
Place: Courtyard Marriott, Mumbai
13 | MedicinMan May 2013
O
ne man can be a crucial
ingredient on a team, but
one man cannot make a
team.” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The famous quote by former NBA
player can be applied in Field Force
Effectiveness (FFE).
Here, if we consider FFE is team-
work, then it cannot be achieved by
Medical Reps or line managers alone.
There must be active involvement of
all other team players in the organi-
zation.
In regular industry practice, sales
persons are held responsible for FFE.
Whereas there are various depart-
ments which are directly or indirect-
ly working towards FFE and there-
fore should made accountable for it.
Consider the following scenarios:
Scenario 1 – Company whose
Medical Reps visit Doctors regularly,
delivering the same message which
marketing team wants to convey, able
to attract good number of customers
under company’s umbrella and have
good hold in territory .
Even after this, if they fail to fetch
the sales numbers it is considered as
their ineffectiveness.
Scenario 2 – Medical Reps of
another company not at all working
efficiently in terms of number of
visits, brand communication and
other activities, even then company
is making satisfactory sales from
heritage brand. This is considered as
effectiveness of sales force.
However both the above cases show
that companies have to look beyond
field force to achieve FFE.
Stakeholders of
Field
Force
ExcellenceMedical Representative
Senior Management
Line Managers
HR
Marketing
Training
Field Force Excellence is the
responsibility of a group of
individuals and not just the Medical
Rep. Each stakeholder in selling
process has a precise and important
role to play.
Vishal V. Bhaiyya is a Consultant - Pharma and Healthcare Projects,
Strategic Analysis Inc.
Follow Vishal Bhaiyya on Twitter: @bhaiya_vishal
vishalbhaiyyapharma.blogspot.in
E
14 | MedicinMan May 2013
Stakeholders of Field Force Excellence | Vishal Bhaiyya
Therefore, there is definite need of map-
ping the accountability of other stake-
holders by their contribution such as
brand strategy, medical communication,
innovation in the molecule, company
reputation in the market and others.
All these stakeholders can impact FFE
beyond their respective tasks.
Roles & Responsibilities for FFE
1) HR and Administration
• Recruitment of members in the team
with good communication skills, clarity
of thoughts and learning ability, and
overall charming personality.
• Transparency in appraisal and other
admin related activities.
2) Training
• Product And Product Related Techni-
cal Knowledge - Trainers can ignite the
minds of sales people with knowledge
required to sell the products in the high-
ly competitive market.
• Calling Skills - Medical Reps who
are the face of company should be well
versed with the skills required to impress
the customers during the call.
3) Marketing and Medical
Communication
• Product Brand Equity
- Marketing team can con-
tribute to FFE in terms of
continuously improving the
brand equity of its products
in the minds of clinicians.
• Brand Communication -
Leveraging USP of prod-
uct to differentiate from
competitors and be able to
force customers to think
twice before switching over
to competitor’s product.
• Medical Communication
- Medical communication
must be so convincing, that KOLs and
influential customers must be convinced
about product before the field force visit.
• CME - This is the best way for a com-
pany to get close to customers so that
field force can nurture the opportunity.
4) Senior Management
• Product Innovation and Introduction
– Pioneers always have an advantage.
Therefore company management should
focus on launching innovative prod-
ucts so that field force can leverage the
advantage.
• Relationship Through CSR – By CSR
activities company can build corporate
image in the society and influence cus-
tomers positively.
5) Line Managers
• Motivation – This is the most import-
ant factor that enabeles line managers to
keep the field force engaged.
• Day To Day Follow-Ups
6) Medical Representative
• Effective Implementation – This should
be the motto of Medical Reps. Whether
it is brand message, medical commu-
nication or any campaign - all must be
implemented as per plan.
• Visit Frequency and Consistency –
There must be continuous and fruitful
visit to customers according to their
category.
• Efficiency in Reaping Benefits – CSR
activities, CMEs, patient education
programs and other activities make the
Medical Reps and Doctors come closer
Conclusion
By this multidimensional and approach,
the company can allocate responsibilities
and make the strategy more and more
focused, leading to FFE -MM
Fig. 1 – Responsibilities of Stakeholders in FFE
)+91-93422-32949
* anupsoans@medicinman.net22 North Road, Cooke Town, Bangalore - 575084
FFE 20135
x
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
y
Date: Saturday, 8th June 2013
Theme:FieldForceProductivity
Place: Courtyard Marriott, Mumbai
MORNINGAFTERNOON
Session 1: Keynote Address: Shakti Chakraborty, President, Lupin
Session 4: Panel Discussion: “Employee Engagement: The New Paradigm for Enhanc-
ing Field Force Productivity.”
Moderator: Anup Soans - Editor, MedicinMan
Panelists: Deep Bhandari - Director, Marketing and Sales Excellence, UCB
-Confirmation awaited from other panelists
Networking Breakfast
Lunch
Session 2: CEO Roundtable: “Field Force Productivity: Opportunities and Challenges”
Moderator: Sujay Shetty, Partner and Lead, Pharma and Life Sciences, PwC
Roundtable Members:
Shakti Chakraborty, President, Lupin
Bhaskar Iyer, Divisional vice president, India Commercial Operations, Abbott
-Confirmation awaited from other panelists-
Session 5: Amlesh Ranjan, Associate Director, Sanofi: “New Pharma Sales Model for
Healthcare Opportunity”
Session 3: Panel Discussion: “Business Intelligence for Field Force Productivity.”
Moderator: Vikas Dandekar, India Bureau Chief, Elsevier Business Intelligence
Panelists: Salil Kallianpur, Commercial Head - Classic Brands Center of Excellence, GSK
-Confirmation awaited from other panelists-
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Theme: Field Force Productivity - Opportunities and Challenges
Segmentationforthe
medicalRep.
16 | MedicinMan May 2013
This Article is extacted from
the book “HardKnocks for the
GreenHorn” by Anup Soans.
“HardKnocks for the GreenHorn
is available at a special 1+1 FREE
offer. For Details see page 18.
Segmentation for the Medical Rep | Anup Soans
S
egmentation refers to the
grouping of prospective
customers into segments that
have common needs and will respond
in an identical manner to a marketing
input. Segmentation begins with
understanding customers and allowing
marketers to build relationships with
them. It is the first step in a marketing
strategy. Once marketers divide the
market into various groups, they can
then select their 'targeted segments'
and design products and the marketing
strategy to match their needs.
Pharmaceutical marketing managers
are well-versed in the traditional
aspects of segmenting according
to the speciality of the doctor, the
prescription potential of the doctor,
and the location of his practice, private
practices, institutional businesses,
and the like. These are processes
of demographic and geographic
segmentation, which tell you who the
doctor is and where he practises. It
focuses on the features and benefits of
the product and its price.
It does not, however, take into account
what motivates him, what are his
aspirations, what intangibles move
him, and his personal preferences,
including the aesthetics of the product,
its presentation, the persons who
promote it, and the way it is promoted.
Nonetheless, this type of segmentation,
while difficult, is more personalised
E
17 | MedicinMan May 2013
Segmentation for the Medical Rep | Anup Soans
and, therefore, more effective. For
example, in order to be effective while
promoting a product to a lady doctor,
one needs to be more sensitive to the
nature of her personality. Similarly, in
order to be effective while promoting a
product to a senior doctor, one needs to
take into account his emotional need for
recognition. In short, one size does not
fit all, and the imaginative and informed
MR will strive to be more empathetic
while promoting products to various
segments of doctors. This will make his
job more interesting and will increase
his productivity.
The psychographic profile of the doctor
can make product-promotion more
specific and effective. The prescription
pattern of a doctor or group of doctors
when analysed can reveal the individual
preferences, which are called specific
graphics. They can be used to tailor-
make the promotion so as to influence
the doctor favourably towards the
product, the MR, and his company. The
MR with knowledge, understanding
and an appreciation of the processes
of segmentation, differentiation,
positioning, branding, and pricing can
study individual doctors and groups of
them, and may be in a position to get a
higher return on efforts by adapting the
presentation to suit the doctor's profile.
There are at least six categories of
customer characteristics that form the
basis for segmentation:
Geographic segmentation: The market
is divided according to location. It is
based on the assumption that people
living in the same area share similar
habits and wants.
Demographic segmentation: It is based
on characteristics such as age, sex,
marital status, income, education, and
specialisation of the doctor.
Psychographic segmentation:
Psychological characteristics refer to the
traits of a person. Doctors are divided
on the basis of their needs, personality,
perceptions, knowledge, and level of
engagement, motivations and attitudes.
Specific-graphics segmentation:
Doctors are divided depending on the
product or brand usage characteristics,
such as the rate of usage (doctors are
divided depending on the number
of times they prescribe a product);
awareness status (doctors are divided
based on their knowledge of a product;
for instance, if a doctor instantly
recalls all of the product’s features, his
awareness-level is high and so is his
brand loyalty).
Benefit-segmentation: The market is
divided into segments depending on the
benefits of the products. This method
is used to communicate the product’s
features to consumers. For instance, OD
dosage can be marketed as a form of
convenience and for better compliance.
Hybrid segmentation: Instead of
sticking to one particular segmentation
style, marketers combine one or two
segmentation variables and arrive at
another segmentation. This style is
referred to as Hybrid segmentation.
What are the benefits of Segmentation?
1. You are able to lend focus to your
marketing strategy:
You need to deliver your marketing
message to a relevant doctor group. If
the target market is too broad, there is
a strong risk that the key customers will
be missed. By segmenting markets, the
target doctor can be reached more often
and at a lower cost.
2. You can gain a share of the market
segment:
Unless your products have a strong
or leading market share, they will
be unlikely to get you much profit.
Minor brands suffer from pressures
from distributors and less space on the
chemists’ shelves. Proper segmentation
and targeting will allow you to achieve
a competitive position and become
the preferred choice of doctors and
chemists. Segmentation enables smaller
firms to compete with bigger ones. -MM
Anup Soans is the author of
“HardKnocks for the GreenHorn”,
SuperVision for the SuperWiser
Front-line Manager”and“Repeat Rx”.
He is a facilitator of Learning and
Development Programs for Managers
and Medical Reps at India’s top
Pharma Company’s
Contact:
anupsoans@gmail.com
+91-93422-32949
“In order to be effective while
promoting a product to a senior
doctor, one needs to take into
account his emotional need
for recognition. In short, one
size does not fit all, and the
imaginative and informed
MR will strive to be more
empathetic while promoting
products to various segments
of doctors. This will make his
job more interesting and will
increase his productivity.”
Buy 1 get 1 free !
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Field Force Excellence Tools for Individuals and Corporates
19 | MedicinMan May 2013
J
ust the day
before ‘Brand-
Drift 2013’,
when I called on
Gurudas Masurkar at his office, to present him my book,
‘PHARMA FIRST-LINE LEADER TO CEO: THE ROAD-
MAP TO SUCCESS’, I never thought that this would be my
last meeting. Just imagine, at 91, attending office, albeit on
a wheelchair! Late Gurudas Masurkar was the Chairman
Emeritus of Entod Pharmaceuticals, a company he founded
after he retired from an illustrious 29 year career with Duphar
Interfran. Late Gurudas Masurkar was better known as the
‘Crocin Man’.
Gurudas’s journey from a farming family in Masur village of
North Kanara District (Karnataka) to a successful entrepre-
neur is fascinating. After BA he did D.Pharma. He literally
gate-crashed into Crookes Laboratories as a medical represen-
tative (the company later became Duphar Interfran and then
Solvay)! He began his career as a clerk in Popular Pharmacy,
Gurgaon, Mumbai. He was impressed by the well dressed gen-
tlemen, with polished manners, speaking fluent English often
calling on him at Popular Pharmacy. They were the medical
representatives. He decided to pursue his career in pharma-
ceutical selling.
One fine afternoon he went to the office of Crookes Labora-
tories and submitted his application, but was told that there
was no vacancy. He left the office but waited outside for the
managing director. As soon as he saw him, he approached
him and told him of his desire. The MD seeing his bold and
courageous approach recruited him. He eventually rose to
become the head of sales and marketing at Crookes.
Late Gurudas Masurkar launched two successful brands viz.
Crocin and Lacto Calamine. In India, the history of Cro-
cin was more than 50 years when it was first introduced by
Crookes. Competition to Crocin was tough - from Metacin
(by Themis), Malidens (by British Schering, now with Abbott
via the Nicholas Piramal route) and Calpol (by Burroughs
Wellcome, now GSK). Although the brand management con-
cept did not exist in India those days, he once told me, there
used to be healthy marketing battles for brand leadership.
It was a brutal battle which Crocin won. He gives the entire
credit of the success of Crocin to the medical representatives
and field managers. Who would do this in today’s age? My
close friend Shirish Gore who was a Field Manager in Duphar
once said “Masurkar Sir cares a lot for the people and our
development. We will do anything for him. His best trait is
giving honest feedback without offending anyone. Feedback
from him is always a positive experience.” A great lesson to be
learnt by the sales and brand managers!
I asked him about the genesis of the name Crocin. Very simple
he answered. “‘cin’ was a popular suffix for pain killers in those
days. The pain killer from Crookes became Crocin”!
Apart from a brilliant marketing strategist, he was a great
philanthropist and cared even for people he did not know.
When he went on Board of Directors of the second largest
cooperative bank in India, viz. SVC Bank, he remembered
the days when he had to struggle for finances when he floated
Entod Pharmaceuticals. He cut off the red tape so that young
entrepreneurs did not have to wait long for finances. He made
the entire process very smooth and swift.
He has helped in the shaping the careers of many young peo-
ple; and I am one of the beneficiaries.
A great era has come to end. May his soul be in peace! - MM
P.S. Those who have read my book ‘PHARMA FIRST-LINE
LEADER TO CEO: THE ROADMAP TO SUCCESS’ may
remember the two central characters in this book: ‘The Mentor’
and ‘Vinod Kamat‘. ‘The Mentor’ in this book is Late Gurudas
Masurkar while ‘Vinod Kamat’ represents the author.
‘Crocin Man’ passes away.
Gurudas Masurkar was an industry veteran who launched landmark brands like
Crocin and Lacto Calamine. He was Chairman Emeritus at Entod Pharmaceuticals.
A tribute to a Mentor by one of his Mentee.
Prof. Vivek Hattangadi is a Consultant in Pharma Brand Management and
Sales Training at The Enablers. He is also visiting faculty at CIPM Calcutta (Vidyasagar
University) for their MBA course in Pharmaceutical Management.
vivekhattangadi@theenablers.org
E
20 | MedicinMan May 2013
What is
Pharmaco-
economics?
P
harmacoeconomics can be
defined as the description
and analysis of the cost
of drug therapy to the healthcare
systems and the society1
. It is the
process of identifying, measuring
and comparing the costs, risks and
benefits of programs, services or
therapies and determining the best
alternative for health outcomes
for the resource invested. Applied
Pharmacoeconomics can be defined
as combining Pharmacoeconomic
principles, methods and theories
into practice to quantify the
value of pharmacy products and
pharmaceutical care services used in
the real world environments.
Pharamcoeconomics, outcomes
research and pharmaceutical
care can be related to each other.
Pharmacoeconomics is a division
of outcomes research that can
be used to quantify the value of
pharmaceutical care products and
services. Outcomes research can be
defined as the studies that identify,
measure and evaluate the results of
healthcare services. Pharmaceutical
care has been defined as the provision
of drug therapy for achieving definite
outcomes2
.
Perspectives
The perspective of the analysis
determines from whose point of
view the decision is being made.
Defining the perspective of the
analysis is especially important
in pharmacoeconomic analyses
because the costs that are
incurred depend heavily on the
perspective. Assessment of costs
and consequences and the value
of pharmaceutical product or
service depend on the perspective
evaluation. Common perspectives
include patient, provider, payer, and
society.
1. Patient
perspective
It is of utmost importance as the
patients are the ultimate consumers
of healthcare services. These costs
are essentially paid by the patients
Mahendra Rai is a Senior Consultant (HEOR,
Pricing and Market Access) at Capita India.
He is an expert in HEOR, Market Access, and
Outcomes Research.
mahendra.rai@gmail.com
Richa Goyal is a Consultant (HEOR, Pricing and Market
Access) at Capita India, Mumbai. She is an expert in
HEOR, Market Access, Outcomes Research and medical
communications services.
richapharmacist@gmail.com
References
1. Townsend RJ. Post-marketing drug research and
development. Ann Pharmacother 1987;21:134-136.
2. Drummond M, Smith GT, Wells N. Economic evaluation in the
development of medicines. London: Office of Health Economics,
1988:33.
3. http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_
improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_
tools/patient_perspectives.html. Accessed on 28th April 2013
Pharmacoeconomics can be defined as the description and analysis of
the cost of drug therapy to the healthcare systems and the society.
- EMERGINGING AREAS IN HEALTHCARE -
E
21 | MedicinMan May 2013
Pharmacoeconomics: Perspectives in Cost Evaluation | Richa Goyal & Mahendra Rai
for a product or service and are
not covered by the insurance
companies. This perspective should
be considered when assessing the
impact of drug therapy on quality
of life or if a patient pays out of
pocket expense for a healthcare
service3
.
2. Provider
perspective
These are the actual expense of
providing a product or service,
regardless of what is charged
by the provider. Providers
can be hospitals, managed
care organizations, or private
practice physicians. From this
perspective, direct costs like drugs,
hospitalization, laboratory tests,
supplies and salaries of healthcare
professionals can be identified,
measured and compared4
.
3. Payer
perspective
Payers comprise of insurance
companies, employers or the
government. The costs from this
perspective represent the charges
for healthcare products and
services allowed or reimbursed
by the payer. The primary cost
of the payer comes under the
direct costs. Indirect costs such
as lost work days (absenteeism),
low productivity (presenteeism)
also contribute to the total cost of
healthcare to the payer5
.
4. Societal
perspective
This is the broadest of all
perspectives, as it is the only
one that considers the benefit to
society. All direct and indirect
costs are included in the economic
evaluation performed by the
societal perspective. Costs from
this perspective include patient
morbidity and mortality and the
overall costs of giving and receiving
medical care6
.
Conclusion
Analyses can be done from one
or several perspectives, which
will help in determining the
distribution of disease costs across
multiple stakeholders. To conclude,
pharmacoeconomic data can be a
powerful tool to support various
clinical decisions, ranging from
the level of patient to the entire
healthcare system. - MM
References
4. Gail R. Wilensky. Reforming Medicare’s Physician Payment
System. N Engl J Med 2009; 360:653-655.
5. Lancry PJ, Oconnor R, Stempel D, Raz M. Using health
outcomes data to inform decision-making: healthcare payer
perspective. Pharmacoeconomics. 2001;19 Suppl 2:39-47.
6. Russell LB, Fryback DG, Sonnenberg FA. Is the societal
perspective in cost-effectiveness analysis useful for decision
makers? Jt Comm J Qual Improv. 1999 Sep;25(9):447-54.
FFE 20135
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Date: Saturday, 8th June 2013
Theme:FieldForceProductivity
Place: Courtyard Marriott, Mumbai
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22 | MedicinMan May 2013
Pharmacoeconomic
Analysis
Introduction
T
he rising healthcare
cost is a major concern
to patients, healthcare
professionals, and various
stakeholders involved in
the decision-making. As the
affordability of new medical
technologies continues to be
the subject of heated debate,
attention is increasingly focused
on providing quality, cost-effective
healthcare to patients. In this era
of cost-conscious healthcare
delivery, pharmacoeconomic
research has evolved as a
significant and important field of
research.
Pharmacoeconomic evaluation
identifies, measures and
compares the costs and
consequences of pharmaceutical
products and services. The
numerous stakeholders in the
healthcare landscape must
understand the basics of
pharmacoeconomic principles
and how these may be applied to
make rational therapeutic choices.
Types of
Pharmacoeconomic
Analysis
There are four main types of
pharmacoeconomic evaluations:
1. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
(CEA)
2. Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA)
3. Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)
4. Cost-Minimisation Analysis
(CMA)
1. Cost-Effectiveness
Analysis (CEA): Compares
the relative difference of costs
and consequences of different
treatment alternatives. In CEA,
costs are measured in monetary
terms and health consequences
are measured in natural or
physical units.
2. Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA):
CUA has the same principle as
a CEA, but includes measures
of the impact on the quality of
life. CUA is often used when
quantity and quality of life are both
important.
3. Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA):
Compares treatment alternatives
where both costs and benefits are
expressed in monetary terms.
4. Cost-Minimisation Analysis
(CMA): Compares treatment
alternatives that yield similar
health consequences. Once
the health consequences are
established to be the same, a
CMA would compare all cost
between treatments to determine
the option with the least cost.
Pharmacoeconomic evaluation
identifies, measures and compares
the costs and consequences
of pharmaceutical products
and services. The numerous
stakeholders in the healthcare
landscape must understand the
basics of pharmacoeconomic
principles and how these may
be applied to make rational
therapeutic choices.
Javed Shaikh is a Consultant (HEOR, Pricing,
Reimbursement and Market Access) at Capita
India, Mumbai.
cpnjaved@gmail.com
Shafaq Shaikh is an Associate (HEOR, Pricing,
Reimbursement and Market Access) at Capita
India, Mumbai.
shafaq07@gmail.com
E
23 | MedicinMan May 2013
Pharmacoeconomic Analysis: Javed Shaikh and Shafaq Shaikh
Types of Costs in
Pharmacoeconomic
Analysis
Costs in health economic
analyses are divided into three
main groups (see Table):
1. Direct cost
2. Indirect cost
3. Intangible cost
Direct Costs Indirect Costs Intangible Costs
Cost of resources
used related to the
illness: medical cost
and non-medical cost
Refers to resources
lost as a result of the
treatment and illness
that involve morbidity
and mortality
Represents costs
as a consequence
of the treatment
not measurable in
monetary terms
Direct medical cost:
Cost of medication,
diagnostic,
treatment, follow-up,
rehabilitation, and
hospital admission
Includes both
paid and unpaid
productivity
loss such as
temporary sickness
absenteeism,
permanent functional
impairment,
premature death, etc.
These costs can
be pain, grief, and
suffering
Direct non-medical
cost: Costs for
personal facilities,
travel, food, lodging,
paid personal care,
etc.
Indirect cost can
be measured by
approaches such as
the Human Capital or
Frictional Methods
Can be quantified
using approved
outcome-
measurement
techniques
Measurements
of Outcomes in
Pharmacoeconomic
Analysis
Health outcomes are
consequences of a treatment/
intervention or programme
which results in changes of
quantity and quality of life.
Health consequences can be
final, intermediate or surrogate
outcomes. Final outcomes are
usually measured as life years
or quality adjusted life years
(QALYs). Intermediate outcomes
are usually measured by clinical
parameters that have evidence-
based correlation with the final
outcome. A surrogate outcome
is an end point that substitutes
and can be predictive of a final
outcome. Final outcomes are
measured over a natural course
of the disease whilst intermediate
outcomes are measured over
a short time horizon. Changes
in quality of life can be valued
directly by several methods such
as rating scale or time trade-off.
It can also be valued indirectly by
employing instruments such as
EQ-5D, HUI3, or SF-6D.
24 | MedicinMan May 2013
Pharmacoeconomic Analysis: Javed Shaikh and Shafaq Shaikh
Decision Analytic Model
Modelling is necessary in health
economic analysis in order
to inform decision-making. It
consists of a series of health
states, representing the expected
health consequences of different
treatments. Modelling provides
an important framework for
synthesizing available evidence
and generating estimates of
clinical and cost-effectiveness.
Modelling can be used to
extrapolate short-term outcome
data or surrogate measures
to long-term outcomes using
modelling techniques. It may
also be used to generate data
from clinical trial settings to
routine practice and to estimate
the relative effectiveness of the
technologies where these have
not been directly compared.
Discounting
The reason for the need to
discount in an economic
evaluation is ‘time preference’
which refers to the desire to enjoy
benefits in the present while
deferring any negative effects
of doing so. Future costs are
discounted to account for the
time value of money, and future
health benefits are discounted
to account for the delay in
satisfaction from these outcomes.
The effect of discounting is to
give future costs and health
benefits less weight in an
economic analysis.
Sensitivity Analysis
Uncertainty could arise in
pharmacoeconomic studies
from the natural variation
in populations and also the
heterogeneous external data
sources used. Sensitivity
analysis is performed for all
key parameters in an analysis,
in order to test the validity and
robustness of the conclusion.
Incremental Cost-
Effectiveness Ratio
(ICER) and Average Cost-
Effectiveness Ratio (ACER)
ICER compares the difference
between the costs and health
consequences of two alternative
interventions that compete for the
same resources. It is generally
described as the additional
cost per additional health
consequence.
ACER is the ratio of the cost to
benefit of an intervention without
reference to a comparator. It
deals with a single intervention
and evaluates that intervention.
ACER is calculated by dividing
the net cost of the intervention
by the total number of health
consequences prevented by
the intervention. It is generally
described as cost per unit of
outcome.
Budget Impact Analysis
(BIA)
BIA estimates the financial
consequences of adopting
a new health technology in
a clearly specified setting.
BIA complements the
pharmacoeconomic evaluations
by providing additional
information for decision making
as it addresses the issue of
affordability and sustainability.
BIA provides information on the
overall impact of a new health
technology to a budget.
25 | MedicinMan May 2013
Pharmacoeconomic Analysis: Javed Shaikh and Shafaq Shaikh
Summary
In order to achieve the goal of
the least expensive treatment
with the best possible outcome,
pharmacoeconomics should be
implemented into the healthcare
decision-making process.
Healthcare resources are not
easily accessible and affordable
to many patients, therefore
pharmacoeconomic evaluations
play an important role in the
allocation of these resources.
Pharmacoeconomics is also
important to drug manufacturers
in terms of communicating
to external decision-makers
(payers, physicians, patients) the
value of their products, achieving
regulatory and reimbursement
approval, and contributing to
commercial success. The use
of pharmacoeconomics in early
drug development phases is
likely to enhance the efficiency
of R&D resource use and also
provide a solid foundation for
communicating product value to
external decision-makers.- MM
References
1. Pharmacoeconomics: From Theory to Practice, Renee J. G.
Arnold (Editor), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 2009. 264. ISBN-
13: 978-1420084221.
2. Pharmacoeconomics. Sule NS, Nerurkar RP, Kamath SA. J
Assoc Physicians India. 2002 Aug;50:1057-62.
3. Principles of Good Practice for Decision Analytic Modeling
in Health-Care Evaluation: Report of the ISPOR Task Force
on Good Research Practices—Modeling Studies. Available
from: http://www.ispor.org/workpaper/research_practices/
PrinciplesofGoodPracticeforDecisionAnalyticModeling-
ModelingStudies.pdf
4. Pharmacoeconomics: basic concepts and terminology: T.
Walley & A. Haycox, Br J Clin Pharmacol 1997; 43: 343–348.
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27 | MedicinMan May 2013
10 Coaching
Nuggets for FLMs
H
ave you (FLM) ever
thought of building
a sales team that is a
great DIFFERENTIATOR in the
crowded market place? Here are
10 nuggets to help you do this:
1.As an FLM and as a coach,
you have to be accessible
when the team member has a
problem or a need.
2.To be effective as
an FLM, you must have
developed something
through experience that
you can demonstrate and
that will be respected by
your sales people. Merely
demanding results may
not be accepted by your team
members.
3.As an effective sales coach,
you need to ‘walk the talk’ by
modeling those behaviors that you
tell your sales people to exhibit.
4. TELLING is not
COACHING. Your ability
to INFLUENCE with proper
INTERPERSONAL skills become
very vital as part of your coaching
efforts.
5.In coaching activities, as
an FLM and as a coach you are
looking for those behaviors that
influence your sales person’s
selling capabilities. They are
(a) knowledge of the products
and services offered, (b) clear
understanding of sales strategies
and the communication skills,
and (c) knowledge of the market,
including customers.
6.As a coach, you must be
committed and involved in
making each of your team
members...Successful.
7.Sales coaching is a two-way,
one-on-one process that enables
improvement of sales person’s
performance.
8. As an effective coach,
you need to develop the skill
of listening, observing and
objectively putting across the
truth.
9. As a coach you should
promote openness and trust.
10.You need to have
a clear understanding of
sales productivity and more
importantly, the skills in
developing your sales people
to successfully handle the
competitive environment. - MM
This article is 7th in a series on
“Coaching” by the author.
K. Hariram is the former MD (retd.) at Galderma India.
He is Chief Mentor at MedicinMan and a regular
contributor. khariram25@yahoo.com
As an effective coach, you need
to develop the skill of listening,
observing and objectively
putting across the truth.
To be effective as FLM, you
must have developed something
through experience that you can
demonstrate and that will be
respected by your sales people.
Merely demanding results may
not be accepted by your team
members.
E