Business N Finance

Effective marketing begins with the initial action. In a ballgame, you will be unable to score a goal if you don’t take a shot and in marketing parlance this can be compared to actually going out into the marketplace and putting theory into practice. The pharmaceutical industry is most competitive and requires a multifaceted approach to marketing, management of reputations, education and strategies included. Indeed, sales and marketing can sometimes be more concerned with positions, placing and protection rather than the ultimate dollar transaction. This subtle interaction of skills makes the selection of a core sales and marketing team very important, and because of this, many forward-thinking companies engage the services of a pharmaceutical consulting firm to help them implement.

Effective marketing begins and ends with the management of all those elemental sales and marketing activities. This will include coordination of day-by-day duties, but also a general oversight, levels of measurement and coordination. This is a team operation and all members must know what is required of them and how each is important in the achievement of the overall corporate goal.

Invariably, pharmaceutical consultants know full well that, while preparation, projection and analysis are important, nothing happens unless the plan is actually executed. All activities must first be co-ordinated, indicating who, what, when and where and the sales force must be conditioned to eliminate any potential distractions or objections that they may face. They must be adequately coached and aware of any loopholes and obstacles that they will undoubtedly encounter. They must be able to focus without distraction if need be and single-mindedly concentrate on the task in hand. If a team member is not familiar with time management, this rises to job number one, as prioritisation is critical to production. Of course this does not mean that more mundane elements should be ignored, just categorised and prioritised accordingly.

Important characteristics of a sales team member include thoroughness and attention to detail. Every member of the sales team contributes to the whole objective and other members must be aware of each contribution. It is never smart to assume anything as something critical could be missed out in this way, while procrastination helps to achieve nothing!

Effective implementation does not require the practitioner to be an automaton, just because attention to detail and an ability to manage time are of high importance. He or she must understand that one of the obstacles ahead is the threat of becoming overwhelmed. Whomever is able to rise above distractions will really produce good results for the organisation. Once again, prioritise and ensure that all primary tasks are completed. Delegation is fine if it helps with the overall goal, but no assumptions should ever be made.

Generally, pharma consulting organisations are well trained in the keys to effective implementation and are more than capable of training a sales and marketing force to take on the complex, challenging yet rewarding role of marketing within the pharmaceutical industry.

Alan Gillies is the CEO of L2L Consulting, a cutting-edge pharma consultancy firm which specialises in optimising productivity and performance within international companies by applying tailored organisational strategies.

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3. Brilliant Sales Force Effectiveness Requires The Correct Approach
4. Brilliant Sales Force Effectiveness Requires The Proper Strategy
5. Suggestions For Gauging Sales Force Effectiveness With Skilled Pharmaceutical Consultants