The key to effective marketing essentially lies in taking action. Someone once said that you cannot score a goal unless you first take a shot, so in marketing terms the best intent in the world is worthless unless you actually go out and do something. Within the pharmaceutical industry, effective marketing is more than just making professionals aware of the products available, it is about a host of other objectives as well, including reputational management, education and positioning. Often, sales and marketing is involved with stating a case and protecting a position, rather than achieving the results in terms of dollar revenue. 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. As such, implementation includes measurement and control, as well as overall co-ordination of daily and weekly activities. All members of the sales and marketing team must be clearly aware of what is required of them and that their actions cannot be isolated, but must be seen as an integral part of the company’s overall objectives.
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. This does not mean ignoring the less important elements of their jobs, but it does mean that they need to be very careful with the allocation of time to non-core tasks.
Important characteristics of a sales team member include thoroughness and attention to detail. Each member of the sales team must be fully aware of the role of others and how they individually contribute to the holistic objective. 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. It is easy to become overwhelmed and this must be guarded against. This is where this person can set him or herself apart and really go the extra distance for the company. 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.
Highly effective implementation is a trademark of a top pharma consulting organisation, a firm that is fully able to train sales and marketing personnel to achieve and be rewarded within the tough 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.
