If organised properly, planning is all very well and good with an adequate marketing strategy outlined on paper, but it’s essential to remember that nothing happens unless action is taken. They say that you cannot win the lottery without buying a ticket and this essentially means that you cannot land meaningful sales and revenue unless you engage in the marketplace. Selling within the pharmaceutical business is much more than inking contracts and exchanging products for cash, it is also about management of reputations, the education of professionals and end users and corporate positioning. There are a lot of subtle steps involved when establishing a client account and ensuring that values are transferred and objectives met. This is where team training comes in and a pharmaceutical consulting firm can be engaged to offer comprehensive knowledge and experience to the sales and marketing program.
Each sales executive must be a team player and top management must ensure this is the case. From an overall perspective, effective marketing requires good management of this team and this is where pharmaceutical consultants are worth their weight in gold. Visualisation is an important tool within sales and marketing and results must be quantified, with control and measurement at all levels. The daily initiatives must be seen as part of an overall and tangible goal and the team should be able to work as a cohesive unit for best results to be achieved.
After planning is complete, the sales force must put it into action. Although you cannot underestimate the importance of planning and preparation, sales executives must now venture into the real world. No matter the amount of experience, the healthcare industry is particularly complex and all these intricacies must be part of an ongoing education. A poorly educated sales team may be unaware of some significant problems that they could encounter, resulting in wasted time and potential clients lost to other competitors. As they have a considerable amount of experience in the industry, pharma consulting firms appreciate time management and know that full application and dedication is required before key results may be achieved.
Never assume, as this inevitably leads to confusion and poor productivity. To be effective, the sales team member must be fully aware of the cohesive importance of a true team. Celebrate the contribution of each team member and make sure that it is completely visible to all concerned. Eliminate procrastination and encourage action. An effective sales person must be assertive, outgoing and creative.
When in the marketplace, the salesman or woman must be fully up to speed on product details, benefits, solutions and item availability, but must also be an effective manager, able to prioritise and still achieve stated benchmarks and goals. Effective implementation requires core skills, but also ongoing training and perfect management, both for the individual and for a marketing force as a whole. Invariably, pharmaceutical consulting organisations are primed and ready to take on these challenges.
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.
