Self Evaluation of Marketing : Tips for MR.

This may happen to any one of the medical representative. One ponders to know and evaluate the self. Whether the marketing job has been done correctly, effectively and adequately. And this is more true for the self development and also to the organization that medical representative as a marketing force add to the competitive strengths, build and promote doctors loyalty and brand and medicine loyalty and company image. Most of the organizations determine for the purpose of customer feedback form or customer satisfaction form or the product campaign feedback form and such forms are either filled by the doctors and they are requested to send to the company. Or medical representative themselves fill it and then send it to their marketing bosses. Or someone senior from the marketing department visits to the doctors and seek their evluations and views on the company, its products and services and feedback on the information and services provided by the medical representatives. In such situations, any positive and negative feedbacks of the medical representative may work as a negative or positive influence and thus may change the directions of his / her motivations.
Informations if unbiased and gathered by the seniors in the marketing must handle and analyze very carefully and it should always be taken positively. Lessons learnt from the negative feedbacks must be an eye openers to the marketing seniors and they should redesign their marketing interactions processes with the key elements that is doctors.

There are normally three elements in the product information campaign. Introduction of the medical representative and the company. If the company is old and its products are well established, then this aspect would not matter much with one or two medical representative not doing justice with one or two doctors. Nevertheless, introduction of the self and the organization is the key communication base. Since it focusses the attention of the doctors on the recently achieved image and regulatory achievements of the organization. Medical representatives must be apprised in their training the following aspects:

• New technologies added.
• New machineries added.
• New certifications achieved like ISO 9001/ISO 14001/ OHSAS 18001/ WHO GMP/ GENEVA WHO GMP/ MHRA/ USFDA/ TGA and others.
• customer complaint management procedures and their effectiveness.
• online systems of the organizations.
• website related details.
• product details.
• new acquisitions.
• new modifications in the plant and machinery and how does it add in the quality of the products; reduction of quality risks and control and reduction of the impurities and stability profiles of the product shelf life and stability and error terms of the impurities.
• other informations.

Customer feedback forms must be simple and to the point and it should provide a comparative scale evluations. And this form should be filled without putting at inconvenience to the doctors. And never and never through manipulations or proxies.

Tips for the medical representatives for self evaluation marketing are as under :

1. Cordial welcome by the doctor.
2. cordial welcome by the hospital staff.
3. smile at the face of the doctor throughout the interaction process.
4. doctors doing eye to eye movements and eyelids movements. No boring attitutes.
5. Doctor attempting to listen and not avoiding kind.
6. if the doctor is already prescribing such medicine; then only the additional and incremental aspects of the medicines must be communicated.
7. doctors asking question. And if the answer to the question is not avilable, instant phone /mobile to the seniors if the information is handy. And ensuring that the queries of the doctors are resolved by the medical department through letter/ email and phones.
8. doctors giving his own mobile number and visiting card in smiling and cordial manner.

drbmsharma.

Quality Attributes of a Medical Representative.

Medical representative is a front end managment resources of the organization. And it is this force which can make difference to the growth of the organization and this force only makes the organization growing and growth oriented. And planning of the medical representative by the marketing organization and the vision of the top management.
Following are the quality attributes of the medical represenative :

• Preferably post graduate.
• Communication flair.
• communication competence.
• written communication competence.
• verbal communication competence.
• e mail communication.
• debating skills.
• brain storming skills.
• conference room management and compering skills.
• good personality.
• good height.
• good physique.
• good presentable outlook.
• man of character.
• good moral values.
• leadership values.
• transparency.
• sharing attitudes.
• filled with positive values.
• patience.
• not argumentative.
• not biased.
• always an attempting and getting achieved personality.
• planning skills.
• aptitudes for current affairs and knowledge.
• reasonable updated knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and pharma marketing, brand management, advertising management, doctors communications, tendering skills, tender negotiation skills.
• keen observer.
• keen listener.
• to the point.
• no time waster.
• punctual.
• disciplined.
• good MIS skills.
• analysis of sales data.
• retail sales analysis.
• projections of the sales figures.
• interviewing through one to one meeting.
• interviewing through questionnaires.
• product introduction/ product launch
• market promotion methods.
• local lanaguage communication skills
• good knowledge of the culture, etiquettes of the local places where posted.
• updated with current affairs.
• total information on the product of the company working.
• other qualities.

Now on each of these parameters, the measurment matrix is required to be develoepd. And during the course of five years, the candidate must score 100 marks. And any replacement, on a position should be from the ladder which scores the same level of marks. For example, a fresh joinee should be considered at the zero mark, and then after 3-4 months training the candidate must come to more than 50 marks in the second year the candidate should score 70-80 marks; in third year the candidate should score 80-90 marks and and in the final year, the candidate should be upgraded through training and field interactions upto the level of 100. Then the organization must ensure policies by which the candidates with more than 70 marks are retained for a durable/ long term employment and thus remunerations polcies are required to be attractive, commensurate and appreciable.

drbmsharma.

Listing the responsibilities of a medical representative

Each one in the marketing organization has a responsibilities, role, authorities and accountabilities. In this submission, the responsibilities of the medical representative (MR or mr ) have been described. These may or not be matching with each MR of each organization. These are simulated account of responsibilies and these are as under :

1. To be committed for the organization's vision, mission and quality and other management policies.
2. To be committed for the marketing policies of the marketing and sales department.
3. To be a man of commitment, values and always eager to learn and correct the self and set a process of improvement in the efficiencies and energies in the self.
4. To ensure that the territory and market shares for which he is responsibile show continual improvement in the sales in terms of quantity and values and the incremental rate of growth of sales in money and real terms is positive and encouraging.
5. To ensure that the market share of the respective products and brand does not decline.
6. to provide timely meaningful information on the products comparative qualities packaging etc. vis a vis consumers/ doctors views and retailers' views and provide such accurate and unbiased inputs to the marketing function which in turn shall use that input for continual improvement in the quality excellence of the marketing functions.
7. not to use any unlaw means.
8. not to commit any legal non compliance of any kind.
9. to comply all regulations relating FDA Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules and all rules relating good distribution practices.
10. to ensure timely planning and execution of daily schedules and reporting the MIS to the senior management.
11. to keep adequate inventory of leaflets, visiting cards, physicians samples, product catalogues and ensure that these are of good quality and physicians samples are not outdated or to be expiring;; these must be of recent batches; and that the physcians samples are good in quality, printing, packaging and ensure respect for the product in the eyes of the doctors and supporting staff.
12. to ensure good dressing codes at all the times.
13. to ensure right quality communcation.
14. to ensure that to the point talks are done and no time wasting is done.
15. to ensure that his attitudes are unbiased and has no favouritism.
16. to implement the company's incentives policy in the most honest and committed manner.
17. to ensure highest effective mobile communication with relevant consumer segments the medicines outlets, the hospital and doctors.
18. to continuously upgrade the self on the communication abilities.
19. to demonstrate leadership in marketing and sales.
20. to do a thorough job in understanding the technical and therapeutic applications of the medicines to be marketed and provide balanced and accurate information to the doctors and other relevant segments.
21. to have customer feedbacks and report the same to the functional head.
22. to have feedbacks of the retailers and report the same to the functional head.
23. to do the analysis of data on the marketed medicines; doctors visits and correlate the sales and visits effectiveness.
24. to be proficient in computers, analysis, MIS and communications and product information.

drbmsharma.

Second Line Communication of the Medical Representative.

The medical representatives are required to have at any marketing point, first the entry communications. And this communication is normally done with the second line employees of the medical dispensaries and hospitals by the medical representatives. And to influence this segment is one of the key requirements for a medical representative to get access to the doctor (s).

Any introduction with that second line staff has to be simple, truthful, filled with respect and manners. The following is the flow of information:

1. Name of the self.
2. name of the company
3. designation.
4. purpose of arrival.
5. purpose of meeting
6. how much time shall be required.
7. confirming appointment.
8. noting the in the diary.
9. pre intimation.
10. meeting with the second line staff.
11. expressing thanks.
12. Entering into the doctors cabin.
13. end of the process.

Any interaction with the second line staff has to be in the language those personnel are comfortable. the medical representatives are obviously required to be proficient in the local languate. The role plays and modules are required to talk with the second line staff. Second line staff proficiencies are required in the following combinations :

• Mobile talks from outside.
• One to one talks at the premises.
• In few cases, there could be E mail communications.

Such role plays must be done with respect to the government hospitals, private dispensaries and individual practicing doctors.

drbmsharma.

Redeployed Effective Utilization of Medical Representatives.

Currently the pharmaceutical companies are mostly utilizing general pool of medical representatives and that too the same man for all kinds of end market segement marketing. Stratified sales specialization though exist in a number of pharma companies, still it is now now a very loved concept. The same medical representative meets all sort of end consumer segements namely hospitals; all kinds of therapeutical applications. Same medical representatives is required to know all kinds of products of the organization and thus acquire mastery over all kinds of products marketed by the organization. In result, the focus of marketing may be of little impact. Of the total marketing and sales resources, strageties now need to be focussed in the following directions:

• Right now dedicated distributors are hardly playing any significant in pushing, retaining and promoting the companies products in the existing market penetrations. The logistics and distribution department of the pharma companies must review their strategies that how can they use the distributors awareness, education and competencies for retaining their current market shares.
• Further to this, those distributors who are holding franchise of many companies in the same therapeutic categories, one has to analyze what the incremental marketing and sale promotion role the said distributor is playing in retaining and enhancing the market share of the company in the given product segement lines.
• Selection criteria of the distributors and retailers need to be worked out and through education awareness and communication, the companies are required to use to retain their current market segment and share in over the counter sale drugs which normally is purchased without prescriptions.

Phamarceutical formualations marketing is right now sales/marketing staff driven. An organogram is drawn. Requirements of the qualifications, experience and competence are taken. The companies have to benchmark themselves with the marketing and sales experience and competence of some of the global leader companies. Indian top marketing brass has to find time to review their own organogram and redesign the structure. Since marketing strategies and their risks do depend on the structural differences in the marketing tools and approaches adopted by global players and national players.

First of all, renewed energies and efficiencies are required. At the same time, to ensure that the marketing resources do stay with the organization, the concept of stress management need to be thought from the field staff positions. The cost benefit of marketing should not be enhanced which become disadvantageous. The cost of marketing need to be understood and rationalized. And this data must be shared with the marketing and sales staff. The gross contribution and net contribution need to be thought in following positions:

a. Without marketing and sales costs: what is the net contribution organization proposes to have. This is the cost plus profit without marketing costs.

b. Now incremental marketing cost and benefits in terms of net value additions should be shared with the key marketing officials and such incremental resources need to be now on permanent resources base and temporary annual target basis achieved basis.

Of the total staff, whose experience is more than five years, such marketing and sales resources to be utilized by putting them in specialized product marketing and sales, and their reliance not to be put on junior and new teams. Value added product and their gross contributions should be with the experienced personnel. Twenty percent products if adding 80% gross contributions, such products and their marketing and sales strategies should essentially be with the experienced marketing resources. And incremental strategic marketing training of such resources need to be imparted where in the continual communication net work with the doctors through websites, mobiles, and other communication resources need to be worked out.

This requires a detailed market structure analysis and then redeployment of marketing and resources.

Specialized marketing by experienced personnel and their training and personality assumes a significance and this need to reoriented and focussed by the HR and training resources of the marketing department. Final one point need to be made: quality of the training resources of the HR and Marketing plays a serious role in motivating and instilling marketing strategies confidence. This training resources need to upgraded, refreshed and reviewed seriously by the organization. Normally, this is very often an ignored aspect of the marketing functions. Training of the marketing resources should not be taken as a routine activities but an opportunity to fill energies and motivations and building a personality.

drbmsharma.

Marketing Kit of the Medical Representative.

Marketing kit assumes a great significance in marketing and presenting the product and service to the doctors and hospitals and institutional segments. Of course, the personality aspects of the medical representative are critical but in that personality the supporting presentation tools and resources which we call as marketing kit is very important.
Defining the Marketing Kit : A list of the items alongwith its carrier which normally the medical representative takes alongwith is known as a marketing kit. Normally, it is a specific shape leather bag which medical representatives take with them. And almost there is hardly any difference between the leather bag of the medical representative of one company with that of another. In the marketing kit, now is also included the mobiles, ipods, the laptop. Mobiles, ipods and laptops ( preferably with two screens); and other items.
The size of the marketing kit, its colour codes, the company logos, even the name of the medical representatives, and other aspects. At the moment, the company's have not very clearly defined several aspects associated with the marketing kit. Now let us take these items one by one:
a. Hand Leather Bag: Specifications loosely defined. And bag polishing and maintenance and replacement frequency not determined and not reviewed. What the medical representatives keep inside, that is also not at all or loosely defined. However, these are critical aspects since it all conveys company image and quality of that medical representative.
b. Visiting Cards.
c. Daily planner.
d. Daily report format.
e. Physicians samples : here extra precautions are required, that when meeting a given doctor, the products of his relevant need to be taken out and not other items which may waste time or put the doctor under boring embarassment.
f. Gift items for the doctor if any.
g. Promotional Stationery/ product catalogues : for demonstrations and product catalogies for giving it to the doctors.
h. Video Film/ Video CD.
i. other items.

Senior supervisor present in the town must inspect and get edited the medical representative kit and ensure that it serves in building the image of the pharma organization and that also of the medical representative.

drbmsharma.

Task Planner for the Medical Representative.

Task planning and its effective implementation is one of the key expectations, requirements and objectives of the medical representative. Planning the task and its realization not in terms of physical terms but in real terms the goals expected and realized.that is the sales of the medicines is one of the key responsibilities of the medical representative. After all trainings provided and their effectiveness established at the conference room level, the well dress medical representative is now expected to deliver the results. And in this connection, he has to plan his tasks. For planning the tasks on a monthly, weekly and daily basis, the following inputs are required by the medical representatives :
a. map of the town.
b. list of the doctors and their communication details.
c. the timing of their dispensaries or availability of timings or duration of the time for appointments.
d. list of the products which the medical representative has to present.
e. technical write up.
f. therapeutic guidance document of the proposed or prevalent products.
g. the video film.
h. the physicians samples.
i. recommendations/ testimonials/ published data on the said medicines in India and abroad.
j. also the data on adverse reactions or side effects etc. for better decisions on prescriptions.
k. the dose sizes of the medicines.
l. the regulatory aspects of the medicines.
m. the price tags, the expiry periods.
n. storage and use instructions.
o. labelling requirements and label claims details.
p. comparative studies.
q. the doctor's diary.
r. his own appointment diary.
s. write note pad or making notes.
t. any other support resources which help in ensuring perform his role,tasks and responsibilities.
u. communication information and contact details of the seniors and other relevant officials of the organization for putting an online and on the spot information and clarity should the doctor need or the medical representative need, depending on the context of discussions with the doctors or other supporting staff.

Quality Specifications of a Medical Representative

Medical reprsentative is a front end marketing and sales support resource for product introduction and promotion of the pharmaceutical formulations. First of all now there is a time that for this profession, equal opportunity employment should be created. At the moment, the employment of medical reprsentative is a skewed in favour of males. Following are the suggested quality specifications :

• science or pharma graduate.
• tall.
• presentable.
• polite
• command on two languages, in which one language should be English.
• good health.
• no colour blindedness.
• oriented for to the point
• unbiased.
• well read on local langauge literature.
• aware and competent in local customs.
• good moral character
• body movements and eye gestures normal, social and pleasant and acceptable.
• well mannered and cultured.
• respects all religions equally.
• preferably knows minimum required religious aspects for conducting his communications.
• medically fit. no visible infectious and skin diseases.
• good family background
• proficiency in driving.
• planning and scheduling skills.
• written communication.
• verbal communicatin skills.
• presentation skills.
• group discussion skills.
• well aware about the topography of the town posted.
• well aware about the town and its roads for effective functioning.
• he should not be a time waster of the self and that of the hospital/ dispensary staff/doctors.
• efficient in E communications.
• efficient in mobile communications.
• efficient in video conferencing skills.
• logical in thinking.
• awareness and comptent in good distribution practices of the medicines.
• proficient and competent in key terms and definitions used in medicine : expiry period, humidity, temperature etc.

to be continued.

drbmsharma.

Induction Training - Continuing Further

A well thought process is required to structure out the process of induction training. And in designing the induction training module, a thought process is required to include a number of aspects. While essentially there should be a common minimum ingredients of the induction training, still a fact has to be remembered that regional profiles of the pharmaceuticals marketing should not be overlooked. The organization must have a well defined market research analysis and stratified market segments for its pharmaceuticals formulations and allied products and that product wise, therapy wise and other perspectives. When coming to the induction trainig, the moment positional employment aspects of the medical representatives are considered, after a point his orientation should commence on the regional marketing fundamentals and his slow introduction and exposure and response to the marketing needs from regional perspectives. In an organization, these are the departments and all of them are required to participate :
Quality Unit.
Quality Assurance
Quality Control.
Pharmaceutical formulation development.
Medical Diagnostics.
Regulatory Compliance.
Materials/Distributions/ Good Distribution Practices.
Marketing.
Market Research.
International Export Marketing.
Imports and their Marketing.
Materials/Purchase.
Human resources.
Personnel and Administration.
National Regulatory Compliance on matters of personnel and administration.
Environment, Health and Safety.
Strategic Energies/ Risks Management.
Company Secretary.
Finance.
Projects.
and
others.
All of them have their own signficance on providing the inputs for induction training. And all these functional heads have to list out what is that information and requirements which they need to get collected and complied from this vital field staff. For example, the distribution problems of the medicines and their quality risks during distribution need to be ascertained by a viable mechanism through this staff only so better packaging designs could be considered. And such data and inputs must be gathered during annual or biannual refresher training.

To be continued further.

drbmsharma.

Process Mapping: Induction training of the medical representative

Induction training of the pharma marketing human resource or medical representatives is required to be a well defined process. It must list clearly the inputs required and outputs to be achieved and how such outputs and deliverables shall be achieved. A general induction training of the employees by the human resources department is a separate process. What is being discussed here is the induction training of the pharma marketing executives, officers and supporting resources as the base resources for achieving corporate sales and business objectives.
A medical reprsentative is an employee and the key element of the marketing and sales function. Therefore, first his induction training is required as a general employee and this job normally is required to be coordinated by the human resources and /or personnel department. Once the medical fitness criteria is over and the employee reports for duties, day one becomes the basis for association of the new incumbent with the organization. HR must know when so and so is required to join or otherwise what date he has informed for joining the offices. As a general mangement system, the HR has to document and implement the procedure how well the employee shall be received at the gate. And what sort of unexpressed embarassment the employee has to face from the security staff and personal staff of the HR function. HR has to clean up and re clean up and calibrate and recalibrate its own function first. Any indifferent or little negative attitude of the HR and security department sets the process of making up the mind that whether the employee has come to the right organization, right department and right management resources. In fact, both are directly correlated with each other. The quality of the top management; the quality of the top marketing and sales departments and the quality of HR department is critical and correlated. And this sets the process of putting the best. If the organization is attempting to get the best out of suspecious natures, whip methods and others then the organiation is likely to have a long term incremental accelerated growth. The moment one analyzes the incremental growths of the companies relating incremental sales, it shall become obvious the quality of all three ingredients: the quality of the top management; the quality of the marketing function and the quality of the HR department.

Induction procedure should be well defined from this perspective. Taking into account this aspect, the general training contents of the induction training would include the following and this should be addressed only by the head of the respective functions. And there also sharing the information with the new inducts has to be a cordially shared values of the organization. Further to this, most of the organization through the world have defined initial 2-3 days for general induction training and then somehow this is completed without considering whether the justice has been done or not. People join and these are forwarded to logical listed department heads like flowing water drops and sometime this author wonders what really goes on and happens. HR must conduct a survey on the level of input satisfaction received from the employees during induction training, not after completing induction training ( since at that time no employee shall give a realistic feedbacks). Alternatively after taking such feedbacks the HR must re survey the inputs of the employees at the time of exit and revalidate the previous data and this data and thus take preventive actions that induction training remains and serves as a process for delivering useful information which again serves as the basis. There is hardly a point in telling to the employees..Look this is our quality control laboratory.. and then the employee walks in the corridor of the quality control..peeps on the people working and sees certain instruments workings and so on. The head quality assurance and quality control must provide information on quality control in such a manner that it is helpful for marketing and sales purpose ; promotion and awareness.


drbmsharma.
22/04.2010

Induction Training of the Medical Representatives.

Induction Training of the Medical Representatives !!!!!!!!!!!

On the assumption, the medical representatives have been selected and employed with required qualification, experience and basic minimum comptence, now it becomes a challenge for the pharmaceutical organization to provide them an induction training. Induction training limits itself not to the actual shop floor relating training and competence. Induction training primarily introduced the organization, its products and people to the new medical representatives. In fact, most of the pharmaceutical organizations have ignored these three basics even for their established medical represenstatives. And induction training, the word itself now a day conveys little seriousness in the training to be take and training to be provided.
Only in those organizations, where in the induction training managing directors are participating and they are a sort of evaluating the induction training, only in those organizations induction training is a serious and effective training and awareness resources. If the employee happens to be not fresh, in view of this last experience, he or she takes for granted the induction training session a sort of picnic.. tea and biscuits ceremony for him. HR of the pharmaceutical companies must find out whether induction training is a sort of unwelcome child for the head of the departments and to the new joinees. If it is so, then either this concept should be dismantled and redesigned and then one should proceed for induction training.
An induction training programme of the medical representatives should encompass the following :

• profile of the organization.


• the name of the company and its nature of business.


• management policies.


• quality policies, environment, health and safety policies.


• good manufacturing practices policies.


• list of the products.


• list of the services.


• list of the depots.


• list of the manufacturing premises : site wise products.


• list of the certification achieved.


• consumer complaint profiles.


• annual product quality reviews.


• adverse reaction complaints in the past and how the organization responded.


• summaries of business continuity planning.


• emergecy and alert planning during product recall.


• just brief procedures.


• good distribution practices.. also brief contents.


• network of distributors, retailers and doctors.


• an album showing how in the past medical representatives set up/opened up or nourished the terrritories and sales.


• and how much each territories contributes to the total turnover and profitability of the organization.


• dress codes of the medical representatives.


• means of communication to be used and how to use them.


• product catalogues.


• and stationery and forms to be used in future.

A summary training on these need to be provided.

to be continued.

drbmsharma.

PharmaMarketing : Understanding Regional Aspects.

Marketing of Pharmaceuticals is management science, guts feelings, hunches, hypothesis, strategies, influencing and many other combinations and permutations. Those companies whose formulations turnover is rising more than 20%, the credit goes surely to the marketing and sales resources, their strategists and planners.
While the market research and brand loyalties and brand management and territories management is a must, the accelerator for the pharma marketing lies through the ground staff resources. That gentleman who goes with a specific bag in his hands with a tie etc. he is key resource and link. A lot is being done to groom and train medical representatives..still all shall agree with me that the financial lot of the medical representative is not so lucrative. Incentives mechanisms instilled in the system does play as carrot and stick mechanism, the problem of sustainable marketing force requires to be now shaped.
Any regional marketing of the medicines in central part of India, especially Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh, ChhattishGarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa and Haryana and Delhi shall depend on the following factors:

• topographical knowledge.
• knowledge about the population profile.
• disease profile.
• data base doctors.
• data base retail outlets.
• data base whole sale medicines distribution aspects.
• data base leading players in the market.
• disease analysis : population and demography wise.
• low value medicines markets.
• high value medicines markets.
• hospital/ institutional market shares of the medicines marketing.
• rurl vs urban consumption requirements of the medicines.
• process flow chart of the availability of the medicines in the rural areas.
• process flow chart of the availability of the medicines in the semi urban and urban markets.
• good distribution practices as adopted by the dopts, distributors, agents, stockists and others.
• private versus government hospitals.
• prescription based vs over the counter OTC markets.
• local cultural aspects.
• local preferences for hospitals vs private practioners.
• proficiency in the local language.
• proficiency in the english language.
• proficiency in mobile communication and mobile marketing.
• proficiency in internet based doctors appointments and website driven marketing and communication thereof.
• dress codes of the selling staff.
• understanding the role and responsibilities of the compounders and other supporting staff in the promotion of the medicines in the consumer class.
• availability of the medicines.
• awareness of the doctors on same product price differentials and bands.
• other parameters.

to be continued part III.

drbmsharma.

PharmaMarketing-Communication A Key.

Pharmaceuticals- namely tablets, orals, injections and other drug delivery systems are very critical for human life and hence high quality standards as per regulatory requirements and their continued compliance is a must for all manufacturing organizations. No way less important is its prescriptions, sale and presentation. There are a number of organizations and institutions which are associated right from the medicines leave the manufacturing premises and then ultimately these reach the hands of the consumers. Quality of medicines need to be protected and preserved by all those associated. Consumers hardly know how to protect the quality of medicines since training of the consumers either by the doctors or hospitals hardly exists in the developing countries. No one teaches the patients and medicines consumers how to protect and promote the quality of medicines especially the instructions relating opening, closing, etc. Of course there are printed instructions on the label claims etc. still this author is of doubt that in the poor countries the consumers really read them or know them. Leaving aside this aspect.. let us now come on the pharma marketing where communication is key.



In any pharmaceutical company, there exists an organogram for the marketing and sales of the medicines. And the size of this organogram depends on the nature of the pharmaceuticals company and its turnover and its number of products and the scope of its medicines in the domestic markets,neighbouring export markets and or globally. Within the pharmaceuticals company, the marketing and sales department coordinates with various functions and gets the inputs relating regulatory compliance, quality aspects, from the medical department relating prescriptions, the doses and the curing and treatment dynamics of the medicines. Once the medicine has been developed and manufactured, now arises the key task how to take it to the hands of the doctors who are going to prescribe the medicine of that organization to the patients.

While the senior marketing management does all kinds of structured preparations, it is the bottom staff popularly known as medical representatives who interphase with the doctors. The product development and introduction team also does the introduction of the medicines to the doctors, their interaction is hardly signficant in percentage in view of the widest and largest communication challenges being met and fulfilled by the medical representatives.



Most the medical representatives in developing countries are males and very insignificant percentage of women are employed for the purpose. This author has no substantial reason for this. This is the general observation and may be my opinions are now wrong. Medical representatives are mostly fresh and experienced graduates in pharmaceuticals discipline or science streams. And these are hired or employed for the purpose of marketing and selling the medicines. While the sale of the medicines totally depends on the prescriptions and prescriptions flow from the doctors, who prescribe it to the patients and who in turn buy from the medical shops/ stores/ medicines retain outlets. If the nature of disease is short term then the medicines shall have a short term sales performance and if the disease happens to be medium term or long term, in accordance shall be the established markets of the medicines. However, for the same disease there are number of branded products with the same active pharmaceuticals ingredients and varied and permitted excipients combinations, it becomes a competitive feature for almost all pharmaceuticals companies how to establish the confidence with the doctors.. what to do to ensure that prescriptions of a given company are continuously and sustainably prescribed by the doctors. So there begins the short and long term relationship with the organization and doctors. And medical representative represents the company, the products and quality of the medicines. So pharmaceuticals marketing largely depends to an extent how much effective is the medical representative in selling the medicines. And there arises now the role of communication between the doctor and medical representatives.
A medicine is marketed nation wide and when organizing an all India marketing of the medicine, it is essential for the marketing and sales department that communications aspects are duly identified and risks involved in the communication are estimated and prioritized and based on the higest significant risks involved in communication, the organization, marketing and sales department take corrective and preventive actions.

to be continued..in part II.

drbmsharma.