There have been debates and discussion in various webinars in the recent past on representative’s role given the restrictions and social distancing being followed religiously, where the Doctors are avoiding direct contact with Patients and pharmaceutical representatives to the extent possible.
The frequency of interaction and opportunity to meet Doctors in person have certainly reduced as of now. However, this situation may not last forever, and my guess on the timeline when it would resume is as good or bad as anyone else’s
While the digital approach is here to stay, the personal touch through face to face interaction will always be more rewarding than multiple digital touchpoints with the Customer.
Any FMCG would give an arm for gathering data and profile of their customers who are in millions and spread across the country. Pharma industry is unique in the sense that the majority of the customers are met personally, and also the profiling is done to service. Therefore, a face to the company in terms of sales personnel is so very critical to maintain and grow customer base.
The role and relevance of representative were under scanner even before the corona pandemic. The changes which have taken place during the last more than a decade with ease of access to data/studies and scientific information for the Doctors challenge the role of representative as a medium to update Doctors on the latest in the field of medicine and health.
Mundane and routine detailing of products backed by repetitive promotional activities inside the clinic by most of the representatives has also impacted the way; Doctors look at the representative’s visit.
There is a long-drawn need for upskilling and reskilling of the representatives to keep them relevant in the pharmaceutical promotion.
I have captured below some of the skills which representatives have to take on board to stay productive and relevant to the pharmaceutical promotion.
Also, change in the mindset of the organisation in terms of the shortlisting and training candidates for the role of the representative is critical to succeeding in bringing the change in the operations of Medical Representatives.
Tech-Savvy – The new representative should be tech-savvy as use of digital media, and the virtual platform is here to stay because the increase in the current application has made all realise that it has far greater reach at a nominal cost. It may not continue at the same level as of now but would see a significant increase in the future.
– The representative should be able to organise and facilitate the conduct of virtual meetings
– The representative should have Digital profile of the Customer in addition to routine information. The digital profile will help representative use the targeted media to communicate with his Doctor as an individual or in groups to maximise the impact
– Learn to make his pitch crisp and yet effective as the attention span of Doctor is going to be limited. Sometimes it is not possible to evaluate the attention span if the promotion is through texting and audio calls.
Per capita increase – Representatives, need to be trained in focussing on core and super core Doctors more than ever before given limited time available with customers. It is essential to target a few, but right and most potential targeted Doctors to increase yield per Doctors. Today the loyal Doctors continue to contribute to business irrespective of the visit frequency by the representatives. Big brands with a vast loyal customer base are not impacted as much. While marketing has a role to play in this achievement, the contribution of the representative cannot be ignored.
Consultative selling – Representatives will have to learn to engage Doctors in discussion and draw right interpretation and conclusions on studies about disease and therapy. The representative needs to be seen as a facilitator to the Doctor in his journey from diagnosis to the selection of the brand. The representative has to have an adult to adult talk with the customers, to change the perception of the medical representative’s purpose of visit to Doctors. The shift from transactional selling is imminent.
Analytical mindset – Representative has to go beyond seeking and measuring the number of prescriptions from the nearby chemist but should be able to gauge the inclination of the Doctor to prescribe molecule/brand and use observable behaviour to customise the subsequent promotional tool to convince Doctor. The representative should understand the metrics used in the digital promotion to measure the success of the campaign in coordination with the product management team.
Empowered – Representative will have to be enabled to take the decision on the spot and also understand the limitations within which he can make the decisions without involving higher-ups. Empowerment is not only a question of superior’s trust, but the representative needs to be trained to understand the responsibility which comes along with empowerment.
Changed metrics to evaluate performance – The parameters to assess performance would include matrices which directly impact business such as the ability to influence customers / Conversions/prescriptions/prescriber base at territorial level. These matrices would take precedent over call average/coverage/activities performed / / POB, which are all means to the desired outcome.
I want to conclude stating that there are two functions which require to bring about the changes in the way they operate and contribute from representative selection to induction in the company.
One, of course, is the HR which has to redefine the qualification and profile of the prospective candidates who fits the bill. The existing criteria for shortlisting candidates may not help meet the desired requirements as the skills and profile is defined and undergoes change with the change in the job description of any position.
Secondly, training needs to revisit the entire training capsule for induction and refreshers to make necessary changes with more focus effective communication inside the Doctor’s cabin bearing in mind the matrices identified above and achieve the desired outcome.
