Introducing CALM: Combining Pharma sales with a new digital approach
Ask any business leader and they’ll say that knowing your customer is key to running a successful business. And the same goes for medical and industry professionals. But acquiring such valuable information is not always simple. Sure, your sales reps, which make up a large portion of traditional sales strategies, have huge amounts of customer insights and useful information. But still, this can be limiting. MedUniverse has introduced a CALM test for organizations that want to become more digital. You can read more about the test in our guide “How to combine your productive sales activities with a new digital approach” that you can find below.
For many businesses, it can be as simple as tweaking a business strategy into one that introduces more of a digital approach. An approach that holistically gathers and stores information, helping not only the business, but the client in the long term! So ultimately, the best formula for an effective sales and marketing team includes both the traditional sales with a rep and a new digital solution.
Combining traditional sales with a new digital approach is an area in which pharma has great opportunities. By combining the two, pharma can discover new thoughts, needs and points of view from their customers, developing insights that are not available from traditional market research activities or analog support material.
By implementing a more digitised business model, you open yourself up for greater data pools and insights. Having a clearer view of the data your digital interactions provide can both show you who you are really targeting and how they perceive your interaction. This happens while getting a sense of what they actually think about what you are providing in terms of products and support. And all the while, keeping the face-to-face communication that the customer has grown to love when interacting with your brand.
So, what makes this combination of traditional sales tactics and a new digital approach so worthwhile? Does it help you, your customer, or a combination of the two?
No hidden data
Through the use of digital solutions, your business is exposed to an array of hidden data. Hidden data can be any piece of insight that’s missed if not conducting digital solutions in your business. We’ve found that by offering Sales reps a new “angle”, you can ignite the discussion between you and clients, thus sustaining and fostering excellent engagement.
The exposure to new information is an excellent tool that will help your business to better understand your clients and their needs. Along with this, identifying trends and patterns will occur much more easily, increasing the helpfulness of your service and detecting leading indicators.
New value-adds
The ability to increase the value that you provide a customer is powerful. It’s the difference between an average and an exceptional relationship with a client. So the lack of added value is often seen as a downfall of the current approach.
We’ve found that senior physicians, who’ve likely seen it all in their field, are sick of seeing the ’same old info’. When they’re provided the same old, they’re often actively searching on the side for ways in which to better deal with patients and increase their service as a whole. As a result, pharma is often battling with each other for time with Health Care Professionals (HCPs). This is a gap that can be fillable through digitisation.
We’ve found that one of the best ways to stick out is to change the conversation. By ensuring that product info and treatment guidelines are readily available online, you greatly empower your clients, freeing up time for the HCP. Having skilfully designed patient scenarios, that trigger a new way of thinking or approach to treatment, is considered high-value engagement. This is just one of the ways that MedUniverse have digitised their platform for you and you clients.
Power of influence
Like most things, Face to Face communication and meetings are powerful. This remains true in the medical fields. When discussing data face-to-face with a physician, we know that relationships become stronger and are therefore more influential for your clients. This is a main reason why we encourage further face-to-face interactions between sales reps and clients. However, we also know that physicians are also strong influencers on HCPs.
Trust is a major issue between pharma and its customers and therefore data that provides valid peer sourced responses and support can be the best way to introduce new concepts around a new treatment.
Increased access time
In recent years, we know that access time to Physicians are falling. According to EyeforPharma we know that 3-minute meetings are becoming the norm. This simply cannot be enough time to gather meaningful data for the long-term. However, digital solutions like MedUniverse are creating new entry points and discussion topics with HCPs.
Taking advantage of limited access with digital solutions can help pharma both expand and extend the opportunity.
Digital engagement is on the rise
As our societies’ digital engagement rise, it’s understandable that medical professionals are also becoming more digitally active and savvy. We have discovered that physicians now give preference to digital platforms and that their engagement in them is on the rise.
As a broad demographic shift occurs towards the usage of multi-channel touch points, younger physicians have a strong native appetite for digital. From this, they are becoming more seasoned HCPs who are also participating at a higher rate. When the physicians are active digitally, it makes sense for their business partners to also become more savvy on medically-inclined digital platforms, especially on a platform that’s not only engaging, but secure across a number of clients, markets and channels.
Multi-channel access
For a sales rep, easily expanding their reach and influence to clients is something of a goal. Being able to connect with and tend to clients on a digital platform is a very exciting means-to-an-end, where they can not only build relationships, but increase sales.
On MedUniverse, Sales Reps can now expand their reach across multiple channels. This digital integration into their business strategy allows teams to expand the reach to a wider demographic and also extend the engagement over time through multiple channels. Notoriously difficult to achieve without a flexible digital solution, the MedUniverse platform encourages relationship building between all parties.
Implementing a new digital approach to your traditional sales strategy can often be a daunting exercise, and one that may have some backlash for many reasons. Whether it’s through the flexibility, extra-work or negativity bias, these claims can be addressed through a thoughtful platform. However, combining traditional sales with a new digital approach to sales is the best way to holistically gather data, build relationships and improve sales.
MedUniverse guide & CALM test
To find out more about an enhanced digital approach to your business, download our full document. It outlines the best ways for pharma to combine your productive sales activities with a new digital one. You can find it here: