Conversation Starters: Rep Access Tools

Back in February, Damon Caiazza of GSW gave us a few good reasons not to abandon the sales force. Now he’s back with another guest blog post packed with advice on how sales representatives can maximize their value to HCPs. Read on for more of Damon’s insights.

By Damon Caiazza (@dcaiazza)

Knock knock! Whos there? Pharma rep! Pharma rep who? Pharma rep with no new data or samples, but would you let me in anyway?

Far too often this is the reality for many brands. In my earlier post “Dont Abandon the Sales Force I made my case regarding the value of the sales force. The key to remaining valuable is being able to gain access to the practices, clinics, or hospitals in a reps territory.

Armed with no samples or new data, how does a rep still gain access?

My answer: Find new and innovative ways for the rep to maintain a presence. Only those reps that provide value will be successful. Value is no longer just about the pills, its about a lot more. To help you start down this path of value delivery, Ill review 4 thoughts that are bound to be conversation starters leading to more access and stronger rep relationships.

Make the HCP Office more Productive

“Time is money has never been truer in the daily running of a physicians practice. Given this specific pain point, pharmaceutical companies need to focus on solutions that make the office run more efficiently. This can be anything from automated sample ordering, to reimbursement support, to billing systems and everything in between.

Open the door to more meaningful relationships with the office manager, physician, and nurse.

Help the HCP Better Educate Patients

The emergence of the ePatient has brought with it a lot of incorrect and misleading online information. The more an office can provide in the way of patient education, the more certainty a physician has that their patients are getting the right help. Who better to help provide patient education portals, customized patient education tools, and educational content than the pharmaceutical industry?

Open the door and build confidence with a valuable (and often overlooked) member of the team the Nurse.

Share Your Marketing Know-how

There is no one in a better position to help the physician with marketing solutions than the pharmaceutical industry and its advertising agenciesagencies and resources that the average physician practice will never have at their disposal. Its time pharma unleash the big guns to help out those practices that want solutions which make them better marketers in an environment that will continue to get more competitive.

Open the door to key conversations with office mangers, often a key gatekeeper of the physicians schedule.

Become an Information Clearinghouse

The pharmaceutical industry has a wealth of clinical and medical data at its disposal. Its time to leverage the enormous amount of content that is generated by your company in a meaningful way for the physician. The more freely you share your content through HCP Web Portals, Mobile Applications, and in office Kiosks the stronger your relationship will be with the HCP and patient community. Become a trusted partner, versus a necessary evil.

Open the door to more direct patient communication via the office environment and the health care professional.

The Key Takeaway

You may or may not agree with some of my suggestions, which is fine by me. Regardless, what I hope you take away from this post is a new appreciation for the role a pharmaceutical company can play in the office and how it can enable its sales force to be the key delivery mechanism for solutions, not just samples.

Knock knock! Whos there? Pharma rep! Pharma rep who? Pharma rep who is here to help you be a better practice. [Door opens]