Closing the loop on pharmaceutical marketing

By Chuck Russo, EVP, Chief Innovation and Customer Experience Officer, Corbett Accel Healthcare Group

“In true Closed Loop Marketing (CLM) fashion, captured information is analyzed and refined so targeted messages put the sales representatives in a better position to discuss issues one-on-one with customers and prepare them for more knowledgeable interactions”
-Chuck Russo

Pharmaceutical companies continue to switch their sales forces from paper to Tablet PCs, with over 50% of all sales representatives in the US having already made the switch – an outstanding number, considering this push began only 6 years ago. Even though Tablet PCs have been deployed among many pharmaceutical sales forces, marketers are still not taking advantage of the information exchange and analytic benefits Tablet PCs provide – benefits that can assist sales representatives in building more meaningful relationships with their customers.

There are many reasons why pharmaceutical marketers have not taken advantage of these capabilities, but the most evident is that they lack internal processes that allow for data flow throughout the corporate enterprise. Perhaps there is no clear understanding of how to turn data into key customer insights, or maybe they do not recognize how to benefit from these critical insights. Either way, this represents a lost opportunity to learn about physicians as customers and provide more value to those who may not be getting the most value from current communication engagements. The inability to deliver on Closed Loop Marketing (CLM) results in sales representatives being provided one way, bulky electronic details instead of carrying paper details. The big question is: Why is this occurring after 6 years of experience with Tablet PCs by many large pharmaceutical companies? Part of the answer lies beyond just personalized selling and rests more with why companies are not practicing multi-channel marketing.

For pharmaceutical companies who are just starting to deploy Tablet PCs, it is important to get sales representatives familiar and comfortable with electronic detailing, taking the small steps necessary to understand the features and benefits Tablet PCs offer. However, for pharmaceutical companies that have already deployed Tablet PCs and are beyond those early steps, the focus should be more customer-centric and pinpoint how they can take advantage of the power of analytics and metrics. This includes the need to execute multichannel marketing and take all communications into account to assist in developing customer insights to benefit customer relationship efforts. Additionally, companies need to understand the power of multichannel marketing and how it can ultimately assist sales representatives in delivering more informed and targeted messages.

Multichannel marketing is the ability to utilize, deploy, and optimize a specific mix of channels to successfully execute ongoing communications with target customers. This approach would align well with many pharmaceutical sales force objectives, and, most importantly, would help to build and maintain strong relationships with their called-on physicians. The pharmaceutical industry needs to think of sales representatives as one channel in the communications mix. Understanding how personalized selling fits in with a multichannel plan will benefit brand marketers in assisting the sales team with building more relationships. As it stands, personalized selling does represent an important facet of a multichannel marketing plan because it is a very effective two-way communication channel. Brand marketers need to take advantage of this critical rep-physician interaction and create opportunities to engage physicians during a detail in such a way that they can capture information that is helpful in understanding those customers' needs. This information can, in turn, assist marketers in creating more targeted messaging and providing sales representatives with a more focused detail on what is important to physicians' practices. Sales representatives can build more long-term, trusting relationships through the assurance of constant knowledge exchange and continuous learning between parties.

Engaging representatives in this process increases their customer understanding and better arms them for physician interactions. In true Closed Loop Marketing fashion, captured information is analyzed and refined so targeted messages put the representatives in a better position to discuss issues one-on-one with customers, and prepare them for more knowledgeable interactions. Thus, representatives can utilize the Tablet PC features to create interactive touch points to capture information during the detail. This can occur in a variety of ways, including physicians' selecting a detail direction from a menu, choosing a patient type to review, multiple choice questions on a case study, or a simple survey. These are just a few interaction examples that are critical to understanding customers' preferences and needs. These engaging elements also keep physicians' attention during the detail. Creating the right interactive experience between representatives and physicians can be accomplished by marketers engaging their agency partners and developing interactive messaging and presentations. If your agency doesn't quite get the concept of CLM and is not capable of executing this approach, find one that does and can.

Pharmaceutical companies need to take the ultimate next step and establish internal processes that can analyze captured information. Most companies are made up of several independent divisions and departments, and in many instances this creates a silo effect. If silos exist, they need to be broken down to effectively execute a CLM process, because it requires a constant flow of information across many touch points of the company, including the involvement of many constituents who analyze, evaluate, and execute on captured data.  

The CLM process includes both personal (sales representatives, conventions) and nonpersonal (eDetailing, Web sites) communication. When combined and analyzed, they lead to customer insights which provide more targeted, relevant messages, creating the ability to deliver on customer preferences and needs. This process should include agency partners who will work with the marketers to construct the insights and ultimately create the target messages that will be delivered across many different channels, including the sales force.        

Executing successful CLM is not an easy task, and many things need to be in place for it to be successful. Perhaps understanding how multichannel marketing plays a role in building trusted, long-term relationships may ultimately be a better route for companies. Either way, companies need to put customers first and focus on their needs. Sales representatives still represent the best channel for gaining those insights. Companies have armed sales representatives with the right tools, now we must provide them with the right insights and messaging to better understand and interact with their customers.

Chuck Russo
EVP, Chief Innovation and Customer Experience Officer
Corbett Accel Healthcare Group

Chuck Russo is EVP, Chief Innovation and Customer Experience Officer of Corbett Accel Healthcare Group (CAHG). Russo leads and oversees the advancement of CAHG's interactive and technology based businesses and functional departments, including Kinect Interactive Digital Communications, a full-service strategic interactive agency and LinQ, a studio-inspired technology services company.