The Real-Time Rep Becomes a Reality – Changing the Rules of Engagement with Customers

pharmafile | March 24, 2011 | Feature | Sales and Marketing |   

The Real-Time Rep Defined

The Real-Time Rep, no longer a fictitious ideal, is a salesperson who is able to:

• Hold a dialogue with the customer, altering the content and flow of the discussion “on the fly” in response to the customer’s need.  The real-time rep is open to allowing the customer to set the direction of the exchange—beyond the messages prescribed in the quarterly Plan of Action.
• Address customer’s questions or needs instantly, by accessing information/resources in the  rest of the organisation—such as medical affairs, clinical teams, and marketing—as well as to sample order forms, key opinion leaders,  scientific papers, other sales aids.  The real-time rep virtually never has to say, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”  
• Conduct such truly valuable meetings anytime, anywhere with equal efficiency.

Reps who have such resources at their fingertips are not just more efficient; they’re more effective in carrying out a brand strategy, offering value, and making a lasting impression.  

People are accustomed to accessing “live” information—whether through a GPS system that is “recalculating route,” tweets from people on the scene of a breaking news story, streaming stock quotes, or personal health monitors that constantly register blood pressure and pulse. Against this backdrop, the traditional information exchange between pharmaceutical sales representatives and their customers during sales calls is antiquated, inefficient, and even off-putting. It is time to banish the phrase, “I’ll get back to you on that!”

With the introduction of new mobile technology that promises to transform the way people access information, the real-time rep is at last emerging. The latest generation of mobile technology, combined with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Closed Loop Marketing (CLM) capabilities, is strengthening reps’ relationships with customers, breaking down the silos between sales and marketing, and helping companies realise greater sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

A New Communication Model for the New Commercial Model

As pharmaceutical companies have struggled to first envision and then create new commercial models that deliver a stronger return on the marketing investment, they’ve re-thought the structure, size, and make up of their commercial organisations.  At the same time, companies have sought a new way to effectively engage stakeholders—one that would allow them to approach customers on their own terms, differentiate their offering, and ultimately secure a competitive advantage. 

Having recognised several years ago that the race to claim “share of voice” with physicians was producing diminishing returns and that various new audiences needed to be addressed, companies have been looking for ways to:

• Make their sales calls more accommodating, relevant, and memorable for each customer audience;
• Move away from “mass marketing” messages and techniques to those that are tailored, responsive, and economical; and
• Tie their marketing strategy, sales execution, and performance measurement together seamlessly so that strategies and tactics can be constantly refined.

Yet knowing what should be done and knowing how to do it are two entirely different things. Fortunately, the introduction of new technologies such as the Apple iPad® and new pharma-specific applications have provided pharmaceutical visionaries with the tools they need to accomplish their goals. By tapping these new capabilities, pharmaceutical companies can become both more customer-centric and more efficient in their commercial operations.

The Lesson of History

Pharmaceutical companies are, as a whole, cautious about adopting new technology for the field force and with good reason: no mobile device to date has really delivered what the field force wants or needs in a package that the home office can easily justify and manage. 

All too often, the latest tool sits in the trunk of the rep’s car, un- or underutilised because it is heavy, perpetually low on battery power, and/or difficult to use. Companies struggle to contend with different device configurations by geography and are hard-pressed to point to compelling proof of a return on the investment.

Is it any wonder that the industry generally waits three+ years before adopting new field force solutions? 

What’s Different This Time?

Apple’s iPad is a “disruptive” technology, in that it completely transforms how people access information and has the potential to redefine how people interact in information-sharing settings such as the sales call. In fact, in Gartner’s report, “CEO Advisory:  Seize the iPad Opportunity Now,” the analyst predicts that the iPad is not only likely to disrupt how technology is used, but also to change entire business models. 

The Gartner report describes the device as a “killer category—mobile information sharing” without necessarily a universal “killer application.” There are, however, new industry-specific killer applications emerging for the pharmaceutical industry – most notably: CRM and CLM combination applications. By installing these field force applications on the iPad, pharmaceutical companies can have the tools to strengthen customer interactions and increase the value of the field force. Thus outfitted, the iPad is poised to be a “game changer” for the industry, overturning all assumptions about sales force productivity and how best to compete for market share.  

A Technology Suited to the Field 

To be embraced by the sales force, any mobile device must meet certain basic criteria. It must, of course, support reps in performing their jobs, with features and functions that improve their productivity, rather than detract from it. Beyond that, it must be convenient, i.e., lightweight, have a battery life that is measured in days (not hours!), and be easy to use.  And, to be endorsed by the home office, it must be easy to implement and support—ideally with one, universal configuration. The Apple iPad, when equipped with dedicated field applications, is the first type of mobile solution to fit these specifications. 

In terms of increasing rep productivity, the iPad has much to offer. Because it was designed for instant mobile connectivity, there’s no waiting for it to “power up.” It offers lightening-fast processing speed and connects to the Internet anytime, anywhere. And it delivers interactive, multimedia with arresting colour and clarity that can captivate an audience and improve message retention. 

To date, market interest in the iPad has been unprecedented; Apple reported in its Q4 2010 results that it had sold nearly 7.5 million units in just six months. Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch remarked, “By any measure, this is an incredible ramp for an entirely new computing product.  It is so startling that nobody predicted it—not bullish Wall Street analysts, or even wild-eyed bloggers.”

Of note for the pharmaceutical industry is the fact that healthcare is one of the top three industries embracing the iPad, according to data from Good Technology. The results of a survey conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conducted with 1,000 hospitals and healthcare organisations in October, 2010, indicated that 25 percent of participants planned to use an iPad immediately and 70 percent within a year. Pharmaceutical companies interested in adopting the iPad are in very good company indeed.

Sales and Marketing Applications

So with the iPad, companies certainly have a very “cool gadget,” but not one that can on its own can transform customer interactions and improve sales and marketing collaboration and efficiency. To address those goals, the iPad must be paired with dedicated and fully integrated CLM and CRM applications. It is the integration of these three elements that creates a solution that can improve reps’ delivery of the brand message and create a feedback loop that knits together the brand strategy, sales execution, and customer reaction.

At the most basic level, this integrated solution changes how reps access and send information to and from the home office. Reps are always connected to the home office and don’t need to worry about “syncing” in the evenings or dialling in to retrieve materials.

And with CLM and CRM applications in tandem, the company’s need for feedback on the customer’s reaction is in complete harmony with the selling process. Reps can record their perceptions of message effectiveness with a single touch, while the system automatically tracks the navigation history and progress of presentations. This informs marketing’s understanding of the audience and what individual segments value.

Just as significant, however, is the fact that constant connectivity gives reps access to resources, both materials and people, during the sales call. Current versions of sales aids, clinical updates, and experts who can answer questions are available at the touch of a screen. This emboldens reps to enter into a true dialogue with the customer, and calls can flow according to the customer’s needs. 

And the visual capabilities of the medium allow in-person presentations to be interactive, creative, and delivered in multiple electronic media.  This paperless approach is a memorable and economical way to display and share information. 

Re-Casting Customer Relationships    

Aligning the structure and size of the sales force to the new stakeholders is, of course, a necessary step in realising a more efficient and effective commercial model. But that’s only half of the battle; the other half is interacting with customers in ways that are compelling while also cost effective. The iPad configured for the sales force solves many of the challenges the industry has faced in its drive to re-invent its relationships with customers.

The iPad with CLM and CRM software represents not just a turning point in technology, but a turning point for the pharmaceutical company’s corporate image and marketing success.  At last, by empowering the real-time rep, companies can deliver more value to their customers with interactions that are true, consultative dialogues rather than static, one-sided presentations. Moreover, with feedback and tracking built in to those exchanges, companies can ensure that their branding messages are delivered as intended and then altered as needed in the future.

Indeed, a number of leading companies have already recognised the opportunity that the technology presents, and so thousands of real-time reps will soon be hitting the streets. 

These early adopters will be able to demonstrate their value with every customer interaction and increase their impact continually through effective closed loop marketing.  They’ll enjoy first-mover advantage in earning their customers’ esteem by talking with them instead of at them. And this, of course, is the very outcome that pharmaceutical companies have been seeking with their interest in new commercial models all along. 

Dan Goldsmith is General Manager of Veeva Europe, and can be reached at dan.goldsmith@veevasystems.com or ES: +34 93 802 12 30.  Veeva Systems has launched iRep, the industry’s first complete customer relationship management (CRM) and closed loop marketing (CLM) solution built exclusively for the iPad.