Advice You - Business

The secret to obtaining repeat customers and building a solid referral system is following up in a way that has a positive effect on the customer, says sales and marketing expert Danielle Kennedy. She says th

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

at although closing a sale can be seen as the completion of servicing the customer’s needs, it’s really only the beginning of a relationship with the customer.

In an article in Entrepreneur magazine, Kennedy

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

quotes Ted Levitt, former editor of the Harvard Business Review: “The sale merely consummates the courtship. Then the marriage begins. How good the marriage is depends on how well the relationship is managed

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

y the seller.”

A good follow-up involves three basic elements:

Gratitude: Call or e-mail the customer to say thank you and find out if he/she is pleased with the product or service. Accountability: Accept

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

ull responsibility for problems. Don’t pass the buck and say “such-and-such department should have known better.” A commitment to further serve: Tell customers what you can do rather than what you cannot do

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

for them.

Kennedy offers a few pointers for effective follow-up practices that have been successful throughout her career in retail.

The Kindergarten Follow-up: Kennedy tells the story of how her daughter’s

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

two kindergarten teachers created an effective method of follow-up communication: a weekly summary/update of the children’s lessons and activities.

“When I read the report every Friday, I was reassured that

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

hese teachers were doing an outstanding job,” she says. “We need to spend more time communicating to our customers about what we are doing for them.”

The Felicitous Follow-up Recommendation: If you know from

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

the start you won’t remember to send thank-you notes on a regular basis, use contact management software to automatically send birthday, anniversary or other appropriate cards to your customers.

Try to handl

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

e your own follow-up work. “In today’s marketplace, the primary salesperson seems to be moving farther and farther away from direct contact with customers,” says Kennedy. Ask satisfied customers for a testi

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

onial letter. Get permission to use their quotes in your advertising.

Write loyal customers personalized, handwritten notes telling them about promotions or to catch up on past products/services sold. “You n

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

longer have to prove yourself to these people. Just show up!”

Cards and Outrageous Gifts: “Under the category of advertising and promotions, never underestimate the power of gift-giving to ensure repeat bus

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ness,” says Kennedy. “You don’t have to spend a fortune to show people you care. If you’re high on creativity but low on funds, you can still come up with some interesting gifts for your customers.”

***Cellu

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

lar retailers can send customers coupons for store credit when they are due for an upgrade. This ensures customers will return to the store and seek the same service that previously impressed them.

Post-sale

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

Problem Solvers: “No matter how good your product is, complaints and problems will arise,” she adds. “How you handle those problems can make or break your chances for repeat business.”

Damage control suggest

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

ons:

Listen. Let customers vent their frustrations and encourage them to speak freely. Be diplomatic. Never argue with a customer. Politely share your point of view. Do not discredit the customer’s problem

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

Their grievances are always valid. Don’t delay taking action to remedy the situation. Empathize. Imagine you’re the one with the complaint. How would you want the situation handled?

A lot of these tips ar

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

e common sense, but in a retail setting – where customers come and go and sales and service procedures repeat themselves over and over – it’s easy to take the “little” follow-up details for granted.

Pay atte

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

tion to the post-sale follow-up process; develop and maintain a good relationship with customers and watch their visits repeat themselves over and over as well.

*To read more about Improving Customer Loyalty

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

check out the following articles from iQmetrix News & Views Build Customer Loyalty through Improved Communication.

CRM Ensures Wireless Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: Study Happy Customers Stay Customer

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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