Advice You - Business

Or, are your salespeople pretty much on their own to meet the company’s sales and gross margin objectives?

In too many companies I observe, salespeople are hired, thrown to the wolves and pretty much left to their ow

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

n devices to “make it or break it.” When you think about it, this is a pretty nonchalant sales management philosophy, especially in relatively slow periods when your company really needs more business.

Sales is no di

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

Examples of combination products may in

fferent than inventory and accounts receivable in that someone must manage sales; that is, if you expect to achieve optimal results. Otherwise, the odds are really high that --- as a group --- the company’s salespeopl

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

are not going to achieve their full potential. Salespeople are no different than any other employees, you probably have some salespeople who really don’t need a lot of hands-on management, but then there are several

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

others that will most certainly not make the cut in the absence of the guiding and nurturing influence of a committed manager.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all salespeople did their homework before a prospect call, followe

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

Combination pro

up on all of their customer commitments, planned their week’s work, made effective use of their time, sold all product categories and were skilled at deflecting price objections from hard-bargaining customers? Only i

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

n our dreams are all salespeople this mature and disciplined, but most likely not in the real world.

So let’s agree that salespeople stand a better chance of realizing their full potential when they are lucky enough

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

o have a manager who systematically works with them on a scheduled basis. But how does a busy manager pull this off?

The secret is to schedule Monthly One on One Meetings with each salesperson. These monthly meetings

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

are without a doubt the most effective sales management tools I have ever discovered. The following are a few of the items that are included on the agenda in these one on one monthly meetings:

• Managers follow up o

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

commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback.
• Training.
• Dev

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

eloping strategies to accomplish specific goals.
• Prospective customer review and discussion of the next step.

Group sales meetings certainly have their place in every organization for information sharing, ed

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

Following aspects would a

ucation, getting feedback from the sales force, discussing market conditions, etc., but group meetings severely limit the manager’s ability to address individual issues that must be addressed with individual salespeop

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

e.

Here are some of the questions I find to be useful in one on one meetings:

• What do you believe is preventing you from covering your draw?
• What are the top three obstacles you are having the most diffic

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

ulty overcoming?
• If these three obstacles that you have identified were to go away, expressed in dollars, how much do you believe your sales would improve?
• What are the key strengths you believe our

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

ompany has to offer your customer base?
• In what areas do you believe our competitors have the upper hand?
• What are your income goals for 2007?
• What sales and gross profit will you need to pr

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

oduce in 2007 to achieve your income goals?

The answers your salespeople give you in response to each of these questions will open your eyes and give you the insight you’re looking for to determine what is standing b

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

tween each member of the sales force and a higher level of success.

Document Each Meeting: I recommend keeping good notes from each one on one meeting in a spiral binder that you keep in each salesperson’s file. THE

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

MOST CRITICAL KEY to success in management is following up, and perhaps just as important: that each salesperson knows that you will follow up.

When you and your salespeople agree on a particular course of action, jo

.

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

down enough notes to remind you of each commitment so you are in a position to follow up at the next one on one meeting. Some managers call this holding their salespeople’s feet to the fire, but I call it a Basic Man

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

agement Principle: Effective Managers Inspect What They Expect.

If you want to see your sales organization become more professional and more productive, implement one on one meetings with each salesperson immediately

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

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.adviceyou.org.ua/article/38372/adviceyou-Is-Anyone-Really-Managing-Sales-in-Your-Organization.html">Is Anyone Really Managing Sales in Your Organization?</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.adviceyou.org.ua/article/38372/adviceyou-Is-Anyone-Really-Managing-Sales-in-Your-Organization.html]Is Anyone Really Managing Sales in Your Organization?[/url]

We all know that there are so many ways on how you can produce professional-looking catalogs. Essentially a great catalog is one that has the capability to market your products and services. Catalogs are important in any kind of business. They’re one of the most effective components that make up an unbeatable marketing plan.

It is the leader's accountability when the important and urgent becomes the important and never done. Leader's who do not accept the accountability do not deserve to be in the position of leadership.

Tags

Links

Advice You - Is Anyone Really Managing Sales in Your Organization?

Related Articles: