Advice You - Business

When I talk about “process” in selling, I am talking about the process which begins when the dialogue starts and ends, not when the PO is signed, but when the solution is complete. I want

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

to help you develop a method of creating and communicating your value that empowers you to control your sales and evaluation process—not the prospect’s evaluation and decision process.

I

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

Examples of combination products may in

lso want you to be able to lay out your process to the unenlightened so that they can follow you. If you can put enough people into your sales process and create environments where that pr

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

cess will lead to outcomes, even if the outcome is “no,” then you will reach great success. However, when you either engage too few people in your process or are unable to work them throu

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

gh it, then you limit your income potential.

“A LITTLE SYSTEM PREVENTS A LOT OF BUNGLING.” Oxford Dictionary for American Proverbs

The bottom line is you should control the sales proce

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

Combination pro

s. Not the customer. Remember, they’re the ones with the problem in the first place. The person with the solution should always control the sales process. That’s you.

Here is an example.

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

eet Software Associates. They’re a software development company that specializes in web software for the financial business. They’ve been a client of ours for five years. When we first beg

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

an, they were having trouble moving prospects through their process. They would get hung up half-way through and deals would fall through.

So, I played ‘prospect’ once in a role play and

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

t became grossly evident what was happening. They weren’t helping the prospect. They had absolutely no process laid out to help the prospect buy. Here is what we coached them to say on the

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

first call:

“Mark, thanks for your interest in the software system. Can I take a few minutes and lay out the process that seems to have worked for some of our other clients? I thought w

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

could spend today talking about why you were interested, and what business problems you have in your Information Services department.

Then at the end of this meeting, we can decide if we

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

Following aspects would a

want to go further. If we decide not to advance this, then neither of us will have wasted any time. If we decide to move forward, I’ll probably need to speak with your management team an

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

find out what their issues are. Then if we want to continue after that, you and I can get back together and plan the process from there. Does that sound appropriate?”

Then throughout the

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

sale, we had the sales team practice what we call “orientation.” This is the act of laying out your process each step of the ay. On the first call, lay out an overview of the entire cycle.

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

Or, if you’re already five calls into the process, then take the next logical number of calls and lay them out. You must always be orienting your prospect to what your process is. This wo

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

ks extremely well if you’re in a cycle that is either long or confusing or both.

You can’t blame the prospect for not following your process if he doesn’t know what it is. If your prospec

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

doesn’t buy your product often (less than three times per year) then you will be doing him a favor by orienting him. But orient him to your ideal process – not to a worn out process that

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

you’ve just defaulted into. Think higher.

Action Item
In your next five sales calls take a risk and orient your prospect to your process from this point on. By doing that, you will s

.

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

art to control the process. If your buyer asks for something that you’re not ready to give him yet – like a proposal or a price – simply lay out your process and tell him when you’ll give

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

t to him.

Author: Bill Caskey is an author, speaker and innovator. His book, Same Game, New Rules, is in its third printing. He can be contacted at (317) 575-0057 or at www.billcaskey.com

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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I think what I experienced was a moment in time when this was indeed the World’s Best Jack In The Box . . . and perhaps it still is each time Carmen is present. I don’t know that my accolades were ever passed along, but in a world of customer service complaints I hope that she received my complimentary comments. Encouragement is sometimes everything for front-line service workers.

What does your letterhead paper say about you? If you are using cheap copier paper to put your beautiful letterhead on then you might not be sending the right image for your business. This can cost you contracts and customers. Instead get the most from your letterhead by using quality letterhead paper. This article will help your find and buy high quality letterhead paper that will boost your business.

For loan officers and mortgage brokers on the market for mortgage leads, the quality of the lead should be a top priority when determining which company to invest in.

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