Advice You - Internet and Businesses Online

Ten years ago I started my first online business venture out of the basement office of my home. I put together a Web site selling scrapbook products on my wife’s suggestion that scrapbooking was emerging as a hot niche in the cr

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

afting industry.

Keeping up with the day to day chores of running my own business challenged me to manage my time wisely. Preparing my email newsletter each month consumed many hours of my time. I wrote the sales copy and made

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

Examples of combination products may in

sure all the links in the newsletter worked correctly. Cleaning my mailing list of email addresses I dreaded the most.

I wanted to make sure that all unsubscribe requests got properly removed from my list. The software mainta

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

ning my list had no reliable way of accomplishing this task so I did it all manually. I broadcast my newsletter to my squeaky clean list but how much time did it take me to keep it that way? Answer: Way too much time.

Penny w

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

ise and pound foolish means being cautious with small amounts of money but careless with large amounts. What large amounts of money was I being foolish with? My time. Time is money and being cautious with my money by purchasing

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

Combination pro

inexpensive email marketing software (penny wise) resulted in using way too much time (pound foolish) because the software woefully lacked features I needed.

Building trust and relationships is what email marketing is all about

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

A big part of that trust is built upon how well I managed my subscription lists. When someone on my list asks for removal, I want to respond accordingly. Not complying with these requests puts my business reputation at risk.

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

But there are additional concerns.

Domain registrars are taking spam complaints more seriously and many openly provide complaint forms on their Web sites. Too many complaints reported to my domain registrar could give them rea

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

on to disable my domain. I didn’t want to have my thriving online business suddenly brought to a standstill because my domain got shut down.

Also, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 dictates that email sent to the requestor's email addr

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

ss must stop within 10 business days. Each violation of CAN-SPAM provisions is subject to fines of up to $11,000. Ouch!

After several software trials, I found that Mailloop 7 from Internet Marketing Center met my needs of proc

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

ssing subscribe and unsubscribe requests automatically through a list of filters and rules. Now I maintain as many lists as I need to keep up with the demands of my business. But most important, I will never again worry about m

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

Following aspects would a

arketing to anyone who unsubscribes from my list as the software automatically maintains a “Master Unsubscribe List” to make sure of that.

Another part of my online marketing strategy is using an autoresponder to cut down on th

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

daily chore of answering frequently asked questions. Though I’ve provided the answers in a convenient FAQ, I still get email inquiries on a daily basis.

Autoresponders use my customers' desire for instant gratification to my

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

dvantage. A single autoresponder frees me from the tedious task of responding to each and every request–such as manually sending out purchase confirmations–giving me time to focus on more profitable areas of my business. But tha

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

t's not all.

Unlimited sequential autoresponders enables me to send a personal response instantly; and then a personalized follow-up message a few days later; and then a friendly reminder a week later; and on and on! Using this

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

method of communicating with my customers greatly increases my sales.

Cheap alternatives for email marketing abound on the Web but the question remains: "Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?" Think of a carpenter who fr

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

mes houses for a living. Is he using a hand saw or a power saw? Is he using a hammer or a nail gun? If the carpenter doesn't take advantage of the tools of his trade that will boost his productivity, he will soon find himsel

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

f looking for a new career.

If you are still using inferior software to help you maintain your subscriber lists, it's likely that you're wasting lots of precious time trying to maintain a competitive edge in your field. Find a

.

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

robust software solution that is well worth the money invested in its cost. Compare it with other email marketing solutions in its class. Ask if it has spam checking, statistical reporting and my favorite, unlimited autorespon

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ers. If you do your homework and invest in good software, you will save hours and hours of time that could be better used in more important matters of your business–and you won’t be accused of being penny wise and pound foolish

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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Becoming a pharmacist is a noble profession but it certainly doesn't have the prestige of a brain surgeon or other medical professional titles but it's a solid career and one that more and more are turning to help ensure a good living and job security.

Pictures and graphics are one of the most important elements that a company uses to create brand awareness and communicate its message. Ever wonder where those images come from?

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