In-field execution is the combination of all primary engagement activities conducted by the pharma sales rep (PSR) over the course of the workweek, not including call planning, reporting, events, and continuous learning.
In-field execution has evolved significantly since the 90’s, and at this moment several competing trends are adding friction and delays to an already complex and time-strained sales process.
Today we explore the pharma sales process for in-field activities, and offer two viable alternatives for addressing the challenges.
Click here to learn about accelerating the pre-call planning process.
In-Field Activities
Healthcare sales rep don’t sell directly, rather, they play the role of advisor and influencer – leveraging their interpersonal skills and product knowledge to sell value and convince healthcare providers (HCPs) that their product will achieve the best patient outcomes.
Activities can include:
Detailing – Engaging an HCP or target audience (payer, non-clinical influence) and trying to sell or influence the usage/adoption of a product with the help of sales collateral (detail pieces).
Pharmacy Visits – Visiting pharmacists in the assigned territory and updating them on product developments, new clinical information, etc.
Providing Samples – Visiting an HCP and providing product samples that can be used for treatments, and creating an opportunity for HCPs to try products and determine their actual value.
Relationship Development – PSRs take non-promotional and non-educational engagement opportunities to build a rapport and trust with HCPs. The outcomes may include increased selling time during a sales presentation, and open communication about their actual needs and wants.
Market Research – An ongoing process aimed at learning more about HCPs. This can include discussions with medical office assistants (MOAs) – often the gatekeepers for HCPs; and pharmacists – to learn characteristics about physicians in their assigned territory. As well as discussions with HCPs to gauge the effectiveness of marketing material shared with them.
Address/Service Calls – An HCP may make a request for information regarding a healthcare product, and the PSR assigned to that area typically services the call.
(List Source: PharmaCareer, 2013)
During each of these interactions, there are several subtle behaviours that can enhance the quality of the sales presentation and improve the likeliness of success.
The list includes everything from keenly observing while in the waiting room to body-language mirroring and astute objection handling.
(Follow this link for an interesting overview of the tactics and strategies you can use during sales presentations.)
So, what’s the problem?
A Look at In-Field Execution Challenges
Many PSRs are expected to hit quotas;
Not to suggest that quotas are unique to healthcare, but remember that PSRs aren’t selling, they’re engaging and informing. This means healthcare industry quotas often involve a target number of HCP interactions, rather than outcomes from interactions.
Some PSRs revealed quotas of 10 to 15 doctors a day, but in our experience the numbers are typically around 5 to 7 a day with additional expectations to reach out to pharmacists.
Regardless, we have a situation where traditional tactics, pre-2000’s, are creating an incredible amount of noise and clutter, and PSRs are under immense pressure to make their interactions memorable and achieve an objective.
PSRs are trying more creative tactics to get noticed;
The source that I linked above (and here) includes a huge list of very creative and influential tactics that PSRs can use to connect on a deeper level with HCPs. Part of in-field execution includes relationship building, which can involve any variety of unorthodox tactics, some of which are now regulated or restricted.
But creativity is NOT what HCPs want - what they want is value.
And while some (or most, depending on your skilfulness) of these tactics will result in positive conversions, they won’t work forever, and this will ultimately result in negative outcomes from HCP engagements.
As a result, HCPs are less trusting of PSRs and their communications;
The majority of HCPs no longer trust communications from the healthcare industry, and since in-person interactions are the primary engagement format for industry-to-provider interactions, objectives are becoming harder to achieve through traditional means.
Untrusting HCPs naturally means less time for in-person meetings, and this is exactly why we’re seeing today’s HCP sales interactions last only 2 to 3 minutes.
Which is leading to HCPs that become completely inaccessible to PSRs;
We’ve seen a drop in ‘accessible’ HCPs from 80% in 2008, to just 47% in 2015
More creativity in engagement doesn’t mean more value being added.
(Stat Source: Healthlink Dimensions, 2016).
Resulting in new wants and needs from HCPs that aren’t being met;
HCPs still depend on information about the healthcare industry; they’re just going out and finding it themselves rather than calling a PSR. The obvious challenge here is that this external information cannot be controlled, and there is no guarantee that it’s accurate.
79% of HCPs now start their information search online, but fewer than one in four would consider using a pharma company resource for their information.
Furthermore, HCPs are realizing that the communications that matter to them are those that align with the CareFlow, and provide end-to-end evidence that enables actionable decision making for patient-centric outcomes.
This is Where We Are Today
Declining access, reduced meeting time, complex medical products, and a lack of trust, all of which are creating runaway costs through the continued use of traditional in-person tactics.
Furthermore, applying creative tactics instead of pushing for targeted value is leading to content that fails to meet expectations. Consider this graph:
(Image Source: WorldofdtcMarketing, 2015)
This is what happens when we focus on the symptoms, and not the actual issues. That is to say:
Less time with doctors = make more calls.
Doctors are less trusting = be more creative.
Doctors have higher expectations from content = use more of the same content.
Two Possible Solutions
1. Keep Tackling the Symptoms – Work Harder
Many sources, including professional commentary sites, industry consultants, and in-depth interviews with PSRs: suggest tackling these challenges by addressing the symptoms. Some common suggestions:
- Short and targeted messages; knowing your stuff and memorization; transferring confidence.
- Develop the elevator pitch; be prepared ahead of time; maintain a regular call cycle; build those relationships.
- Build a hook that works in 3 minutes; focus on intriguing the HCP; give concise, not too detailed explanations.
This isn’t to say that these tactics won’t work, some of the suggestions across each resource are very valid, but will they stop the declining trends noted above? Do they address the challenges in a new and innovative way?
Perhaps not.
2. Revolutionize the Sales Approach – Work Smarter
You may like to start this section by reading our previous post about the 7 habits of highly effective PSRs.
At SKURA, we believe that the in-field approach needs a digital transformation that is truly focused on creating adaptive sales reps that can engage HCPs across multiple channels and invite participation through the platforms that HCPs are asking for.
(Here’s a great article from PM360 that compares a traditional process from the year 2000 to an adaptive process in 2015.)
The responsibilities of an in-field approach change drastically when an appropriate sales stack is utilized.
Detailing – Done continuously through digital channels preferred by HCPs, and provide an opportunity for HCPs to educate themselves about products on their own time, and reach out to PSRs when they need further information. Remote digital interactions can be scheduled for when the HCP has the time to dedicate to the meeting.
Pharmacy Visits – Become similar to detailing, except with more tailored interactions for these audiences.
Providing Samples – Rather than dropping in with surprise samples, sample offers can be made digitally, and these can reinforce other communications. Surprise sample drops could be timed with digital behaviours from the HCP.
For example, if after 2 weeks the HCP finally opens your email and engages with materials about a new treatment for hypertension, you can drop in the next day with some samples.
Relationship Development – HCPs are less and less influenced by creative selling, and desire value-added engagement. The digital approach enables PSRs with the capacity to provide instant responses with tailored detail pieces, and as PSRs become a more reliable resource than 3rd party online channels, deeper relationships and trust will develop.
Market Research – The somewhat hidden benefit of a digital transformation is that sales analytics software can track engagement and outcomes from marketing content. This means that industry content creators have the data they need to improve future content for desired outcomes. Insights are shared directly to marketing teams in a closed loop marketing solution, rather than via emails from field reps.
Service Calls – Digital sales aids make servicing calls an instantaneous process. Sellers can spend less time driving across the city and waiting in traffic, and more time delivering value to HCPs.
Digital sales engagement is NOT traditional tactics pasted onto digital channels.
Instead, mobile sales applications like pharma sales enablement transform the entire sales model with a multi-channel focus.
Step 1 – End to end evidence-based content creation;
Step 2 – Account based marketing outreach;
Step 3 – Inbound digital content marketing approach.
(Click here to learn more about these strategies)
The Outcomes
The digital transformation creates a new kind of PSR that can engage dozens of HCPs in hours, respond to request in minutes, and gauge intent in seconds.
Meanwhile, HCPs are afforded more time to delve into content at their own leisure, are under less pressure from in-person visits, and receive more tailored communications over time.
That’s exactly why our solution left the teams at GSK feeling like they were, “able to tailor content to individual customers, rather than going in with generic stories and presentations” while at the same time delivering a “complete refresh of the selling platform.” Check out the case study below to learn more.
Is It Time to Transform Your In-Field Sales Process?
Since joining the Indegene team, we’ve redoubled our corporate focus on improving healthcare outcomes for everyone involved in the CareFlow. Success starts with eliminating wasted processes, improving provider workloads, enhancing patient outcomes, and aligning pharma sales and marketing.
Request a demo and let our sales specialists show you just how easy it can be to revolutionize HCP engagement.
