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Last year marked the first time that millennials (aged 18 to 34) surpassed Generation X in size, and became a majority of the American workforce, according to Pew Research Center (Beckers Hospital, 2015). Their purchasing power continues to grow, and they are a major influence on every industry out there, including healthcare! 

We are seeing the rise of ‘millennial physicians’! By 2025 (less than a decade from now) millennials will make up the majority of the healthcare workplace filing the gap left behind by retiring baby boomers (HHN, 2013). Also, the majority of today’s healthcare professionals (HCPs) are already ‘digital natives” – individuals who have grown up with digital technologies and are familiar/comfortable with using digital tools – which is changing the healthcare environment (EPG Health, 2015).

The habits and mindsets of these millennials don’t typically align with traditional models of healthcare delivery, healthcare organizations and pharma sales and marketing must adapt and take notice, as this group presents new and distinct challenges (HFA, 2015).                        

Today we’re going to be covering 3 important things to know about millennials healthcare providers and their patients in the new healthcare environment.

Many people want to become a pharmaceutical sales representative (PSRs). They typically picture the glitz of a high salary, extravagant perks, huge growth potential, travel, fancy industry events, etc. and think ‘that’s the life!’ But in reality the job isn’t an easy one, it involves a lot of studying, competitive analysis, managing relationships, data entry, and waiting around.

Over the past few months we've been exploring the daily tasks of PSRs, including pre-call planning, in-field execution, call recording & sample management, CME events (in particular e-CME), and finally product knowledge/training.

Since PSRs have one of the most demanding jobs in the industry, we’re working on ways to improve their day-to-day lives, eliminating wasted time and resources by streamlining and automating every-day activities. We're created an infographic summarizing the daily activities of PSRs, featuring tips and advice to improve their efficiency and lives. 

Being a medical device or pharmaceutical sales rep (PSR) is tough. In recent years the responsibilities of the average rep have increased as new obstacles and challenges impede success, examples include the rapidly changing healthcare landscape, fierce competition from generics, the complex value chain, and the highly regulated environment (Oracle).

One of the most important tasks for healthcare sales reps (HSR) is their responsibility to supply healthcare providers (HCPs), patients, payers, etc. with up-to-date information and findings regarding the products that they promote. In order to accomplish this they must undergo continuous product training/learning.

We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘knowledge is power’, and for your pharma or medical device sales team product knowledge is one of the best methods for reps to build trusting / prosperous relationships with their contacts, allowing them to create a positive customer experience, and make a lasting impression (InfoPro Learning, 2015).

The daily life of the pharma sales rep (PSR) contains many important tasks and activities. In the past we’ve written articles about pre-call planning, in-field execution, call recording and sample management. Today’s article is all about, what is often considered the second main responsibility of a PSR, organizing continuing medical education (CME) events.

These events are increasingly important because they allow PSRs to develop their relationships both internally and externally, while reinforcing the stature, dedication, and authenticity of the healthcare industry. 

There is a lot of preparation, research and organization that goes into the creation of these events. In today’s article we’re breaking down the three-step event process, criticisms of industry sponsors, the benefits of CME, and the rise of e-CME events.

Many people want to become a pharmaceutical sales representative (PSR), they picture the glitz of a high salary, extravagant perks, huge growth potential, travel, fancy industry events, etc. and think ‘that’s the life!’ But in reality the job isn’t an easy one, it involves a lot of studying, competitive analysis, managing relationships, data entry, and waiting around (MedReps, 2015).

Since PSRs have one of the most demanding jobs in the industry, we’re working on ways to improve their day-to-day lives, eliminating wasted time and resources by streamlining and automating every-day activities.

Call recording and sample management are two tedious tasks plaguing PSRs. Today’s article focuses on how to improve these activities to give selling time back to reps.

The healthcare sales landscape is changing, it has evolved significantly since the early days with several competing trends adding friction to the already complex and time-strained sales process. How can our pharma sales reps (PSRs) overcome these challenges and achieve effortless sales success?

We've researched recent trends including declining access to healthcare providers (HCPs), declining trust of pharma companies, increasingly strict budgets, and smaller sales force sizes. All of these trends are putting pressure on PSRs, to improve their efficiency, performance, and customer engagement. 

To meet these challenges, PSRs need to be adaptive in real time in order to stay afloat in the new healthcare sales environment; we’ve searched the web and curated these 7 habits of highly effective pharma sales reps.

Pharmaceutical companies are playing an important role in the digital healthcare revolution. They are moving beyond the pill to address the evolving demands of an eHealth landscape. In order to succeed they must focus on growth and innovation!

The Internet of Things, mobile communications, and advanced analytics are some of the biggest innovations that are transforming the medical sales environment, providing huge opportunities for positive initiatives and patient outcomes.

We believe that the following digital healthcare opportunities will drive the most value for the future of the pharmaceutical industry, and should be considered as a part of a successful digital strategy.

Healthcare, like many other industries, is facing immense pressure to adopt a digital transformation. The need to innovate, rising patient expectations, and inaccessible healthcare providers are just a few of the aspects impacting pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other healthcare companies.

Fortunately there is an abundance of research, information, and even direct input from HCPs and patients to help these companies determine which opportunities and demands they should be addressing with their digital strategies.

Pharma sales and marketing, in particular, must find a way to drive successful organizational change and become leaders of digital innovation in an effort to prove the value of their products and services to the industry and their empowered patients.

We believe that pharma can and should embrace the eHealth transformation and build effective digital strategies that will allow them to find new growth and profitability.

Our world has been forever changed by digital technology. It’s a part of everything we do, from smartphones to having access to the Internet everywhere we go. 

For healthcare this change means many different things. The prevalence of digital technology in the healthcare environment will impact the future of medical devices, the CareFlow, big data, patient expectations, the role of the pharma sales reps (PSR), and interactions with healthcare providers (HCPs). 

In order to succeed in the changing digital world, pharma companies must become strategic problem-solvers. There are big challenges to overcome, from expectations regarding pharma sales and marketing content to the rise of social media; the healthcare industry should be spearheading the digital transformation.

Pre-call prep time is a crucial part of any sales rep’s day, but healthcare sales have seen a renaissance of pre-call planning, and new challenges are being introduced as a result of this evolution.

Problems take shape as the pre-call planning process starts to consume more and more valuable selling time – something pharma sales reps (PSRs) can’t spare.

Today’s article explores the pre-call planning process for healthcare sales, and offers solutions for enhancing the process.