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Digg It - Pragmatic Consulting from the Client's Perspective
In my career I have been fortunate enough to work for two of the best companies on earth: Accenture and Microsoft. In my eleven years at Accenture I got a tremendous education on systems development, project management, strategic planning, and client service. In my nine years at Microsoft, I took most of what I learned at Accenture and learned how to apply it in a very practical and effective manner. Both experi
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
ences were key to my growth as a professional.
When I left Accenture to go to Microsoft, I found myself moving from the consultant's side of the desk to the client's side of the desk. At Microsoft I had the opportunity to work with a large number of consulting firms in my various jobs managing IT projects, heading up Corporate Procurement, and managing Corporate Planning & Budgeting. In working with many of the
When I left Accenture to go to Microsoft, I found myself moving from the consultant's side of the desk to the client's side of the desk. At Microsoft I had the opportunity to work with a large number of consulting firms in my various jobs managing IT projects, heading up Corporate Procurement, and managing Corporate Planning & Budgeting. In working with many of the
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.
Examples of combination products may in
Examples of combination products may in
e firms, I had ample opportunity to reflect on my own career as a consultant and think about how much better a consultant I would have been had I viewed things more from the client's perspective. It is this client-based, or pragmatic consulting that dramatically increases a consultant's effectiveness and builds long-term win-win relationships with clients.
The "Ah-ha's"
In moving from the consultant to the cli
The "Ah-ha's"
In moving from the consultant to the cli
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.
nt role, I was able to clearly articulate some principles, or "Ah-has," that many consultants either don't understand or don't practice on a regular basis, as follows:
Consulting is more about listening than speaking - Being an active listener and asking a lot of questions of the client is crucial to getting a deep understanding of the client's issues and hot buttons. Too frequently I've seen consultants rush i
Consulting is more about listening than speaking - Being an active listener and asking a lot of questions of the client is crucial to getting a deep understanding of the client's issues and hot buttons. Too frequently I've seen consultants rush i
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
with their perspectives on theories or problems without truly taking the time to listen to what is important to the client. Sometimes things worked out OK, but there were times where the consultant's perceived understanding of the problem didn't represent the client's true problems. The end result was is a ticked-off client who viewed the consultant as a pompous jerk.
A consultant needs to resist the urge to p
A consultant needs to resist the urge to p
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.
Combination pro
Combination pro
esent solutions before the client has a chance to fully explain the problems. It could be that the consultant understands the problem very well, but to develop a connection with the client, you need to let the client articulate their issues and concerns. That connect time with the client is important to building the trust and credibility that both the consultant and client need to work effectively together.
Tru
Tru
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
credibility is achieved fastest by demonstrating a thoughtful understanding of the client's problem - A consultant may have a strong understanding of industry or functional issues that other companies face, but that doesn't mean that those problems apply to the client. When a consultant assumes that problems other companies face apply at the client, they take a definite risk in establishing credibility with the
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
client. Even worse is when the client explains their problem and the consultant either doesn't acknowledge the problem or doesn't get it after repeated explanations. The longer it takes for a consultant to grasp the client's problems, the shakier their credibility becomes.
A consultant needs to put themselves in the client's shoes, understand the client's problem from their perspective, and not make generation
A consultant needs to put themselves in the client's shoes, understand the client's problem from their perspective, and not make generation
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
ssumptions about the complexity or urgency of the problem. Show an "I feel your pain" perspective of the client's problem and you'll quickly get over the credibility hump and get the client to where they want to listen to you.
"Concise" is more important than "more" - I personally fell victim to this as a younger consultant. Many of my presentations were measured in part by how many slides and how much informat
"Concise" is more important than "more" - I personally fell victim to this as a younger consultant. Many of my presentations were measured in part by how many slides and how much informat
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
on I could cram into a presentation. It was commonplace for me to create 100+ slide PowerPoint presentations which would take several hours to go through. When I joined Microsoft, I was thoroughly thrashed the first time I created a pass-the-weight-test presentation. I learned quickly to focus on concise, tight, treat-every-word-like-you're-spending-a-dollar presentations.
A consultant needs to shelve the urge
A consultant needs to shelve the urge
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
o cram as many pretty slides into a presentation as they can. The client doesn't necessarily need to see all of the gory details. I've learned to focus many of my presentations into a core deck and an appendix. The core deck focuses on three core components: a concise articulation of the problem, the proposed solution to the problem, and how the solution will be implemented. The appendix contains other supportin
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.
Following aspects would a
Following aspects would a
pieces of information that the consultant only reviews with the client if necessary. I've been able to get my point across to my client in a very crisp, concise manner and was able to deep-dive on questions as necessary. True, you may only need a small portion of your appendix and much of your hard work may never see the light of day, but if you're solving the client's problem, who cares?
The client generally
The client generally
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
nows the theory, what they may not know is how to practically apply it - I've been through one-too-many presentations as a client where a consulting firm brings in their industry expert to talk about the problems that face my industry. After they go on for about fifteen minutes telling me theory I already know, I would ask, "So how did you fix it?" More often than not, the industry expert only knew vague details
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
about how someone else dealt with the problem, if the problem was dealt with at all. Knowing the theory only gets you through the first mile in a 26-mile marathon; knowing how to apply the theory in a very practical and effective manner gets you through the rest of the race.
Clients want to hear about how their problems can be solved in a practical, straightforward, effective manner, not about lofty theory. If
Clients want to hear about how their problems can be solved in a practical, straightforward, effective manner, not about lofty theory. If
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
our theories don't solve problems, save them for late-night philosophical discussions over a favorite beverage.
Relationships are more important than short-term fee goals - True, consultants are in business to generate fees and make money. There's nothing wrong with a profit motive and a goal to make money. Where it does become a problem, though, is when short-term fee goals cause a consultant to do something t
Relationships are more important than short-term fee goals - True, consultants are in business to generate fees and make money. There's nothing wrong with a profit motive and a goal to make money. Where it does become a problem, though, is when short-term fee goals cause a consultant to do something t
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
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
at is not in the client's best interest. Those consultants that seemed to always have one hand in my pocket weren't the consultants that survived in the long term.
The consultants I respected the most are those who told me things like "I really don't think you need me on this," or "You could probably do this yourself and save some money." When a consultant puts my best business interests over their own fees, my
The consultants I respected the most are those who told me things like "I really don't think you need me on this," or "You could probably do this yourself and save some money." When a consultant puts my best business interests over their own fees, my
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
trust in them goes up exponentially. True, the consultant may have a short-term fee hit because they didn't sell a job, but the long-term potential for win-win between the client and consultant was more attainable and far more lucrative.
Saying "I don't know" is OK at times - Being a consultant doesn't mean that the omniscience fairy came to you one night, waved her magic wand, and deemed you the all-knowledgea
Saying "I don't know" is OK at times - Being a consultant doesn't mean that the omniscience fairy came to you one night, waved her magic wand, and deemed you the all-knowledgea
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
le one. Sometimes issues will come up that the consultant can't answer. Some of the ugliest situations I've seen were when the consultant tried to fake his way through a topic he had no business addressing. A simple "I don't know" would have been far better than throwing up a smoke screen and hoping no one asks questions.
Having said this, there are two caveats to note: first, whenever a consultant says "I don'
Having said this, there are two caveats to note: first, whenever a consultant says "I don'
.
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
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
know" they need to follow it up with "but I'll find out and give you an answer by x date." Second, a consultant only gets a few "I don't knows" before they're labeled as an incompetent doofus who doesn't know their subject matter. Having a strong understanding of the subject matter the consultant professes to be expert in is mandatory; having a shaky understanding will get you voted off the island in the first
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
ound.
True effectiveness as a consultant means the consultant listens to the client, understands their pain, presents practical solutions in a concise manner, and demonstrates the utmost in honesty and integrity. Keep these things in focus, and you'll earn and keep the best clients. You will establish yourself as a pragmatic consultant who sees things from the only perspective that matters -- that of the client
True effectiveness as a consultant means the consultant listens to the client, understands their pain, presents practical solutions in a concise manner, and demonstrates the utmost in honesty and integrity. Keep these things in focus, and you'll earn and keep the best clients. You will establish yourself as a pragmatic consultant who sees things from the only perspective that matters -- that of the client
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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