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I am That Guy.

And I didn’t even mean for it to happen. It just did.

It all started five years ago when I had a crazy idea to start wearing a nametag to make people friendlier. The only catch was, I planned to wear it all day. Everyday. For the rest of my life.

I know.

But it worked. It worked really well. And aside from the obvious jok

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

es about my memory problems, the occasional (by which I mean constant) stares from strangers, and the initial feelings of embarrassment, it was beautiful! People acted friendlier. Approachability was in the air. And strangers said hello who otherwise would have stared at the pavement!

Then, after about 6 months, something happened. People di

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

Examples of combination products may in

n’t just call me Scott anymore. They called me “Scott, that guy with the nametag.” And that’s when everything changed. That’s when I became That Guy. And just like all the other business people who once discovered that they too, were That Guy, I never looked back.

And a result, being That Guy has now become the single most advantageous facto

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

of my business.

That Guy is an individual, not an actual “guy.” I ask you to please ignore the gender of the term, even though I refer to him in the masculine. That Guy is someone whose unique personality, values and lifestyle consistently pervades everything he does, thinks and says.

In other words: somebody who reminds everybody<

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

b> of nobody else.

Some experts call it personal branding. Knowing thy self. Starting with your strengths. Differentiation. Keeping it real. Standing out. Being unique.

Whatever.

Same skeleton, different flesh. I like the term That Guy because it humanizes the concept of individuality. You can have lunch with That Guy. You can

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

Combination pro

all That Guy for advice. You can tell your friends and customers to go to That Guy’s website. Because That Guy...is just cool. And he holds permanent shelf space in your mind.

Who is That Guy?
Have you ever heard of Jared Fogel? Of course you have. Everybody knows Jared. He’s that guy who lost over 250 pounds eati

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

ng nothing but Subway sandwiches for an entire year. But that was only the beginning. Jared has now made a career out of his accomplishments. In addition to being the official spokesperson for the company, Jared is the go-to guy for education about weight loss, discipline and nutrition. As a result, he has a profitable career that helps milli

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

ns of people each year attain healthy lifestyles.

Not to mention, he probably gets lots of free sandwiches.

The best part is, Jared Fogel used to be Some Guy. But then he found a way to personify his values, uniqueness and talents into a business and life that inspired and helped others. And now, he’s That Guy.

Now, he’s somebody who reminds

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

everybody of nobody.

Why Be That Guy?
Being That Guy is advantageous to your business in several ways. First, there’s the connection. Customers don’t buy products, they buy people they like and relate to FIRST. Then – and only then - do they buy products.

Next is trust. You see, customers no longer trust big compan

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

es due to the proliferation of corporate scandals and corruption (thanks Enron!). They want a face. A person. An individual they can confide in. So when it comes down to business, everyone trusts That Guy. Because he’s a human, not a company.

Then there’s credibility, an aura of expertise which is perceived by your customers based on

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

your actions. Not your intentions, your actions. Because people only give you credit for what they see you do - consistently.

That Guy also projects authenticity. This is a characteristic present in any That Guy because he keeps it real. He maintains congruency between what he believes, what he says and what he does. This is essentia

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

Following aspects would a

l to business success not only because your customers are smarter than ever before, but also because they have better BS meters than ever before.

Lastly, there’s confidence, the one emotion you want flowing through the mind and heart of every person you serve. Because when you’re That Guy, customers will be confident you’re the best. Co

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

fident that you will serve them better than anyone. Confident that you’re so incredibly unique, knowledgeable and valuable, that you become somebody who reminds them of nobody. And in the end, customers want to work with someone who is authentic, real and has passion for what he does. In other words, people want to work with That Guy, not Some

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

Guy.

What Guy Are You?
The good news is, you already are That Guy. You just need to get to know him a little better. Now, although the entire process of becoming That Guy will span over a series of upcoming articles, here are some exercises to get you started.

Every time I _______________, it makes people stop, listen and say WOW<

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

r> People always remember me for _________________
I’m the first and/or only person to _______________
I’m probably the only person you’ll ever meet who will _________________
If you looked up the word _______________ in the dictionary, you’d see me
If you googled the word ________________, the first ten pages would be my web

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

ite
If was giving a speech to 10,000 people and I only had three sentences to use in my introduction, they would say _____________________
In my marketing materials, the words or phrases you will find that nobody else uses are ______________________
After saying _________________, I tell customers “…because that’s just the way I do

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

business.”
When my coworkers need help with _____________, they always call me
As soon as I leave a conversation with a group of new people, they’re all probably thinking to themselves, ___________________
After people get to know me, they’ll never think about ________________ the same way again
When friends or family members

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

introduce me to new people, they say_________
My whole life, people have always said I was like a _____________________
I stopped _________________, people would be disappointed
When business people introduce me to others, they say ___________________
The most remarkable thing about my life is _________________________
Th

.

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

most remarkable thing about my business is ____________________
When I give my business card to someone, they usually say ________________
I’m known for being ___________________
The compliment I seem to receive all the time is ______________________
There is nobody walking the planet who could share the message about ______

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

__________ better than me

With your answers to the above exercises, it should be a piece of cake to fill out this last one:

I AM THAT GUY WHO ___________________________________________

Once you’ve figured that out, you will be ready for the next step: introducing That Guy to as many people as possible. But we’ll talk about that next time

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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