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Where Do Most of Your Clients Come From?

Is it from your marketing and sales system?

When I meet people for the first time and they understand that I'm a marketing consultant, I'm frequently asked, "Where do most of your clients come from?" Many times I belie

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

ve the question is asked innocently enough. But, quite often I feel like the person asking wants to know if I have a magic answer that might work for them.

Most small business owners are passionate about the services they provide - not the marketing it takes to consi

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

Examples of combination products may in

tently find more clients. Many service businesses will admit that they're not really sure what works best or how to get going with marketing.

With that as your starting point, marketing can sure seem like a lot of work that takes too much time and energy for the retu

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

n on investment.

Too often the result is a scatter gun approach. I refer to it as episodic marketing - a series of unfocused and hastily-planned, one-shot episodes (or campaigns). For example, throwing together a tri-fold brochure that you can start mailing or handin

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

out to everyone you meet; or sending out a direct mail piece to try and stir up some interest.

It's not uncommon that the motivation for these marketing episodes is a slow down in business. And then when business picks up, you quickly scrap the current campaign (unt

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

Combination pro

l the next slow down).

No System, No Consistency

What's missing for most small service businesses is a system to break marketing down into a series of connected small steps to generate a consistent supply of leads and convert them into new clients.

I think a

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

lack of a system might be one reason why so many small businesses conclude that word-of-mouth is their best source of new clients. It's kind of funny because when I ask others where the business comes from, 99% say that it's referrals (word-of-mouth). But, when someon

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

asks me, I actually have to pause and think about it.

There's no doubt that referrals are one of the most effective ways to grow any business, but most service business owners would have to admit that they don't have any system for consistently generating word-of-mo

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

th business.

So Where Do Most of Your Clients Come From?

For me, the answer is that they are coming as a result of my marketing and sales system. The same system I'm using to help teach my clients how to get better, more consistent results from their marketin

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

is the system I'm using to build my own business.

Having a system allows me to dependably follow simple, but proven and effective processes to consistently generate leads and convert them into more business.

It is not one or two great ideas or strategies. It's brea

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

ing marketing and sales down into a series of connected strategies and tactics to gain attention from prospects and help them to become clients. The system helps move prospects forward that are ready to say "Yes", and lets those who are not motivated or ready to make

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

Following aspects would a

he investment move on.

Why Do You Need A System?

If you don't have a marketing and sales system, you'll never be able to grow your business to its full potential.

Most businesses address their primary business functions with systems. You have your billing sy

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

tem, accounting system, payroll system, and time management system. It's likely you have systems to manage client or project work. One primary business function that seems to go without a system is Marketing.

There's a great misconception that to be an effective mark

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

ter, you need to be creative. And most small business owners will tell me that they're just not good at that. But I've come to believe that marketing should be more of a science (a system) than an art.

Without a marketing and sales system, most service businesses end

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

up reactively marketing when business is slow and stop when they are busy. This mindset usually lends itself to episodic marketing.

With a system, you'll be better prepared to generate inquiries and convert new clients all year round.

Marketing and Sales

Not

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

ce that I've said you need a Marketing and Sales system. Marketing and sales are NOT the same thing, but you need a system that addresses both seamlessly.

One of the notions I hear over and over again is that Marketing is about creating name recognition or brand awar

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ness. I would argue that these are simply welcome side-effects of marketing. When you are a small business and all of your time, energy, and money count, then what you really need is for marketing to produce a consistent stream of good quality leads.

Sales then is th

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

process(es) you use to convert as many as possible of those high-quality leads into clients.

This is why the two should be seamlessly addressed in your system. Too many businesses jump forward to selling before a potential lead is even established as a qualified pro

.

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

pect. Conversely, many leads go uncultivated when there's no means to explore the prospect and move them towards becoming a potential buyer.

A System is The Key To Reaching Your Full Business Potential

Now just imagine if you had a system to drive these vita

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

functions in your business – a system that breaks down the marketing and sales process into smaller, more manageable, interrelated steps.

Think about your own business. Where do most of your clients come from? Is it from your marketing and sales system? It should be

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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If your company relies on temperature control to maintain the quality of your stock then read on. This article offers practical advice and suggestions about the control and monitoring of your stock.

For many business owners, the process of balancing resources for reaching existing customers and attracting new business can be a difficult task. Advertising business services and products can be done by direct marketing, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet sites, mail, promotional giveaways, and more. No matter how your business implements its marketing strategy, the purpose behind all the methods used is to stay connected to the people who purchase your products, and to increase public awareness based on what your company can afford to spend.

There's a great tendency to assume that people only see us from the front, as when we look at them and shake hands. Not true. Visitors usually see us first from the side, and then decide to approach us.

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