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Are you a business-to-business direct mail marketer looking for something better to offer than white papers? Consider self-assessment surveys.

But first, l

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

et’s clarify a few things. I’m assuming you’re a B2B direct marketer who uses direct mail to generate sales leads rather than make a sale. You are mailing

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

Examples of combination products may in

to prospects that you hope are in the early stage of their buying cycle, the time when they are identifying their need, gathering information on solutions

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

and establishing specifications for any vendors they choose to interview.

This is the stage of the buying cycle where white papers are so effective, becau

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

e they help prospective customers discover their needs and learn about solutions. But if your offers of white papers are not generating the response rates

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

Combination pro

they once did, try offering a self-assessment survey instead.

A self-assessment survey, as the name implies, is a survey that your prospects take on their

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

own, usually online. It’s not administered by a sales person. And it doesn’t try to sell anything.

Your prospect simply visits a special page on your w

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

bsite, or your page on a hosted survey vendor, such as www.surveymonkey.com, and answers questions. The system then processes the prospect’s answers, assi

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

gns a score, and, typically, compares the prospect’s results with industry standards or benchmarks, and recommends steps for improvement.

Prospects like

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

nline self-assessments because:

1. Self-assessments don’t involve a phone call with or visit from a salesperson

2. They help business people discover thei

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

needs or challenges in a way that seems free of bias, since the assessment is a test more than a series of qualifying questions coming from a salesperson

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

Following aspects would a

3. Prospects can take the assessment any time, day or night, which is convenient

4. Self-assessments appear more objective than white papers, since they

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

sk industry questions rather than deliver answers written by a particular vendor

5. Prospects usually learn something about their needs and possible solu

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

tions, for free

Businesses like offering online self-assessments because:

1. Self-assessments don’t involve a time-consuming phone call or visit with an u

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

qualified prospect

2. They help a business uncover a prospect’s needs or challenges in a way that is free of pressure and manipulation

3. Self-assessments

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

appear more objective than white papers, since they ask industry questions rather than deliver answers written by a particular vendor. This makes them a m

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ore attractive offer, since self-assessments appear less self-serving

4. Online self-assessments are a cost-effective way to fill the sales funnel because

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

o printing and mailing costs are involved

If you decide to offer your B2B prospects an online self-assessment, make sure your questions give your prospec

.

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

ts value for their time investment while helping you identify and qualify your prospects.

You can even take a self-assessment right now, and evaluate your

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ffectiveness at, you guessed it, lead generation. Visit http://www.kmaone.com/SA1leadgen.htm

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

Will you be sending a business Christmas card to your clients this holiday season? You might be surprised at how effective one little card can be on your client relationships.

A career as a rock star or television star is unattainable for most hopeful teens who dream of being in the spotlight. While many dream of being the next *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys sensation, this may be a little far-fetched. However, teens don’t have to give up their dream, at least not completely. Few star-struck teens actually realize how many careers are available in the entertainment production industry.

It's true. The fortune is in the follow-up. In an ideal situation, you'd have blocks of uninterrupted time in your schedule to follow-up with prospects and clients. However, as a busy service professional wearing a half dozen hats, this isn't always the case.

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Digg It - Offer Self-Assessments, Not White Papers, in Direct Mail Lead Generation

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