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Many smaller businesses have advanced beyond back office automation using PCs and client-server IS platforms. More owners are looking at advanced sales automation software as a way of improving the productivity of their

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

sales force as well as customer satisfaction. Salespeople are often more resistant to using PCs compared with those working in finance, logistics, materials management and other functions. Thus, business owners need

; 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 sell the benefits of automation to both their sales managers and reps. Sales has long been considered more of an art than a science, which explains part of the resistance. Also, some businesses find themselves with o

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

lder reps who, though they have critical industry knowledge, did not grow up with computers. You could just load up each rep with a laptop and all the accoutrements:
• sales management software, including automa

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

ted fax and e-mail capabilities
• groupware for proposal and contact information sharing
• templates for contact reports and follow-up letters
• product, price and delivery information that can be call

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

Combination pro

ed up via an intranet link.
Why not let them discover the value for themselves? There's a good reason: Throwing sales automation software at the reps is no guarantee it will be used. Sales automation software

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

has been growing of late, with close to $300 million a year in revenues. There's a reason: improved functionality and user-friendly features geared to what the reps consider their priority needs are the reasons behind t

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

he recent spurt in sales. Before pushing sales automation on your reps and territory managers, conduct an audit within the company. Here are some key steps to take:
• Ask your reps what they consider to be their

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

three priority tasks in the field. Ask for their recommendations on how to improve their productivity. For example, which tasks are taking longer than they would like, or what are the bottlenecks they face in getting p

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

rompt and accurate information to prospective as well as current customers.
• Involve all of your key functional managers in a discussion of the order management and order fulfillment processes. Although sales for

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

ce automation can begin with discrete tools such as contact management software, your business may really need a more integrated and more robust information systems architecture that will improve the entire order-to-del

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

Following aspects would a

ivery process chain in the company.
• Decide whether you should try to improve sales productivity as a single function or carry out a more extensive overhaul of your business' IS platform.
• When you survey

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

vendor offerings, involve end-users in the discussion and trial testing of the software. Many off-the-shelf products allow sufficient customization for your needs. Some of the tools have more open-ended integration capa

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

bilities with other IS tools, and it is important to know how much integration is possible. You want to avoid investing in another legacy system that could end up walling sales off from other business functions. Finall

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

y, even when software tools and other IS enhancements are the right solution for boosting sales productivity and customer satisfaction, that is no guarantee you will get buy-in from the sales force. You need to motivate

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

use and experimentation. Besides involving end-users in the discussion and evaluation of software choices before you commit to a vendor, there are three other steps you can take to assure that your reps accept the ne

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

w system: 1. Assure the sales force that the time required for getting up to speed on the software will not reduce their income if they fail to make their sales numbers at the customary level. However, set a fixed per

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

iod of time for the conversion to the new system. 2. Monitor the productivity payoff among the committed users, with before and after comparisons of their sales productivity. Productivity measures should not just focu

.

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

s on goods or services sold but include discrete task productivity, at least initially. For example, the time it takes to get letters written, or get correct pricing information out to customers. Then, communicate the b

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

enefits throughout the sales organization. 3. Go with a software vendor or systems integrator that will stay on board well beyond the installation to provide additional customization of the tool and training if needed

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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I often recommend that my clients consider offering free consultations. They provide a great opportunity to get a “foot in the door” while, at the same time, allowing a relationship (i.e., rapport and trust) to begin to form. To the extent you decide to offer free consultations, I recommend the following guidelines:

Many want to be slick marketers are all to ready to tell you that the only way to advertise today is online. However this is just a flat out lie. Tradtional marketing materials can be a wonderful source of advertising. A good quality brochure can bring in tons of new customers.

Branding your company or product on the Web using the Sonic Personality technique enhances your corporate image and creates a lasting impression on your website visitors. Sonic Personality creates a signature voice for your company that helps visitors retain your marketing message or sales pitch. Here's how it's done.

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