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In most industries to-day, a handful of ideal customers have become universal targets. Nearly every industrial salesperson dreams of calling on the CEO’s or managing directors of those top companies, which logically means that there are maybe 500 customers

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

for a million sellers. With such intense competition, conventional approaches are not equal to the challenge. Salespeople need to develop strategies that distinguish their products, services and their organisations in the mind of the customer.

Making a s

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

Examples of combination products may in

ale has always involved an element of systematic planning but strategic selling means more than rehearsing product information and timing the close. Strategic selling begins with understanding your company’s strategy, vision, and distinctiveness and then s

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

lecting high profile customers.

The next step, logically, is anticipating each stage of the buying process, from analysing the competition to identifying the influencers and decision-makers and being switched in to the buyer’s political issues. In other w

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

ords, there is a need for a comprehensive strategic profile and rigorous opportunity assessment process. Most important, strategic selling means strategising from the customer’s point of view. Top achievers see strategic selling as a routine part of their

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

Combination pro

work - not a final resort.

What Are The Implications For Sales Management?

For companies to remain competitive now, their sales organisation must be able to respond positively to changing economic tides. As businesses strive to establish customer

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

orientation, sales partnerships and a strategic approach to selling, they are demanding more and more from their salespeople but ensuring that these new methods are widely practised and smoothly implemented falls to sales management

Building Productivi

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

ty:

Sales productivity is a strategic issue. That’s why problems in this area stem from salespeople being unclear about their company’s priorities i.e. what their message should be and what they should be selling.

The trend in industry of removing la

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

ers of management between the sale force and the general manager presents a challenge to those sales managers who remain. To begin with, the sales manager becomes an essential link between company strategy and what takes place in the customer’s office. He

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

or she must not only grasp the corporate vision but be able to communicate it to the sales force in terms of the real effects on sales practices

Creating Direction:

Sales managers with an intimate feel for the selling process succeed because their

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

staff regard them as part of the sales team but coaching the team is as important as playing in it. In other words, sales managers must be prepared to provide training, feedback and support to every individual within the team.

Once committed to the traini

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

Following aspects would a

ng process, they must routinely reinforce new ways of behaving in real sales situations. They must provide a clear sense of direction on a daily basis, not just at the monthly sales meeting / quarterly review / annual appraisal

The very best sales manager

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

s engage in frequent coaching and feedback, even when their sales people work in remote locations. While encouraging salespeople to air their problems openly and discuss their concerns, sales managers must be able to offer clear and specific feedback for i

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

proving sales performance

Rewarding Change:

The sales manager is charged with translating the company’s reward system into specific improvements in sales performance. Both salespeople and corporate managers count on the sales manager to recognise

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

and reward outstanding achievement, formally and informally.

The process of promoting new attitudes about the customer and the role of the salesperson can be frustrating and slow. Reverting back to recent research there is compelling evidence to suggest 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

hat companies will see results sooner if they recognise and reward salespeople - “you get more of the behaviour and results that you reward”.

The trend in sales compensation appears to be away from commission to guaranteed salary, from compensation based

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

n orders to compensation based on delivery and sign-off. Interestingly some organisations we know, base their ‘salesperson of the year’ award on the basis of customer satisfaction or customer retention rather than sheer volume of orders or activity

Sum

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

mary – And Now the Good News:

It is now a given fact in any sales-related seminar or conference you may attend that traditional sales methods are being relegated to the annals of history. The new, more discerning customers of today have seen to that.

.

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

hey now wield greater bargaining power, demand more value for money and have become more knowledgeable and professional when it comes to decision-making. Suppliers are now faced with rising customer expectations and the need to become more flexible to the

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

requirements of each individual client.

Yet the key to differentiation lies within these expectations, since more complex buying decisions lead customers to value closer links with their suppliers.

Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserve

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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Home office shredders are light volume shredders. They are used at places where documents are to be shredded periodically. These shredders are also known as deskside shredders. They are more suitable for personal or home office use and most of them are designed to fit under a desk. Some of these shredders have cabinets which function as convenient waste paper bins. Most home office shredders use a combination of plastic and metal gears.

There is just something about that stores that require a membership for you to shop there. For some reason you feel connected to the store and loyal when you are a plastic card carrying member. Of course, you have to pay membership fees to actually be allowed to shop in the store, but this is not a turnoff as one might initially think.

The old adage you've got to spend money to make money is no where more true than with gift cards.

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