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Technology is a wonderful thing as long as it is used as a sales tool and not a crutch. Let me give you a recent example where I didn’t practice what I

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

preach and it came back to haunt me.

A client e-mailed me and asked me about doing a program for their management team. I emailed her back and she em

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

Examples of combination products may in

ailed me back – yada yada yada. The final email (the fourth exchange) she decided that she didn’t have enough left in her training budget to hire me.

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

y point. The email exchange took place over a period of five days and the outcome was not exactly what I would have liked. In hindsight I asked myself

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

, “Why didn’t I just pick up the phone and call her and get it resolved one way or another in one ten minute conversation in one day? When I add up th

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

Combination pro

e time to create, write and send five emails and then read her five emails the time spent totaled a little over an hour. This was only one prospect. M

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

ltiply that times several prospects a day or week and I am sure you see my point – five to ten hours a week or more that could have been reduced to less

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

than thirty minutes of your time. Now, if you have nothing else to do, there’s no problem?

Why do salespeople rely so heavily on:

Voice mail

Email

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

The internet

And any other technology that’s out there that I am just not aware of yet.

Let me give you a few things to consider when it comes to the

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

use of technology.

1.Don’t assume that your customer or prospect is as technologically inclined or literate as you are.

2.When you communicate by emai

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

l or voice mail messages you may be letting them off the psychological or emotional hook of giving you a no or sales resistance – live, which may be a b

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

Following aspects would a

it more uncomfortable for them, but necessary to move the sales process forward.

3.Compute the time required to: create, write, send and respond to a s

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

ngle email and wit for a response vs. picking up the phone and talking with them.

4.Successful salespeople build strong, loyal, positive and creative r

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

elationships with their prospects and customers. This is unlikely to happen via the written word. How would you feel if your son or daughter never cal

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

led you but sent you periodic emails? Technology can help relationships, but it can’t build or fix them.

5.The uncertainty of waiting for a response 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

an email you sent can be very frustrating, emotionally distracting and this could have a negative impact on your other sales activities or efforts and

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ultimately your success while you are waiting.

6.I used to have a rule that I would be willing to leave a voice mail or send an email to a client, but

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

never to a new prospect. That rule has just changed. If it is a critical issue it requires live personal contact even for clients.

I suggest that yo

.

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

evaluate how you are using technology in your sales career and determine:

-If you could be slowing down the sales cycle.

-If you are avoiding persona

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

l contact for any reason.

-If you are letting prospects and clients off the emotional hook.

-If it is hurting your sales efforts or success in any way

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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Change management issues in franchising companies can be critical and crucial. Consider if you will the district manager or regional representative who helps franchisees

Avoid losing sales this summer by taking your business offline using these simple steps.

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