Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - (Page 26) 26 Sales and Marketing May 2008 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe When looking at specific rep skills and capabilities, research shows that local PCPs value different things. French PCPs give the highest ratings to reps’ personal and professional conduct. German PCPs rate rep knowledge and expertise as most important. Patient management, information and support services rank relatively highly in the UK, Spain and the US. They receive noticeably lower ratings in France, Germany and Italy. Local physicians also put different levels of value on internetbased services. A high percentage of Spanish physicians rate internet-based services for physicians as valuable, as did more than half of Italian physicians. Doctors in other countries do not consider the internet as important. When looking at brand experiences overall, two trends are evident. First, the scores doctors give to physician, patient and practice information, as well as internet services, are still not ‘excellent’ or even ‘very good.’ Most companies are performing just above average. Second, nearly every company’s performance varies by country. This is not surprising given that the newer areas of brand services are still developing. Sanofi-aventis and Novartis lead, followed by Novo Nordisk. Novartis leads in Spain, followed by Pfizer and GSK, Novartis also is the leading performer in Italy. Conclusions The survey findings have important implications. Clearly, physicians still highly value reps with the right skills, but doctors also have additional needs. To optimise brand and sales performance, companies must continue to sharpen the rep skills and performance, but also must bring other services into play that physicians highly value. Reps must become co-ordinators of value, rather than just deliverers of product messages. Companies also must consider local differences. For instance, local European restrictions on certain practices, such as brand sponsorship of physician medical education programmes, pose a challenge to how companies can address some physician needs. While strategies must be globally consistent, how companies take those to market — and deliver them tactically to physicians — may be dramatically different in each country, as well as across specialties and categories. Each physician audience has its own expectations which vary by therapeutic area. The PCP survey results evaluate national sales forces. To optimise brand performance, companies must drill down to understand the specific mix of services each target audience values. That way, they can structure sales activities, customer engagements and marketing investments to meet customer expectations, creating committed physician relationships that drive brand usage in every country and audience. Strong performers A few companies stand out with stronger performances across the service mix, indicating their progress toward delivering on physicians’ expectations. Novartis has the strongest performance across Europe and the US, with leading or above-average performance scores across brand services in all but France. Pfizer has solid performances in the UK, US, France and Spain. Merck is a leading performer in the US, with mixed performance in Europe. AstraZeneca and Novartis are the leading performers in the UK, closely followed by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. Sanofi leads in France, followed by Merck, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. In Germany, Figure 1: Services physicians value in their relationship with a pharmaceutical company. Sales Rep’s Personal and Professional conduct Sales Rep’s Knowledge and Expertise Quality and Value of sales reps visits Patient Education and Information Services Physician Education and Information Services Practice and Staff support services Internet-based information services for Physicians Internet-based information services for Patients Brand Experience Corporate reputation 0% 32% 32% 27% 50% 45% 55% 56% 63% 68% 59% 75% About the Author 100% Andrew Brana is senior global consultant, sales force optimisation, TNS Healthcare. % of Respondents
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 Contents From the Editor News and Analysis Calendar Rising in the East Use Your Strategic Discretion A Blueprint for Success Market Access and the Patient Activating Effective Product Differentiation What Doctors Want IC Success in Four Steps Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - (Page Bellyband1) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - (Page Bellyband2) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 (Page Cover1) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 (Page Cover2) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - From the Editor (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - From the Editor (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Calendar (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Calendar (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Calendar (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Calendar (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Rising in the East (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Rising in the East (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Use Your Strategic Discretion (Page 14) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Use Your Strategic Discretion (Page 15) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - A Blueprint for Success (Page 16) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - A Blueprint for Success (Page 17) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Market Access and the Patient (Page 18) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Market Access and the Patient (Page 19) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Market Access and the Patient (Page 20) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Market Access and the Patient (Page 21) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Activating Effective Product Differentiation (Page 22) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Activating Effective Product Differentiation (Page 23) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - Activating Effective Product Differentiation (Page 24) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - What Doctors Want (Page 25) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - What Doctors Want (Page 26) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - What Doctors Want (Page 27) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - IC Success in Four Steps (Page 28) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - IC Success in Four Steps (Page 29) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - May 2008 - IC Success in Four Steps (Page 30)
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