Here we are going to discuss unconventional method for prescription generation and establishing a brand in pharmaceutical competitive market.
How can we convince a doctor to prescribe our medicine’s brand against multinational companies brand. We can’t say, our product’s quality is much better than Cipla or Sun pharma or Pfizer or Dabur etc . Our relationship with doctor matters but not at that level we can build strong brand creation of our new company or established business. With relationships, we can earn only to pay our expenses. We can also generate prescription in mean of offer cash or percent but that’s not the grantee for long term sale. Any other who are providing more cash or commission can grab doctor’s prescription. We can’t innovate or research new molecules like MNC’s to force doctor’s to prescribe because they don’t have any choice and create monopoly of brand in market.
Then what to do? How can we succeed in this competitive market. How can we easily make room for our products in already patched pharmacy stores of hospitals.
We have to do extra efforts to make it possible. The process we are going to discuss here are slow but most effective. We can’t assume overnight success with this method but that’s the grantee of success in long term if implemented properly.
Here we are going to discuss about well known Formula and base of success of big names like google, facebook, jio etc. The Formula is “Solve a Problem“. What google do, it solves a problem. When you need a answer of question, you google it. What facebook do, it connect people in era when everyone is busy in own schedule and no one has time for his friends and family. Jio captured the huge market in shortest term because it fulfilled people desire to use internet infinitely without fear of extra charges. That’s the success mantra of many more businesses in recent era.
Now question arise, how can we implement it when it come to prescribing a medicine from a doctor. What problem we can solve and how? That’s the question that will vary according to doctors, places, hospitals, our product range and many more. One doctor may have different problem as compare to another doctor even they sit in same hospital.
Here we need to research and build a business plan accordingly. Sleepless nights and countless hours may consume to build and succeed in this process but it is most effective way to make a respectable room in doctor’s chamber and pen own’s brand without detailing or convincing. You will not need to carry a visual aids or unnecessary detailing of own products, if you can solve a problem.
As we discussed above, every person/doctor may have different problems that can be solved out. They may be personnel or professional but we can’t solve every person’s problem personally. If we will try to solve every person problem, people will misuse us. We will not get any results and we will waste our time.
In business where we stand, we can’t solve personnel problems, we are business and we will think like business. We can solve their professional problems. In some cases, we have to stand with them in personnel problems also and that’s humanity. We can’t always talk about profit and business. Standing with personnel problem create attachment and owness. But here we are not going to discuss about solving personnel problems, but professional problems.
What to do First?
We need to find out common problem faced by the Doctor’s community. Who can find it better, can grow better. Along with working, sales professionals should judge the conditions, behavior, expectations, requirements, problem faced by doctor during daily practice. Note down it.
Problem can be physical or intellectual. Not all the time, a person face problem during daily working, chances are there, they may face any issue related to getting knowledge about particular subject or medicine or disease or treatment etc. Whatever problem (physical or intellectual) you find that are faced by majority of doctors, you can try to solve that. It would help you to engage with them. Here we are saying engaged, not business. we can’t expect immediate business with this effort. That’s the first step. (Later in article we will discuss about possible activities to solve problems)
How to keep engaged?
We have solved a problem. Now doctors have started to recognize us. But everyone needs commitment. Suppose, you launched a blog/vlog/app about latest research about medicine and new molecules. If a doctor visit to read a article/research paper, in first time he will not send any query or response. If he finds article interesting, he subscribe for new articles. If you will not update it at regular basis, then there is no chance same doctor will return to your blog/vlog/app again. He will not engaged with you again. If you update it regularly, same doctor will return to your update at regular basis and he will started to consider you as an expert. He started to take advice on particular topic from you. This engagement laterally will be converted into business.
We can use engagement procedure depend upon problem we solve or technique we use to solve problem. Suppose we solve any daily use problem, then we need to keep it maintain so person don’t face it in future.
Marketing without Advertising:
In today’s market, no one likes if any person sell a product to him, people only like to purchase. We can’t sell anything to anyone. People purchase it, we can’t sell it. Like wise we can’t get prescribed our medicine from a doctor, doctor prescribe it. We have to become front face during our problem solving technique. Brand Name we want to promote or face we want to promote should be conveyed to beneficial people through out problem solving process. This will create a presence in mind of beneficiary. Next time, when doctor need to prescribe a particular molecule, that Brand will first come in his mind. (Condition: Brand should be available at hospital pharmacy or chemist shop)
Over promotion could be self damaging. Don’t ask for prescribing own brand through out engagement. It can give direct massage that you are selling and remember no one will like it. You can place/print logo/banner to promote brand at corner or proper place (clearly visual), so people can read or notice it clearly through out engagement.
Follow-Up:
Once doctor start to prescribe brand, keep following-up with doctor and keep continue all activities.
Possible activities to solve problems:
There are both Inexpensive and Expensive activities are available for problem solving. Inexpensive activities are almost free when it come to financial point of view and require little financial investment but requires huge time (time is also money). You may require to spend sleepless nights and countless hours to implement these activites
If you don’t have investment problem, then you can start with both possible ways.
Inexpensive Activities: Inexpensive activities are based upon intellectual. Doctors are desperate to get knowledge. Healthcare and medical sector is continuously updating field. Daily new innovations and research are carried out. What was applicable five year back for a particular disease may not work today. Doctors want to keep them updated about what is happening in healthcare and medical sector.
What could be better to have all these at one place and updated at regular basis. Building a knowledge source for doctors could be best option to easily make place in competitive market. Most common activities, you can use in this segment are:
- Blogging
- Youtube Channel
- Informative mobile App
- Social Campaign
- Facebook page etc.
Expensive Activities: These activities require finance to execute. For example, you find there is requirement of water source for patients i.e. water cooler in hospital near by OPD rooms. For purchasing and donating water cooler to hospital, you require finance. That’s why we named these methods are paid methods. Before performing any these type of activities, you may require to take permission from hospital administration or chief doctor. Few expensive methods are:
- All above inexpensive method (If executed with big team they become expensive)
- Healthcare Research Magazines
- Medical Newspapers
- Arranging Seminars
- Desk for patients and any other requirement for hospital or doctor etc
If you want to use conventional method for sales in pharmaceutical sector click here
Hope above information is helpful to you…
For any query and suggestion, mail us at pharmafranchiseehelp@gmail.com