Module 4

PROPER PRE-CALL PLANNING

To have a good productive interaction with the customer a proper call planning is required. Proper planning is an essential factor for good interaction. Proper pre call planning help us to explore the customer targeting process, to review our SMART Call Objectives, helps us in selecting a proper engaging promotional input for the call.

IMPORTANCE OF PROFILING AND SEGMENTATION OF CUSTOMERS.

It is important to profile and segment our customers because

• Each and every customer are different.
• Customers offer different value.
• It is not realistic to create a personalized sales strategy for each customer.

PROFILING PARAMETERS

• The two most ordinarily used dimensions within the pharmaceutical industry to profile, segment and target our customers are Potential and Adoption.
• Potential is that the number of possible patients or prescriptions for our product for a doctor, including any products from an equivalent therapeutic class.
• Adoption is that the percentage of a doctor’s patients or prescriptions on our product.
• Many companies are employing a dimension like customer needs and behaviours. While the previous dimensions help differentiate marketing and sales investments, this dimension helps differentiate content and messages.
• Examples of criteria used include unmet needs, scientific orientation, channel preferences, purchasing motivation, and price sensitivity.

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS

1. POTENTIAL: Number of possible patients or prescriptions for our product. This Includes products from the same therapeutic class.
   
2. ADOPTION: Percentage of a doctor’s patients or prescriptions on our product
   
3. CUSTOMER NEEDS & BEHAVIOUR: It includes identifying customers unmet needs, channel preferences, etc.
   
4. POTENTIAL CURVE: We should additionally investigate the idea of potential and where it originates from. If all clients were equivalent, and had a similar potential to prescribe our product, at that point half of the prescriptions would be composed by half of the doctor. In real world situations customers don’t all compose similar potential, or see similar number of patients. Some observe numerous patients and compose numerous prescriptions. Some observe less patients and don’t compose numerous prescriptions. It is observed that 40% of prescribers prescribes 80% of total prescriptions in the market.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

• How to evaluate the potential of an account?
  The number of patients within the doctor treated for this condition and also by the doctor’s influence on other prescribers.

• How to evaluate the adoption of an account?
  The number of patients of a doctor treated with company’s product.

• Why is profiling and segmentation of customers important?
  Because customers are different and offer different value. Hence, it is not realistic and sustainable to create a unique and personalized sales strategy for each customer. Hence, it’s required to identify groups of customers who share relevant similarities.

• What is the importance of meeting call target frequency?
  Missing a call with a targeted customer will have a consequence on sales.

DETERMINING CALL OBJECTIVES.

Call objective should be based on following criterions.

• Given what I know about my doctor, what can I leverage to motivate doctor and get the doctor on-board?
• What I want my doctor to do?
• What exactly I am going to ask my doctor to commit to?

LEARN ABOUT SETTING SMART OBJECTIVES.

Objectives are the result that you expect to see if you are successful with your call. The SMART approach is an effective way to help you create meaningful objectives.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Archivable, Relevant, Time-Bound.

SELECTING PROMOTIONAL INPUTS TO BE USED DURING CUSTOMER CALL.

In spite of the fact that you will elevate similar item to various specialists, the particular limited time material you use is significant for a fruitful conversation for a particular specialist. In the current, more refined clinical deals condition it is imperative to consider various variables while choosing your special info. Namely

• Previous call notes and reports.
• Agreements from the last call.
• The customer profile and adoption style.
• Customer behaviors and personality style.
• Customer profile and segment.
• Customer’s needs and concerns.
• Call objectives.
• Anticipated customer questions.
• Channel preferences.   

KEY TAKE AWAY

• Customer Targeting is the most impactful driver of sales effectiveness and is an iterative process.
• The intent of the call objective is to move the doctor to the next appropriate position in the adoption process.
• Call objectives should be SMART.
• Promotional Inputs will vary across customers and will be guided by factors including but not limited to all of above

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