Columbus, OH — Earlier this summer, I had a great conversation with Matt Cash, an ambitious innovator who has designed everything from better sales tools to more addictive sports fantasy games. He started the conversation with a big challenge: We have to find a better way to arm the salesforce. “One thing I saw over and over again in the field,” he said, “was the disconnect between corporate marking and the real world (sales). There is not enough time to use the digital assets in the way the marketing teams believe — these reps get one or two minutes with doctors.”
So, a team of us got together and asked: What could be? If we really got close to the trends changing the salesforce, what new experiences and new best practices could we uncover?
Working with colleagues around the world, we uncovered 11 healthcare trends that are changing the world of pharma sales – from doctors becoming less central to healthcare to a new global center of opportunity in Asia-Pac to evolving multi-media expectations from physicians. Looking at that landscape led us to new best practices for pharma sales as well as five emerging opportunities – from on-the-go learning to a packaged sale that brings together diagnostics with treatment and proven support.
Soon this report will require registration to view, but we’re excited to share it first with HxP readers. We hope you’ll challenge our thinking and help us continue this conversation about just what kind of experience we should be creating for the front lines.
2015 Pharma Rep Experience from GSW
Please share your ideas and thoughts in the comments or contact us directly at [email protected].
Original illustration by: David Wink
Posted by: Leigh Householder
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
