1. Getting work done through others willingly by influencing them rather than directing them. 2. Creating replicas of oneself in terms of ability and performance by developing the skills of team members. 3. Demanding the best from oneself as well as others and not accepting mediocrity. This drives high performance.

1. A BroadSpektrum Healthcare Business Media’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
MedicinMan
~ FIELD FORCE E XCE L LE N CE ~
TM
PHARMA | MEDICAL DE VICES | DIAGNOSTICS | SURGICALS
Vol. 2 Issue 1 www.medicinman.net January 2012
Editorial
How to Get Repeat Rx
As we have seen in the past five is- good Design to generate Repeat
sues of MedicinMan, most people Rx. CONTRIBUTORS
get into Pharma Field Sales by Repeat Rx is the title of my new
„chance‟ rather than by choice. But and third book. It is a book by De- JOLLY MATTHEWS 3
the Success Stories of Medical Reps sign; to redress the Default setting
who rose to great heights of career K. HARIRAM 4
and give Pharma Field Sales people a
success clearly point out a „Design‟ new Process for generating Repeat
rather than „Default‟. WILLIAM FERNANDES 6
Rx. It is the outcome of my years of
In Pharma Field Sales there is no work and reading, which will serve
Default setting for success. And as a frame-work but not as rule APARNA SHARMA 8
success in Pharma means only ONE book. Of course, you can use it as a
THING – Repeat Rx. Period. Re- rule book if you are a Beginner or VIVEK HATTANGADI 10
peat Rx is an outcome of an intelli- Amateur. But as you progress to be-
gent design. Most field sales people come an Apprentice and Achiever, ANUP SOANS 12
experience sporadic, intermittent you can fine-tune it to suit your spe-
prescription because they lack a cific situation. (Cont. on page 2)
2012: THE YEAR OF THE FOOT SOLDIER BY DR. HEMANT MITTAL
real focus should be on accepting and
The New Year has arrived. The day do best, Being the Foot Soldier!
seems new, the week is new and the air is adopting the virtue of success. The virtue
This reminds me of an Uncle of mine
filled with hope, love and desire to create of success is composed of 4 attitudes that
from the Army. A true poster-boy of the
happiness all over again. catapult a foot-soldier to great heights in
Indian Army; this gentleman is 6ft, very
his career:
Professionals all over the world take this well built and extremely fit senior level
as a great opportunity to shed the layers officer, who is not only proud of his rank 1. Firm - A firm person is one who is
of frustration and emotional pains that but also fully loaded with discipline and ready to take responsibility.
accumulated over the last year, and re- attitude. I remember once as young ado- 2. Endurance - "tough times never last,
start in a new way. lescent, he had told me, in true military tough people do". Success and Failure
Every Year, during the last few days of style "A foot soldiers duty is to obey or- will both touch you; don't run away in
December, I love to read the face, body ders; he doesn't have the right to think." either condition.
language, aura and mind-sets of the visit- Years later I found how true it held not 3. Learn - Every day is a new experience.
ing Pharma Sales Executives. only for the army, but also for many Be ready to learn. Not just from your
It's really invigorating to see how slowly Medical Reps with who I interact. Draw- experiences, but also from the success
every single one of them embraces the ing a similarity between these two differ- and failure of others. The more you learn,
spirit of New Years. By the last week, ent ends of the social spectrum, I pon- the better your decision making ability.
they are all full with positive energy and dered on this statement further, and ana- 4. Modest - Accept Success with grace;
eagerly waiting for 1st January to accept lyzed: “what made that one foot soldier don't show it off... being pompous creates
and practice a new outlook at profession- or one MR to stand tall in the crowd and enemies.
al, social and personal levels. get promoted to Senior Ranks?”
Make 2012 Your Best Year...BEST OF
The great irony is that by the 2nd week of While one should enjoy enthusiasm, LUCK!!! ▌
January, all enthusiasm fizzles out and which in most cases is a momentary emo-
most of them are back to doing what they tion that comes and goes on its own. The

2. Coming in the New Year !
(Cont.. from page 1) Repeat Rx is a process
guide to transform Beginners into Achievers
through the four steps of Calling, Connecting,
Consulting and Collaborating. The four stag-
es of Repeat Rx and the skills in each stage –
Selling Skills, Social Skills, Technical
Skills and Business Skills are clearly explained
in a simple and illustrated manner for easy un-
derstanding. At the end, there is a comprehensive
three level Assessment Questionnaire to know
where you stand.
So as you step into the New Year, discard your
Default setting and adopt a new Design if you
are serious about getting Repeat Rx.
I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year
full of Repeat Rx. ▌

3. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
MIND OVER MASALA CHAI A E
by Jolly Mathews
N XPLORATION OF THE WORLD OF THE FRONT-LINE MANAGER
A much more simpler and workable framework that can
help while the formal learning processes are formulated
and put in place are the old and trustworthy sisters – Com-
mon Sense and Uncommon Patience. One very basic ques-
tion that should provide a guideline for proper behaviour
could very well be: What are the Key Measurable Delivera-
bles of this Role in my Organisation? In simple words, at
the end of the appraisal period, what am I expected to
deliver? Mind you, there is no standard answer to this
question since expectations and measurable parameters
vary from organisation to organisation and therefore the
question behoves an answer from your boss. Expectedly he
Hurrah ! So you got that much awaited promotion letter?
knows the answer, if not, go back to para one and contact
You beat all the traps set in the selection process and best-
Bruce Almighty!
ed the odds, so euphoria is a natural consequence! You
tread on clouds and walk into the sunrise of your first Jokes apart when you do get an answer on the deliverables,
„joint work‟ and that first celebratory masala chai – the the next step is to work out on your own, what needs to be
world is suddenly all pink and blue! You do the rounds of done to efficiently accomplish those deliverables. Each
every favourite holy place and thank Bruce Almighty and expectation of the Organisation can easily be broken down
all His various incarnations – and lo and behold the first to 5 – 6 key activities, so at the end of an introspective
month is about to roll by. And then comes the first shock - brainstorming session one will be left with some 30 – 35
that accursed word „target!‟ „Key activities‟ which need to be done at increasing levels
of efficiency and within a specific time frame – the time
Now you had tackled that dreaded word several times in
frame being virtually self driven by the prioritisation of
your career – that‟s partly the reason why you are now a
anticipated and expected impacts. Voila! So simple? And
FLM, but it was always a matter of personal ability and
the results follow?
personal „contacts‟! The realisation strikes – „target‟ is not
the same singular word anymore! It‟s a word that has mul- No, not at all, nothing is simple when you are dealing with
tiple dimensions and multiple challenges and multiple human beings and human interactions. Human beings
connotations – now it is a „team word‟ and the team is not being the biggest variables, the FLM is actually walking a
a like a pet dog prepared to roll over and obey. Thereby mine field. But the Key Deliverables framework has the
lies the first shock to the FLMs comfort system and it‟s merit of keeping those Big Hairy Audacious Goals,
only one of many future shocks... always in front of you and the wisdom and fuel provided by
those goals might be the oars to steer your ship to safe
Other scare words enter the FLM‟s domain quickly... ex-
destinations.
pectations, accountability, planning, implementation,
commitment, development. What does one do; wonders While Training, Coaching, Mentoring does go a long way to
the newly promoted FLM. While on-boarding pro- help an FLM find meaning and purpose – one great teach-
grammes, hand-holding and mentoring by senior manag- er could be failure and its rightful progeny – lessons from
ers, the painful process of reading books and so on offer the failure !
some solutions, none of them will by itself provide a com- Ultimately it all lies in the mind! If you have the passion,
plete answer to the daily challenges. the patience, the perseverance and the pragmatism, you
If the question is: „Isn‟t there a proper „Competency will soon acquire the penchant!
Framework‟ that guides one to mastery?‟ The answer is: Reach for that refreshing cup of masala chai ! At the end of
„There is!‟ If the question is : Isn‟t there a framework of an exhilarating day matching wits and wisdom with un-
qualities that fall neatly into brackets such as „Must precedented situations and unpredictable responses, you
have‟, „Should also have‟ and „Would be nice to
have‟, the answer is: „Yes, there is!‟ But all that maybe
have earned it! 3
insufficient against the daily onslaughts. Cheers ! ▌

4. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: RECOGNITION WILL FOLLOW
- K. Hari Ram, MD Galderma
"The corporate hierarchy is unfair," said Own Up to Your Mistakes: There will be times
a fellow passenger in a flight, as an an- when you will goof up. Own up, and set a solid ex-
swer to my question, "How is work?" ample of discipline. 'Even the boss needs to apolo-
gize when he is late' is setting the standards of
He complained that leadership at a higher level is equality. When the senior reprimands juniors for the
unjust. "When I make a mistake, it goes into same action that they sanction for themselves, it not
my performance sheet, but when my boss only sets the wrong example, but also sets you up for
makes the mistake, which is almost every some behind-your-back criticism.
day, there is no reprimand.”
Walk Your Talk: A lot of leaders follow the princi-
I could see the break in professional reality this man ple: "Do as I say but don't do as I do". You need to be
had with his senior. As much as his boss may have an example of your principles in action. When you
valid justifications he had unwittingly fallen into the chart the rules, you have to be the first in line to put
leadership trap. them into reality. "My boss shouts at me for shout-
Leadership is a tricky thing. What you say and do, ing at others." I couldn't stop laughing when I heard
and how you behave is noted, evaluated and judged someone say this. Do you see the point? Often lead-
by your juniors. If you are in a position of sen- ers mistakenly believe their job is to get others to do
iority, get one thing straight: everything you the job. In my opinion, the leader's job is to set an
do right will be incomprehensible to your example of the attitude of how the job needs to be
subordinates and every slip you make, will done. That is best prompted through one's own ex-
be noticed, caught and bought by them. A lot ample.
of people fall into the trap of their own position of Leadership is hard work. What you do right will be
superiority. If you are having a tough time with the looked upon as "He can do so much and I can't do it
misinterpretation of your actions, here are some because he is the leader." But what you carelessly
leadership traps you need to steer clear from. disregarded as a faux pas will be picked up immedi-
Perception is Everything: People will judge you ately as, "If he can do this then I can do it too."
at every step and will form their own perception Your juniors are watching you all the time - and if
about what you do. Once you understand that, you that is true, your greatest power lies in showing
can influence your team‟s perception about you pos- them what will best serve them as future leaders. ▌
itively. "I want people to have a healthy regard for
my position and so I don't get too friendly with
them," the marketing manager of a pharma compa-
ny told me. Decide what you would like your juniors
to think about you, then go out and build that per-
ception.
Take Credit When it Matters: When you do
something right, make sure that you make that ac-
tion known. Often, people in higher positions don't
talk about their achievements. If you don't tell peo-
ple about your accomplishments, how will you in-
spire them? "I don't take any credit for my achieve-
ments," says my friend, who is the HR head of a
bank. "And surprisingly, when I don't take the cred-
it, no one gives it to me." As a leader, your team
looks up to you for inspiration, and your achieve-
4 ments provide that. Actions inspire greater than
words. Take every opportunity to set a good example
for others.

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6. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
- William Fernandes
LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS OF FRONT-LINE MANAGERS
DEVELOPING Effective Management is all about lel to his own ability is a typical character of
a True Leader & in doing so he ensures that
Getting work done through oth-
& MAKING ers willingly. When it comes to front
line management its more than true & the
all Replicas are made of him in terms of
Ability & Performance.
OTHERS Manager with this ability can be truly called
a leader. There are certain behaviors which
Demanding the best out of others-
Demanding best from Self as well as others
separates Leader from a Manager which is another behavior of a true leader where
PARALLEL can be adopted, learned & developed at any there is no place for Mediocrity & Compla-
stage of career for the better results. cency. Expecting the best out of others may
TO HIS OWN An effective Front Line Manager will show
not be easy as you have to give the best
from self. Commitment from self is the im-
following behaviors with his team in his
ABILITY IS A every action & reaction.
portant part which will motivate others to
perform consistently. Updating self with
TYPICAL Demonstrate- Effective FLM not only
gives Sermon or big talks but also demon-
knowledge, trying creative ideas, Influenc-
ing others to follow may be some of the
strates through his own actions. He will
CHARACTER demonstrate why he is a leader by his Punc-
ways of demanding best output.
Problem Solving- If you want to be a
OF ATRUE tuality, Good Detailing, Selling Skill, Objec-
tion Handling etc. due to which a Sales Rep
good Leader you should solve the problems
of your followers. Your teammates coming
not only learns & develops himself
LEADER. but also respects his Manager. Im-
with various problems which are not solved
at their level. If you cannot solve them you
agine a Manager who is rebuking will not be looked upon next time for next
his Rep for poor detailing but not problem & this will create piling up prob-
able to demonstrate what is a good lems which may be solved otherwise. Many
detailing. Or imagine a trickier situ- times a subordinates will rely upon you for
ation where a Doctor reserves an even his personal problems & that‟s the
Objection or a Query for a Manager kind of faith this problem solving ability
when he believes that the Rep may generates in your people.
not be able to give proper infor-
Being a motivating factor for your
mation. If a Manager demonstrates
colleagues- Instead of using terms as Mo-
his Skills & Abilities he will earn
tivate others I have purposely used this
respect from his subordinates who
statement because you cannot motivate
in turn will seek guidance from
others by telling stories or giving lectures.
him. You have to motivate people by your action.
Develop People – Effective FLM Be true to your word, Drive self to the
will develop his people as he be- cause, Be a part of the plan always & take
lieves that People are his best re- initiative in whatever you are doing as a
sources & the other resources are team. Your mere presence should motivate
secondary. If he develops people he them such should be impact of your leader-
can nurture a talent pool & help ship.
them in their career growth. A Delegate after Make people making
learning & developing Sales Rep people competent- competent enough to
will be hardly bothered by other not so de- delegate as delegating work is a very im-
6 motivating factors & may not be lured by portant skill of a Leader. But Delegating is a
other organizations & attrition can be under double edged sword if not used with com-
control. Developing & making others paral- petent people can destruct morale of the

7. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
- William Fernandes
LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS OF FRONT-LINE MANAGERS
Team & term you as a mere Delegator. Delegat-
ing to under developed & under skilled people
may not give proper results & kill the purpose YOUR TEAMMATES WILL
of delegation.
COME TO YOU WITH PROB-
Be a Task master for Procedure & not the
LEMS THAT CANNOT BE
Result- Focusing on right learning or activity
procedure is very important than focusing on SOLVED AT THEIR LEVEL.
end result. Give task & assignment for imple- IF YOU CANNOT SOLVE William Fernandes
menting processes which will facilitate the end
THEM YOU WILL NOT BE
result. Giving assignment to develop people,
Control them using right controlling tools till LOOKED UPON NEXT TIME DEMAND-
objective is achieved are the areas where a lead- FOR THE NEXT PROBLEM &
er should always focus. ING THE
THIS WILL CREATE PILING
This is the era of wide opportunities available
UP PROBLEMS WHICH MAY BEST OUT
for skilled & competitive people, therefore Its
become very imperative for a Manager to be a BE SOLVED OTHERWISE. OF OTHERS
Leader where people will stick to you just be-
cause of your Leadership. This will not only give - DEMAND-
a stable Team to you but also a team which will
be only performing due to the last stage of ING BEST
Team Building Forming, Storming, Norming &
Performing. ▌
FROM SELF
AS WELL AS
OTHERS IS
ANOTHER
BEHAVIOR
OF A TRUE
LEADER
WHERE
THERE IS
NO PLACE
FOR MEDI-
OCRITY &
COMPLA-
CENCY. 7

8. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
FORGING STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HR AND SALES
APARNA SHARMA
This is an excerpt of proceedings of
a top ranked interactive session led
by Ms. Aparna Sharma at the Sales
Performance Conference 2011 orga-
nized by ITP Publications, a UK
based B2B media company at the
JW Marriot, Mumbai on 24th and 25th
November 2011. – Editor
Aparna Sharma began with a provocative 4. Patient: A hunter will sit in the trees for days waiting for
question – “Did the audience think that HR & a clear shot. .
Sales were at loggerheads with each other?” 5. Customer Orientation: Great Sales People adapt their
The audience instantly agreed, since 80% were from sales, products, terms and even their delivery schedules to meet
about 15% from finance and 5% from HR. Their view was the specific need of customers.
that HR was only interested in recruitment metrics and
6. Relationship: Great Sales People are in this for the long
processes but did not understand or appreciate the chal-
haul, and getting the order is only the first step.
lenges and pressures of achieving sales targets.
7. Measurement: Any behavior that is rewarded will tend
Sharing from her personal experience Aparna Sharma, to be repeated, so Great Sales People reward every custom-
narrated how having worked as a sales professional helped er for the opportunity to serve them.
her in creating a partnership between Sales and HR. She
8. Convenient: Great Sales People are both receptive and
advocated cross-functional tenures for Sales and HR people
responsive. They know that they have to be "user friendly."
to ensure better partnership by understanding and appreci-
ating the challenges faced by the other. “Only the wearer 9. Excitement: Great Sales People are enthusiastic, and
knows where the shoe pinches" If Sales and HR militantly optimistic.
continue to operate as specialists instead of partners, they 10. Commitment: The Great Sales Person is enlisted in a
will continue to be perceived as adversaries in disconnected larger mission that just closing the deal and getting the
silos. order.
Great Sales People are an asset for any company as Sales Likewise Great HR People are also an asset for companies
Force is: the Face of the Company; Creators of Top line; as HR People are: Responsible of Right Selection and
Brand Builders and Play a Key Role in Employer Brand- Onboarding; Performance Management; Retention and
ing. Development; Organizational Culture.
10 Factors That Makes Great Sales People 10 Factors That Makes Great HR People
1. Investment: Great Sales People believe that the differ- 1. Investment: Great HR People also believe that the dif-
ence between winning and losing, more often than not, is a ference between winning and losing, more often than not,
very slim margin. Companies need to invest heavily in ac- is a very slim margin. So they invest heavily in technology,
quiring the latest technology and in developing people. in people, and in themselves.
2. Consistent: Poor selling done consistently will be more 2. Consistent: Poor HR Delivery done consistently will be
effective than great selling done sporadically. more effective than great HR Delivery done sporadically.
8 3. Confident: Great Sales People believe in their products, 3. Confident: Great HR People believe in their processes,
their services, and their people. services and their people.

9. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
FORGING STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HR AND SALES
7. What are the basic HR expectations of a Sales Rep?
8. Who are the talented guys to be retained & developed?
9. Who are on PIP?
10. How does HR impact sales?
Top HR contributions to Creating Great Sales Force
1. Right Hire & Onboarding
2. Right Training, Coaching & Mentoring.
3. Compensation & Regular Market Corrections
4. Employee First Policies
4. Patient: A hunter will sit in the trees for days waiting
5. Illustrative Career Paths & Periodic Stay Interviews
for a clear shot. .
6. AC & DC
5. Employee Orientation: Great HR People offer a wide
variety of benefits and propositions, and adapt their of- 7. Peaceful Exit & Faster Clearance of IR Issues
ferings terms, even their delivery schedules to meet the
Employee needs. How to Build Strong Sales – HR Partnerships -
6. Subsequent: Great HR People are in this for the long The process of building a collaborative HR- Sales partner-
haul, and getting the Employee Hired is only the first ship is multidimensional. It involves:
step.
1. Recognizing Opportunities For Strategic Change
7. Measurement: Any behavior that is rewarded will tend
to be repeated, so Great HR People Reward Every Em- 2. Mobilizing People And Resources To Create & Drive
ployee Action Which Is Worthy Of Recognition. Strategic Changes
8. Convenient: Great HR People are both receptive and 3. Developing A Shared Vision Of Long-Term Action
responsive. They know that they have to be "user friend- Plan
ly."
4. Seeking Support and Involvement from Diverse and
9. Excitement: Great HR People are enthusiastic, and Non-Traditional Partners
militantly optimistic.
5. Choosing an Effective Organi-
10. Commitment: The HR people are enlisted in a larger
zation Structure;
mission that just closing the Offer and Getting the Person
Onboarded. 6. Building Trust Among Collabo-
rators
10 Questions that Facilitate Sales – HR Partnership
7. Developing Learning Opportu-
1. What‟s the target for the month? nities for the Sales Team. ▌
2. Which are the priority brands? Aparna Sharma is Director HR at
Deutsche Bank Global Services.
3. Which are the top ten performing territories? She has worked with Monsanto,
Novartis and UCB Pharma. http://
4. What is the PCPM for the organization? i n . l i n k e d in . co m / p u b/ ap a r n a -
sharma/5/31a/899
5. What's the current vacancy status & where is Tanaku
Credits: Orvel Ray Wilson is an author and speaker
9
& Wardha? on sales, marketing and management, and co-
author of Guerrilla Selling: Unconventional Weap-
6. What's the sales process? ons and Tactics for Making the Sale

10. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
- Vivek Hattangadi
THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL SKILLS IN BRAND PROMOS
In the good old days, „technical skills‟, or what we com-
CASE STUDY 1
monly know as „product knowledge‟, played a very im-
portant role in communication with doctors. Apart from It is generally assumed that dermatologists prescribe
MNCs, even Indian companies spent two to three months moisturizers only in winter. This is not a correct as-
during the induction training program for the medical sumption.
representatives. This gave them enough self-confidence A client of mine markets a wide range of moisturizers.
to speak to doctors and discuss the benefits of their prod- About 60% of the sales were made during the period
ucts. November to February after which the sales declined
Even today, doctors heavily rely on pharma companies substantially. The brand manager did not have any solu-
for information. Therefore delivering scientific communi- tion to this. The CEO of the company approached me. I
cation correctly is vital. This is possible only when one studied these products and their promotional strategies
has thorough subject knowledge. intensely. I realized that there is a vacant slot, which I
confirmed by meeting dermatologists across the country.
But sadly, this very important aspect of brand promotion
is getting neglected. More time is spent on dubious brand Moisturizers have a very important role to play in chron-
promotional activities for quick results. In the process, ic skin conditions like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
brand building activities by displaying technical skills These conditions are generally characterized by sudden
takes a backseat. Many companies do not even conduct and severe flare-ups followed by a period of remission
induction training programs. The new recruits are and again flare-ups and remission. During the flare-ups,
pushed into the sea – sink or swim; “It‟s your headache” doctors prescribe corticosteroids and then stop therapy
is the silent message which is communicated. after the severity subsides. Instead, if doctors prescribe a
moisturizer along with steroids during the flare-ups and
Result? Untrained medical representatives go into the continue with just the moisturizer during the remission
field – the brand takes a beating as it is under-used. The period, the patient can be doubly benefitted.
hidden losses remain hidden and both, the pharma com-
pany and patients stand to lose. The benefits of the brand 1. The severity and the intensity of the next flare-up
are not extended to the patient because of lack of aware- will reduce considerably.
ness. The limited technical skill of the brand manager, 2. The intervals between two episodes of flare-ups can
and therefore the field-force is responsible for this. also be prolonged.
In the book „WHAT THE PHARMA CEO WANTS FROM If the brand manager had deep technical knowledge of
THE BRAND MANAGER‟, two real-life case studies have moisturizers, these products could have been promoted
been cited. These two case studies are reproduced here. in chronic skin conditions – much before my interven-
tion! The positioning strategy was changed. With this
there was a steep rise in the sales of their moisturizers
even during the non-winter months.
10

11. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL SKILLS IN BRAND PROMOS
CASE STUDY 2 UNTRAINED MEDICAL REPRE-
Amisulpride is a widely used antipsychotic for treating
both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. SENTATIVES GO INTO THE
At low dose, it is an excellent drug for treating dysthymia FIELD– THE BRAND TAKES A
i.e. low grade depression. It is now conclusively proven
that the prognosis of chronic disease like hypertension, BEATING AS IT IS UNDER-USED.
gastric ulcers is better when the mind is also treated with
anti-depressants or anxiolytics. THE HIDDEN LOSSES REMAIN
Low dose amisulpride therefore has a great potential to be
co-prescribed by cardiologists, gastroenterologists and
HIDDEN AND BOTH, THE PHAR-
other specialties treating chronic disease conditions.
MA COMPANY AND PATIENTS
STAND TO LOSE. THE BENEFITS
I recommended this strategy to a client of mine and the
outcome was beyond expectations.
OF THE BRAND ARE NOT EX-
What are the lessons one can learn? Without sound prod-
uct knowledge one may not be able to realize the full poten- TENDED TO THE PATIENT BE-
tial of the brand. With poor product knowledge, one can
only see boundaries and limitations of a brand. With good
CAUSE OF LACK OF AWARENESS.
technical skills, all these limitations disappear, because
now, we see with our mind which does not see the limita-
THE LIMITED TECHNICAL SKILL
tions. ▌
OF THE BRAND MANAGER, AND
THEREFORE THE FIELD-FORCE
IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS.
11

12. MedicinMan Vol.2 Iss.1
MRS & FLIGHT ATTENDANTS – FATIGUED AND FLOPPY
Medical Reps and Flight Attendants - It‟s about time that Airlines reinvent
their job profiles have many similari- and make themselves attractive before it
ties. They are the front-end of their businesses goes the Pharma way. BTW, it would not
and customers form their opinion about their com- hurt Pharma if it took steps to rethink
panies based on their interactions with these brand and retool the front-line before it be-
ambassadors. comes the last option of the unemploya-
bles. ▌
I was returning after a long hard day‟s work on the
field with Med Reps to assess their learning and
development needs. As I boarded the airlines of the
EVERY PROFESSION
“King of Good-times”, I couldn‟t help noticing the GOES THROUGH THE
tired and floppy demeanor of the twenty some-
thing pretty but dispirited face. She went through CYCLE OF RISE AND
the motions of the statutory announcements with
EXECUTIVE TEAM
an air of resignation. Her heart was not in it, nei- FALL, MUCH LIKE
ther was her mind as she stumbled over the
EDITOR „detailing‟ talk. The fizz was just not there and I NATIONS, POLITICIANS,
Anup Soans began to see the similarities between the Med Reps
and the Floppy Flight Attendant – both going BUSINESS AND PROD-
EXECUTIVE EDITOR through the motions – they were there till some-
Joshua Soans thing else came up; the waiting had been more UCTS AND UNLESS REIN-
than they anticipated.
COO VENTED FALL BY THE
Arvind Nair The Med Reps job was once high profile with few
ADVISORY BOARD
MNC vacancies available and some Indian compa- WAYSIDE.
nies with good global collaborations. It had fallen
Prof. Vivek out of favor with the mushrooming of pharma
Hattangadi companies since the 90s and too many drugs chas-
ing too few prescriptions. Were the Airlines too
falling into that rat race, making this once glamor-
Jolly Mathews
ous job a mundane waiter-in-the-sky? The doc-
tors were spoiled for choice and demanded every-
EDITORIAL BOARD thing from durables to durex. Is the Airline indus-
Shashin try too on its way to becoming generic – a big fall
Bodawala from the heady days of brand image? Anup Soans, Editor
Every profession goes through the cycle of rise and
Salil Kallianpur To receive the latest
fall, much like nations, politicians, business and
products and unless reinvented fall by the wayside. issue of MedicinMan
Dr. Shalini Ratan Medical profession is no longer the exclusive do- every month in your
main of the noble; air travel is now within the mailbox, visit
Prabhakar Shetty reach of the trader who carries an extra sack of www.medicinman.net
goods as cabin baggage to make up for the differ-
Varadarajan S and enter your email
ence between air and rail fare. Consequently both
Med Reps and Flight Attendants have lost their ID in the “Subscribe to
Dr. Mandar Kubal
glamour. The train TTE on the other hand seems to MedicinMan” widget
CONSULTANTS have regained lost ground and is in most cases below the latest
12 Amit Shekhar
well groomed/behaved and takes pride in his well issue.
paid and secure job.