I read a great blog yesterday by one of our US partners Thomas Ross, it was based on this article about HCP (Healthcare Professionals), the insight he shared was as follows.
Let's start with some background from the article
"When considering the post-COVID-19 future of pharmaceutical sales, it’s helpful to look at the prevailing trends before the crisis hit. Well before the onset of COVID-19, more than half of U.S. physicians had already restricted access for pharma sales reps, according to ZS Associates’ AccessMonitorTM. Furthermore, even accessible doctors were spending less time with reps than in the past, with average visits dropping to under three minutes. As a result, the pharmaceutical field sales force, which peaked in size in 2005, had already been declining for the better part of two decades.
The article goes onto say
"Enter COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis is dramatically accelerating these trends. Face-to-face interactions with health care practitioners (HCPs) are no longer an option in most areas, and likely won’t be for the coming weeks or even months. As U.S. pharmaceutical company employees join the majority of the American workforce in working from home, sales reps are abruptly shifting to digital channels to engage with physicians."
Thomas's insight was as follows :
"New rules for Pharma sales
1. Assess Current Practices
2. Understand HCP Channel Preferences
3. Revisit Channels & Tactics
4. Educate HCPs on Optimal Channels
5. Test & Learn
Health Care Providers will remain digital long after all restrictions are relaxed
This means re-tooling your current marketing teams while re-training your sales teams
This will ensure growth and continued contact with HCP’s at all levels
Digital Transformation is here to stay"
To finish with the article I have "passled"
"The coming months will shed light on which pharmaceutical companies can quickly adapt their sales models as the future landscape comes more clearly into focus. Those companies that can do so quickly and effectively will be well-positioned for success when the new normal eventually emerges."
Where Do We Go From Here?
Just give me, or one of the DLA Ignite team and hour of your time and we can walk you through what we are doing for other companies. No hard sell, just take you through what other companies are doing to transform.
Please contact me here or one of the DLA Ignite team here, so please pick one of our industry experts or one of our experts in your geographical locality. Our website is here.
Past as Prologue When considering the post-COVID-19 future of pharmaceutical sales, it’s helpful to look at the prevailing trends before the crisis hit. Well before the onset of COVID-19, more than half of U.S. physicians had already restricted access for pharma sales reps, according to ZS Associates’ AccessMonitorTM. Furthermore, even accessible doctors were spending less time with reps than in the past, with average visits dropping to under three minutes. As a result, the pharmaceutical field sales force, which peaked in size in 2005, had already been declining for the better part of two decades.