Drug Rep Chronicle: June 2010 (Canada)

All about Professionalism, Performance, and the Pursuit of Selling Excellence

Sales data is everywhere; you’reprobably soaking in it right now. The question is always, ‘How do I use it?’

New toolsof the trade

In this emerging In -formation Age, doyou feel like you’re

drowning in a sea of data?More important, are yoursales and marketing ana-lysts spending most of

their time simply generating management track-ing reports, rather than identifying potential salesgrowth opportunities?

You're not alone. In the pharmaceuticalindustry, an abundance of business data existsto help marketing

What we say and do often has connection to the needs of our customer.Take this test to determine whether you’re prone to making...

‘The biggest mistake we make’Dr. Bell’s eyes met Richard’s for the first time in the short detail. “Based on what we've talked about,would you consider using Panacea* for your patients who are suffering from a loss of hope?” Dr. Bellshifted his gaze back down the hallway to the waiting room. He could see through the glass of the recep-

tionist's window that another rep was waiting to see him amidst a sea of patients. “Youknow, Robert, I really have to get going,” Dr. Bell said. “No problem—I understand.Should I leave some samples?” Richard responded. “No need,” said Dr. Bell, gestur-ing toward the sample cupboard. Richard turned to see his counterpart Shari loadingthe cupboard with the new display cases. He turned back just as the white tail of Dr.Bell’s lab coat disappeared into an examining room. * Fictional name

Sound familiar? What was Richard’s biggest mistake?a) Being too pushy;b) Not enough repetition;c) Too much time between visits;d) Mismatching what we do or say with what the doctor needs.If you answered “d”, I agree. The biggest mistake we make in our

attempts to influence is mismatching what we do or say with what thedoctor needs. This often results in too much telling.

We erroneously think we can get results by telling people what to dowhen they aren’t ready for it. And then we keep doing it. “Since he stillisn’t doing it, I’ll tell him again.” And by doing

What reps need to know about

co-existing with MSLsby Zlata Caric, MD

Lener Medical Consulting Inc.

Throughout the last decade thepharma environment has beenconstantly changing. With

increasing physician expectations,the task of pharmaceutical repre-sentatives has never been morechallenging than it is today.

A lot of the debate has cen-tered on physician perception of

pharma and the value it brings. Theseperceptions are often tainted with skep-

ticism and mistrust toward the industry. Toregain this mutual

FACES/PLACES: DERMTEK’SMICHEL LAVOIE FOLLOWS AFAMILY TRADITION..............14

AN MD’S PERSPECTIVE ON RxREDEMPTION SAMPLING ANDCO-PAY ASSIST PROGRAMS 10

HOW WE DO IT: A CSO FINDSOPPORTUNITIES IN FIELDFORCE DOWNSIZING ......12

For Canada’s Professional Healthcare Representatives No. 2, 2010 Summer Edition

Please turn to page 8



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Summer Edition • 2010Published with

The Chronicle of Healthcare Marketing,Chronicle MONDAY and Chronicle MIDWEEK

PUBLISHER

Mitchell Shannon

Published four times annually by the propri-etor, Chronicle Infor mation Resources Ltd.,from offices at 555 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite306, Tor onto, Ont. M9C 2Y3 Canada. Tele -phone: 416.916.2476; Fax 416.352.6199.E-mail: health@chroni cle.orgContents © Chronicle Information Res our -ces Ltd., 2010, except where noted. All rightsreserved worldwide. The Publisher prohibitsreproduction in any form, including print,broadcast, and electronic, without written per-mission. Printed in Canada.

Subscriptions: $39.95 per year in Canada,$59.95 per year in all other countries.Combined rate including Chronicle MONDAYand Chronicle MIDWEEK newsletters: $240per year in Canada, $360 per year in allother countries. Single copies: $7.95 per issue(plus 13% HST).

Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail SalesProduct Agreement Number 40016917. Pleaseforward all correspondence on circulation mat-ters to: Circulation Manager, The Chronicle ofHealthcare Marketing, 555 Burn ham thorpeRd., Suite 306, Toronto, Ont. M9C 2Y3Canada. E-mail: [email protected]

Drug Rep Chronicle 3

ISSN 1920-8111DRUG REP CHRONICLE welcomes contributions from readers. In particular, we’re interested in hearing aboutyour personal experiences in the field, and you are especially welcome to keep us informed about your team’snew developments, new appointments, and new practices.

If you’re submitting an article, opinion piece, press release, or letter to the editor for consideration, pleasebear in mind that we select material for publication from a large volume of submitted material, and that we maynot be able to publish your submission in a specific issue (or at all) due to space constraints and other considera-tions.

Our policies are: All material submitted to THE CHRONICLE becomes the property of ChronicleInformation Resources Ltd., and is subject to the company’s usual editorial procedures; We will not consider forpublication any material that has been simultaneously sent to other publications; Only original material or infor-mation will be considered; Payment at our established freelance rates will be offered upon publication for featurearticles and for the following departments:What Lies Ahead: Original articles of approximately 500 to 700 words dealing with trends that shape the healthcare

industry; andMy Turn: Opinion pieces of approximately 500 to 700 words, offering original commentary on issues facing the healthcare

industry.Please refer inquiries to: Editor, Drug Rep Chronicle, 555 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite 306, Toronto,

Ont. M9C 2Y3 Canada. Fax 416.352.6199, E-mail: [email protected]

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

R. Allan RyanASSISTANT EDITORS

Lynn BradshawJoshua Long

SALES & MARKETING

Henry RobertsPRODUCTION & CIRCULATION

Cathy DusomeCOMPTROLLER

Rose Arciero

Sign up to receive the free digitaledition of Drug Rep Chronicle,

in your e-mail inbox at http://www.drugrep.tkFollow us on Twitter at

http://www.twitter.com/DrugRepChron

New tools of the trade ......................................................1, 6We’re awash in data, but the challenge for managers and reps is finding a way to avoiddrowning. Danny Dean looks at current approaches

What reps need to know about co-existing with MSLs ..........................................1, 4Dr. Zlata Caric on the roles of MSLs and KOLs

‘The biggest mistake we make’ ......................................1, 8What we say and do often has connection to the needs of our customer.Jill Donohue outlines how to avoid the trap

Pharmacy redemption sampling and co-pay assist programs: A doctor’s perspective ........10Dr. Charles Anderson explains what that means for bag-carriers everywhere

How we do it... at Impres Pharma ..................................12Robert Tomas, president of the contract sales organization Impres Pharma, talks abouthis organization’s approach to detailing

Hey, thanks a lot, you *@#%! ..........................................13Paul Byrne offers some simple tips on how to use your head to overcome adversitywhen dealing with difficult customers

Faces/Places: Meet Michel Lavoie ................................145,000 kilometers might be considered a big territory, but this bag-carrier has a specialbond to his work

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value. --Albert Einstein

If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else. --Yogi Berra


4 Summer 2010 Edition

Newsn REPORT ON DEMO -

GRAPHICS: The EuropeanUnion okayed a chewable pediatricform of atorvastatin (Lipitor,Pfizer) for hyperlipidemia in chil-dren aged 10 and older. n TheAnnals of Internal Medicine reportsSTDs in geriatric males taking EDRxs, including sildenafil (Viagra,Pfizer), occur at twice the rate oftheir peers who don’t take EDdrugs. The US Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention says theSTC rate for males 40 and older hasrisen almost 50 per cent since 1996.

n WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN:The Merck Frosst Centre forTherapeutic Research, on Montreal’swest island, will be shuttered by Q4this year, as part of the company’sconsolidation following the purchaseof Schering-Plough. The R&D facil-ity employed 180. n India’s phar-maceutical industry will grow byaround 13 per cent this year, tomore Cdn$25 billion in revenues,reports The New York Times. n It’s atime of belt-tightening for BigPharma, but the corner-officedwellers seem to be getting by inspite of it all, reports the web sitefiercepharma.com. In an annualsurvey, the site counted down thetop CEO salaries for 2009: 1. FredHassan (Schering-Plough) $49.65million; 2. Bill Weldon (Johnson &Johnson) $30 million; 3. Miles White(Abbott) $26.2 million; 4. JohnLechleiter (Eli Lilly) $20.9 million; 5.Daniel Vasella (Novartis) $20.24 mil-lion. All figures are in US dollars.

n WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:“There has been a real change inopinion about e-detailing. Fouryears ago, maybe 5 per cent ofcompanies we interviewed had aninterest in e-detailing. Now I wouldsay more than 25 per cent are tryingit and starting to see some successwith it.” -- David Richardson, researcherat the Cutting Edge Information consul-tancy

tweets

trust, the pharma industry should worktoward providing quality services to physi-cians and setting high standards of clientsatisfaction. Pharmaceutical companiesneed to take an academic approach toensure success and lasting collaborationwith physicians.

Yet, are we ready to handle and adaptto the changing environment? In contrastto powerhouse pharma, specialty pharmais succeeding in today’s market despite themany setbacks. Analysing their model, it isapparent that they have innovative prod-ucts that are explicitly differentiated fromother therapeutic options. The medi -cal/mar keting team is using clinical data tosupport product claims by hiring highlytrained professionals with extensive thera-peutic and product knowledge. They alsosupport healthcare professionals in theirdecision-making process with data and lit-erature.

These consultants, identified undervarious titles (Medical Science Liaison, MedicalLiaison, Regional Scientific Manager) have beena part of the in dustry for the last 40 years.Originally established to serve as scientificsupport to sales and academia-based physi-cians, the position has evolved into a med-ical educational role with a much broaderspectrum of activities and subsequently alarger audience.

Market realities such as fewer drugapprovals and increasing regulatory de -mands have led companies to focus onbuilding productive relationships withKOLs and supporting company objectivesthrough medical education.

Since MSLs are mainly focusing onKOLs, sales representatives can concentratetheir efforts on the wide range of physiciansin the same or varying therapeutic areas.This serves as a great opportunity for bothteams to address physician and patient

needs and offer balanced clinical supportinformation that actually benefits patientoutcomes. However, by realistically consid-ering the implications of the Ethics andCompliance Guidelines and new Regulatoryrules, such communication between MSLsand sales representatives is mostly restrict-ed.

Synchronized activities with the inter-nal and external teams might present a chal-lenge, yet with an attainable set of objec-tives, metrics, and proper training, includingethics and compliance regulations, it is pos-sible to achieve beneficial communication ina joint effort. As valuable resources of med-ical information and training, MSLs contin-ue to contribute to the crucial sales rep-physician relationship by way of constantsupport.

In short, these are three key factors forpharma success:

A. Internal Education and TrainingB. Academic sales approachC. Managing physician loyalty by

continuously adding value to their clini-cal practice

If applied, the above strategies willenable internal teams to:1. Have improved chances of supporting

healthcare professionals by identifyingtheir professional interests and con-cerns.

2. Create marketing and medical deci-sions based on the most realistic

assessments and therapeutic needs.

3. Raise the level of credibility and impactof key messages by delivering themthrough MSLs and KOLs.

The outlined approaches are certainlyneeded to bridge the present gap to abrighter future and are strategically andoperationally achievable.

For inquiries contact: Lener MedicalConsulting Inc., at [email protected].

Lener Medical Consulting Inc. in part-nership with Cincero Consulting has devel-oped an MSL program that consists of SevenSteps: from Awareness to Return ofInvestment, that assists companies with theimplementation, development, and manage-ment of MSL teams as well as internal andexternal teams. The program provides skills,tools, and procedures based on real timeassessment and client needs.

CCoo--eexxiissttiinngg wwiitthh MMSSLLss— continued from page 1


Platinum Award

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and sales management make better deci-sions. Unfortunately, much of this data isnot organized in a way that makes it easyfor companies to use.

Whether it’s product sales datasourced from your internal accounting sys-tem, sales call data collected from yoursalesforce information system, or externaldata purchased from third-party industrysuppliers, most companies struggle to inte-grate these various data-sets so that theycan conduct more meaningful and usefulanalyses.

Most data suppliers offer software thatcan be used to help massage their ownaudit data. However, the challenge is oftenhow to integrate their data with other infor-mation from within the company.

At the same time, the need for bettertargeting of salesforce promotional activi-ties, and for more in-depth strategic analy-sis of marketing and sales information forbusiness planning has never been greater.

A daunting situation, but there ishope. New data analysis tools nowenable the pharma to move beyond thisinformation dark age.

Arnaud Lavenue, National SalesDir ector of the Specialty Care BusinessUnit, at Pfizer, in Kirkland, Que. saysthat with few exceptions, data manage-ment software is essential to all but thesmallest companies, and is an integralpart of the sales and marketing process.“It’s something we all use every day,”says Lavenue.

Subscription-based serviceOne supplier of data managementservices is GHI Technologies of Miss -issauga, Ont. The company’s new product,PharmaBI.com, easily combines marketinformation from IMS Health, STI, andBrogan, with internal sales territory targetsand salesforce CRM data, thereby allowingusers to see how they’re doing in relationto their competition. PharmaBI.com pro-vides a system to allow companies to tracksales according to managers, drug, and pre-scriber.. Once the data is entered into the

system, the information canbe represented visually in

the form of graphs and charts. Companypresident Graham Hislop calls Pharma -BI.com “a powerful new data analysis andreporting solution, developed specificallyfor pharmaceutical companies. It enablesthem to easily and quickly analyse any typeof marketing or sales data from any data-base, generate customized reports, andexport this information in either graphicalor mapping formats... thereby maximizingtheir company’s ROI on business informa-tion, and at a low cost. And, unlike othercompetitor software products, it is sub-scription-based, and therefore doesn’trequire any investment in additional hard-ware or software.”

Mark Hammar, Director of Sales atAstellas, is a GHI client. He says, “We werestruggling with our ability to effectivelyconsolidate and interpret our various datasources in a way that was of value to thefield and which could give us a competitiveadvantage. Not only can our sales team usethe BI system to plan their activities, theycan also use it to measure the effectivenessof their activities.”

A n -o t h e rm o r esophisti-c a t e dapproachfor effec-tive salesmanage-m e n tinvolvesenhancedlogisticalsupport,a c c o r d -ing toW a y n e

Fisher of Plexus 360, a Mississ auga, Ont.-based solutions provider. Fisher's compa-ny provides tools to their clients to allowthem to keep track of the service levels oftheir reps, so the field force always havethe resources they need to do their job.When he carried the bag in pharma, hesays there were times he saw performancesuffer because of insufficient informa-tion.

“We often found our marketing strate-gy was compromised because of poor mar-

keting logistics,” says Fisher. “Managing themarketing supply chain and service levels tothe reps improves marketing results.”

Fisher said that can leave sales repswithout the resources they need to do theirjobs. When that happens, strategy can beunfairly blamed, said Fisher.

“Unless you can deliver everythingthey need to execute that strategy, yourstrategy will be compromised, and you’llnever know why,” said Fisher.

Fisher said failing to take care of salesreps can be costly, “if you have a hundredsales reps out there, and ten per cent of thetime they don't have the samples or promo-tional materials they need to make thatcall.”

This is particularly true, said Fisher,because 65 per cent of marketing and salesbudget goes to the salesforce.

Tracking the progress of sales repsgets the most out of that budget, saidFisher, and that's why he says it’s importantto ensure the sales reps are being served aswell.

“Why wouldn't you treat your biggestinvestment with the same consideration asyou would your biggest customer?”

Tracking material deploymentFisher said tracking that information alsoallows a company to assess whether they’remaximizing their resources, by finding outhow many resources a high-performing repis using compared to a low-performing rep.

While management tracking reportshelp you to keep your finger on the pulseof what's happening in your business,clearly this is not enough. The real strategicvalue of business information comes fromyour ability to analyse relationshipsbetween different data sources, and toidentify insights in terms of what is drivingyour success.

“Utlilizing multiple sources of data toidentify key business issues had been anarduous and time consuming task,” saidChris Kostka, sales vee-pee at PurduePharma, and another Pharma BI.com client.He says information tools “helped us toconsolidate all of our data, and piece thepuzzle together, providing us with a trulycohesive and relevant view of our businessactivities. It turned our data into actionableinformation.”Got any tips or suggestions about howtechnology has helped (or hurt) you on thejob? Post your thoughts at: drugrep.tk

New tools of the trade— continued from page 1

by Danny Dean, director of Ansera, a specialized pharmaceutical con-sulting firm that helps its clients to achieve breakthrough sales results.

www.ansera.com.

Pfizer’s Lavenue: a man and his data


Name

Shannon Simoneau Matthew Chislett

Kalpana PatelChristelle Gingras

Julien Daniel-VaugeoisMichael YangShannon DoyleClayton GilmoreMichelle JenningsChristiane Guibord

Chantal Lauzière

Kristy Dickson

Rebecca Yohemas

Ellie Fasihy

Shawna Goodchild

Dave MarcinkowJeffrey EllisGreg St-John

Alison Hoffeldt

Guy Bélanger

Stéphane Ouellet

Clayton Gilmore

Debbie Seminovich

Louise Bouvrette

Samantha Nelson

Alison Hodges

Julie Boulanger

Marie-Claude Paquet

Kirby SmithPatricia Freiji

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Lily Nguyen-MoreiraJulie RicherGeorgianne Daugela

Bruce KentJohn RobinsonRhonda WarrenBrad Pelletier

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Company

Eli LillyPurdue Pharma

Abbottsanofi aventis

GlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKlineNovartisNovartisNovartisServier

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Leo Pharma

Pfizer

Boehringer IngelheimMerckMerck

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Novartis

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Pfizer

Abbott

GlaxoSmithKline

Novartis

AstraZeneca

MerckAxcan

GlaxoSmithKline

Boehringer IngelheimEli LillyJanssen-Ortho

Boehringer IngelheimBoehringer IngelheimBoehringer IngelheimNovartis

Novartis

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Biotechnology

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Healthcare In Canada

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Persuasion Rx: How to Influence Ethically

Pharmacoeconomics

Psychiatry

Respirology

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Women’s Health

CCPE GOLD MEDALISTS 2009-2010 CCPCPE GO LD MEDADALISTSTS -2009 2010



so, we waste incredible amounts of effortand time.

I made this classic mistake the otherday with my daughter. Andie was turning13 and so I decided it was time for her totake the Bronze Medallion swimmingcourse. You see, I was a swim instructorand so was my dad. Being able to swim isvery important to me. Andie walked in thedoor just when I had found the course list-ing. I turned to her, and realizing she was ina hurry to get up to her room, I said“Andie, Bronze Medallion swimming les-sons…. Friday night or Sunday afternoon?”

What was Andie’s response? Youguessed it. She literally reeled back and,with her hands up (as if pushing me away),said “Bronze Medallion! No way! I am notgoing to take that.”

Oops. I had done it. I had made thebiggest mistake that I teach my clientsabout. I jumped up the staircase and fell flaton my face. I mismatched what I said andwhat my audience needed.

What I needed to do was walk her upthe staircase. At least I now knew whereshe stood. She was clearly on the bottomstep: UNINTERESTED. I needed to

deliver a Disorienting Dilemma—some-thing that would make her 'lean in' and lis-ten, then provide a testimonial of success,offer ways for her to learn more, supporther efforts through reminders and rein-forcement and then celebrate success.

Disorienting dilemmaA few days later the perfect opportunityarose. We were standing in line at a coffeeshop. The clerk was being hassled by anirate customer. I turned to Andie and askedher what she wanted to do for a summerjob in a few years. I told her about a clientof mine who had taught swimming lessonsin her backyard pool and made a ton ofcash. “Hmm,” thought Andie. (My attemptat a ‘disorienting dilemma’ was working.)

I went on to share with her that Sam’smom (a friend down the street) had told methat Sam said the course wasn’t so bad andshe did just fine. I reminded Andie thatSam is no better a swimmer than she is.(This was the testimonial of success.)

Andie was stepping up the staircase, Icould see she was leaning in and was readyto learn more. I suggested she might want

to read the course description and talk toSam. The next week, she was ready for myoriginal question “Friday night or Sundayafternoon?” She choose Sunday afternoon.We did it! She was on the “Initiating” step.But, knowing she could easily fall off, I wassure to help her by getting the right bathingsuit, reminding her, driving her, and check-ing in with her after the class. “How did itgo?” I asked. “Great. The instructor wasreally cute.”

“Ah…. We’re good to go.” I thought.You will be pleased to know that Andie isready to start her Bronze Cross now.

So, what can we as pharma sales peo-ple learn from this story? Think of yourown interactions with your clients. Are youjumping up the staircase and “telling” toofast?

To what degree do you make thebiggest mistake? Score yourself by usingthe evaluation tool at the bottom of thispage.

Your alternative: Take it one step at a timeInstead of jumping up the staircase and

falling, try walking your doctor up the SUA-SION Staircase and use a differentapproach for each step.

‘The biggest mistake we make’— continued from page 1

What the person thinks at each step What you need to do at each step

Strongly disagree... ...Strongly agree

I often feel I must rush through my mes-sage. 1 2 3 4

I try not to waste time and get straight tomy message. 1 2 3 4

I deliver the same line over and overagain. 1 2 3 4

The doctor often doesn’t seem interested. 1 2 3 4

If you scored 12or above, you are likely making this mistake.

To what extent do you make the biggest mistake? Score yourself below

by Jill Donohue, behaviorchange consultant.

To learn more about theSUASION Staircase and how to

influence behavior, you can reachJill at www.excellerate.ca. She

recently published PERSUASION Rx: How toInfluence Ethically, through the CCPE. Thisnew and exciting program teaches pharma-ceutical associates how to apply the art andscience of influence and persuasion. Visitwww.ccpe-cfpc.com for more information.


518 Buckingham Blvd., Waterloo, ON N2T 2T9 1.866.781.0491 | [email protected] | www.imprespharma.ca

Contract Sales Organization

The Challenge

The NeedAs cost containment pressures continue to rise, the need for sales force flexibility is becoming imperative. The ability to be flexible in today’s changing market environment will be critical as rapid evolution will ensure resources are optimized, opportunities seized, and risks minimized. It seems those sales forces that can adapt the fastest and most efficiently will have the competitive edge and be strategically positioned for opportunities and challenges moving forward.

Contract Sales Organizations (CSOs) offer flexibility and cost efficiency to some of the present marketing challenges.

Whether it be for new targeting strategies (primary care, pharmacists, nurses, specialists etc), optimizing specific brands (new products, mature brands), temporary needs (seasonal promotion, product launch, blunt competitor entry etc), or filling vacancies working with a CSO can offer the flexibility to quickly capitalize on opportunities and respond to challenges while minimizing risk. Impres Pharma Inc. is a rapidly growing nationwide CSO that has partnered with numerous pharmaceutical companies over the past six years to maximize their sales and market share while ensuring an attractive ROI. Customer satisfaction is paramount at Impres Pharma and the extensive list of satisfied partners continues to grow! If you would like to learn more about how Impres Pharma can offer your organization sales force flexibility and cost efficiency please contact us.

The Pharmaceutical industry has begun a change of historic magnitude. Increasing pressure is being put on maximizing profit while the industry continues to be faced with declining revenues, patent expiries, smaller pipelines, generic threats, competition, regulation obstacles etc. Needless to say, the traditional pharmaceutical sale force structure may not be the most efficient moving forward. As a result, we are beginning to see pharmaceutical companies initiating major shifts in their sales force design.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”~ Charles Darwin

The Solution

Impres Pharma is an innovative contract sales organization that provides extraordinary value to their partners through a highly driven results oriented sales team.

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Sampling will always be anintegral part of a physi-cian’s daily routine.Traditionally physiciansprovide samples to our

patients and see how they react to themthe next time we see them, which in somecases could be weeks or months away.Traditional sampling methods are flawedas we may miss monitoring the drug’sinteraction with other medications thepatient may be currently taking. A phar-macist’s involvement can enhance patientcare and safety.

Flexibility of AlternativeSampling MethodsSTI’s SmartSample™ breaks free from thetraditional sampling model—it is a cardthat I can provide to my patients as I seefit. The patient then takes their Smart -Sample™ to a retail pharmacy of theirchoice and redeems it there to receivetheir sample medication. This process ismuch easier for all parties involved. Theconvenience of the cards allows me tospend more time with my patient becauseI can keep the cards on my desk and nolonger have to make trips to the sample

room. The pharmacist dispenses the sam-ple and checks for any possible drug inter-actions caused by another medication thepatient may be on, as well as making surethe medication is properly stored and thepatient is properly counselled on the pos-sible side effects and other importantissues. For drug reps, they no longer haveto worry about lugging heavy productsamples around, making sure the samplesare properly stored and not expired, and ifI run out of product it can easily bereplenished, allowing the rep to spendmore time with me to discuss the needs ofmy practice.

Innovative waysPharmaceuticals and DeviceCompanies are usingSmartTechnology™When one of my patients expressed adesire to stay on a branded medicationwhile there was a generic option availablewithout paying extra for the branded med-ication, I turned to STI for a solution anddiscovered their bridging program. When abranded drug comes off patent andbecomes eligible to go generic, the drugreps provide pharmacists and physicianswith STI SmartCoverage™ cards that theycan distribute to patients as they see fit.The patients then take the Smart -Coverage™ cards to their local retail phar-macy and redeem them for the differencein partial payment toward the total cost oftheir brand drug purchase and the genericequivalent.

Dr. Charles Anderson is a practicingphysician at Tantallon Family Practice inHalifax. The views expressed in this articleare personal opinions based on Dr.Anderson’s experiences with STI products,and are in no way representative of theviews of the Tantallon Family Practice orany of its employees or affiliates.

AA ddooccttoorr’’ss perspectiveperspectivePPhhaarrmmaaccyy rreeddeemmppttiioonn ssaammpplliinngg aanndd ccoo--pay assist programs

The SmartCoverage™ is a small multi-use payment card that fits right in your hand(it’s the same size as a credit card) with thebranding of the product on the front. Withindividualized carrier, group, and client IDnumbers that stay with the pharmacist,along with processing information for thepharmacist on the backside, this makes theparticular branded drug more accessible topeople even when genericization occurs. Itkeeps people on their preferred medicationand increases the life span of the brandedmedication.

About STI andSmartTechnology™All STI SmartTechnology™ vehicles pro-vide sales information that is relevant toboth pharma reps and head office. Thedata is sent in real time, as pharmaciesreport the use of all STI vehicles as theyare processed. All privacy laws are fol-lowed, so the data can then be presented indifferent forms that can include age andgender of patients but containing no per-sonal information. This information can bea very useful tool to help quickly identifykey patient groups that are still using yourproduct, as well as knowing the age and/orgender of a patient which helps paint thepatient profile to the representative regard-ing the types of patients that are still usingyour brand.

STI is Canada’s leader in transactionalmarketing solutions, having partnered withover 60 of the world’s largest pharmaceuti-cal and device companies to create over 200programs that have been successfully imple-mented into the Canadian healthcare mar-ket. These programs give patients andhealthcare providers greater convenience byproviding an enhanced pharmacy medica-tion and device reimbursement process thatis built on the safe delivery of healthcarethrough retail pharmacies. Founded in 2002as a venture-backed company, STI hasquickly leapt to the forefront of theCanadian healthcare industry to createsome of the most successful programsimplemented to date.


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renewals and success!

To request a Capabilities Presentation or to submit a resume:


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Needs / attitudes assessment

Learning experience design

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Marc Lalande, M.Sc., CTDP

How we do it... at Impres Pharma

With pressure to cut costs and improve metrics, salesforces are being scaled back, creatingopportunities for contract sales organizations (CSOs). DRUG REP CHRONICLE’s JoshLong recently spoke with the president of one CSO, Robert Tomas, president of

Impres Pharma.

What’s your selling philosophy?We have a customer-centric sales philosophy. When we speak to a physician, we try to identify whatproblems they’re facing with a certain patient profile. Because our representatives have a deepknowledge of their products, they can try to identify the key attributes of the product they’re pro-moting that can fill that patient need. They’re not just looking to have standard selling discus-

sions—say, four or five key message points. It’s very dif-ferent. We’re only bringing out the points that are relevantto a certain problem the [doctor] is facing. As a result, thephysicians are far more engaged with our representatives,and obviously that’s going to result in changes in theirprescribing behaviors, which means more physicians andmore sales for our partner.

How do you work with GP products, com-pared to specialty accounts?The difference with the specialist audience is that some-times they look for a greater level of support, throughstudies and other material. As well, the specialist is look-ing for different types of patient profiles; the complexityof the patient is usually at a higher level, so subjects suchas drug interactions can be a greater focus in the sellingdiscussion.

What are the advantages of contract sales organizations?The companies we’re partnering with see an increasing need for salesforce flexibility. They’re look-ing for a cost-effective solution. When they partner with us, they see the advantage on Impres’ abil-ity to provide it to them in a turn-key way, without putting a drain on their own internal resources.

The growing need is part of a very common trend. In pharmaceutical companies, challengeswe’re facing right now [are] due to all the price pressures, reimbursement pressures, pressures thatrelate to their product pipeline. They need to look at doing more with less, and as a result [pharma-ceutical companies have] really had to reduce the size of their existing sales forces. And, when youreally are trying to be ultra-efficient and cut down your internal resources to the bone on that,whenever you start to see an opportunity where you need a temporary increase in promotion, thenit becomes a challenge to address that extra capacity with your internal resources.

They might want to add extra promotional capacity for several months out of the year, sorather than increase the internal sales force for six months out of the year—which wouldn’t makefinancial sense—a CSO partner can fit in nicely with that. A pharmaceutical company is designingtheir salesforce relatively consistently across the country. If there’s now a geographic variation, per-haps competition is particularly strong in a specific province, or if there’s a change in coverage in acertain province, it could necessitate extra coverage within a certain province or sector in a country.A CSO is nice [for] that scenario.

n Each issue, this feature profiles unique selling approaches and highlights best practices at specificorganizations. We invite your comments and feedback. Write to: [email protected]

RRoobbeerrtt TToommaass


Communication is easy, when it’seasy. It’s another story when we’rechallenged by others, when we

find ourselves in disagreement, when weencounter a difficult person or situation.

Being at our best when it’s most diffi-cult is the real test of our maturity andcharacter. There are a variety of helpfultactics and messages that can be employedgiven certain difficult circumstances thatincrease the likelihood of favorable out-comes. But for us, for now, let’s start at themost fundamental and most vital: think-ing.

The way we think about ourselves,others, and the situation is the foundationfrom which we begin any difficultengagement. Being at your best whenconfronted with difficulty re quires you to

be able tothink clear-ly andra t iona l l y ;to not be

sucked into a losing battle; and, to remaincalm and be fair (with yourself and oth-ers). Easier said than done when yourblood pressure is rising, your heart ispounding because of this insensitive,overbearing #%*@!.

What wouldBuddha do?Yes, it can behard, but it’snot im poss -ible. Take apage fromBuddha. Men -tally thank thedifficult personor situation forallowing you theopportunity to beyour best. As an experi-enced squash play er, I take lit-tle pride in beating a far worse player.I’m thankful for a match that pushes me

to the limit. We’re thank ful of the expe-riences in our life that push us to be atour best in maturity and character. InBuddh ism, we would think of difficultpeople and situations as our teachers.

They are allowing us to practicebeing better; without them we

can never improve and growin maturity and character.

We are what we think.Our thoughts create ouremotions; our emotionshave an impact ourbehavior; our behavioris all everyone else seesand hears. It all starts

with the way we think.Instead of getting

upset, frustrated, or anxiouswhen confronted by a difficult

person or situation start with themost fundamental. Control what you

can: think calm, think rational, and think,Thank You.

by Paul Byrne, M.EdSenior partner,Mackay Byrne Group, Ottawawww.mbg.ca

Being your best isn’t easy when you find yourself dealing with difficult people. Here’s how to use your head, to overcome adversity.

Hey, thanks a lot, you *@#%!



Meet Michel Lavoie, a representative with DermtekPharmaceuticals, the specialty skincare organization based in Dorval, Que.

“After 18 years in the drug business, my father, Robert Lavoie, decided with

my mother, to sell the boat, sell the car, and take out a bank loan. That was the

start of Dermtek Pharmaceuticals, a family business, founded in 1986. Dermtek

launched Ombrelle sunblock in 1990. The rest is history. My parents are still very active

as owner-managers, and my sister is in a marketing role, looking after special projects. I’m sales

representative, on the road.

I cover the entire country. It’s an extensive territory, I must admit, from Victoria to Newfoundland. Where there are concentrated

physician populations, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, I can sometimes cram six details into a day, but it’s hard to be that

consistently efficient when your accounts are spread over 8,000 km. It’s quite the challenge, and I enjoy it.

Our best-known brand is the Reversa line of glycolic acid products for anti-aging skin therapy. There has been a lot of research

in glycolic acid, and we continually refine our formulations. For example, Reversa UV Anti-Spot Lightening Cream contains Rumex

extract, a biological agent native to the Canadian Prairies. Rumex extract inhibits tyrosinase, reducing the formation of unwanted

pigmentation and improving skin tone.

These are OTC products, but we rely on physician recommendations, and my mission is to communicate the product benefits to

doctors. Word-of-mouth buzz among patients is great, but nothing trumps physician support.

The most gratifying part of my job? We often get letters at our office from people who have tried our products and are pleased

with the results. Seeing that response is always a great motivator in sales work.”

Hear more about Michel’s job in our DRUG REP CHRONICLE video podcast. The conversation continues at http://www.drugrep.tk

Love and work... work and love. That’s all there is. --Sigmund Freud

You must look into other people as well as at them. --Lord Chesterfield

A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience. --Elbert Hubbard

Faces/PlacesTo indandthis

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Faces/Places PERSUASION Rx: How to Influence Ethically

Since 1969, The Council for Continuing Pharmaceutical Education has been accrediting pharmaceutical professionals.

Our course curriculum is accessible without prerequisite to anyone.

For information about this and other CCPE programs

(some only ½ day), please see our website:

www.ccpe-cfpc.org

This new and exciting program teaches

pharmaceutical associates FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS

how to apply the art and science of influence and

persuasion; the two pillars of behaviour change.

To respond to the changes in our industry, we are empowering our sales and marketing teams with the ideas in this course.

Jean Lachapelle,Director of Sales, Solvay

Pharma Inc. (now Abbott)

This was truly my favourite of the14 CCPE courses I’ve taken

Donna Racco, RN, CCPE, Territory Manager, Solvay Pharma Inc. (now Abbott)

Influencing everyone to take this course is proving to be

an amazing way to grow together

Nicole Simpson, Training Manager, Solvay

Pharma Inc. (now Abbott)

For 40 years, your partner in Pharma

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Drug Rep Chronicle: June 2010 (Canada)

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Transcript of Drug Rep Chronicle: June 2010 (Canada)