eDetailing
E-detailing is the technological equivalent of the pharmaceutical representative’s traditional sales aid, should be used as part of their sales visits to healthcare providers, as it provides easy, interactive access to drug information that is educational. (eDetailing definition,2007; www.wikipedia.com)
Pharma needs to modify traditional detailing. Marketing efforts should focus more on using the Internet to communicate with doctors. E-detailing has become an important tool in targeting the right physician with the right message; enabling a sales representative to reach multiple physicians, which then creates the need for the physician to see the representative to answer any more specific queries they might have. This approach leads to a much more productive and valuable discussion for both parties.
According to a poll of over 500 doctors conducted by OnMedica, 79% of physicians preferred to receive product information electronically, without the involvement of a sales representative, 15% preferred to receive information from sales reps, and only 6% preferred journal advertising (Pharmatimes, 2008b; www.pharmiweb.com/).
35% of doctors in the US do not allow representatives to make sales calls. In the US, the average time a representative spends face to face with a physician is less than 2 minutes and often the physician may be unresponsive or preoccupied during this interaction. This leaves no room for representatives to communicate key marketing messages. It is not surprising then, that only 55% of physicians surveyed perceive the information obtained during a sales visit as valuable. The average rep spends just 8 minutes a day face to face with a doctor (Where the doctors are, 2005) making it very difficult to educate and also establish good relationships with physicians.This is becoming an everyday reality for the majority
Datamonitor’s research has found that unsatisfactory experiences with early eDetailing sessions is one of the primary reasons physicians have begun to lose interest in this channel of communication. However, physicians do generally believe that traditional details would have more value if facilitated by technology; therefore an opportunity does exist for pharmaceutical companies to continue to improve the quality of the eDetailing sessions it delivers and thereby re-gain physicians’ interest in this channel.
However Datamonitor finds that less than 30% of physicians in all markets surveyed believe that eDetailing has no value whatsoever, suggesting a market with significant potential. Why then have pharmaceutical eDetailing programs generally fallen so far short of expectations?
Online marketing initiatives may be failing because physicians view current approaches as too structured and intrusive
Physicians feel that they are being subjected to a pharmaceutical company’s vision of what they need rather than having the opportunity to seek the information that really matters to them. This can be frustrating for physicians who have traditionally been used to asking sales reps specific questions and getting targeted answers in the return.
While many of the problems with uptake by the general physician population, such as the poor quality of the available sessions or the complexity of the technology required, are being addressed, accurately targeting physicians with the right type of detail at the right time remains a challenge. The critical thing will be to present these physicians with eDetails that are highly engaging and relevant to their practice. To this end, physician-facing interfaces should be customizable in realtime based on the responses of the participant. This allows physicians to seek the information they need and finally moves eDetailing away from the online slide show-like presentation. Additionally, in general eDetails should be limited in length.
Using an Internet-enabled technology, physicians should be able to access critical data (e.g., information on dosing, interactions and side-effects) in a few clicks. Input from physicians suggests that if they wish to review the entirety of the information provided it should take them 10 minutes or less, with the option to contact the company or a sales rep to learn more. This will maximize the likelihood that physicians will complete the sessionE-detailing is the technological equivalent of the pharmaceutical representative’s traditional sales aid, should be used as part of their sales visits to healthcare providers, as it provides easy, interactive access to drug information that is educational. (eDetailing definition,2007; www.wikipedia.com)
Pharma needs to modify traditional detailing. Marketing efforts should focus more on using the Internet to communicate with doctors. E-detailing has become an important tool in targeting the right physician with the right message; enabling a sales representative to reach multiple physicians, which then creates the need for the physician to see the representative to answer any more specific queries they might have. This approach leads to a much more productive and valuable discussion for both parties.
According to a poll of over 500 doctors conducted by OnMedica, 79% of physicians preferred to receive product information electronically, without the involvement of a sales representative, 15% preferred to receive information from sales reps, and only 6% preferred journal advertising (Pharmatimes, 2008b; www.pharmiweb.com/).
35% of doctors in the US do not allow representatives to make sales calls. In the US, the average time a representative spends face to face with a physician is less than 2 minutes and often the physician may be unresponsive or preoccupied during this interaction. This leaves no room for representatives to communicate key marketing messages. It is not surprising then, that only 55% of physicians surveyed perceive the information obtained during a sales visit as valuable. The average rep spends just 8 minutes a day face to face with a doctor (Where the doctors are, 2005) making it very difficult to educate and also establish good relationships with physicians.This is becoming an everyday reality for the majority
Datamonitor’s research has found that unsatisfactory experiences with early eDetailing sessions is one of the primary reasons physicians have begun to lose interest in this channel of communication. However, physicians do generally believe that traditional details would have more value if facilitated by technology; therefore an opportunity does exist for pharmaceutical companies to continue to improve the quality of the eDetailing sessions it delivers and thereby re-gain physicians’ interest in this channel.
However Datamonitor finds that less than 30% of physicians in all markets surveyed believe that eDetailing has no value whatsoever, suggesting a market with significant potential. Why then have pharmaceutical eDetailing programs generally fallen so far short of expectations?
Online marketing initiatives may be failing because physicians view current approaches as too structured and intrusive
Physicians feel that they are being subjected to a pharmaceutical company’s vision of what they need rather than having the opportunity to seek the information that really matters to them. This can be frustrating for physicians who have traditionally been used to asking sales reps specific questions and getting targeted answers in the return.
While many of the problems with uptake by the general physician population, such as the poor quality of the available sessions or the complexity of the technology required, are being addressed, accurately targeting physicians with the right type of detail at the right time remains a challenge. The critical thing will be to present these physicians with eDetails that are highly engaging and relevant to their practice. To this end, physician-facing interfaces should be customizable in realtime based on the responses of the participant. This allows physicians to seek the information they need and finally moves eDetailing away from the online slide show-like presentation. Additionally, in general eDetails should be limited in length.
Using an Internet-enabled technology, physicians should be able to access critical data (e.g., information on dosing, interactions and side-effects) in a few clicks. Input from physicians suggests that if they wish to review the entirety of the information provided it should take them 10 minutes or less, with the option to contact the company or a sales rep to learn more. This will maximize the likelihood that physicians will complete the session