The COVID-19 pandemic has shown society that we can adapt to new ways of working, as long as we have the right tools. In normal times, sales reps come to clinics and hospitals armed with samples, print materials and iPads. However, your sales and marketing teams can conduct these interactions using online communications means and digital materials.
Is your sales and marketing team maximising the opportunity that this new reality has offered?
Medicines Australia released new guidance for sales reps, urging the need to be agile and flexible when working with their healthcare professional colleagues.
Cold calling might be effective on occasion, but it isn’t generally the preferred approach on both ends of the line. Unsolicited calling is actually not considered to be ‘best practice’ in some Australian states. Instead of spending 30 minutes on the phone with the already busy healthcare professional (HCP), share useful and valuable content with them, that can educate them and encourage them to request a meeting. This content will need to be specific to where they are in the ‘buyer journey’ (are they in the ‘attract’, ‘engage’ or ‘delight’ stage?), as it is crucial to nurture the lead before requesting some of their time.
Here are five items to have in place to ensure effective sales without the need for face-to-face interactions:
Customer-relationship management (CRM) system.
- Once you have a CRM, keep it up to date with notes from meetings and by segmenting your contacts into different ‘lead categories’.
- Popular CRM systems include Salesforce and HubSpot.
Branded meeting request emailers.
- Beautifully designed emails engage the target audience and encourage them to book an online meeting or a webinar with a sales representative.
- No emailers come without an emailer strategy. London Agency can help your team plan this, and take care of the design and dissemination of the emailer.
Digital sales materials.
- Capture your lead’s attention with visual and simple tools that tell them the information they need right away. If you are showing off clinical trial data, pull out the key messages. If you are demonstrating value, create an interactive value tool they can play with.
- White papers are effective means to highlight key features of a product or service. They can be completely digital, with the addition of video storytelling and interactivity if needed.
Webinar-based sales representative meetings.
- Hosting an e-meeting with a HCP needs to be quick and seamless. They are busy and do not have a lot of time around treating their patients.
- Proposing Zoom-based webinars are a great way to engage with HCPs, as long as the rep has well prepared for it.
- Read our article on how to plan and execute successful webinars for the healthcare industry.
Offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities or courses allowing HCPs to discover your product.
- CPD accredited courses are a win-win situation for the HCP and the healthcare company. They allow HCPs to trial a company’s product or learn more about a specific therapy area. This could therefore encourage them to request these specific products in the future.
- CPD accredited activities can be conducted with different Colleges in Australia, and courses can take place online.
Transitioning to an online sales and marketing strategy may seem like a challenge but equipping your team with the right tools is the recipe for success.
If you would like to find out how to maximise your sales and marketing team’s productivity through digital content, schedule a 20-minute discovery call with one of our team.
