Pitch Perfect

Posted on February 13, 2013 by admin

The perfect pitch is different for every batter – no pitch is the perfect pitch to throw at all the batters all the time. The pitcher needs the scouting intelligence and the tools, and then he can customize his delivery so he can deliver the perfect pitch to that one specific batter standing on the mound.

The same goes for sales presentations. There is no one perfect pitch for every situation. The sales person needs the scouting intelligence and the tools, and then he or she can customize the presentation to the specific store manager standing in front of them.

Let’s break down the components:

First, the rep needs the scouting report. They need sales data, order history, competitive intelligence and in-store shelf condition data – as well as promotion information, pricing data, and product comparison information.

Second, the rep needs the tools. The tool is going to help them bring all the data above together to create a meaningful pitch. The tool is going to allow the user to customize the pitch for the person they’re selling to, choosing which pieces of the information to bring together into that perfect pitch.

Right now, in any store you can observe field reps struggling with binders of data, trying to find the right scouting data, trying to match the generic sales materials they have in a way to create a customized pitch. But it’s almost impossible to pull together all that data manually in the few minutes or seconds available – let alone craft it into a meaningful pitch. So the pitch is usually less than optimal – in baseball terms you throw the fallback pitch – the one you throw when you don’t know what else to do.

However, today’s mobile technologies such as iPad and Android tablets enable organizations to bring highly interactive, personalized, fact-based and meaningful presentations front-and-center in every sales situation.

Technology-enabled mobile sales tools can bring together point of sale data, order history and shelf conditions such as out of stock history. They can show multi-media content, such as upcoming TV spots, pictures of successful displays and product features. They can allow the user to choose which data and materials are right to create the perfect pitch for the store manager. Finally, they can do something nothing else can – show a dynamic “What If” scenario for the store manager projecting sales and profits based on the proposed order.

Are your in-store sales efforts “pitch perfect?” Powerfully simple yet sophisticated, arming the sales force with a pitch book will ensure consistently perfect pitches every time.

Posted in Analytics, Consumer Goods CRM, CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM, Mobile CRM Solutions, On-Demand CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Edge Sales and Marketing Selects StayinFront TouchCG to Drive Productivity and Sales

Posted on November 12, 2012 by admin

California-based Edge Sales and Marketing has selected StayinFront TouchCG® as its mobile platform for retail execution.  The company will deploy StayinFront TouchCG on iPads, delivering a more effective sales tool to the company’s field reps and driving in-store productivity.

Specializing in value-added and commodity produce for retailers and distributors in Northern California and Nevada, Edge Sales and Marketing sought out StayinFront CRM solutions for a number of reasons. Edge Sales and Marketing recognized the unique capabilities of the TouchCG platform for iPad and the experience of delivering a tightly integrated solution that addresses the priority requirements of retail merchandising, deal and trade promotions, and key account management. Plus, the platform is integrated with StayinFront Analytics and its KPI functionality provides management with easy access to critical information such as daily activities as well as insights to drive business.  

Shawn Dagen, Vice President of Sales at Edge Sales and Marketing, welcomed the change, saying, “The StayinFront software is an upgrade from our current vendor and allows us to deliver a powerful system that will help our field force maximize every store visit.”

StayinFront’s EVP and Managing Director N.A., Sam Barclay, said, ““We are excited about our new relationship with Edge Sales and Marketing. We are confident that TouchCG’s unique capabilities will make them more effective in store and help them drive new business.”

StayinFront TouchCG revolutionizes the way field forces do business by enabling teams to enhance workflow and increase efficiencies in the field, as well as perform sales and account management tasks using a range of popular mobile devices. More information about StayinFront’s work in the consumer goods market can be accessed here.

Posted in Analytics, Consumer Goods CRM, CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Mobile CRM Solutions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Best Practices: The Benefits of Integrating Expense Management and Customer Relationship Management

Posted on October 29, 2012 by admin

Although various states across the U.S. have administered a form of what is known as “Sunshine Laws” for over two decades, the first national provision goes into effect for the 2012 calendar year. For physicians, this means a new level of transparency in their relationships with vendors. For pharmaceutical companies, medical device, biological and medical supply manufacturers, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act introduces a new set of expense reporting and regulations standards.

Some research indicates that many within the industry are still unaware of how the Physicians Payments Sunshine Act impacts their work, while others dread the additional work it will create. By most accounts, the new act requires pharma and medical companies to keep detailed records of any and all expenses for meetings with individual healthcare professionals as well as organizations.

The key to successful expense compliance is to make the process ‘invisible’ for the user, and to do this we here at StayinFront apply the following principles:

  1. Software should make the user more efficient at what they do – and each person should use the tool best designed for the job at hand.  This means that an expense management system like Concur should be used for expense entry and management while a CRM like StayinFront EdgeRx and TouchRx should be used for healthcare professional (HCP) information management.
  2. All data about HCP’s should be collected in the CRM to ensure that the user has a complete view of the customer.
  3. The data the user sees should be identical across all systems being used – so the doctor’s name, address and other details must be the same in their CRM and expense management systems.
  4. Expenses should be entered only once, and into only one system.

The best way to achieve successful expense compliance is to integrate our CRM solution tightly with an expense management system, and the one most of our clients use, and the leader in the market, is Concur.

We worked closely with the Concur Connects team to design 4 interface points between the StayinFront EdgeRx and Concur systems, using the Concur Connects web services, and the StayinFront Integration Manager.  These interface points can be used individually or in combination to meet specific client business requirements.

The first interface is a direct nightly load of HCP information from StayinFront to Concur.  This load passes all new, updated and deleted information to Concur, and ensures that Concur has a complete and current list of HCPs.

Benefit: Users entering expenses for a specific HCP see the exact same data that they see in their CRM system.

The second interface is a direct lookup from Concur to EdgeRx to find a specific HCP record.  This real time lookup connects the EdgeRx system to the Web to locate an HCP record.

Benefit: Users can get the most up to date data – so an HCP entered into CRM is instantly available to the user to enter expenses against.

Event creation: When an event (such as a lunch and learn) is created in EdgeRx or TouchRx, that event is passed directly through to Concur with the attendee information attached.

Benefit: a user entering expenses for an event already has the event details, and since the attendees entered in their expense records, the company just needs to confirm which HCP’s attended and track the expense amounts.  It can’t be any easier than that!

Finally, StayinFront uses the Concur Connects web service to pull back expense data related to HCP’s and attaches those expenses to the HCP in EdgeRx. 

Benefit: EdgeRx and TouchRx have a complete picture of the HCP, and users can  analyze the full impact of activity and results for each interaction.

These interfaces are designed to help customers save time, increase precision, and improve compliance.  

Together, the StayinFront LifeSciences CRM and Concur’s Travel and Expense System adapt to the needs of the individual company through multi-faceted data integration. This means keeping up-to-date records on interactions with healthcare professionals and related expense reporting. Together, StayinFront and Concur offer a best practices approach to staying compliant for everything under the Sunshine Act.

Posted in Analytics, CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM, Mobile CRM Solutions, On-Demand CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beating the Clock: Relationship Management, Sales Planning, & Physicians

Posted on October 15, 2012 by admin

“The doctor will see you now.”

For sales reps, there is nothing sweeter than these six words, but in the healthcare world today, physicians are busier than ever and reps may only get a few minutes of the doctor’s time. This hectic pace combined with legislation impacting pharmaceutical pricing and the use of incentives means strategic physician relationship management is the driving force behind successful sales.

Creating a strategic sales plan with an emphasis on physician relationship management starts with examining existing data, analytics, and performance.  Savvy companies can use this info, along with an industry-specific CRM solution and the key points below, to create a powerful pitch fit for busy physicians that can lead to higher sales and lasting relationships.

  1. Understanding the Physicians – Employing a customer-centric approach helps reps learn about must-have services, specialties, patient demographics, personal communication style, preferred contact method, wants, and needs for each physician. Spending time collecting this information highlights the individual’s value and cuts down the length of future interactions.
  2. Commitment Required – To nurture and manage the initial formation of these relationships necessitates centralized information, insight, and commitment. This means maintaining your information, anticipating your customers’ current and future needs, and creating commitment on both sides.
  3. Effective Encounters – Now comes time to craft the message. As Becker Hospital Review pointed out, “…Success – the ‘purchase’ decision – occurs one person at a time, even when you are selling a concept.” Be sure to leverage mobile and social channels in addition to face-to-face contact. Keep messages focused on quality and value and remember, above all, to be concise.
  4. Measurement, Reporting, Analysis & Adjustment – Much like a patient’s symptoms, sales plans also require evaluation. A smart industry-specific CRM with analytics will measure and report findings about your physician relationship management. Comparing this data with your sales plan allows for further analysis and the ability to adjust (PDF) on a regular basis.

To increase sales in an industry that is in constant motion, strategic sales planning combined with a CRM like StayinFront EdgeRx gives reps the ability to stay flexible (and ahead of the competition). Concentrate on selling to the physicians while building loyalty, staying attune to time constraints, and reviewing your performance can track the variables and help spot trends.

Posted in CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM, StayinFront Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing the Sun Shine: Health Care Goes High Tech

Posted on October 9, 2012 by admin

Many health care providers have mixed feelings about the 2010 Physician Payment Sunshine Act. Passed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, the Sunshine Act is the first piece of federal legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to report online all physicians who accepted “payment of other transfer of value” over $10.

Publishing this information on the Internet and entering it into the public domain gives patients and watchdog groups the ability to explore connections between doctors and drug companies and determine whether or not these relationships serve patients’ best interest. With the reports set to begin in 2013, physicians and hospitals are struggling to accept this new level of transparency.

Still, some wonder what all the fuss is about. Sunshine Laws aren’t an entirely new concept. In fact, Minnesota has had one since 1993 with online reports available for the last five years. Not to mention, under the 2009 HITECH Act, the entire healthcare industry will adopt electronic health records by 2020.

It appears that healthcare professionals are concerned that the Sunshine Act lacks effective disclosure and security guidelines and could impact the delivery of healthcare by opening up this information to the public. Others argue that disclosure will not impact how physicians interact with pharmaceutical companies and that the online health information exchange may stifle drug innovation.

By using the guidelines for electronic health records as one possible model, the benefits of the Sunshine Act may outweigh the aforementioned concerns. As one report explains, “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) believe that certified EHR technology used in a meaningful way is an important piece of the broader health information technology infrastructure needed to reform the health care system and improve health care quality, efficiency, and patient safety.”

Using and maintaining CRM systems will assuage worries about data accuracy while continuing to encourage transparency and access to the information. Whether patients choose to access the information is yet to be seen, however, being able to review the data may help patients become better informed about treatment options.  Providing a watchdog for the watchdogs should keep the information secure and safe from misrepresentation, protecting physicians and patients, just as Hippocrates intended.

Posted in CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Riviana Foods Turns to Single SaaS Solution from StayinFront to Support Multiple Mobile Teams

Posted on September 12, 2012 by admin

Australian-owned manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing company, Riviana Foods Pty Ltd., has selected StayinFront EdgeCG® for use by its field reps. Riviana Foods will deploy StayinFront EdgeCG consumer goods CRM and Analytics as a single solution to meet the varied needs of its retail grocery and food services teams. 

With 500 products in its extensive portfolio, Riviana Foods needed a full-function, hosted solution with the technical flexibility to address the needs of its retail grocery team that uses Android™ devices as well as its food service reps that make frequent presentations using iPads. StayinFront EdgeCG will be configured to provide the individual detailed reporting required by each team.  The retail group will have fast and easy access to critical information, such as competitor pricing comparisons, straight from the system, while the food services sector reps will pull the specific client information required to sell effectively into each restaurant and caterer. 

Steve Weston, National Sales Manager for Riviana Foods, said, “We wanted to support our two sales teams with the tools that best demonstrated our continuing culture of innovation, efficiency and service to our customer base. With StayinFront consumer goods CRM software available on Android devices and iPads in the field, we believe our teams will impress our customers on every level.” 

Kerrie-Anne Turner, StayinFront’s APAC Vice President and Managing Director Australia, welcomed Riviana Goods as a new client. “Whether Riviana’s reps are talking to a supermarket or a restaurant customer, they will be supported in the field by StayinFront EdgeCG’s easily configured data and reporting from the same high availability, SaaS-based central repository.”

StayinFront Consumer Goods is a complete consumer goods CRM solution for consumer packaged goods manufacturers and distributors supporting account selling, retail execution, and direct store delivery activities. More information about StayinFront’s work in the consumer goods market can be accessed here.

Posted in Analytics, Consumer Goods CRM, CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Mobile CRM Solutions, On-Demand CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reducing Out-of-Stocks with the Right CRM Solution

Posted on July 16, 2012 by admin

Earlier this year, Bloomberg posted an article highlighting a common issue facing retailers: out-of-stocks. As the article explains, Wal-Mart announced the results of a study this past February showing that it loses significant sales revenue (up to about $5 billion per year) due to poorly stocked shelves. But the loss of sales from out-of-stocks isn’t just a problem for retailers. The manufactures of the goods that aren’t being replenished on store shelves are losing out on revenue as well – and the results can be disastrous.

Aside from missing out on the sale, out-of-stocks can cause ongoing problems for the manufacturer, like a decline in brand loyalty. When customers can’t find the items they want, they are more likely to purchase a different brand and might never come back. Out-of-stocks also create a ripple effect throughout the supply chain; if a manufacturer must make an unscheduled shipment to the retailer to replenish stock, the entire delivery schedule may be thrown off. Moreover, out-of-stocks can be particularly damaging during special promotions, when stores aren’t prepared to deal with the increased demand of a product.

In light of the serious repercussions of out-of-stocks, it is important to note that although they significantly impact retailer and manufacturer alike, the vast majority (70 – 90 percent) of out-of-stocks result from in-store operations rather than upstream supply shortages.[1] Retailer out-of-stocks can be further divided into two main causes: store out-of-stocks and shelf out-of-stocks.

  • Store out-of-stocks occur when a retailer is completely out of inventory and typically result from mistakes in ordering and demand forecasting. Inaccurate sales and forecasting data and phantom inventory created by a store’s perpetual inventory (SI) system are the most common causes. 
  • Shelf out-of-stocks occur when inventory is in the store but not on the shelves. This can be due to infrequent shelf stocking, poor shelf space allocation, in which faster moving items are given equal amounts of space as slower moving ones, and from inferior item management, resulting in hidden products or shelf-tagging inaccuracy.

Since out-of-stocks can have such a serious impact on both store and manufacturer operations and revenue, it is beneficial for both parties to collaborate in order to reduce such instances. By utilizing a comprehensive consumer goods CRM solution, such as StayinFront Consumer Goods, the manufacturer’s sales reps will have a robust tool that enables them to work more closely with stores to implement better shelf stocking processes.

Additionally, StayinFront’s Consumer Goods solutions are scalable for organizations of all sizes. They can also be integrated seamlessly with existing information systems to ensure sales reps have the most relevant information about each retailer. By using such a two-way communication strategy, the manufacturer can develop an enhanced relationship with the retailer and work together to ensure consumers have greater access to the products they want.

To learn more about out-of-stocks and how StayinFront’s CRM solution helps to avoid such situations, check out our new white paper, Taking Stock of Out-of-Stocks.

[1] McKinnon, A.C., Mendes, D. and Nabateh, M. (2007), “In-store logistics: an analysis of on-shelf availability and stockout response for three product groups”, International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 251-68.

Posted in Consumer Goods CRM, CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Mobile CRM Solutions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maintaining the Personal Touch in Pharmaceutical Sales

Posted on June 25, 2012 by admin

A recent article on pharmexec.com highlights a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry –downsizing sales forces in favor of digital selling methods. While organizations that reduce their number of sales reps may be saving costs, they are also missing out on a key aspect necessary for continued success: the personal touch.

Physicians have the very personal job of providing treatment to heal their patients – and many prefer maintaining a personal connection in their dealings with pharmaceutical companies.  Yet, a majority of the digital promotion channels leveraged by the industry simply don’t allow for a personal connection with physicians.  As digital selling replaces the personal selling model, the entire industry will have to develop more innovative methods that are physician-focused and maintain some level of a personal touch.

The article cites a study conducted by QuantiaMD, a physician network, and Capgemini Consulting to see how physicians engage with various sales and marketing channels.  The results show that independent medical websites and communities are the top choice (chosen as the Number 1 and Number 2 choice by 61 percent of respondents) for physicians to receive product information.  Medical and clinical liaisons and pharmaceutical reps (42 percent and 40 percent, respectively) were also at the top, emphasizing the desire for human interaction. However, many of the new digital channels pharmaceutical companies have embraced, such as their own websites, email, tele-detailing and social media, fail to gain the anticipated traction as they were not cited as top choices by most study participants.

The lack of engagement in these new channels can be due to a number of reasons, like the inconvenience of visiting multiple company websites, email fatigue from the abundance of messages and lack of customization of these channels for the user.  Still, the question remains: how do companies reconcile a reduced sales force with the fact that new marketing channels do not appear to be adequately engaging their client base?

There will always be a place for the sales rep, the pharmaceutical company’s greatest promotional asset. Many physicians still value the rep relationship.  The CRM solutions offered by StayinFront allow pharmaceutical companies to leverage digital media and preserve the personal touch.  StayinFront Life Sciences provides sales reps with a robust tool for leveraging customer and market information to improve their sales effectiveness.  SaaS solutions that are available on smartphones and tablets allow reps to utilize digital technology to enhance the level of service they provide. With a quick and easy method for capturing, tracking and storing key aspects of their sales and marketing activities, sales reps can provide physicians with the service they are looking for – a customized approach that combines digital strategies with a highly personalized level of service.

Posted in CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM, Mobile CRM Solutions, On-Demand CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional Pharmaceutical Marketing – When it Pays to Go Local

Posted on June 18, 2012 by admin

The competitive environment, reduced budgets and changing market conditions in the pharmaceutical industry make it challenging for companies to gain mindshare and increase awareness among physicians and patients. As a result, pharmaceutical companies must recalibrate their marketing strategies to ensure they are promoting their brands in a manner that will ensure maximum product visibility. 

Given these conditions, the one-size-fits-all approach to pharmaceutical marketing no longer works; such large-scale efforts are not only costly, but they run the risk of failing to connect with the different demographics that can benefit from the product. Instead, pharmaceutical companies are starting to utilize regional marketing approaches, in which they target their messaging to address specific demographics and regions. Adopting this strategy allows companies to optimize marketing resources while ensuring maximum ROI.

So how do companies tell when a regional marketing strategy should be used in place of a widespread campaign? Consider the following examples:

  • High variation in market performance – If a brand performs exceptionally well in a particular location or among a certain demographic, yet is weak in other areas, a regional marketing strategy can offer further penetration whereby the vendor “owns” the category.
  • Unique needs and drivers – There are several entities that affect market performance, such as patients, payers and physicians. As the drivers and unique needs of each entity vary by location, a regional strategy can address the specific requirements in each area.
  • Competition for physician time – Physicians are facing increased patient loads, and due to the growing number of drugs on the market, encounter numerous sales reps competing for their valuable time. Regional marketing allows reps to adapt their presentations to show physicians specifically how their products will address patient needs in their particular region.

A regional marketing strategy has several advantages for the pharmaceutical industry. But in order to target their sales efforts to meet the needs of each demographic, the company must first collect and analyze key customer and market information that can allow them to tailor their strategy for maximum impact. StayinFront Life Sciences helps organizations to develop regional marketing plans that deliver full ROI.

Through StayinFront EdgeRx®, a  SaaS CRM solution with built-in analytics, and StayinFront TouchRx®, a mobile Life Sciences CRM system allowing reps to access crucial CRM information anywhere and at any time, organizations can more easily collect, identify and understand critical business trends. Armed with detailed information about product performance and regional demand, teams can develop demographic-specific marketing strategies that will resonate with their intended audiences and improve productivity and overall sales results.

Posted in CRM Best Practices, CRM Software, Life Sciences CRM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Closing the Loop between Analysis and Action

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

Interpreting data to align activity with the greatest opportunity

Accurate information is a platform from which strategies can be set and business decisions can be made. But that’s only possible when the data can be interpreted and put into action. Today’s most advanced enterprises are remaining competitive by acting before their competitors do. They are able to do so because of better insight gained from analytic applications and rich data sets. As a result, organizations are turning to business intelligence (BI) and analytics more than ever in their efforts to gain a competitive edge.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are an often overlooked when it comes to Business Intelligence. A traditional approach to architecting a BI system is the creation of a data warehouse comprised of third-party market data, other external data (ERP data for example) and call data from your CRM system. An inherent problem with this approach is the fact that CRM data can only be loaded periodically, resulting in an incomplete and outdated data set that is ultimately limiting.

By contrast, loading sales and market data into your CRM software yields a business intelligence system that is always comprehensive, timely, and most importantly actionable.

An element just as important as the integrity and location of data itself is the way in which the information can be represented and interpreted. That’s where the value of a great analytics tool can be realized. Analytics is not just a summary of large volumes of data. The best analytics solutions put actionable information in the hands of those who must take action – without a translator. Data presented through user-friendly dashboards, charts and tables enables non-technical users to easily explore, filter and drill into the detail where appropriate. When the analytics engine is built-in to the front end of a CRM software system, additional benefits are derived as CRM actions can be automatically set into motion.

Actionable analytics enable a continuous cycle of investigation, action and review. Most importantly, analytics help identify opportunities for optimization and improvement – whether it’s something as simple as sending out an email blast, or developing a complex sales strategy to penetrate a new market.

Posted in Analytics, CRM Software | Tagged | Leave a comment