Multichannel marketing. Part 4. eRep and eMSL

When a concept such as multichannel marketing becomes an ever clearer part of a company's everyday work and affects many different departments, the people who work there need a greater digital awareness. In this series of articles, consultant and digital strategist Fredrik Holmboe goes through the most common strategies in multichannel marketing, how they can be used, and how they can be followed up through defined KPIs in order to strengthen a company's digital competitiveness in the market.

During 2017 I wrote three articles here in Pharma Industry about multichannel marketing, and I wrote them with one main purpose: to prompt some thinking about the analysis, the follow-up and, further down the line, the optimization of our digital initiatives.

The series has moved from purely digital channels such as websites, the watering hole that all your sales and marketing efforts should point towards, and email, the engine of digital marketing, towards the more personal meeting through the webinar channel. And now, in this fourth and final article in the series, the eRep/eMSL channel.

A virtual meeting is often explained as a Skype meeting with the customer, where we in the pharmaceutical industry usually pick one of the platforms that does not require the customer to install software (see fact box). That is because of the security rules and firewalls the clinics have.

All through this series I have talked about the importance of keeping value for the customer in focus, and I want to make that case once more.

I want to make the case for how important it is to solve problems in the customer's working day in a digital setting.

I want to make the case for a digital process where we focus on creating outstanding opportunities for the customer to take as many steps as possible inside the set of channels we as a company have built.

I want to make the case for not taking up the customer's time unnecessarily in a digital world by broadcasting our message, and instead being there whenever the need for our offering becomes relevant.

That we always deliver a sense of giving considerably more than we take.

Because in the end, when it comes to complex selling, the company that gets closest to its customer is the one that wins.

And you get close by giving, in every kind of relationship.

Digitally we are very easy to deselect, which makes it important to keep measuring, analyzing and optimizing digital initiatives so that we know what works and which changes produce real results.

So ask yourselves at your next working meeting: have we made room for analysis and optimization of our digital initiatives in our planning of time and budget?

I sincerely hope so, because if not, that is exactly the important detail missing from your digital development. And with that said, we roll on to the main subject of the article.

Virtual one-to-one meetings

Today, one of the most common meeting formats is the group meeting with healthcare professionals (HCPs), and it is not unusual for that meeting to take place over lunch. The circumstances around that kind of meeting are, in my view, not entirely ideal, and in recent years I have become more and more convinced that such a meeting should focus on gathering information about needs, and in doing so create a basis for further sales and marketing work across several channels, instead of focusing on delivering data as it did before. After many years as a salesperson I know from personal experience that far more happens in a customer meeting than the delivery of data, and that it is an art in itself that demands real skill. But for the sake of the argument, and the digital focus of this article, I hope I get away with a relatively black-and-white position on the subject of selling and customer meetings.

The reason: too much points to the necessity of meeting the customer's need for information in situations where we are not present, for us to pass over what a customer meeting offers in the way of gathering that information. A parallel can be drawn with the way every television and radio program today refers you to an app or a website. We are more and more used to getting information when we want it ourselves, not when it is delivered.

That is why I believe these meetings should be used to combine the presentation of data with recurring promotion of your relevant digital resources such as websites, email campaigns and webinars.

Beyond that, a great deal of attention should also go on presenting and explaining the option for the customer to reach you at short notice through virtual meetings as soon as a question comes up.

Because as platforms such as Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp and WeChat become more common for all of us, the barrier to using them professionally is expected to fall. And the expectation of your availability as a supplier to rise.

The virtual meeting makes fruitful meetings possible in the micro-pauses that come up during the day.

The virtual meeting can happen when and where it suits the customer best.

These meetings can often also be booked in faster from both parties' calendars, so that the customer gets answers to their questions sooner.

The subject is often clear in advance and is something the customer has specifically asked for.

We have to lower the barriers and increase the closeness to communication.

So how do we do that?

Two different models

In a digital world, an investment does not have to be an all-or-nothing scenario. Virtual meetings can be introduced into the organization step by step, and here are two different models.

The third-party solution is the model where an external agency takes on all responsibility for the channel.

The agency handles the design of the project, the day-to-day steering, the technical solution and the training of staff. The agency also handles booking and running the customer meetings and reports the results back. Your own company's commitment is minimal and the project can get going quickly without any need for extensive internal processes (change management).

Without earlier experience of virtual meetings, this solution may be the one to prefer.

Worth noting is that if the target group for this solution turns out to be a different one from the group you have worked with before, which in practice means cold calling that segment, it can be hard to get the meeting frequency up and therefore hard to reach good cost-efficiency.

The hybrid model is the solution where the company's own sales representatives combine field work with virtual meetings.

The advantage becomes clear when the representative is already known to the customer and can draw on established relationships to book meetings and carry an ongoing discussion further through them.

Parts of the project, such as the design, the running of it, the choice and provision of the platform and the training of staff, can be carried out by an agency, but can of course also be done with internal resources if any are available. The externally facing work, that is the booking and running of the virtual meetings, is done by your own sales force.

The hybrid model demands a large investment in change management, and there is more on that under the heading "Internal training".

There are of course other arrangements with varying levels of your own involvement in the different parts of the project. So in the main it is a question of how much time you as an organization have for this channel and how much needs to be handled externally.

How the content is built

It has been said that "what people know is based almost exclusively on stories and the cognitive machinery necessary to understand, remember and tell them". [1]

Since childhood we are all cognitively programmed to take in stories, and for virtual meetings this is where storytelling comes into the picture.

"Once upon a time …" is four words that catch our attention immediately and make us listen. Whether we want to or not.

Stop here for a moment and try it yourself …

Once upon a time …

… there was a fair-haired, lively girl called Fia … and she got diabetes when she was 17 years old …

Based on nothing but those opening words, I think you came very close to painting a picture in your mind of a fair-haired, 17-year-old girl who looks like she is called Fia.

That visualization happens very fast when our brains interpret what we hear, or read, as a story or as the description of an event or a situation.

To continue the anecdote, Fia needed help to manage her diabetes, through a treatment described in detail later in the story. First her life and her difficulties are painted in to fill out the story. After that the illness is painted in, and after that the solution, the treatment.

A treatment that is of course supported by scientific data reinforcing a message about your product.

How can you as a marketer take your existing sales campaign and create a story that has a beginning with a patient at the center (The Setup), a problem that arises (The Confrontation), and an end (The Resolution)?

Give it some thought. Bring in more colleagues. Make it a genuinely enjoyable brainstorming session.

Often it is the funniest, oddest and most different story that turns out to be the right one, quite simply because it is the story that catches the listener's attention.

Internal training

Virtual meetings in a professional setting are something entirely new for many people, and training is therefore extremely important.

The training needs to happen mainly on three levels.

The content

In exactly the same way as during a normal sales cycle, it is important to give the representatives time to practice delivering the message in the content, both the scientific data and the story ("Once upon a time …").

The technology

All new technology requires practice, and it is important that the representatives feel at ease with the technical conditions of the meeting. They should not only feel that they understand the technology and can handle it, they should feel comfortable with it. Uncertainty about the technology must not become an obstacle to getting the message across.

Communicating at a distance

Practice and role-play in a group more than you think you need to. Try words and formulations out on each other, share experiences, and consider whether your presentation contains passages that become too heavy going, where you risk losing the customer. Look for answers to:

• Which words feel right?
• How are story, science and questions best mixed?
• How do we keep the energy up in the conversation?

Then try running virtual meetings internally before the first real customer meeting, which should preferably be with a customer the representative already knows well.

Expect to set aside time for two, possibly three, training sessions spaced apart, plus a few weeks of learning curve with regular check-ins before it all settles.

Consider running a pilot round with one or a couple of future ambassadors per sales team, who after the pilot phase can share knowledge and experience with their colleagues during the actual roll-out.

KPIs

It is easy to focus outwards when looking at digitally focused KPIs: how many visitors did we get to the website, or how many clicked through from an email campaign. But for virtual meetings with customers there is a learning curve to take into account, which makes internal KPIs relevant as well.

Internal KPIs

• Implementation across the sales force
• Proportion of virtual to physical meetings
• Effect on Reach and Frequency

The first point shows how large a share of the sales force actively works with virtual meetings as part of their everyday work. There should be internal goals for the number of representatives actively working with virtual meetings as a first step in the implementation.

The second point shows the relationship between the number of virtual and physical meetings, where uptake in the organization can be made out over time.

The third point focuses on how the introduction of virtual meetings has affected the productivity of the sales force compared with the baseline.

External KPIs

Exposure

• Reach
• Frequency

The first point focuses on the number of customers from the defined target group who have taken part in a virtual meeting. It should be measured at two different points: how many customers have accepted a virtual meeting, and how many customers actually take part. It is not unusual for a fair number of meetings to be cancelled close to the booked time.

The second point covers how many virtual meetings take place per customer. What share of the customers who have had a first meeting with you have also had a second? Which of your representatives manage to hold more meetings with the same customer? Is there a pattern?

Interaction

• Length of the meeting
• Material shown
• Message recall

The first point shows the length of the meeting and can be broken down into a few interesting data points. One is the average time your representatives spend with customers in virtual meetings, and the other is the total time the representatives, and you as a company, interact with customers virtually. How does that develop over time?

The second point focuses on which material has been shown. When what is shown is a selection from your large package of presentation material for physical meetings, there is less data to evaluate. Are all the slides shown? Are the ones shown enough to carry the right message? What does the reaction and the feedback on this smaller set of slides look like? Could it affect how you adjust future presentation slides for both physical and virtual meetings?

The third point can be answered by asking one or two questions towards the end of the meeting about what has been presented, or alternatively by making parts of the content interactive so that the customer takes part.

Engagement

• Number of follow-up activities
• Results from a satisfaction survey

The first point describes how well virtual meetings link into your other activities and help the long-term work of getting close to the customer and their needs. Try to create reasons for follow-up already at the planning stage.

The second point shows how well you make use of the opportunity to interact with the customer, and beyond being a guide it can also be used for internal PR. Try always to end virtual meetings with a few questions that give answers on the following: were any questions answered, is there a willingness to recommend the channel to a colleague, and is there a willingness to have more meetings like it in future. It can be combined with the questions linked to message recall.

Key factors for success

Several of the factors listed below have already been discussed above, such as:

• The personal relationship, or the absence of one, with the person doing the inviting, and the trust in their knowledge.
• Internal training, where it is important to invest in creating a sense of security about content, technology and communicating at a distance, and not to underestimate the need for regular follow-up for a while after the implementation.
• The choice of a platform that meets the demands set at the receiving end (for example no local installation of software).
• Storytelling as the basis for the presentation. It is very easy to be distracted by other things when you sit alone in front of a screen, even when someone is presenting something. Find an alternative to "Once upon a time …" and create a story where the science reinforces the message you want to get across.
• Synergies between field work, other marketing and virtual meetings. Try to find the occasions when you have other interactions with customers, and use them to promote the option of getting quick answers to questions that come up through virtual meetings.

There are also important factors that have not been mentioned:

• If it is not measured it does not count, and if it is not visible it is not rewarded. Use the KPIs listed in this article to measure and to communicate internally about the work being done to meet your customers in a new channel.
• Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, accepted, realistic and time-bound) in the annual objectives linked to virtual meetings, and use the KPIs to evaluate whether they have been met. Consider linking incentives to met goals in order to put the focus in the right place.

Virtual meetings give us a remarkable opportunity to fill the empty space between physical meetings, to be the glue that gives continuity in the relationship with the customer. These meetings give a flexibility to meet without geographic limits and an opportunity to reach new customer segments.

Even so, according to one survey only 15 percent of pharmaceutical companies' commercial departments in Europe use virtual meetings. And only 12 percent of the medical ones. [2]

So for the companies that dare to invest, there is room to be early and to take market share in the world of virtual meetings.

I sincerely hope you become one of those companies.

A few closing words

After many years in the industry I have seen several well-thought-through, good digital initiatives where a great deal of focus and energy went into a strong launch. Almost as many times I have seen the negative effects of a weak plan for continuity over time, in budget, maintenance and development as well as in analysis and optimization.

To get the full return from these digital initiatives, a continuation is required.

An acquaintance once compared launching a new website with no publishing plan after launch to putting a fine sailing boat in the water without a sail. Both look good where they lie, but neither of them will get very far. I find that comparison very telling.

And to reach the optimization stage you have to have a present state to analyze, whatever it looks like, and to know which goal you should be working towards, that is the solution that helps the customer first of all.

My hope is that this series of articles has given some basis for the continuing work that is required, both in terms of analysis and in terms of the goal.

Digital transformation has many dimensions and is, to put it mildly, extensive. Many of us who care deeply about the field agree that the more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn.

If you have read this article or any of the earlier ones and have follow-up questions about the content, or want to discuss digital strategy in general, you are very welcome to get in touch.

Fredrik Holmboe

Digital strategist and consultant

fredrik@dualia.se

www.dualia.se

A possible tactic

A common scenario is the one where a sales representative, let us call him Lars, presents a medicine during a lunch meeting based on what the summary of product characteristics says. An inquisitive doctor asks a question that cannot be answered from the summary of product characteristics, and under internal guidelines Lars is not allowed to answer it.

In a situation like that, Lars has previously booked a follow-up meeting or arranged in some other way for the doctor to get an answer from the medical colleague, whom we will call Sara. That meeting or that answer has often been delayed by Sara's workload and priorities.

Now assume it has been agreed in advance that Sara eats her lunch somewhat earlier so that she is available if needed for a virtual meeting during the later part of the lunch hour.

The opportunity that virtual meetings create is that Lars, instead of booking a meeting later on, can put the question directly to Sara during the customer meeting itself. Sara then sends a meeting link to Lars's computer, which Lars uses to start a virtual meeting. Sara can now discuss the question that has come up in the same way as if she had been present in the room. The doctor gets an answer to the question immediately, in the meeting, which they will probably value highly.

And both Lars and Sara get a customer meeting each registered in the CRM system.

Fact box

A virtual meeting is a meeting that takes place between two or more individuals who are in two different geographic locations. Both digital and physical material can be shown, discussed and developed through the use of a webcam, screen sharing and audio transmission.

The meeting can be recorded for later reference or shared with colleagues or customers.

With the arrival of virtual meetings our world became considerably more accessible, and today we can work together with each other from every part of the globe. That is, as long as we have an internet connection and a device that supports one of the following platforms:

• Adobe Connect
• WebEx
• Kadrige
• Skype for Business

References

1. Schank, Roger C.; Robert P. Abelson (1995). Knowledge and Memory: The Real Story. In: Robert S. Wyer, Jr (ed) Knowledge and Memory: The Real Story. Hillsdale, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1-85.
2. The Across Health Multichannel Maturometer 2016.