According to a recent article in Drugs.com Novartis, Pfizer and Merck have taken the lead in “strong relationships” with physicians as measured along several axes including:

• personal and professional conduct
• knowledge and expertise
• sales visit quality and value

The original research published by TNS Healthcare Research notes that what separated the top performers from the pack was performance across the full range of other service experiences. This is interesting because it has often been difficult to quantify the ROI of investing in the myriad of ecosystem components such as:

• patient and physician education
• practice and staff support
• total brand experience
• corporate reputation

We’ve all known that these are must-have’s, but when faced with pressure to grow top-line sales they may often seem like distractions.  Yet in the complex business ecosystem of pharmaceutical sales so-called soft services do correlate to improved results.

What This Means To Marketers - Education Matters

Of particular interest was the finding that while rep interactions are important, “…two-thirds of physicians give high importance to both doctor and patient education programs.” In the new click-economy, the ability to deliver information, whether in-office or on the web will continue to be valued and remembered.