T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

The Pharma
Sales Guidebook
How to Align Executives, Managers and
Field Sales Reps for Game-Changing Results

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Table of Contents
Pharmaceutical Sales: An Ever-Changing Landscape

Detailing: Prep Better, Faster and More Efficiently

Field Rep Effectiveness: Make the Most of Every Interaction

Earn Results: Bring It All Together from the Top Down

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About Roambi 11

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T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Pharmaceutical Sales:
An Ever-Changing Landscape
The pharmaceutical industry is no stranger to overcoming
challenges. Long R&D cycles, years of clinical trials and strict
government regulations are just a few of the hurdles pharma
companies must overcome in bringing a new drug to market.
Not to mention the fact that once a drug is marketable, rapidly
expiring patent protections mean a small window of opportunity
to profit.
Enter the pharmaceutical sales teams. These well-trained
individuals spearhead the marketing of drugs armed with
information such as metabolic makeup, clinical trial data, benefits,
side effects, dosage and more.

An Ever- Changing L andsc ape

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

For years, traditional field sales representatives would meet

with doctors face-to-face, building trust through the process of
detailing. However, over the past decade the field has undergone
a dynamic shift.
More and more doctors who once worked in private practices
now work for hospitals that decide which medicines they are
able to prescribe. As of 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported
that 42% of doctors practice as salaried employees of hospital
systems, up from 24% in 2004. Additionally, physicians now
go to several sources for information beyond the rep, such as
company websites, events and remote detailing sessions.
New legal regulations brought on by the Affordable Care Act
have also made sales more difficult. For example, the Physician
Financial Transparency Reports (Sunshine Act) requires
pharmaceutical and medical device companies to disclose
payments to doctors for a variety of activities.
Declining access to providers, hospital consolidation,
technological advances and legal requirements have created a
longer sales cycle and a stronger need for aligned key account
managers (KAMs).
Subsequently, this shift has created a variety of new challenges
for pharma sales teams:
The field reps challenge is now discovering how to deliver the
right message, at the right moment, using the right channel, to
ensure a physician moves up the adoption ladder for drugs.

An Ever- Changing L andsc ape

The KAMs challenge is to understand where products fit in the

treatment guidelines for accounts. Account managers have
to constantly ask: is our product on the approved list of drugs
physicians can prescribe? Are the pricing conditions optimal?
When is the formulary being renewed? And whos influencing
that decision?
Meanwhile, top-level executives need to maintain a birds
eye view of key performance indicators (KPIs) and account
activitieswhile also tracking R&D cycles, clinical trial
outcomes, share prices and other bottom line items.
Despite these challenges, opportunities to expand sales will come
as the global elderly population grows, chronic diseases become
more prevalent and emerging markets demand modern drugs.
To capitalize on these opportunities, companies must empower
sales teams with seamless access to critical information when out
in the field.

Our pharma guide will help teach you how to:

More effectively prep for detail meetings.
Make the most of face-to-face opportunities.
And better align internally across the organization from
the executive office to the field.

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Prep B et ter, Fas ter and M ore Ef f icient ly

Detailing: Prep Better, Faster

and More Efficiently
The Knowledge Requirement
Becoming an effective sales rep or KAM begins with knowledge.
In addition to knowing the ins-and-outs of the drugs they detail,
they also need to know which doctors or hospitals to visit, how to
prepare for each call and what solutions to offer.

Pharma sales reps need to access:

This can become quite challenging as most pharmaceutical

companies expect their sales representatives to make 8 to 10
sales calls per day, depending on prescriber density and territory
size. In addition to managing interactions with influencers, KAMs
are responsible for creating account plans that play to the longterm goals of a portfolio of products and not just a single drug.

Prescription trends (total Rx, new Rx).

Better Preparation
Field reps and KAMs need to quickly review activity across their
providers and accounts multiple times a day. They need the right
information to prioritize which doctors or hospitals to visit, what
they need to prepare and which solutions they are going to offer.

Prescriber lists.
All past interactions (call history, call frequency, sales volume
and market share).
Prescriber info by territory.

The new sales role will require different

competencies, supported by a new training,
evaluation and reward system and a new
career development model. All of this will
have significant implications for the entire
commercial organization.
- Rita E. Numerof Ph. D., The Future of Pharma
Sales, Eye for Pharma

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

To access this important information, sales teams may rely on

a variety of resources including phones, tablets, laptops and,
in some cases, printed materials. Unfortunately, with multiple
resources come multiple challenges.
To overcome these challenges, pharmaceutical companies should
select a mobile reporting solution that provides field reps, KAM,
managers and executives all the data they require in one location.
This will create cohesion across the organization, enable rapid
pre-call analysis and lead to better insight for sales.
In addition to searching for a tool that integrates with existing
customer relationship management (CRM) and business
intelligence systems, company decision-makers must also put
special emphasis on platform security.

The challenge for pharmaceutical

manufacturers is that there are perhaps
too many opportunities to leverage mobile
communications platforms. This suggests that
a strong and scalable mobile platform access
and control foundation is a critical key for these
companies.
- Mobile Platforms: Improving the Business of
mHealthcare in Pharmaceutical Firms, Good
Technology(TM)

Prep B et ter, Fas ter and M ore Ef f icient ly

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Make t he M os t of Ever y Interac t ion

Field Rep Effectiveness:

Make the Most of Every Interaction
Demonstrate Product Value
The Wild West days of pharmaceutical sales are over. Calling on
physicians and providing an overview of features and benefits
is no longer enough to create a sale. Pharma reps must be able
to demonstrate how adding products to a formulary will result
in economic savings or increased clinical effectiveness for a
provider.
Additionally, more consideration will have to be given to each
providers goals. The same pitch will no longer work for multiple
calls. For example, when considering biologic drugs that are
used to treat targeted patient groups, representatives need to be
knowledgeable about the drug as well as treatments costs and
savings their product can provide.

Doctors mostly care about how the drug

worked, the sales emphasis has shifted to not
just how the medicine works but how it also
lowers the total cost of managing disease.
Pratap Khedkar, As Doctors Lose Clout, Drug
firms Redirect Sales Calls, Wall Street Journal

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Make t he M os t of Ever y Interac t ion

Maintain Flexibility
In decades past, sales reps would visit doctors at their office with
a handful of samples, printed brochures and static presentations.
Today, with 8 out of the 10 largest global pharmaceutical firms
deploying iPads for sales representatives, digital detailing has
reshaped provider interactions.
With the touch of a screen, sales reps now have access to
unlimited informational, analytical and visual resources. This
creates an opportunity to deliver the right key messages at the
right time, based on a stakeholders preference.
In order to maximize this opportunity, field reps and KAMs need
to consider where their next interaction will take place. Will it be
one-on-one in a doctors office? One-to-many in a presentation?
Online or offline? Based on where daily interactions will take
place, reps must ensure they have all of the tools they need to
present for multiple calls throughout the day.
Mobile data reporting makes this possible, and provides KAMs
and field reps with the information they need no matter where
they may be.

The latest generation of mobile technology,

combined with customer relationship
management (CRM) and closed loop
marketing (CLM) capabilities, is strengthening
reps relationships with customers, breaking
down the silos between sales and marketing,
and helping companies realize greater sales
and marketing efficiency and effectiveness,
- Dan Goldsmith, The Real-Time Rep Becomes
A Reality, Pharmafile

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Share Insights Across

Account Teams
Now that the pharma industry has shifted toward a team-based
approach, sharing notes and account data has become even
more critical. Documenting data and information via a mobile
solution integrated with CRM software creates a seamless flow of
knowledge. Additionally, real-time reporting reduces the likelihood
of data errors.
By making relevant information available anytime, anywhere,
mobile data reporting aligns organizations towards the same
objectives.

Reps who have such resources at their

fingertips are not just more efficient; theyre
more effective in carrying out a brand strategy,
offering value, and making a lasting impression,
- Dan Goldsmith, The Real-Time Rep Becomes A
Reality, Pharmafile

Make t he M os t of Ever y Interac t ion

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

B r ing It All Toget her f rom t he Top D own

Earn Results: Bring It All

Together from the Top Down
Why You Need An Aligned Strategy
Executives, KAMs, first-line managers and field reps all have
different goals and responsibilities. To effectively drive company
strategy, set priorities and allocate resources, executives require
a high-level view of:

Even though each job role in the pharma sales structure comes
with different concerns, the overall goal of selling more remains
the same for all. The only way to achieve this at scale is by
combining the power of CRM and business intelligence systems
with an integrated, secure mobile reporting platform.

Profitability.
Spending and direction on research and development.
Clinical trial progress and outcomes.
Sales numbers.
KAMs must maintain and improve both account and sales rep
performance by keeping track of important data. Additionally,
they have to provide that data to key executives to aid them in
making intelligent decisions.
First-line managers are tasked with maintaining and improving
team performance and similarly with reporting key information to
the top.
And the mobile nature of field sales requires instantaneous
access to data-heavy information in order to make the most of
every stakeholder interaction.

This strategic shift from selling to one to

selling to a network requires teams of sales
and marketing professionals engaging in a
coordinated manner with multiple stakeholders
in a key account management structure. Here,
representatives ability to map decision-making
and influence networks will be critical.
- Rita E. Numerof Ph. D., The Future of Pharma
vvSales, Eye for Pharma

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

B r ing It All Toget her f rom t he Top D own

How Mobile Reporting Can Help

Data visualization platforms give pharma companies full visibility
into where time is spent, how teams are performing and where to
make improvements.

Executives can view:

Daily sales tracking by line of product, geography, channel, etc.
Weekly or monthly portfolio review, compared with
competition looking at sales, market share, promotional
investment and more.

KAMs can view:

Drug usage vs. contracted volume.
Deadlines for bids and tenders.
Number of interactions.
Sentiment about product.
Contracted discounts.
Sales, volume and activity.

First-line managers can view:

Coverage and frequency.
Sales and market share.
National, regional, territory, brick and account performance
vs. sales plan.

Field reps can view:

Customer potential and product adoption.
Total and new prescriptions (where available).
Last interactions.
Performance vs. sales plan.
Mobile data reporting enables streamlined call preparation,
provides customers with real insights and solutions, and gives
executives the insight they need to coach their team to greater
success.

T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

B r ing It All Toget her f rom t he Top D own

Roambi + Veeva
The Roambi Analytics app is being used to help pharmaceutical
sales personnel prepare for calls, optimize every interaction and
align from the top down.
Roambi Analytics can be integrated directly with Veeva CRM,
the leading solution for the pharma industry. Combining these
two applications provides a seamless workflow so reps can
easily access the critical reports and dashboards for their CRM
accounts in Roambi, weaving data into their daily routine.

Make every meeting count. Having access to real-time data

provides reps with the confidence to reference their numbers
anytime, anywhere, and also creates a more meaningful
experience for providers with data-driven reports and
presentations in a stunning and interactive format.

Together Roambi and Veeva Can Help You:

Make better decisions and improve productivity in the field.
The most innovative companies in the world use Roambi to get
data out of HQ, and into the hands of people who need it most.
From a mobile executive to a road warrior, Roambi drives better
decisions and productivity in the moments they happen.
Bring all of your important data into one, amazing interface on
your mobile device. Every morning reps wake up, plan their calls,
and hit the road. Freeing data that is stored in complex systems
gives field sales reps the ability to manage their pipeline, track
their performance and meet their targets.

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T he Phar ma Sales G uidebook

Abou t Roambi

About Roambi
Roambi is a mobile-first data visualization solution that gives
executives, managers and sales reps around the world real-time
access to critical business metrics. Based in San Diego, Roambi
makes it simple for users to view, interact with and share data
anytime, anywhere.
With executives, managers and reps relying more and more on
their mobile devices, the top life-sciences companies in the world
have turned to Roambi to deliver key information into the hands
of everyone who needs it, in the moments they need it most.
Every day, sales teams need the right information to decide
which doctors or hospitals to visit, what they need to prepare
and what solutions they are going to offer. Roambi provides that
information in a simple, easily accessible way on the devices they
carry all day long.
With Roambi, reps can fluidly engage customers and guide them
through the numbers in a stunning, easy to follow experience.

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