Cases - Business

Trade Show attendees beg - do not sell me, persuade me.

They plea - Do not force me to buy something I will be sorry about later. Be Gentle with Your Influence.

Here are NINE KEY WORDS to get the ball rolling....

We all have something in our past we believ

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

e someone “sold” us. It might have been a lemon yellow car, a skimpy skirt or a purple tie. We bought it because - despite our gut feeling - we thought we were doing the right thing. We wanted to please the salesman - and we believed that person knew m

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ore than we did. Until we got home.

One of the two major complaints from trade show attendees is the heavy sales pitch of the booth staff. You know that pushy salesman stereotype.. (FYI - the second complaint is staff that doesn't know its stuff - i.e. is

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

not knowledgeable about the company products and services..)

Trade shows have the disadvantage of compressed time. You might have 30 seconds or 30 minutes but it is not a regular sales call. Do not talk faster. Just listen closely to the attendees and

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

ry to persuade people that your firm can solve their problems.

Here are NINE conversation key words - and examples - to consider when speaking with people at trade shows.

AUTHORITY...

Why are you important? What gives you the authority to ask for client

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

s? Perhaps it’s your firm’s expertise in a certain area, or a partner’s experience. It’s no longer because your company has a long history or is the newest dot.com.

TIP - It has to be a proactive, not a reactive, reason. “We’ve taken the position that e-l

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

earning is critical. We developed a great program in-house that improved our sales productivity 45%, and now we’re sharing it with others in our industry.”

CONFORMITY...

Are you certified? In every industry, some form of certification carries importance

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

and gives you and your firm authority. Knowing that as a consulting firm, half your staff are CPAs, lets me know that you conform to accounting standards.

TIP - Don't just tell me why you are ISO9000 certified, tell me why it’s important to your company.

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

We were the first HVAC company in this area to be certified and it really helps us focus our goals to service clients like you.”

COMMITMENT...

Is your firm committed to your industry? Are you a leader, happy in the middle of the pack? If you are a do-not

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

-care exhibitor, it will show in your networking and lead generation.

TIP - Don’t say you’re committed to customer service, tell me how. “We found that 85% of our customer service calls come during regular business hours, but we never want you to have

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

to wait for an answer, so our 800 number and online help desk are staffed 24/7.”

CONSISTENCY...

Clients want to know you have a track record and that you’ll maintain it when they remain with you.

TIP - Explain how you maintain the consistency. “We’re s

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

pending $5million in R&D this year for product improvement, but we will always stock the MX49 that your firm uses, because we own that mold. ”

CONTRAST...

How are you different from your competitors? Avoid giving your competitors a plug and don’t refer t

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

them by name.

TIP - Answer questions with a comment that shows your company’s leadership. “We’re aware other firms are taking the low road, but we’ve always preferred the high road because the vision is better.”

Like #1 - THIS IS PERSONAL -

We all like

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

to do business with people for whom we have a good personal feeling, so if there is a twinge of personality clash in your conversation, pass the visitor over to another staff member.

TIP - You don’t want to blow a deal because he or she didn’t “like” y

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

ou. “You know, I think Sam has a better handle on your concerns, so let me introduce you to him now.”

Like #2 - THIS IS BUSINESS -

In today’s fast, competitive world, not everyone is aware of the relationships on the business side or if there is a history

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

your firm has with the visitor’s firm.

TIP - Be up to date on your company’s status, ask about relationship problems before the show. “Yes, I understand we didn’t get the bid for the job in Chile, but since we added enterprise software our costs have re

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

uced considerably. I know we’ll be more aggressive on your next bid.”

RECIPROCATE...

Is this a potential partnership? Every client should be viewed as a partner. Sometimes, you have to give more in a partnership than you get.

TIP - Don’t view the recipr

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

ocity as a guaranteed 50-50 relationship. “We’ll be happy to include co-op advertising in our agreement with you. All we ask is, when the advertising works for you, that you refer other wholesalers like your firm to us.”

SCARCITY...

How unique are your

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

firm’s talents, products and services? What makes me absolutely, positively have to choose your firm?

TIP - Be certain of your facts before you boast - “Are you aware we are the only firm to provide secure internet access for coffee grinder repair shop

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

s?”

WRAP-UP...

Practice. Engage your conversational openings with your sales and marketing staff. These nine key words give you a start but listen carefully for the words they use. It may not be Authority but Expertise. Mirror the wording of your company

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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