Main Subject - Business

As Sales Managers, much of our time is spent managing our sales staff. Training, forecasting, ride a longs. The list goes on and on. Our days are so busy, we are often taken by surprise when our VP or Senior Level Manager emails or calls us with an edict from on

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

high. You know the call. Some new "thing" that the CEO or Board has come up with that your sales team needs to implement immediately. And what do you do? Without even thinking that deeply about the request, its validity and/or viability, you call an all hands mee

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

Examples of combination products may in

ting and roll out your plan to get this idea into action. Your being a good manager, right? Taking those orders from above you and disseminating them to your staff for implementation.

Oh, and one more thing. Before you can even hold your all hands meeting, they

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

ave two more great ideas and have changed the first one they gave you three times. Sound familiar?

This is where many Sales Managers (and managers in general) could utilize the "Manage Up" philosophy. Managing up is very similar to downward managing. The differe

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

nce being, you are managing your managers/superiors as opposed to managing subordinates. Your time is valuable and you need to manage it properly to maximize your value to your organization. Interruptions to your short and long term game plan are inevitable. We g

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

Combination pro

nerally think of these interruptions coming in the form of subordinates breaking our stride with mundane questions or fires to put out. We expect this and management training course after management training course teaches us how to deal with these issues. But ha

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

s anyone ever trained us to deal with the frequent interruptions of our superiors? Let's look at this concept.

Briefly Analyze the Request

Don't just take the order and run with it. This isn't the Marine Corps. Generally, people in VP and C-level positions are

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

there because of their highly advanced skill sets and business ac cumin. Given the nature of their "40,000 foot view", they sometimes forget the day to day pressure of running a sales team. An idea may seem easy to implement to them, but in reality, it may be a l

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

gistical nightmare and not practical or profitable at all.

Briefly look at each request and see if it makes short and long term sense. Not "will it be easy to implement?". That's not the criteria. Does it make sense from a business standpoint. Don't be afraid to

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

go back and ask clarifying questions. Your are going to have to sell this idea to your team. Like anything you sell, you have to believe it is good for your buyer, in this case, your sales team to make a believable pitch.

Their time frame may not be your time f

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

ame

What are the time parameters your superiors have set on this project? Are they realistic given your current activity level and other commitments (trade shows, presentations, outside training, etc.). Don't be afraid to go back and open a discussion about adju

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

Following aspects would a

sting the time frame. Remember, you are Managing Up! In reality, it is you who are in control of your day. Not those below OR above you. Have some input into how you will spend your time.

Be clear about outcomes

To often we take an idea from our VP of Sales and

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

run to implement it without really being clear about outcomes. Again, don't be afraid to go back and ask clarifying questions. You are going to be judged on how well you carry out this task. Make sure you don't waste time and energy (both yours and your sales te

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

ms) going in directions you don't need to go. Be clear. Clarity and agreement on outcomes is of the utmost importance.

What if the idea stinks?

Now come on...don't tell me you've never thought this? We all have. No matter how much we respect the skill level and

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

experience of our superiors, sometimes they come up with rotten eggs. Ideas that are so far removed from reality that they make you chuckle inside when you hear them. What do you do? Remember, we are Managing Up!

Listen attentively, analyze and ask questions fo

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

r clarification. Maybe you missed something? Ok, so you didn't. It's still a stinker. Don't be afraid to let them know of your reservations. But you have to do it in a positive and constructive manner. And always let them know that even though you have reservatio

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

s (make sure you have stated them clearly and concisely), you are willing to do everything in your power to implement their suggestion. Carefully document the process and make notes of any successes and/or failures. At a pre-determined time, have a follow up meet

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

ing and discuss the progress. If your VP sees that you have made a valid effort and the idea is not taking off, he/she will be more willing to rethink or even throw out the idea.

Conclusions

Your time is extremely valuable. Make sure you control the pulling on

.

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

our time in both directions, up and down. Don't be afraid to Manage Up. You will be surprised at the feeling of freedom knowing that you are not totally at the mercy of someone else's whim, whether they work for you, or you work for them!

I hope you have enjoyed

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

this article and find it helpful. Wouldn't this be a great key note for an annual sales meeting or managers meeting/training? Contact me at gary@salesmotivation.net and we can discuss how I can help you to better equip your sales/sales management team to succeed

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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