In pharma marketing, the most critical point in the marketing equation is when the physician’s pen meets paper and a script is written. But why does a doctor prescribe one drug over another? What factors into their decision?

With today’s regulatory rules governing what we can and can’t do, it is pretty hard to form a relationship, let alone get doctors to feel any sense of loyalty to us — and our products. For years it has been a two-way street. We show them love and respect and they connect patients with our products. We used to provide them with little things that made life easier (or more fun) around the office, but no more. This is why I believe that the relationships that we form with physicians today are more critical than ever. The same tools and tactics we used for years might not work now.

In part one of this series I established that while better clinical data is important, it might not be all that motivating. Instead of playing the game of one-upmanship with competitors, today we need to be focused on creating a new and engaging relationship with the physician. But, therein lies the challenge: how do we build a relationship with a physician when regulatory won’t let us?

More give, less take

Today’s relationships are all about adding value for the physician. It’s not about pushing more data at them with humdrum creative; it’s about being relevant to the physician, their patients, and their practice.

Today’s relationships are consultative. Value is measured by what you, the pharma marketer, bring to the table. What new information and insights can you provide the physician’s practice about the disease state? How can you be a sounding board for solving their problem? How can you help them understand insurance reimbursement? Do you understand the practice and their patient load? An example that comes to mind is an unbranded website we created for our client ZymoGenetics — postopbleeding.org — that helped healthcare professionals find information about immune-mediated coagulopathy (IMC), an emerging health concern (a widespread perception that we actually helped create, but that’s another story). Surgeons did not have a central resource for finding information about IMC, including proper diagnosis and management tools, giving us an opportunity to take the lead, providing an educational resource that had real value to them. Through postopbleeding.org, ZymoGenetics has become a valued and trusted resource for surgeons seeking information about IMC, enhancing their credibility among surgeons nationwide.

It’s an open road

In this day and age, where we are being regulated to death and forced to greatly curtail claims, we must consider that in the long run relationships are going to be the most crucial factor for our success, and possibly all we can hang our hats on. From my vantage point I actually believe there’s a lot to be optimistic about. Yes, one door to physicians may be closing, but new doors are being opened. Research shows that more physicians are now using social media as a way to interact with their patients and that they see value in this type of engagement. These physicians are able to freely communicate in ways that pharma marketers currently cannot, and we should not underestimate our ability to help — and influence — them.

I think that process starts by putting ourselves into the shoes of the healthcare professionals we are targeting. Ultimately, what’s in it for them? After all, is it their job to sell our drugs for us? No matter how much the rules may change, the process of engaging physicians is ultimately still the same ball game.

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