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A typical pharmaceutical company is very complex. It is charged with the responsibility of bringing the latest, cutting-edge pharmaceutical products to the market, so that patients can get well and prosper. From research to product development, many individuals are involved. Following this lengthy process, a product is registered and made available to market, prior to the deployment of an army of sales reps, bolstered by their support team. At the head of this operation is the senior executive team, all of whom have a certain number of dedicated tasks to perform themselves, on a daily basis. At the “sharp end” of the business, the healthcare professional needs to understand how the pharmaceutical company’s products can benefit his or her patients. They have their own organisational structure to take into account and their primary focus is on the needs of their own clients, the patients. Many different distractions and problems exist within these organisations as well, setting complex parameters for consideration.

We can see that the industry is very complicated indeed and it’s something of a miracle that the product ever find its way into the hands of the patient, to say nothing of the delays caused by the sheer amount of regulation that dominates this industry. Fundamentally, the pharmaceutical company has to make sales or they will not survive, but if you analyse the situation it is amazing to see that the actual process of selling can be determined by a relatively simple interaction, often taking just a few moments, when a junior member of the sales team engages, one on one, with the healthcare professional’s decision-maker. So much is riding on the decision and yet many organisations fall down completely when it comes to the key objective, getting a well prepared team involved through pharma training, to provide the healthcare professional with far more than just access to a particular product.

Remember that the healthcare professional is looking to build a relationship and not particularly interested in one transaction. There may well be a considerable amount of resistance and he or she may feel that the sales rep is not interested in the client, but just in a “score.” Invariably, key account management training shows how a very dedicated approach must be maintained and how the total strength of the company’s team must be trained so that they work cohesively to help achieve the desired result. This is so critical, as any organisation that does not understand this and leaves the job of building relationships to some junior member on the team cannot hope to succeed. Relationships demand considerable interaction, but it is amazing to see how some of the company’s most senior executives will know less about the requirements of the healthcare professional than the most junior person on the sales team.

In most cases, key account management training ensures that the sales representative understands the difference between representing the company’s interests and representing the interests of the client. By standing on the client side and looking back to the organisation, the client needs and interests can be addressed more effectively, and the many individual team members within the company engaged to address them. The establishment of a relationship is fundamental. The client will be very aware of any change in the company’s position and if a meaningful relationship is truly engaged, a more lasting association can be expected, so long as the company is interested in more than just the process of gaining income alone.

Alan Gillies is the CEO of L2L Consulting, a cutting-edge pharma consultancy firm which specialises in optimising productivity and performance within international companies by applying tailored organisational strategies.