My Top 5 Lies Marketing Tells Sales
A blog with this title by Geoffrey James on BNet Online just made me think about my corporate days in a moderately successful pharma company.
By on Feb 26, 2009A blog with this title by Geoffrey James on BNet Online just made me think about my corporate days in a moderately successful pharma company.
Like him I'm continually disappointed by the 1980's style of marketing. And arrogance! Where does that come from?
True story; a reasonably successful sales representative was promoted into a junior product management position. On his second day I dropped by his office to welcome him to headoffice and congratulate him on the promotion. He was talking on the phone explaining to a Regional Sales Manager (his boss 3 days before) how he expected "sales to lift their game". I spoke to the RSM later in the day and he asked me where headoffice bought their furniture. Why I asked. He said, "It's obvious that the office chairs that are supplied to the marketing team come from somewhere special. All you have to do is sit in one and all this "wisdom" shoots straight out of it, in one orifice, up the spine and straight out of the other".
Lie 1: Product Segmentation is King. Let us worry about the clinical significance of some minor physiological or pharmacokinetic aberration. You just scare the pants off the doctor. And while you're doing that put your thumb over the Not Statistically Significant symbol on the visual aid.
Lie 2: Our Market Research is Sound. There's no real need to take up doctor's valuable time. Just deliver the finely crafted and hewn marketing message. Doctor's are different; one size does fit all because they are all doctors and they all write scripts. For goodness sake, just stick your head around the sample room door and deliver the message.
Lie 3: If the Product goes well, it's Great Marketing. If not, it's Poor Selling. Sales don't trust Marketers because they take all the glory and recognition when a product goes well. Who presents to the Regional Director? A product manager. Why no sales person? Can't afford for them to be off territory. The first page of the Pharma Marketing 101 manual explains, "why they don't do as they're told, and what to do about it".
Lie 4: Marketing is where it all happens. Being in sales is "paying your dues". In fact, Marketing is not as glamorous as it looks, though the overseas trips to conferences and entertaining KOL does ease the pain somewhat. I once had a brand new product manager say to me, "If I see another Excel spreadsheet I'll scream. I'm having nightmares about them".
Lie 5: Marketing is synonymous with innovation and creativity. I had a shrine in my office that paid homage to brand reminders and give-aways. I had 12 different kinds of desk clock, 7 kinds of staplers, 5 desk top photo frames, 9 tape dispensers and too many ball point pens to count. One thing's for sure; I'll never have to buy another Mont Blanc pen or pencil again.