eyeforpharma Sydney

Oct 10, 2017 - Oct 11, 2017, Sydney

Find Value. Deliver access. Prioritise customers.

The Changing Face of Account Management

Offering value to customers and altering reps' modus operandi is the way ahead for Pfizer.



Australia has largely operated a ‘fee-for-service’ rebate system, guaranteeing GPs and specialists a certain amount of money for seeing a patient. But short consultations may not be the answer to the complex health needs of the country’s aging population, with their attendant problems such as chronic diseases like diabetes. However, there are moves to change the way that treatment is delivered in the country and pharma companies need to be nimble if they are to understand the potential impact of this.

At the heart of the debate are questions over how care should be best co-ordinated. How should GPs manage their patients? How does their work dovetail with that of the other medical professionals around them? More broadly, how in a developed market do you best manage health in an aging population? And how can you get away from the fee-for-service model?

Ahead of their appearance at eyeforpharma Sydney, we spoke to two senior executives at Pfizer Australia, both of whom have two decades’ experience in sales, to get their perspective on the opportunities and challenges in adopting an account management philosophy in Australia. Claire Edgerton is National Sales Lead, with extensive experience in two markets, the UK and Australia – and Tim Nunan is Therapy Area Lead CV/Metabolic & Pain, with a passion for driving the cohesive relationships between marketing, medical and sales.

How is the Australian market changing?

“Over the last ten years, we have seen significant changes in terms of how policy makers and payers view the healthcare market. It’s flexible, changing by the day. We have more than 25,000 GPs spread across all of Australia. It is difficult to service these physicians and fully understand how they integrate with secondary care and allied healthcare.”

How does that affect what you do?

“It means we are evaluating how we provide value: you have to find out what your value offering can be. Our challenge is changing representatives’ behavior. It’s not about being a starter pack delivery service or doing quick short calls anymore. You’ve got to have the right materials and programs for healthcare professionals (HCPs), to help them access the right information for themselves and for their patients.”

Does this mean you look at customers differently too?

“Yes, the way we view customers has really changed. You’re always going to have GPs and specialists but we’ve broadened in terms of the customer type and role: we understand the increasing role pharmacies and practice nurses have on the interaction between doctors and patients. They may not prescribe medicines, but they are influencers in the wider setting. So our approach is becoming more customized. It’s about seeing the whole patient journey.”

How has your sales team reacted?

“We are modeling the behavior we would like to see. It’s now about business acumen, being more strategic.   It’s very different to what it was ten years ago. You will never be able to take everyone with you – but if you can articulate your vision then individuals have a choice of going with you or saying: ‘Thanks, but it’s not for me’.”

Is this new approach working?

It is too early on to say whether this new approach is working or not. It involves changing a mindset that has been entrenched for many years, both internally and externally.  We need all parts of the commercial organization aligned on this approach of moving away from a brief interaction with a customer to an engaging two-way conversation with a broader set of healthcare professionals.

What about other practical changes?

“Digital is changing our environment, and we are changing how we approach our customers. In particular, we have focused on the tools in the digital toolbox that offer the best engagement to the customer. We’ve had to prioritize things over the last two to three years. We’ve seen a change in the HCP population, partly due to retirement, with new customers having a greater understanding of the digital environment and the value it provides”.

How do you know what success looks like?

“That’s something that you identify through a robust communications and training plan, drip feeding what success looks like. You need to engage sales, marketing and medical with this as well, explaining why you are developing the business in this way and what it is leading towards.  It has been well received thus far.  If you have a critical mass on board, you can do anything. The more information the HCP and patient have at their fingertips, the more likely that the right patient will be taking the right medicine at the right time. It all adds up to quality use of medicines.”



eyeforpharma Sydney

Oct 10, 2017 - Oct 11, 2017, Sydney

Find Value. Deliver access. Prioritise customers.