Do we really act as one team on the marketing plan or is our belief we do so enoughfor that peace of mind?
Pharma companies play different football
Gorgeous information I said to myself, when I read the following paragraphs of the bestseller Made to Stick(by Chip Heath & Dan Heath). Lets see if youll enjoy this piece as much as I did but more importantly, does it ring a bell when shifting to your own work floor? Mine rang more than once!
Stephen Covey, in his book The 8th Habit, describes a poll of 23,000 employees drawn from a number of companies and industries. He reports the polls findings:
- Only 37 percent said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
- Only one in five was enthusiastic about their teams and their organizations goals.
- Only one in five said they had a clear line of sight between their tasks and their organizations goals.
- Only 15 percent felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
- Only 20 percent fully trusted the organization they work for.
Pretty sobering stuff. Its also pretty abstract. You probably walk away from these stats thinking something like Theres a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion in most companies.Then Covey superimposes a very human metaphor over the statistics. He says, If, say, a soccer team had these same scores, only 4 of the 11 players on the field would know which goal is theirs. Only 2 of the 11 would care. Only 2 of the 11 would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do. And all but 2 players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.
Thank you Mr.Covey for this excellent insight on coroporate governance, but what should we do with this data? Can we still improve internal communication since weve tried all available communication techniques with the one purpose in mind: align all employees on company objectives? My own 20 years of experience in the pharma industry, beyond sales and marketing departments, tells me that despite the use of all kind of message management models and the availability of different communication channels, pharma companies dont seem to act as one team but play a different kind of football when compared to premier leagues. Yes, pharma does play it hard, yes, were competitive for sure and were still attractive to the outside world but our football is less effective (Id rather avoid the term contra productive.) How come this survey data is so hard to believe? Perhaps we lack that bit of introspection that could help us to break down some barriers and perceptions and try to better understand why we dont behave enough as a team in our work environment.
Developing a marketing plan to start implementing
Lets examine and take a closer look at a familiar situation on the management level, in order to collect some insights and regain our self-confidence! Its that phenomenon that returns yearly on every pharma marketing department, the apotheosis for many brand managers, a nightmare for others: the process of the marketing plan.Once in a year, your business unit is in a state of red alert, you can feel the tension on the work floor from business unit manager to brand manager over to marketing assistant, because the marketing plan is in full development. Everyone of the business department is so to speak involved directly or indirectly to deliver that lighthouse, that will guarantee business for the next year, and allways with that submission deadline towards the international mother company in mind.We develop the marketing plan inside the core brand team and next we present it during the business unit meeting where your business unit manager, medical manager, financial manager, legal department manager and even general manager sit down and listen with great expectations towards your performance. Mostly the marketing plan passes in one take, some brand managers need to do the job for a second time but once we get a final go we can start working on the future main brand programs. Before we realize, were already presenting the first brand program, on speed, towards an enthusiast sales force. Implementing is the next thing.
But wasnt that just a bridge too far?
Standing as one team behind the marketing plan
We, managers of the core brand team, are familiar with the content of the marketing plan: its marketing insights, marketing objectives, marketing programs and financial plan. Is this also the case for all other stakeholders involved with one brand, from marketing assistant to sales manager, district sales managers and sales representatives? Im afraid not. Should they get to know the content? Well, at least a brief guide in an understandable language, based on the plans headlines, turned into a story, would be a nice attempt to close the gap with Stephen Coveys survey results! Wouldnt it be respectful to provide your assistant more insights on the differences in value between one brand program and another? The next time, he/she prepares invitations for one of your main brand programs, will be different, not looking different, but different in a way he/shes aware of the programs background.Think about the greater respect and confidence you give your co-workers by simply getting them more involved through a fair briefing.
Do they deserve this? Need to answer that?
From their side, they feel appreciated, seen as a valuable team member, handled as a serious person, not as someone who only executes on demand.Wouldnt it be more than logic to show your sales team the right direction for that upcoming business year? Im convinced we do this already but can we be sure of its impact, Coveys results!
Turn your marketing plan into a team compasscome and see the next episode.
Playing football as a team is one thing but scoring as a team is another! If your bell rang while shifting Coveys data towards your own work floor, the reading was worth, and were two now? I would love to see your ideas and experiences on this topic and all advice on how to improve insight on the marketing plan among team players is more than welcome.
In my next blog, I intend to discuss the means which will support you in popularizing a marketing plan among all your co-workers.