Creating Sales Aids for Pharma and Device Reps: Six Strategies

Although our clinical clients’ greatest breakthroughs occur in laboratories and hospitals, their successes often are credited to sales representatives — those employees actually out there pounding the pavement. As a member of HC&B’s clinical account team, I often help our clients create sales aids for sales reps. And, as a former “bag carrier” myself, I know what it takes to make those sales aids truly useful.

Some background: I worked in sales for two of the largest pharmaceutical and medical device companies on the market. In my experience, a few lucky sales reps will be given a large amount of time with a surgeon to discuss their product. In many scenarios, however, a rep is given as few as 10 seconds to make an impact.

With that in mind, here are six key strategies for creating sales aids:

1. Concise is key. A good sales rep knows the product inside and out, and will be able to speak to the intricate details of the device. Keeping the information on the sales aid high-level is not a bad thing. Ask yourself: “What are the most important points a physician needs to take away?” Of course, there’s a place for background information, too (see #6).
2. Understand the lingo. In marketing, it’s important to “talk the talk.” When creating a sales piece, make sure that the verbiage you use is not just accurate, but written the way our clients and their sales reps would say it. A ride-along with a rep can be a great way to get the inside scoop.
3. Don’t skimp on visuals. I had the most success in sales when I could show how the device worked, and talk the physician through complex usage details. Provide useful, actionable visuals, and take advantage of technology. Many reps now detail from laptops. Consider providing digital sales aids, such as animated graphics of the device or interactive websites that surgeons can play with on their own time.
4. Include a call to action. We as marketers need to keep in mind that our sales aids may be the only information the physician receives about our client’s product — especially if a face-to-face meeting is not possible. It’s important that we include a call to action on sales pieces to urge physicians to make a move. This could be as simple as asking them to visit the company’s website, or encouraging them to talk to their local sales representative.
5. Include business card holders/clings. I preferred sales pieces that included a place to insert my business card, or a cling where I could stick my card directly onto the sales aid. Physicians who have the sales aid and the rep’s contact information right in front of them will be more prone to take action.
6. Consider pull tabs or pocket folders for products with many components. In the interest of the 10 seconds mentioned above, products with multiple components or indications should be represented with a pull-tab piece or a pocket folder to hold detailed information on each component. This saves the rep the headache of carrying dozens of brochures into each office, and allows physicians to dive into content that’s useful to them.