The pharmaceutical industry is dependent on field sales representatives who must use samples and marketing materials to reach their target audiences: healthcare professionals and their patients. In addition to literature, nearly 88 percent of pharmaceutical makers distribute samples as a part of their marketing program.

The budgets of these programs are substantially greater than other industries, but expenses still need to be kept under control. One of the ways pharmaceutical marketers can control costs is by switching to a “pull” marketing method and having sales reps order materials from an online order management website, instead of pushing materials out to the sales force.

A “pull” method of campaign management controls and monitors spend and compliance, and reduces costs associated with inbound and outbound transportation, storage, materials destruction, sales-related expenses and production spend. (After detailed assessments, our clients who have made the switch have saved up to 30 percent on production and destruction costs and up to 35 percent on transportation costs.)

10 Benefits of a “Pull” Marketing Fulfillment Method for Pharma Firms

1. You are in control of which sales representative can order each SKU, and lessen the risk of sending stock to individuals who do not need that item.

2. You have total version control. You know that reps are getting the most recent update.

3. You can implement variable print on demand templates, allowing the sales team to customize pieces with contact or client information, specific client benefits or offers.

4. You can implement a feedback loop on where the collateral went, tracking the “last mile” of the material to the HCP.

5. You can use codes on your materials, assign them to sales reps, and track eventual inquiries back to a specific sales person. For example, you can see that sales rep Jane gave Dr. John a brochure yesterday, and he just visited your website through Jane’s QR code.

6. You can implement "customer direct" shipments, which could provide valuable information for sales management.

7. You incur less waste when compliance or marketing changes force item updates.

8. You can implement collateral budgets by group or sales rep.

9. An online order management system can push messages to the field based on location to help with promotions and compliance. 

10. You can also include other items in your online order management system for your sales team (clothing, corporate forms, sales aids, electronic documentation, etc.).

A huge amount of waste in the marketing budget comes from inaccurately forecasting demand and production amounts. Those costs are then compounded by pushing out materials to the field that may not be needed, or aren’t even relevant. Do you have more scrapped inventory or obsolescence than you care to admit? If so, take charge of your inventory and consider making the switch to a “pull” method.