Let’s get it on

Spring is here. The temperature is rising, the trees are growing new leaves, and the minds of healthcare sales and marketing professionals turn with new vigour to their two main preoccupations: love and money. In a spirit of bioscientific awareness and bold innovation, we have given some thought to the commercial application of the romantic urge: the theme of this issue of On Target is people getting together and forming new relationships.

Our lead article, ‘Devices and drugs: a modern marriage’, looks at how drug delivery devices offer a clinical and business model that unites the interests of medtech and pharma companies.

Martin Goldman considers the fertile but potentially dangerous liaisons between the two industries – from the doomed romance of Exubera to the long-running public affair of the drug-coated stent. He concludes that while both legal and medical advice are necessary for the nervous young medtech company, the call of true love may last beyond the initial joys of market penetration.

The next article, ‘All together now’, looks at how the Government’s plan to unite a broad range of primary and secondary healthcare services in ‘polyclinics’ will mean significant new opportunities for the medtech industry to meet customers and build relationships. Tony Davis goes on to discuss the framework the polyclinics will offer for the adoption of ehealth – an even better use for new technology than sending flirtatious text messages and e-mails.

In an exclusive On Target interview, Sir Michael Rawlins, the Chairman of NICE, discusses what the Institute is doing to support innovative health technologies. His message is clear: “We want new forms of medical technology that will improve the health of patients at a price the NHS can afford.” Among the issues he highlights are the meaning of innovation, the value of new data handling technology, the importance of preventative healthcare and the need for better ways to treat long-term conditions. All key issues for medtech companies keen to get close to the NHS.

In ‘Are we there yet?’ Chris Cummings offers a guide to account management in healthcare sales. Like dating, account management is all about communicating well, establishing a relationship of trust and giving as much as you get. He lists one of the “deadly sins” of poor account managers as “Failing to find out what customers truly want.” At least in the world of healthcare sales, you have clearly identifiable means of finding that out.

In keeping with this issue’s theme, our coverage of news and events in the UK healthcare sector highlights the emergence of new talent, the building of new relationships and the value of new devices. As the late Frankie Howard might have said, they’re all at it. So whether your style is the quick sale or the long-term contract, now’s the time to be looking for that special someone – the customer!

Chris Ross
Editor

 

 

 

In the seventh of our series on healthcare industry professionals, Duncan Mills, Sales Manager for Telehealth Solutions Ltd, talks to On Target about his working life.

What is the chief product line that you sell? Who are your customers?

We have two main products: the Surgery Pod and the Home Pod. The Surgery Pod goes into a GP surgery or other health area (such as a pharmacy). It enables patients to carry out basic health checks for themselves: blood pressure, weight, alcohol consumption, personal anxiety questionnaires – all the common questions that doctors and nurses usually have to go through when seeing a patient. It can be kept in a separate room or in the reception area. The Surgery Pod is purchased mostly by GP surgeries, although we’re also gaining increased traction with the PCTs.

The Home Pod follows the same principle; it can be used at home to monitor long-term conditions. For example, our systems going out in Scotland enable patients with COPD to carry out day-to-day tests at home. If the tests show the patient is getting worse or better, they are set to tell the doctor, nurse or carer to take action. This saves the patient having to go to the GP surgery or hospital to be monitored. The Home Pod is purchased by councils, GP surgeries, private healthcare providers and care homes.

What happens in your typical working day?

Each week is different. This week is office-based, following up demos, contracts and e-mails. Next week I have a lot of demos around the country. I demonstrate equipment to people, show them how to use it and how it can benefit them. Our product is not designed as an off-the-shelf item; you can change it to fit the problem. For example, where the Home Pod is used with COPD patients in Scotland, the product is adapted to fit that illness. Customers can actually see the benefits; rather than be told what they want, they can have what they want. Not many products out there offer that kind of flexibility.

We’re selling both a product and a service. There’s a service agreement, and customer support is ongoing. Using account managers, we install the product, show the staff how to use it, and follow up with a fortnightly call or e-mail to see how it’s going. After the system has been installed we can move it, change the configuration, set up a new language or questionnaire. All the way down the line, we can change the product to meet the customer’s requirements.

Following the installation, I speak to clinical staff and patient user groups about using the system. Patient user groups help us to improve the user interface of the system, and come back on details that we might overlook. They represent the people we’re trying to help.

About 70% of my working life is spent travelling, selling and dealing with customers. That’s the part I enjoy most, and the customers pick up on that. We work hard to develop customer relationships, rather than having a “What number are you?” kind of attitude. It’s quite labour-intensive, but you get much better results.

How do you see your market evolving in the future?

The benefit of our clients telling us what they want is that one client leads on to another. Our marketplace is getting much bigger. We’re looking to expand into the area of sports healthcare, helping people to stay healthy through exercise and weight control – a proactive healthcare strategy, rather than a reactive one.

 

 

 

Managing a medical technology sales account is no job for a passenger. Chris Cummins of OTD offers some critical signposts to help you get to success as an Account Manager – and enjoy the journey.

Last year, many companies in the medtech industry started to realise that if they don’t radically change their approach within the present environment, they face the prospect of ceasing to exist.

There’s no doubt that you will have seen, heard or had a gut feeling for this, and you may have resolved to do something about it. Whether your organisation is making things happen, watching others make things happen or wondering what on earth is happening, one thing most of the clients we’ve spoken to agree on is that the role of the Account Manager has never been more important.

Whether you are just about to embark on the journey of becoming an account manager or have been driving that vehicle for some time, here are some thoughts that could make a significant difference to your year.

What it takes

What skills and attributes do great account managers have? We posed this question to 120 account managers and their managers in the course of our work in 2007. Most of them agreed that great account managers display the following skills and attributes:

Key skills	Attributes
Planning Marketing Relationship building Problem solving Negotiating Opportunity creating Organisation Communicating Presenting Selling	Focused Diplomatic Tenacious Flexible Independent Team player Opportunity seeker

Imagine that these skills and attributes are your destination – which means a place where you are using these skills and attributes every day. Answer these questions:
• Is your destination in sight or over the horizon?
• What would be halfway between your goal and where you are now?
• What will you be doing differently when you get there?
• What milestones have you created to help you break up the journey?
• How motivated are you to reach the destination?

These are questions that great account managers keep asking themselves throughout the year. You might like to compare your answers with your manager’s perception of where you are.

Bad drivers

Although we’re not focusing on poor performers in this article (they tend not to read articles that could help them improve), here are seven deadly sins we’ve seen committed while on field visits over the years that we know you wouldn’t commit:
1. Poor objection handling
2. Insufficient listening
3. Failing to ask enough questions
4. Total lack of empathy
5. Failing to ask for the business
6. Failing to find out what customers truly want
7. Separating sales from service.

If you were driving a car without following signs or reacting to other drivers, what would be your chance of reaching the destination? None – yet why do so many account managers do some or all of these and still expect to improve their sales or market share? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Nothing on account

So what do great account managers do? In conversations with our clients last year, we identified five characteristics:
1. Great account managers have a clear picture of their desired outcome. They don’t wish things would happen, they make them happen. If an organisation has a poor relationship with the account manager’s company, they make sure that relationship changes for the better.
2. They take massive action towards achieving their desired outcome. They make sure most of their activities are related to that desired outcome, and question anything that doesn’t seem linked to the destination.
3. They notice what’s happening, and turn whatever is changing in their environment into an advantage to them and the company. 4. They are happy to change their approach if something doesn’t seem to be working, rather than waiting for their manager to ‘coach’ them or, even worse, expecting different results.
5. They don’t pay lip service to the term ‘sharing best practice’. They are obsessed with modelling excellence. They look for examples outside the industry if necessary.

If you do these things consistently, you will without doubt make a massive difference on territory.

The company perspective

Every company has its own expectations of account managers. Having discussed these with account managers and their managers within various client organisations, we can list some general expectations that your company will have of you:
• Understand all aspects of the account.
• Proactively develop more business with the customer.
• Establish strong relationships with the decision-makers in customer organisations.
• Build a wide awareness of your company’s capabilities within the account.
• Handle the account professionally on a day-to-day basis.
• Develop a true business partnership with the account.

The clearer you are about your company’s expectations, the better the chance you have of delivering.

Customer expectations

The more the account manager can stand in the customer’s shoes, the easier it is to build a real partnership. We’ve found that customers expect to see, hear and feel these qualities in an account manager:
• Be the main link into your company for all issues.
• Understand the customer’s business, market needs and working environment.
• Sell the customer products or services that help them achieve their objectives.
• Add value to the business relationship with your company.
• Capitalise on market opportunities and, when possible, identify new and exciting business challenges.
• Always act professionally and with integrity.

One medium-sized medical devices company that made the decision to adopt an account management approach at the beginning of 2006 discussed the impact of taking that approach on their 2007 results... They exceeded their sales target by 57%.

Getting into gear

At this stage, you have a clear picture of your account management destination and how to reach it, and you’ve had a chance to try on your customers’ shoes and gain insight into their expectations.

If you really want to make significant inroads for the rest of this year, here are three things you can do now that could mean the difference between you having a smooth ride to success or ending up on the hard shoulder:
1. Make a list of your accounts, prioritise them and decide why each one is important. Ask your colleagues in other departments in your company the same question. How does your list compare with theirs?
2. Ask your main contacts in your accounts what their expectations are of you as the account manager. If you don’t know them well enough to do this, you need to develop closer business relationships.
3. Ask your manager what his/her expectations are of you as an account manager.

If this is all new to you, there’s plenty to be getting on with to make this year the one when you really make that mark on your career you’ve always promised yourself.

Devices and solutions

Can account management work in the medical devices sector? Of course it can – if it follows the principles discussed here. As time goes on, we’ll see more and more organisations in this industry reaping the benefits in a way that the company described below has.

One medium-sized medical devices company that made the decision to adopt an account management approach at the beginning of 2006 discussed the impact of taking that approach on their 2007 results. Their customers are a mixture of GPs, community pharmacists and nursing homes. The sales management team took the decision to adopt all the steps discussed above. They exceeded their sales target by 57%.

When asked how surprised they were by these results, they said their new approach gave them the chance to refocus their business. The biggest challenge they faced was helping the whole organisation to change behaviour. Once they had the infrastructure to support their plans, the results were not a surprise.

Chris Cummins is a Director of the business consultancy OTD, which specialises in corporate coaching and account management. For more information, visit www.otd.uk.com or call 0845 224 1775.

 

 

 

Sales Management Marketing Directorships

Planning for success – advice from Zenopa

The range of medical device suppliers to the multi billion pound NHS is highly fragmented, and comprises a few major companies, a myriad of medium companies, small companies and sole traders! The vast majority of these organisations do not have a training department and many do not have a dedicated Human Resources individual. From a company’s view point this hampers succession planning and from your point of view this stymies your personal development. Taking responsibility for your career is therefore a necessity for long term income security.

Consider the arithmetic of relevant job opportunities

Take time to consider the arithmetic of finding relevant job opportunities and the recruitment pathway. The management ratios of manager-to-managed lies between 1 to 6 and 1 to 8. Recruiting for a sales vacancy virtually always requires sourcing an external candidate as there is no internal feed structure, whereas for executive positions there is the sales team to call on and it is usually desirable to promote an individual from within. It is also true to say executives tend to stay in roles for longer than salespeople. All of the above factors contribute to executive vacancies representing c.15% of a company’s commercial vacancies, with sales vacancies making up the remaining c.85%. The opportunity to apply for the limited number of available executive vacancies is further compounded by most being appointed internally. When an executive vacancy becomes open to external candidates you need to review it.

The right place at the right time

Your first executive position is all too frequently a case of being in the right place at the right time. A classic example is when a sales manager has moved on and you are their most senior/successful direct report; perhaps you’ve expressed an interest in the job, or perhaps you moved into a product specialist role that became an office based product manager position, you’ve moved into marketing! These initial career breaks are where most individuals careers languish.

In their comfort zone

Often you find yourself in a comfort zone, not undertaking personal development with long term career growth and financial stability compromised. You must now move into a consolidated position to make a career breakthrough. Gain sponsorship for recognised external training from your employer, be this sales management or marketing. In either case you also need financial management, to implement this training in your job role and audit your own performance before and afterwards. Having done this you are in a good position to increment your salary internally. Perhaps, more importantly, you can communicate about your management or marketing role in a universal language and framework that other employers can recognise and value.

Increase your own personal market value

Identification and recognition of your executive skills also broadens your appeal beyond your current product niche, and enables you to broaden the number of employers that are interested in you. Frequently individuals are labelled with their niche product area. Niches are excellent whilst expanding as they disproportionately escalate your value, however niches also fall into decline and if you become unemployed can be a career closing trap.

Career closing traps

And when do those career closing traps occur? Usually when events out of your control occur – mergers, takeovers, liquidations, product sales/acquisition, changes of company strategy or changes of more senior executives. Plan to ensure that your career encompasses a diversity of product areas and formalised executive training and as such demonstrates transferable executive skills that enables more employers to consider you.

A plan for the scarcity of job transition opportunity

But also plan for the scarcity of job transition opportunity. That is you need to ensure you are informed. You have to take proactive steps, to ensure you are passively being kept in touch with market opportunities. We suggest that such a plan should, as a bare minimum, encompass the following criteria:
• ensure you are qualified
• evidence your success in the universal language of your discipline
• plan your next career move
• keep informed: sign-up to Zenopa executive updates.

Profile: Mark Denton

Before commencing a medical recruitment career some 19 years ago, Mark enjoyed his time in medical sales with Becton Dickinson. In 1991Mark founded Zenopa (then branded as Zenith) and over the past 17 years this organisation has probably placed more people in Medical Devices than any other. Today Zenopa is a multi-million pound recruitment business with over 30 personnel and still enjoying strong growth. Over these 19 years Mark has seen first hand career successes and failures. This article makes you privy to some of that insight.

 

 

For the executive update service please contact our Executive Recruiter, Jane Whiley now in her fifth year with Zenopa 0844 980 9849 jane@zenopa.com

 

 

Stryker and Medtronic among UK’s best employers THE SUNDAY TIMES has named medical device companies Stryker and Medtronic in its list of the 100 ‘Best Companies To Work For’ in the UK. Stryker UK was ranked as the 32nd best company to work for, moving up from 44th in 2007. Medtronic UK made its debut appearance in the list at 63rd place. The Sunday Times Best Company to Work For survey ranks companies on the basis of feedback from employees. Participating companies are evaluated on a wide range of criteria to determine overall employee satisfaction. The 2008 listing was based on over 180,000 entries from 868 companies. STRYKER UK, a leading company in orthopaedics and wider health technology, saw its place in the listing move up 12 places to 32nd. Louis Efron, Human Resources Director, told On Target: “Because healthcare is such a demanding and competitive industry, it is absolutely critical that we have the very best people working for us. We have consistently grown our operating income by 20% per annum for the past 28 years simply because we have great people making, marketing and selling great products.” Mr Jonathan Eldridge, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Avon Orthopaedic Centre in Bristol, commented: “It really doesn’t surprise me that Stryker have moved so impressively up the Top 100 league table! Every representative of Stryker’s I have ever met shines. They seem to have a genuine interest in what’s best for me, and more importantly my patients.” Based in Newbury, Berkshire, Stryker UK markets, sells and distributes a broadbased range of products in orthopaedics and other medical specialties. MEDTRONIC UK was ranked 63rd among the 100 best UK companies to work for in the Sunday Times survey, and also received a 2-star rating for being an outstanding organisation. “We will use this success and the feedback we receive from the process to build on the work we have already started to make Medtronic an even better place for our employees to work,” said Geoff Morris, Medtronic’s Regional Vice President UK and Ireland. Feedback from Medtronic staff indicated they feel they can make a difference to the firm (77%) and contribute to its success (81%), feel proud to be working there (85%) and find their jobs stimulating (78%). Medtronic gained the survey’s third highest score (84%) for making a positive difference to the world we live in. Medtronic sells medical devices and services to help people with chronic diseases. The company’s UK subsidiary has been based in Watford since 1987.

Medtech SME sponsors global conference UK MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY Aircraft Medical sponsored the 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) in Cape Town, South Africa last month, alongside Baxter and Draeger. This sponsorship reflects Aircraft Medical’s growing importance in the field of airway management. Held every four years, the WCA is the foremost world conference for anaesthesia professionals. The company’s McGrath® Series 5 Portable Video Laryngoscope was demonstrated by a panel of US and European experts at the congress. Matt McGrath, Founder and CEO of Aircraft Medical, said: “We are aiming to position the McGrath as a globally recognised brand and to underline this, we are delighted to sponsor this market-leading conference. “Our product has recently been put into use at the world’s largest hospital (the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital) and at the Groote Schuur Hospital, the home of the world’s first heart transplant, both of which are in South Africa.” Matt McGrath was named ‘Young Scot of the Year’ for 2008 by the Institute of Contemporary Scotland, in recognition of achievements in creating new technology and advancing healthcare with Aircraft Medical.

Medipex wins Innovator Award Medipex, the NHS Innovation Hub for Yorkshire and Humber, has won the region’s ‘Innovation Champion 08’ award. The Innovator/08 Awards were presented by broadcaster Michael Portillo in a ceremony at Leeds Town Hall, hosted by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward to showcase the best of Yorkshire and Humber’s innovative companies. Portillo noted Medipex’s achievement in identifying 600 ideas for healthcare-related innovations. Medipex has played a direct role in creating five new businesses and bringing 27 new products to the market. Richard Clark, Chief Executive of Medipex, said: “This award recognises the hard work and efforts of all our staff, as well as that of NHS organisations from around the region. Winning a truly cross-sector award like this shows that the healthcare sector within Yorkshire and Humber is at the forefront of innovation and development.” Medipex is one of a national network of NHS innovation hubs that manage and exploit intellectual property arising from within the NHS.

G2 appoints Northern Regional Manager G2 Sales Recruitment has appointed Kirstine Morris as Regional Manager to head up its new Northern Office in Newcastle. The appointment strengthens the company’s permanent and contract resourcing solutions to the healthcare market. “Kirstine brings G2 a wealth of healthcare experience as a nurse, sales person and more recently a National Sales Manager in the medical device sector. Her knowledge is a fantastic benefit to our clients and candidates, and by heading up our new Northern Office we can now offer a truly national coverage,” said Paul Budd, Manager at G2. “Kirstine’s skills in recruiting healthcare sales professionals for her own team previously, and her high levels of understanding within the NHS and the private sector, mean she can bring an extra dimension to our team. We all look forward to her coming on board.”

HSP appoints new Web Manager HEALTH SECTOR PUBLISHING has appointed Jagdeep Oubhie as Web Manager. Jagdeep, who has worked at HSP for almost two years, will be responsible for managing the company’s online portfolio including www.healthcarejobs.co.uk and www.ontargetmag.com. “I am thrilled to have been offered this important position and to take on a new challenge,” said Jagdeep. “Online strategies are now central to the growth of businesses across all sectors and publishing is no different. The opportunity here at HSP is very exciting. I have come on board with a fresh new outlook for our websites and have my own ideas of how we can further improve the sites for our growing user-base of clients and candidates.” As Business Development Manager, Jagdeep helped to develop HSP’s service sector business and was responsible for introducing the company’s unique, targeted products to new markets. For more information on HSP’s websites, contact Jagdeep on 0870 609 2834 or jagdeep.oubhie@healthpublishing.co.uk.

Advance Recruitment goes for Gold HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT specialist Advance Recruitment Solutions has launched a ‘Gold’ graduate service. Advance’s standard service offers a traditional contingency approach to recruitment, whereas its ‘Gold’ service offers candidates in the graduate market a special ‘Bestsellers’ programme of training and development while placing them in sales roles across the UK. Abbie Kirkham, Sales and Marketing Director at Advance, has over six years’ experience of recruitment, covering both temporary and permanent sectors. She commented: “Graduate recruitment is so exciting! It’s so motivating to think we could be interviewing the next Managing Director or Sales Director of the future!” However, Abbie noted, graduate recruitment is about interviewing thoroughly to ensure the best service possible. “We interview every candidate individually to ensure they are the right fit for a company. We take our time to get to know clients, and we extend the same service to our graduates.”

 

 

Convergent Technology

‘Conquering Clinical Challenges Together’, the third in a series of Convergent Technology events, was held at the Beardmore Hotel and Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank on 12 March 2008. It featured presentations from respected clinicians, supported by 23 companies showcasing technologies with the potential to meet future healthcare needs.

Attracting over 100 delegates, the event was aimed at professionals from a range of technology backgrounds: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals; medical device industry professionals; academics and researchers; and organisations and companies providing support services to the medical device industry.

Technologies on display from 23 showcase companies included:
• Blaze Venture Technologies’ proprietary products for rapid MRSA screening and surface decontamination
• Lab901’s microbiological diagnostics for bacterial, viral and fungal targets in the hospital and health protection sectors
• PAL Technologies’ miniature acceleration sensing solutions for healthcare applications
• PWB Health’s hand-held BreastLight device, which adds the dimension of internal sight to a woman’s breastchecking routine.

Bringing talents together

Keynote Speaker Dr Aileen Keel, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, said: “Scotland has particular healthcare needs and these clinical needs, together with the remote nature of many parts of our landscape, present us with a unique set of challenges.” The way forward for medical innovation, she argued, was collaboration across multiple disciplines and industry sectors.

A presentation on Assistive Technologies/Remote Monitoring was given by Professor David Godden, Director of the Centre for Rural Health at the University of Aberdeen, who talked about the public enthusiasm for e-health and the role of telemedicine in the changing primary care service configuration of remote and rural Scotland. He also touched on the integration of mobile phones with physiological measurement, and the advent of facilities such as Cisco Systems’ HealthPresence Pod – a self-service healthcare stand concept that contains a range of medical devices (including blood pressure cuffs, glucose monitors, audioscopes and stethoscopes) which upload data into an electronic medical record.

In another presentation, Professor Hing Leung (Professor of Urology/ Surgical Oncology and Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon, University of Glasgow/Beatson Institute for Cancer Research) outlined the opportunities that existing technologies such as robot-assisted surgery offer in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. He also discussed the potential benefits of evolving therapies and technologies in the treatment of prostate cancer, including new imaging devices.

Jim Shepherd, Professor of Vascular Biochemistry, University of Glasgow and Honorary Consultant, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, discussed the methods used to identify those at risk of a coronary event. In considering unmet need in the assessment of cardiovascular risk, he looked at a number of potentially novel techniques: electrocardiography, carotid intima-media thickness and coronary artery Ca2+ scoring, endothelial dysfunction and c-reactive protein. His conclusion was that coronary risk assessment remains an imprecise art, with scope for new technologies.

Making connections

The Convergent Technology event was not only a valuable networking opportunity, but was also highly informative about areas of clinical need that invite technological solutions. One exhibitor is already working on two opportunities as a direct result of the event.

The event was jointly organised by Stirling University Innovation Park (SUIP Ltd), Medical Devices in Scotland (MDIS), Scottish Health Innovations Limited (SHIL), the ED Technology Support Centre for Scotland (EDTC) and Nexxus, the West of Scotland BioScience Network.

Report by Nexxus, the West of Scotland Bioscience Network.
For more information, visit www.nexxusscotland.com.
For more information about PWB Health, visit www.breastlight.co.uk.