Effective Pharma KAM Teams: Challenges and solutions from the front line (2016)
The essentials for getting your KAM strategy right
There are many factors currently affecting KAM initiatives - lack of buy-in from internal stakeholders, poorly understood customer needs and an inability to creatively build long-term sustainable relationships with buyers and prescribers. With KAM being applied widely, what are the key research, staff, management and communication touch points that will really deliver customer value and give you a profitable voice in the market?
Effective Pharma KAM Teams: Challenges and Solutions from the front line shines a spotlight on the challenges facing KAM in 2016 and presents practical solutions for improvement. Learn from leading experts about how companies such as Leo, Genentech and Pfizer (see who they are) learnt what works and what pitfalls to avoid.
“We have to ensure that the planning actually has identified true customer needs, not something we've jury-rigged to say you need”
Answering key questions:
The right people for the right job: Too often KAMs are rebadged sales reps.
Good people with the wrong skills. What are the essential KAM skills and how can you get it right when recruiting?
Real collaboration: Understanding customer needs is critical for successful KAM. How can KAMs prepare with robust research to ensure successful engagement?
Internal buy-in: KAM will fail if there is not widespread buy in from internal stakeholders. What can KAM professionals do to ensure their colleagues are their side?
Cross-function or dysfunction? What can KAMs do to ensure the business initiatives are fully supported by cross functional teams?
Training for excellence: What role can training play in refining and improving KAM skills and how can outside providers help?
Incentives: How can you incentivise KAMs and what are the key motivators that drive success? Is it possible to create broader KAM buy-in through incentives for other functions?
Incentives: How can you incentivise KAMs and what are the key motivators that drive success? Is it possible to create broader KAM buy-in through incentives for other functions?
With this report you will be able to:
Understand the fundamental requirements for a successful KAM programme
Ensure you have the right people with the right skills in the right role
Understand how research and customer needs assessments can bring advantage even before the first call is made
Ensure buy-in to KAM from colleagues in marketing, sales, medical and market access
Know the drivers and incentives that will get the best out of your KAM team
Identify when and where KAM will be most effective and avoid wasting time and money in less productive areas
Key Topics explored
Good reps make bad KAMs. True or false? KAM is about creative business planning, strategic thinking, alliance building and clear stakeholder communication –skills that can be found inside and outside the pharma industry.
KAM is not a short term solution for sales downturn – it’s about building long-term and sustainable relationships based on customer need, value and benefit
Understanding customer needs is about listening and research and then creating a solution that works for the customer. Pre-packaged solutions created to meet assumed needs will not work.
If senior company leadership does not actively support KAM it will always be a marginalised effort struggling for support and resource
KAM has both internal and external stakeholders – and needs to communicate effectively with both
Money, training and prestige – what drives and motivates successful KAMs?
Expert Contributors
Heléna Bargiel, Head of Global Field Force Excellence, Global Patient
Matt Portch, Former North America Global Innovative Pharmaceuticals, Team
Lead, Commercial Effectiveness, Pfizer
Viv Rees, Performance Director at Ashfield Insights & Performance; former
Learning and Development Manager, Lundbeck U.K
Adam Wood, Manager Australia Operations STEM; former Head of Training and
Sales Excellence, Global Commercial Operations at Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
About FirstWord
FirstWord is an innovative industry intelligence leader serving over 240,000
Pharma and MedTech professionals worldwide. FirstWord offers a range of products and services designed to help your company gain a competitive edge by making key business decisions with speed and confidence.
FirstWord Pharma PLUS is a personalised and comprehensive intelligence service delivering up-to-the-minute pharma news, insight, analysis and expert views of importance to your company’s success.
FirstWord Reports deliver timely, need-to-know intelligence about your products, your competitors and your markets. Covering biosimilars, market access, medical affairs, sales & marketing, technology and therapy areas, FirstWord Reports provide expert views and intelligence on the challenges facing pharma today.
There are many factors currently affecting KAM initiatives - lack of buy-in from internal stakeholders, poorly understood customer needs and an inability to creatively build long-term sustainable relationships with buyers and prescribers. With KAM being applied widely, what are the key research, staff, management and communication touch points that will really deliver customer value and give you a profitable voice in the market?
Effective Pharma KAM Teams: Challenges and Solutions from the front line shines a spotlight on the challenges facing KAM in 2016 and presents practical solutions for improvement. Learn from leading experts about how companies such as Leo, Genentech and Pfizer (see who they are) learnt what works and what pitfalls to avoid.
“We have to ensure that the planning actually has identified true customer needs, not something we've jury-rigged to say you need”
Answering key questions:
The right people for the right job: Too often KAMs are rebadged sales reps.
Good people with the wrong skills. What are the essential KAM skills and how can you get it right when recruiting?
Real collaboration: Understanding customer needs is critical for successful KAM. How can KAMs prepare with robust research to ensure successful engagement?
Internal buy-in: KAM will fail if there is not widespread buy in from internal stakeholders. What can KAM professionals do to ensure their colleagues are their side?
Cross-function or dysfunction? What can KAMs do to ensure the business initiatives are fully supported by cross functional teams?
Training for excellence: What role can training play in refining and improving KAM skills and how can outside providers help?
Incentives: How can you incentivise KAMs and what are the key motivators that drive success? Is it possible to create broader KAM buy-in through incentives for other functions?
Incentives: How can you incentivise KAMs and what are the key motivators that drive success? Is it possible to create broader KAM buy-in through incentives for other functions?
With this report you will be able to:
Understand the fundamental requirements for a successful KAM programme
Ensure you have the right people with the right skills in the right role
Understand how research and customer needs assessments can bring advantage even before the first call is made
Ensure buy-in to KAM from colleagues in marketing, sales, medical and market access
Know the drivers and incentives that will get the best out of your KAM team
Identify when and where KAM will be most effective and avoid wasting time and money in less productive areas
Key Topics explored
Good reps make bad KAMs. True or false? KAM is about creative business planning, strategic thinking, alliance building and clear stakeholder communication –skills that can be found inside and outside the pharma industry.
KAM is not a short term solution for sales downturn – it’s about building long-term and sustainable relationships based on customer need, value and benefit
Understanding customer needs is about listening and research and then creating a solution that works for the customer. Pre-packaged solutions created to meet assumed needs will not work.
If senior company leadership does not actively support KAM it will always be a marginalised effort struggling for support and resource
KAM has both internal and external stakeholders – and needs to communicate effectively with both
Money, training and prestige – what drives and motivates successful KAMs?
Expert Contributors
Heléna Bargiel, Head of Global Field Force Excellence, Global Patient
- Solutions and Strategic Marketing, LEO Pharma
- Ashok Bhaseen, President of Thyroid Federation International; former Vice
- President of Marketing and Sales at Pediapharm
- David Hennessy, National Sales Director, Genentech
- Robert Perry, Former Strategic Account Manager, Zoetis
- Matt Pitzel, Managing Partner at Kamelon Partners; former head of Pfizer’s
Matt Portch, Former North America Global Innovative Pharmaceuticals, Team
Lead, Commercial Effectiveness, Pfizer
Viv Rees, Performance Director at Ashfield Insights & Performance; former
Learning and Development Manager, Lundbeck U.K
Adam Wood, Manager Australia Operations STEM; former Head of Training and
Sales Excellence, Global Commercial Operations at Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
About FirstWord
FirstWord is an innovative industry intelligence leader serving over 240,000
Pharma and MedTech professionals worldwide. FirstWord offers a range of products and services designed to help your company gain a competitive edge by making key business decisions with speed and confidence.
FirstWord Pharma PLUS is a personalised and comprehensive intelligence service delivering up-to-the-minute pharma news, insight, analysis and expert views of importance to your company’s success.
FirstWord Reports deliver timely, need-to-know intelligence about your products, your competitors and your markets. Covering biosimilars, market access, medical affairs, sales & marketing, technology and therapy areas, FirstWord Reports provide expert views and intelligence on the challenges facing pharma today.
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 Definitions
2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
3 EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS
4 KAM AND THE CALL FOR CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
4.1 KAM enhances customer engagement
4.2 KAM can drive better commercial performance
4.3 KAM helps manage resources
4.4 KAM is not a customer centricity silver bullet
4.5 Road blocks to KAM excellence
4.6 Forging a way forward
5 KAM AND COMPLETE BUSINESS BUY-IN .
5.1 Poor business buy-in leads to gaps in support
5.2 KAM exacerbates the sales and marketing split
5.3 Buy-in struggles often start with senior leadership
5.4 How to make buy-in happen
6 KAM AND NEW COLLEAGUE COMPETENCIES
6.1 Good sales reps make bad KAMs
6.2 Hire KAMs with diverse backgrounds.
6.3 Set up hiring assessments around specific attributes
6.4 New training is imperative
6.5 Integrate outside expertise into training
6.6 Pfizer case study: Intensive induction programme and regular follow-ups
6.7 Use incentives to reinforce new behaviours
6.8 The power of prestige and advancement
7 COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION AND THE FUTURE OF KAM
7.1 Reach new customers and reach them earlier
7.2 Harness data for deeper customer insights
7.3 Get better at collecting feedback
7.4 Know when not to use KAM
7.5 Get back to basics
7.6 KAM best practice
1.1 Definitions
2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
3 EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS
4 KAM AND THE CALL FOR CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
4.1 KAM enhances customer engagement
4.2 KAM can drive better commercial performance
4.3 KAM helps manage resources
4.4 KAM is not a customer centricity silver bullet
4.5 Road blocks to KAM excellence
4.6 Forging a way forward
5 KAM AND COMPLETE BUSINESS BUY-IN .
5.1 Poor business buy-in leads to gaps in support
5.2 KAM exacerbates the sales and marketing split
5.3 Buy-in struggles often start with senior leadership
5.4 How to make buy-in happen
6 KAM AND NEW COLLEAGUE COMPETENCIES
6.1 Good sales reps make bad KAMs
6.2 Hire KAMs with diverse backgrounds.
6.3 Set up hiring assessments around specific attributes
6.4 New training is imperative
6.5 Integrate outside expertise into training
6.6 Pfizer case study: Intensive induction programme and regular follow-ups
6.7 Use incentives to reinforce new behaviours
6.8 The power of prestige and advancement
7 COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION AND THE FUTURE OF KAM
7.1 Reach new customers and reach them earlier
7.2 Harness data for deeper customer insights
7.3 Get better at collecting feedback
7.4 Know when not to use KAM
7.5 Get back to basics
7.6 KAM best practice
