Understanding CRM: Why pharma doesn't get it
Forming a relationship with your customers is not easy. As people become more familiar with using the Web, and eMail, they are becoming more and more careful about whom they form a relationship with. Most pharma companied focus on new Rx's rather than increasing the lifetime value of current customers. They don't understand that in order to form this relationship they have to identify the value proposition that will get customers to raise their hands and say "yes, I want to have a relationship with you". We also should remember that each segment within your market may have a different need and thus segmentation of messaging within CRM is essential.
It's also
important to identify trends within your
segments, develop messages for each segment and
deploy your CRM programs with speed and quality.
If your product, or disease condition, is in the
news then take advantage of than to talk and
engage your audience. Don't wait three months
until it's old news do it now and do it quickly
is the key to a great CRM program. Marketers
often overlook people who have opted in for
information from your company. These people can
provide a wealth of information from product
packaging designs to competitive programs that
are capturing their attention.
CRM is not easy to implement but if you have the
right people in place it can provide valuable
insights and help your brand meet it's business
objectives. It's time for pharma to stop thinking
about new Rx's and look at ways to keep current
customers happy, and that is what a great CRM
program can do.