In recent years, the rapidly evolving healthcare marketplace has driven large-scale changes to the structure of many pharmaceutical sales teams. In areas where sales representatives once held sole responsibilities, a diverse cross-functional team of specialists — such as field reimbursement managers, market development managers and specialty pharmacy managers — is now being asked to share ownership.
It often falls to training teams to ensure these new roles collaborate effectively. The challenges can be daunting. However, by focusing on improving ways of working, it is possible to foster a collaborative mindset that drives creative partnerships, boosts organizational success and ultimately improves the lives of patients.
When attempting to improve ways of working, it can be helpful to understand what precipitated the shift in the sales team’s structure in your organization. Market-wide, there has been significant growth in specialty drugs over traditional pharmaceuticals.
According to IQVIA’s Insights Into the 2023 U.S. Pharmaceuticals Market, specialty pharmaceuticals as of March 2022 accounted for 55% of net spending, compared to 28% in 2011. This significant increase has resulted in greater levels of prescribing and reimbursement complexity for both healthcare providers and patients.
As Nyron Khan, co-founder and CEO of Six Therapeutics, recently explained, “Pharmaceutical representatives and teams have had to adapt from the traditional selling approach to a more consultative approach to support physicians and patients in navigating a complex world of health plans, specialty pharmacies, hubs and the overall challenge of prescription fulfillment and reimbursement.”
This adaptation has created the environment that training teams — including, maybe, yours — now face.
As Khan said, many pharmaceutical organizations are indeed incorporating new roles designed to better help customers navigate the current market. Though the roles you work to bridge depend on your organization, familiarizing yourself with the most common of these can be an important step in devising a plan to improve ways of working.
These support roles, which are often called upon to help market medications focused on specialty or rare diseases, include:
Field reimbursement managers (FRMs) who help healthcare providers understand and navigate the path to reimbursement from payers.
Market development managers (MDMs) who focus on stakeholders relevant to specific markets.
Key account managers (KAMs) who work directly with influential accounts.
Specialty pharmacy managers (SPMs) who focus on national and regional specialty pharmacies.
Specialty pharmacy support teams that assist healthcare providers in connecting patients with the product at prescribing or initiation and give ongoing support, such as with refills and medication adjustments.
Key account specialists who work with larger integrated delivery networks and hospital systems, which are often areas where the product is initiated or disease is diagnosed.
All too often, as sales teams incorporate more roles, a siloed mentality ensues. Members of different roles begin to see one another as rivals, especially when their responsibilities are not well defined or have some level of overlap. At its worst, this mentality can lead team members to feel they are competing in a zero-sum game in which the resources, time or attention given to one role are being taken away from another.
This, of course, is a worst-case scenario. Most sales teams with a siloed mentality don’t necessarily harbor the suspicions and resentments that can result from the zero-sum outlook. That doesn’t mean, however, that their siloed worldview isn’t a serious issue to be addressed.
Any time communication and collaboration break down, a sales team is unable to optimally function. Inefficiency sets in. Worse, team members begin working at cross purposes. The organization invariably begins to suffer, along with the customers — and patients — it aims to serve.
To avoid these pitfalls, improving ways of working should always be near the top of any yearly training agenda.
No matter your tactics, establishing a collaborative mindset should be your north star when striving to improve ways of working. This mindset will flourish when team members trust that their colleagues are working with — and not competing against — them.
It’s important to design training resources and to provide opportunities that promote communication and deepen understanding. Consider:
Clearly — and repeatedly — communicating defined roles and responsibilities for each member of the team. Deploy — and then go beyond — print or online resources. Panel discussions, listening sessions and one-on-one manager meetings all present occasions to reinforce understanding of colleagues’ roles.As a trainer, you can help shape and support these opportunities for building trust and greater understanding.
Emphasizing the relationship between roles. The siloed mentality previously described gets one thing right: What happens to one role does affect the others. What it gets wrong is seeing this as a zero-sum game. Yes, the actions of one role on the team will create ripple effects felt by other roles. But this energy can be harnessed to advance the team and further its success.As a trainer, you can assist team members in understanding the interconnections between roles and encourage them to consider the consequences of their choices through the lens of the entire team.
Focusing on conflict resolution skills. Misunderstanding and disagreements between colleagues from different roles is unavoidable. How they handle these moments of conflict can dramatically shape the effectiveness of the team.By instituting conflict mediation protocols and working with team leads, you can help diffuse tensions before they boil over.
Encouraging ongoing cross-team conversation. Team members need to understand any expectations concerning when and how often they should be communicating with their colleagues and managers. Beyond this, however, it is essential that roles (sales, marketing and medical sales, for example) are regularly brought together for shared training opportunities.Look to create these occasions — and be sure to follow up on the results.
Regardless of the training steps you take, be sure to always keep the team’s focus on their shared goal. In every resource, workshop and training activity, emphasize how their collective efforts can help improve the lives of patients.
This is the ultimate and worthy goal that can help a group of individuals coalesce into a true team that is stronger than the sum of its parts.
Christopher Gamgort is a marketing intern for Encompass Communications and Learning. He can be reached at cjgamgort@encompasscnl.com or through www.linkedin.com/in/christophergamgort/.
Jenn Lalli is the senior director of business development and marketing for Encompass Communications and Learning, and a 2023 LTEN Member of the Year. Email Jenn at jlalli@encompasscnl.com or connect through www.linkedin.com/in/jennlalli/.
