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Useful Advices - What is Wrong With My International Import Export Sales?
Few years ago on a sunny Friday morning I was scheduled to meet with the International Sales Director for a medical equipment manufacturer. The meeting came at the request of the company president whom I met at a trade show in Canada. The aim of my meeting with the International Sales Director was to try and pinpoint the reason behind th
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
e inadequate Middle East sales performance. As the company president summed it up by saying "Our products are better than the competition but the competition is doing much better in sales to that market. My IS Director attended trade shows in United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The feedback from many Arabian companies was positive but
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.
Examples of combination products may in
Examples of combination products may in
did not materialize into good sales nor what can be considered a good starting relationship. We can use an outside opinion".
Before the meeting day I did some initial research about the medical company and sure enough their products were better in quality than their competitor and the pricing was competitive. The meeting took place in t
Before the meeting day I did some initial research about the medical company and sure enough their products were better in quality than their competitor and the pricing was competitive. The meeting took place in t
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.
heir conference room. Just the International Sales Director, one of his associates and me.
From the beginning I felt some tension coming from the IS Director. Why not? The meeting was called for by the company president and the IS Director probably felt that his leadership was in question and he would be answering to an outsider who wou
From the beginning I felt some tension coming from the IS Director. Why not? The meeting was called for by the company president and the IS Director probably felt that his leadership was in question and he would be answering to an outsider who wou
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
d report back to his boss. To ease the tension, I opened the discussion by mentioning some of the admirable accomplishments he made by successfully building the International department and achieving remarkable sales in the European market. My source was a newspaper article that I found during my initial research. This move proved to be
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.
Combination pro
Combination pro
a great ice breaker and then more. The more he talked about this subject, the more his facial features and speech pattern projected victory, achievements, confidence, and of course friendliness and openness. It worked and it should always work. Reminding others of their previous successful achievements will not only empower them and prov
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
s that you appreciate and trust them, but also they will be more open to listen to you and hear what you have to say.
He started talking about their Middle East operations and mentioned that his company had participated in two trade shows, one in Saudi Arabia and the other in United Arab Emirates. During these trade shows their products
He started talking about their Middle East operations and mentioned that his company had participated in two trade shows, one in Saudi Arabia and the other in United Arab Emirates. During these trade shows their products
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
received positive feedback from many Arab businessmen and soon after coming back to the US, he started corresponding with these prospective partners. It has been 10 months now and nothing had happened. Their sales to the Middle East did not show any significant increase and the negotiations did not develop into solid relationships. No a
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
ents nor distributors. He continued venting his frustrations and he gradually shifted toward explaining what he thought was the problem. To him, the problem was the Middle East market and its business culture. He continued saying how it was easier to deal with the European market and to setup partners.
After he had ample opportunity to
After he had ample opportunity to
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
describe the situation, it was my turn to ask some questions and to express my opinion. A few points surfaced during our discussion indicating that they did not do their homework before plunging in. They did not perform any research in regards to the business culture of the Middle East market, so they were not aware of what they should a
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
d should not do and they were not aware of the steps needed to establish a good business relationship. In addition, the IS Director, approached his prospective Arab partners with the same distribution agreement used for dealing with their European distributors. No effort was made to check its adequacy and reality for the new market. In s
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.
Following aspects would a
Following aspects would a
hort, there was neither research nor a plan.
He should not have used his success with the European market and the relatively short time it took to achieve that, as a measuring tool for the Middle East operation. He had successfully dealt with the European market due to the fact that he had worked and lived in Europe for 5 years before j
He should not have used his success with the European market and the relatively short time it took to achieve that, as a measuring tool for the Middle East operation. He had successfully dealt with the European market due to the fact that he had worked and lived in Europe for 5 years before j
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
ining the US medical equipment manufacturer. He knew the market, the business culture, business circumstances, and all the vital information needed to succeed in doing business in Europe. Throughout the 5 years he spent in Europe he gained the experience and knowledge that made him successful, but he was not able to clearly see the insig
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
ht he gained by living there.
How could he miss that fact? It is not all unusual to do that. By the same token, many companies when going global forget that their products are being introduced to a new market and it takes time for the sales volume to grow to its expected goal, just like when they started introducing their products to th
How could he miss that fact? It is not all unusual to do that. By the same token, many companies when going global forget that their products are being introduced to a new market and it takes time for the sales volume to grow to its expected goal, just like when they started introducing their products to th
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
local market! As a result of this "lost comparison", sometimes companies set unreasonable conditions when dealing with their international agents such as "high" minimum purchase requirements and "unrealistic" expected sales volume conditions. An overseas company purchasing goods for the first time would usually prefer to order a small q
t?
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
uantity which will be used to test the product's acceptance in the market. Companies that insist on a set minimum even with the first sale, which is in fact considered a test sample, are closing the door on overseas sales let alone encouraging any possible partnership.
Since I knew that the IS Director has his hands full managing succes
Since I knew that the IS Director has his hands full managing succes
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
ful sales to the European market, I suggested assigning the Middle East market territory to someone else who could devote all of their energy and time on developing marketing plans, acquiring partnerships and increasing sales. The IS Director answered back that he had already thought about that and handed me a copy of an advertisement he
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
had placed in a local newspaper. The advertisment read:
Middle East Sales Rep. Medical equipment manufacturer seeking energetic professional person to assist the International Sales Director in his Middle East operations. Successful candidate will handle correspondences, distributing company literature and making overseas calls mos
Middle East Sales Rep. Medical equipment manufacturer seeking energetic professional person to assist the International Sales Director in his Middle East operations. Successful candidate will handle correspondences, distributing company literature and making overseas calls mos
.
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
ly at late night hours. Experience in telemarketing and bilingual (Arabic and English) a plus.
Clearly the ad echoed what I thought was wrong with their approach to the Middle East market. This advertisement was calling for an administrative assistant not a Middle East Sales Representative. In fact I have seen many companies handle
Clearly the ad echoed what I thought was wrong with their approach to the Middle East market. This advertisement was calling for an administrative assistant not a Middle East Sales Representative. In fact I have seen many companies handle
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
their international operations by simply asking someone to type a letter or send a fax. To these companies the interest in the global market will only grow if they notice an outcome first. A significant outcome though, will not come from such approach and hence these companies’ correspondences are going somewhere but certainly not global
tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products
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