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I frequently hear professionals say, “I don’t market my services; I rely on word-of-mouth to get business.” They don’t seem to realize these two statements are contradictory -— if they are getting plenty of referral business, they have marketed their services quite well! The issue is not a decision of whether or not to m

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

arket your services, but is instead a decision of whether to assume responsibility for it and become more effective at it.

Actions you might not realize are marketing decisions:

• What you name your business

• What information you print on your business card

• How you let people know you are available

• How your res

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ume or company brochure looks

• Who answers the telephone and how

• How you dress for encounters with prospective clients

• How you respond when someone asks what you do

• How you treat not only clients and prospects but also

employees, associates and competitors

All of these factors contribute to the image people

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

orm of you and are far more critical to the success of your business than you might realize.

For instance, does your business name indicate what services your business performs? If it doesn’t, is your business name accompanied by a tagline that states your field of work?

Does your business card provide all necessary da

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

ta such as the type of work performed and your complete contact information? As a marketing consultant reviewing and analyzing professionals’ marketing materials, I see cards with important information omitted, such as the email address and even telephone area codes. I’ve seen two cards with no zip code after the address

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

. What do these cards say about the professionals, i.e., what impression does their marketing create?

Particularly if you have chosen not to advertise your services, how did you announce that you had opened a business or practice? However you did it, and whether you did it effectively or not, it was a marketing action.

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

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

Fortunately, you’re not expected to already be knowledgeable about marketing, any more than you would expect people in other professions to be proficient in your discipline. Marketing help is available from books, magazines, the Internet, knowledgeable friends and marketing professionals. The key point

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

is to realize that the decisions and actions that create others’ perception of you should be planned and well thought-out, as they constitute your marketing.

Prospective clients have no way of knowing what quality of service you will provide, so they must take clues from the appearance of your business card, stationery

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

, resume or brochure and other materials; your physical appearance and grooming; your manners and communication on the telephone; and even your promptness in returning phone calls.

The quality of your materials influences the perceived value of your services. Printed materials, whether produced professionally or on your

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

personal computer, don’t have to be costly, but they should be error-free. Typographical, spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors in printed materials are inexcusable. We all make mistakes as we compose, but correcting, editing and proofreading are the second half of the job.

It is critical to have someone else pro

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

ofread your writing and composition, because we all have difficulty finding our own mistakes. I frequently notice errors in professional brochures, even some that are quite expensively prepared. I have to conclude that not enough people proofread them.

YOUR OFFICE TALKS

Often the initial impression you make on a prospe

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

ctive client results from the phone response in your office. If the phone rings several times before being answered by a person or a recording, the caller feels that his time has been disrespected. If the person answering is flippant, cold or, worse, rude, your image has been tarnished, perhaps permanently.

The time it

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

akes you to return calls received by someone else, on your voice mail or through an answering service is also a factor in the prospect’s view of your services. An inquirer can’t help but associate your promptness or tardiness with your perceived work ethic and respect for deadlines.

In addition, if you determine that yo

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

u can’t or won’t accept the engagement, are you as polite and as helpful as possible under the circumstances? You may not want this case, but you do want this person to be a referral source—the most effective kind of marketing.

APPEARANCES DO MATTER

“Dressing for success” doesn’t necessarily mean wearing a suit, or sto

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

ckings and low heels for a woman if her suit has a skirt. What it does mean is deliberately deciding what to wear for encounters with prospective clients, keeping your impression in mind. Whether the most effective look would be a business suit or other attire representing your profession or trade is an individual decisi

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

n, but make it a conscious decision, because it matters. Perhaps a person could be sloppy or careless in appearance and be meticulous in work performance, but the prospective client has no way of knowing that—he can only conclude by what he sees and hears.

DOES YOUR DRY CLEANER KNOW WHAT YOU DO?

When asked what service

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

s your company provides, do you respond briefly, completely and smoothly or do you stammer, give a terse, incomplete description or ramble? Articulating your area of expertise and services is the core of marketing. Compose a brief statement that explains your work, using words people outside your profession will understa

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

nd, and practice saying it aloud.

Business owners don’t always realize that their services are publicized, either positively or negatively, by individuals they might not consider referral sources or detractors. Employees discuss their work with others. Competitors speak either respectfully or resentfully about you, bas

.

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

d, at least in part, on your attitude and actions toward them.

Remember that when you interact with another person, regardless of who the person is, you are marketing yourself and your services. You are enhancing his picture of you, or you are diminishing it.

Performing marketing is NOT optional. Marketing is the actio

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ns, whether deliberately strategized or unplanned, that communicate the availability, quality and value of your services. Marketing shapes the image people hold of you and your business and reflects your judgment, thoroughness and professionalism. You can take charge of this message and make it contribute to your success

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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Learn how to use marketing to build your buyer's list in both commercial and residential real estate.

Over 90% of companies run some type of background check on their job applicants. Pre-employment screening can be expensive and time-consuming, but most companies feel it is an essential part of the hiring process.

Nowadays, there are lots of companies that conduct employment screening as part of their hiring process. Some companies even hire private investigation agencies to conduct background check of the applicant to verify the information stated in his or her job application. However, these private agencies have to follow certain rules and regulations while conducting the background searches. These regulations are often stated in various federal employment screening laws.

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