An ever evolving market
When we think about the healthcare and pharmaceutical market today, we can see the many challenges the industry faces. Like all challenges these present opportunities also. The market is so challenging because of the impact of recent changes, the highly regulated nature of the industry and because of the trends we can foresee.

Key challenges in healthcare and pharmaceuticals
• Decreasing growth rates globally and in mature markets, such as the USA and Western Europe. Only ‘pharmerging’ markets such as China, India, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Korea and Mexico register significant growth
• As price consciousness in healthcare increases globally, generic products are swiftly gaining ground. This eats into the profits of innovative market players, who see branded products threatened by much shorter life cycle protection
• There is an increasing need to demonstrate the economic viability of products and solutions – with a cost-benefit analysis taking all aspects of the therapeutic process into consideration
• New healthcare policies, like e-prescribing and strict formularies, are introduced to more advanced markets. Treatment protocols specify which medicines are particularly safe, efficacious and cost-effective in different patient populations
• New stakeholders influence buying decisions including payers, patients, governments, distribution channels, pressure groups, and the power of the prescribers is decreasing
• The GP market is decreasing in the face of growing importance of specialised markets
• Increased accountability – all stakeholders must be prepared to prove their decisions and be held responsible for results
• The Internet provides patients with far more access to health-related information through ‘health 2.0’ websites, blogs and forums. Based on this patients exert an increasing influence on doctors’ treatment decisions

The human factor
The diverse set of challenges and opportunities facing the sector means that new sales models, approaches and practices are needed. The reality is not the same all over the world, but the increasing complexity of markets demands new skills and strategies to benefit from the new opportunities.
Renewed marketing strategies must carefully consider each stakeholder group and prepare effective actions. Sales representatives must genuinely understand the concerns of the stakeholders they are to influence, develop new sales offers and approaches and find ways to reach out to them.

Some of the competencies required to address the changing market include:
• Strong relationship management skills to enable sales representatives to influence the diverse group of stakeholders they must now target (not only doctors but health professionals in a broader sense including health managers, pharmacists, nurses, distributors etc.)
• The ability to personalise and adapt a specific sales approach to each stakeholder and targeted arguments that are meaningful and focused on ROI
• Strong scientific knowledge
• Negotiation tools and techniques fine-tuned to the target audience
• A solid understanding of pharma-economics
• Fresh and effective information gathering techniques
• Teambuilding and teamwork practices as multi-disciplined groups become the norm in complex pharma and healthcare sales

A special focus on the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors
Having worked with many pharmaceutical and healthcare clients across the world, we recognised that the particular needs of the industry require specific solutions suited to the sector. That’s why we’ve developed a dedicated line of development services.

By working with TACK you’ll be in great company
We offer you highly specialised development solutions, specifically designed and fine-tuned to meet the needs and requirements of the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Other clients we have worked with include:
• Alter
• Astra Zeneca
• Atral
• Bayer
• B Braun 
• Boehringer
• Ebewe Pharma
• GlaxoSmithKline
• MSD
• Novartis
• Novo Nordisk
• Nutricia
• Pfizer
• Recordati
• Sandoz
• Sanofi Aventis
• Schering Plough
• Servier
• Shasun Pharma
• Sovay
• ToLife