Pharma FLM Certification Program Sharpens Skills

MEDICINMANField Force Excellence
TM
October 2015 | www.medicinman.net
Since 2011
IS PHARMA
LOSING GOOD
SALESPEOPLE
AND GETTING
BAD MANAGERS?
Editorial

Editorial
Connect with Anup Soans on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Anup Soans is an Author, Facilitator and the
Editor of MedicinMan.
Write in to him: anupsoans@medicinman.net
Meet the Editor
F
ront-line Managers (FLM) in Pharma,
Medical Devices, Diagnostics and Surgical
are, as a rule, promoted from the ranks of
Medical Reps (MR) based on their performance as
individual contributors.
Suddenly, they are pushed from a place of I, me
and mine to we, us and our. And most FLMs find it
difficult to make the transition; some never do.
The skills needed to succeed as an MR and those
needed to be effective as an FLM are completely
different. It’s like Sachin Tendulkar being promoted
to Captaincy without the necessary orientation.
The result - India lost a great batsman and got a
poor Captain.
Pharma, Medical Devices, Diagnostics and Surgical
are losing many great salespeople and getting
ineffective managers because of their system of
promoting people and then not standing by them
till they make the transition. The result is frustration
for both FLM and his team of MRs, not to mention
high attrition, poor implementation of strategies
and worst of all - unethical practices.
By virtue of the pivotal position, FLM becomes
the fulcrum on which the successful execution
of strategy hinges. FLMs need clarity in
understanding business concepts and emotional
intelligence to inspire and lead their sales team
members.
Shouldn’t FLMs receive the training and tools
needed to succeed in this critical role? A
certification program will orient them to the
changes they need to make and the competencies
that they need to build.
More importantly the certification program will
bring the much needed significance to the role
of FLM as well as provide individuals with career
progression path and provide companies with a
leadership pipeline – a win-win situation.
Keeping this in mind MedicinMan will be offering
a certification program for Pharma Front-line
Managers on 4 Key Competencies, through 12
Modules delivered over 12 Months.
To download the prospectus, click here. -MM

1. L&D Sans Time and Space Constraints .......9
How technology is making time and space
irrelevant to learning and development.
Gopal Kishore
2. Book Review: Your Strategy Needs a Strategy
............................................................................11
“How to Choose and Execute the right approach”
K. Hariram
3. Patient Access Part-II: Patient Journey
Mapping (PJM) .................................................13
PJM gives life science companies insight into each
stage of the patient journey from awareness of
the condition to treatment adherence and lifestyle
change.
Pankaj Mehrotra
4. Brand Audit and SWOT Analysis - A Tool For
Brand Managers ..............................................16
How to use the powerful SWOT to gauge the health
of a brand.
Vivek Hattangadi
5. Four Questions Every Training Dept. Should
Ask Itself ..........................................................19
In order for training programs to have a
measurable impact on business, the training
department needs to answer four important
questions.
Hanno Wolfram
CONTENTS MedicinMan Volume 5 Issue 10 | October 2015
Editor and Publisher
Anup Soans
CEO
Chhaya Sankath
Chief Mentor
K. Hariram
Editorial Board
Salil Kallianpur; Prof. Vivek Hattangadi; Shashin
Bodawala; Hanno Wolfram; Renie McClay
Executive Editor
Joshua Soans
Letters to the Editor: anupsoans@medicinman.net
Pfizer India won the award for the‘Best Mobile Learning
Solution’at the Chief Learning Officers (CLO) Summit in
Mumbai. The CLO awards are considered the most pres-
tigious for excellence in corporate learning, training and
coaching. The jury appreciated the product innovation
& value to the business that Pfizer’s mobile learning app
(ROKET) brings to the table.
The CLO summit is organised by Tata Institute of Social
Sciences (TISS) and supported by the Department of
Public Enterprises, Government of India. The Carnegie
Mellon University, Wall Street Journal and Duke corpo-
rate education are the Strategic Partners.
The award was presented
by Ms. Poonam Mahajan,
(MP & National Secretary,
BJP) and received by S.
Sridhar (Senior Business
Director) & Sunder Ram-
achandran (Head of Sales
Training) at a ceremony
organised at Four Seasons
Hotel, Worli, Mumbai on
September 10th.
PFIZER INDIA WINS
AWARD FOR BEST MOBILE
LEARNING SOLUTION
AT CHIEF LEARNING
OFFICERS’ SUMMIT IN
MUMBAI
Team Pfizer after winning the award

M
r. Rajesh Kumar Sethi recently completed a
successful 30 year stint with Pfizer India. In
times of rapid career moves and attrition,
examples like Rajesh are inspirational to the younger
generation.
Rajesh completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Science
from Delhi’s Venkateswara College in 1982 and
joined Cynamind in 1985 which was later acquired
by Wyeth which was then acquired by Pfizer.
During his long & illustrious career, Rajesh has seen
the changes in the Indian pharmaceutical market
and was involved in the launch of many products in
different Therapeutic Segments i.e. Antibiotics, Hos-
pital Antibiotics, Psychiatric Products, and Vaccines.
He currently supports the Vaccines business as a
Field Training Manager. He enjoys coaching and
grooming young medical representatives and
considers it as an opportunity to give back to the
younger generation. Rajesh is also a technology en-
thusiast and believes in leveraging mobile & virtual
training platforms to improve the engagement with
the younger learners. He keeps himself updated
by leveraging social platforms like Twitter and also
regularly attends webinars to stay current about the
changes in the field of learning & development.
When we asked Rajesh, what kept him going for 30
years; he said“I have been treated so well as a col-
league that the thought of leaving the organisation
never really crossed my mind”. There perhaps lies a
key lesson for all people managers as well – Treat
your colleagues well and get their commitment in
return. -MM
30 at Pfizer
Rajesh Kumar Sethi, Field Training Manager -Vaccines
Business, who completed 30 years with Pfizer
”
I have been treated so well as
a colleague that the thought
of leaving the organisation
never really crossed my mind

Click here to download the
Prospectus for 2015-2016
or paste the following link in your browser: goo.gl/tZgGRf

MEDICINMAN, the leader in Pharma Field Force Excellence and Anup Soans, Pharma’s most
well-know author and facilitator, have put together a carefully crafted, 12 module certification
program for pharma front-line managers (FLMs).
The program combines an in-depth understanding of the challenges and needs of pharma FLMs
and the latest in the field of front-line management to deliver a truly power-packed certification
program.
Who is the certification program for?
The program is for new and experienced pharma FLMs.
What does the certification program aim to achieve?
The program delivers 2 key outcomes to individuals and companies:
1. Sharpen the Sales Team Leadership skills of FLMs and their Ability to Attract, Develop and
Retain Medical Reps.
2. Sharpen the Business Management Skills of FLMs and Enable them to Create Rapport and Build
Lasting Relationships with Doctors.
What are the benefits of the certification program to individuals and companies?
For individuals, the program imparts an indispensible set of skills that will greatly impact their
performance as Team Leaders and Business Managers.
For Companies, the program empowers front-line managers in their roles as Team Leaders and
Business Managers, to produce exceptional results by aligning their actions and the actions of
Medical Reps with the goals and strategies of the company.
A TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR
FRONT-LINE MANAGERS
Click here to download the Prospectus for 2015-2016

The Certification Program covers the following 12 modules:
MODULE 1: Mindset Change - Moving from a‘Fixed Mindset’to a‘Growth Mindset’
MODULE 2: Understanding Self and Others - The Key to Emotional Intelligence
MODULE 3: What Creates a Satisfied Customer?
MODULE 4: Who are KOLs and KBLs? Understanding the Rx Market Dynamics
MODULE 5: Planning, Organizing, Executing and Monitoring (POEM) - For Effective
Time Management
MODULE 6: Understanding the importance of Effective Communication - For In-
clinic Performance
MODULE 7: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
MODULE 8: How to be an Effective Sales Team Leader - Team Building and Team
Working
MODULE 9: Five sources of power to Manage Business and Lead People - Using
Authority vs. Influence
MODULE 10: Employee Engagement Vs Employee Dissatisfaction - Key to Reducing
Attrition
MODULE 11: Situational Leadership - Training, Facilitating, Coaching and
Mentoring Medical Reps
MODULE 12: What every FLM should know about SFE - For Effective Territory
Coverage
A TRANSFORMATIONAL
FRONT-LINE MANAGERS
OVERVIEW

“Our Employee Turnover has seen an all time low.”
Testimonial by Subroto Banerjee - President, India Region at Strides Arcolab Limited
“As Strides Arcolab began its foray in the domestic markets, one of our primary
challenges was “Developing Talent”. We saw a need for our field force to thrive in the
continuously changing regulatory landscape, work on skill-development and most
importantly, be an advocate for ethical business practices.
With the problems in sight, we looked up to Anup Soans. Given his experience in the
pharma industry, he was our preferred partner in Developing our Talent. Anup believes
in creating value for his clients. Through a rigorous curriculum, he has developed the
Leadership, Managerial and Functional capabilities of our first line and second line Managers.
Having been associated with us since 2013, Anup has worked very closely with us in bringing our
Talent strategy to fruition. Our investment through Anup has yielded a lot of positive results –
notably, our employee turn-over has seen an all-time low.”
“Invest in your managers to upgrade their skill”
K. Hariram - Retd. MD, Galderma India
“I believe that Front-line managers in pharma can have a multiplier effect on business
– if you have great managers, you’re in for a great ride.
All of us know and recognize that front line managers are the link between leadership
and the sales people.. They mentor new hires, motivate teams and help employees
figure out how to do their jobs better.
If you believe that front line managers are critical assets to your business, then they
deserve to be supported by the management and need the necessary knowledge and
skills to be great.
Get in touch today!
Email: anupsoans@gmail.com | Mobile: 968-680-2244
APPLAUSE
A TRANSFORMATIONAL
FRONT-LINE MANAGERS
Subroto Banerjee-
President, India Region
at Strides Arcolab Ltd.
K. Hariram- former
MD (Retd.), Galderma
India.

9 | MedicinMan October 2015
E
Gopal Kishore is the Experiential Learning
Evangelist at KNOLSKAPE. He has over nine years
of experience in the industry and his articles have
been published in some of the world’s leading HR
and IT publications.
Connect: in.linkedin.com/in/gopalkishore
L&D, SANS TIME AND
SPACE CONSTRAINTS
How technology is making time and space irrelevant to
learning and development.
Gopal Kishore
A
lot of effort goes into designing a successful employee
learning program. The Learning and Development Team
usually spend many days in finding the right learning
program and ensuring that the participants find the program
useful. However, many learning programs, regardless of how well
designed they are, hit multiple roadblocks which can affect its
impact.
There are usually three big hindrances that organizations face
when they prepare to implement a learning program in their
organization. They are Budgets, Time and Motivation. In a previous
feature, we discussed how the L&D team could use technology
to address the issues revolving around budget constraints. In this
feature, we will examine how technology can ensure that the par-
ticipants’time constraint is not a barrier to learning.
Enabling Real-Time Learning Programs to Be Made
Available Anytime and Anywhere
Many learning programs are still designed around a traditional
classroom. While traditional classrooms work for a limited audi-
ence, the L&D team can make the same classroom-learning pro-
gram available anytime and accessible anywhere by creating an
online version of it. There are several tools that enable on-demand
collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconfer-
encing functions.
The L&D team can work with the training provider to ensure that
these features area part of the learning program. Taking this hy-
brid approach also connects employees who would otherwise not
have been able to participate in the learning program.

Gopal Kishore | L&D, Sans Time and Space Constraints
”
Real learning happens
when employees take
ownership for their own
learning. Taking into
account that the L&D
has already spent time
and effort in designing
the learning program, it
is very simple to make
arrangements to archive
the content in the form of
e-learning modules that
include videos, handbooks
of the course material and
other resources.
Creating a Repository of Learning Programs
Which Can Be Accessed On-Demand
Real learning happens when employees take ownership
for their own learning. Taking into account that the L&D
has already spent time and effort in designing the learning
program, it is very simple to make arrangements to archive
the content in the form of e-learning modules that include
videos, handbooks of the course material and other re-
sources.
This helps to simplify knowledge transfer across many
scattered locations.
The L&D team can also monitor individual learning con-
sumption and track progress, which can then help them
tailor learning paths to individual educational needs and
learning styles. In due course, it can become a portal
where experienced learners can get a quick overview and
new employees get access to detailed information.
Making the Learning Program Worth the Par-
ticipants’Time:
Last, but not the least, the learning program needs to
pique the paticipant’s interest. The learning programs
can be made fun, interesting and relevant so that the
employees sign up for them because they want to and
not because they have to. Some innovative yet effective
methods to achieve this objective is by including games
and simulations, which get the participants to enjoy the
sessions and learn at the same time.
The L&D teams can use free design tools such as Canva to
market the innovative program and create a buzz. They
can get detailed post workshop feedback by creating easy
to fill and beautiful forms using free tools such as Type-
form.
In the next feature, we will explore some of the ways in
which a participant can be motivated to participate in a
learning program. -GK

I
came across a very interesting book titled Your
Strategy Needs a Strategy written by Martin Reeves,
Knut Haanaes & Janmejaya Sinha. The authors
explain clearly‘How to choose and execute the Right
Approach.’
The authors have drawn examples from pharmaceuti-
cal companies extensively. This book is all about how
a company can take advantage by pursuing a strategy
that perfectly fits the environment.
The authors talk about bringing differentiation in a
competitive environment by focusing on three vari-
ables:
Predictability (can you forecast it?); Malleability (can
you, working with others, shape it?); and Harshness
(can you survive it?).
Intelligent use of these three variables lead to five
types of strategy environments. One could clearly
choose the right strategy suiting the environment.
These five types of strategy are briefly explained below.
1. Classical: I can predict it, but I can’t
change it. According to the authors, this is an ideal
strategy for the classical environment. In short it is
“Be Big”. The competitive environment is stable and
predictable. Competitive advantage is built by the
company’s positioning in the environment. This is
achieved, write the authors, by“superior size, differen-
tiation, or capabilities.”This strategy calls for companies
to analyse the environment, plan the best positioning
strategy, and execute it.
2. Adaptive: I can’t predict it and I can’t
change it.The authors say that it is better to be
quick and fast in such an environment. Success comes
by recognizing the fact that the rules may change
quickly and the successful companies are capable of
adapting or varying their strategies. They also have the
‘where with all’of creating several strategic options,
select the best one suiting the situation and quickly
scale it up.
E
K. Hariram
K. Hariram is the former MD (retd.) at
Galderma India.
He is Chief Mentor at MedicinMan and a
regular contributor. khariram25@yahoo.com
BOOK REVIEW:
YOUR STRATEGY
NEEDS A STRATEGY

3. Visionary: I can predict it, and I can
change it.This is for those with foresight and vi-
sion and a strong desire with the first mover advan-
tage. Successful companies envisage the possibility
of the market, are the first to build that possibility,
and persist in executing and scaling the vision.
4. Shaping: I can’t predict but I can
change it.The ones who can orchestrate change
and shape the environment by engaging the stake-
holders to create a vision of the future. The authors
opine that these companies are capable of building
a platform through which it could orchestrate the
collaboration of all stakeholders, then evolving that
platform by scaling and maintaining the flexibility of
the platform’s stakeholder ecosystem.
The authors have illustrated this with the story of
Novo Nordisk which was successful because its
orchestration strategy matched with shaping the
environment of China’s insulin market.
How did Novo establish such a strong and lucrative
stronghold in China? According to the authors,
Novo was the key player in shaping the market.
When Novo came to China in the early 1990s, diabe-
tes awareness was very low. Novo worked with the
medical community, the Chinese Ministry of Health
and the World Diabetes Foundation to educate the
country about diabetes. It reached out to patients as
well, established its first production site in China in
1995 and an R&D centre in China in 2002.
Novo recognized the untapped potential of the
insulin market in China and working with the major
stakeholders in the country, was able to shape the
market to its advantage.
5. Renewal: My resources are severely
constrained. Finally, the only strategy that will
work in a renewal environment is to be viable. The
key, according to the authors is to economize as
much as possible, and then choose among the oth-
er four strategies to grow.
Your Strategy Needs a Strategy helps one to have
a clear direction — actually five directions in one
— that can guide companies through the most
challenging of competitive environments.
Overall, the book is very engaging, insightful, well
written and filled with relevant examples. -KH
K. Hariram | Book Review: Your Strategy Needs a Strategy
K. Hariram, former MD (Retd.) at Galderma and
Chief Mentor at MedicinMan, regularly speaks his
mind on LinkedIn. A few trending posts have been
excerpted below.
COACHING - An Effective Enabler
“Coaching is a process that enables learning and
development to occur and thus performance to
improve.”
Like any other skill such as driving or swimming,
coaching requires the knowledge and
understanding of process as well as the variety of
styles, skills and techniques that are appropriate to
the context.
Like in sports, the employee has to be enthused by
the COACH who is mostly his/her manager.
Read more here...
What Is Your Game Plan?
Do you have your game plan? This means, do you
have your plans to achieve the results required?
Any organisational achievement is measured by
its economic results. In order to achieve this work
has to be done and that too, by and through the
people leading to required results. To manage and
optimize the abilities of every person on your team,
as a leader you need a game plan to execute on four
major deliverable:
Read more here...
Walk Your Talk
“What leaders say is far less important than what
they do.
How often do we say one thing and do another
thing? Are we aligned in our thoughts and deed?
All too often we talk about teamwork and then
reward personal accomplishments.
Take a close look at what you value, and then
compare it to what you actually reward.
Do you preach employee involvement and
then admonish when the employees take some
initiatives which at times may turn out as mistakes
or failures? So help people learn from mistakes and
recognize initiatives.
If the ideas you are promoting are congruent with
your core beliefs and values, these actions will come
easily, too. Read more here.

E
PATIENT ACCESS:
PATIENT JOURNEY
MAPPING (PJM)
PJM gives life science companies insight into each stage
of the patient journey from awareness of the condition
to treatment adherence and lifestyle change. This is the
second in a series of articles on Patient Access by the
author.
T
he major role of pharma marketing and sales team is to
grow their brands consistently and gain a respectable
market share. Consistent growth is possible by introduc-
ing new products, brand extensions, getting new prescribers
and increased number of prescriptions. All these activities
require clear, rational understanding about the needs, wants
and desires of the customer.
To collect insights about the decision-making process, pharma-
ceutical marketing team should use a combination of insights
from customer-facing teams, medical department and market
research tools along with internal and external brand and mar-
ket performance data. Of all of the information sources listed
so far, the most commonly used and trusted tools are primary
and secondary sales and prescription analysis. The reasons for
excessive reliance on sales data may vary from ease of avail-
ability and credibility of insights collected.
Customer insights and foresights enable us to understand
what our current customers want and what future customers
would like from product, marketing or distribution channels.
The term‘customer’denotes every individual who can influ-
ence the decision making process in the patient’s progression
through symptom awareness and treatment.
Pankaj Mehrotra
Part 2
Pankaj Mehrotra is a Product
Group Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
Pharmaceuticals. His views are personal.
Read Part 1 of the series in MedicinMan
September 2015.

Pankaj Mehrotra | Patient Access: Patient Journey Mapping (PJM)
”
PJM can be compared to
that of a well researched
biography where an
individual’s evolution
through various stages of
their life is described. For
pharmaceutical marketers,
experiencing twists and
turns in decision-making
process can generate
novel insights and help
revisit, refine and design
brand strategies.
Organizations can use customer insights and fore-
sights to:
ØØ Identify market opportunities
ØØ Develop business or program strategy, marketing
campaigns/ messages
ØØ Produce better products or services
ØØ Create appropriate marketing approaches
Identification and use of customer insights enables
organizations to identify unexplored market oppor-
tunities and develop foresights. Most of the times,
behavioral objectives are not even used resulting in
the lost opportunities and over-dependence on sales
data analysis.
In a generic, highly competitive market like India,
presence of price warriors, unethical CRM practices
(MCI action against Neurologists sponsored by one of
the leading Pharma companies is tip of the iceberg)
and well-entrenched regional players add complexity
to marketing planning exercise.
Now, Indian customers have started investing signifi-
cant amount of time and effort to decide what to buy,
where to buy and from whom to consult. However, this
time often goes to waste due to inadequate knowl-
edge about disease evolution and the influence of
word-of-mouth and quick-fix solutions.
The Patient Journey Mapping (PJM) exercise details
patients’experience of a disease or condition from
their awareness of symptoms, acceptance of need
of approaching a healthcare practitioner, diagnosis,
referral and treatment, need of adherence to life style
modification and medication. At each juncture along
the way, it reflects the decisions made and hurdles
faced by patients and providers, the rationale behind
those decisions, and the emotions felt.
PJM can be compared to that of a well researched
biography where an individual’s evolution through
various stages of their life is described. For pharma-
ceutical marketers, experiencing twists and turns in
decision-making process can generate novel insights
and help revisit, refine and design brand strategies.
In any pharma marketing campaign, the marketer
needs to take action on 5 As of decision-making
process: ACCESS, AVAILABILITY, ACCEPTANCE, AFFORD-
ABILITY & ADHERENCE.
Developing customer insights project should be
approached as a process, not just the deployment of
research tools. Unfocused research collection can yield
volumes of data, much of which might be quite inter-
esting, but little of which will be valuable in answering
the research question. Spending time in understand-

Pankaj Mehrotra | Patient Access: Patient Journey Mapping (PJM)
”
PJM tool will enable us
to get insights about
designing of marketing
strategies and allocating
resources. Patient journey
can help us to look at
the marketing resource
allocation by rational
analysis of the lives of the
patients and customers.
ing the problem and identifying information already
available before allocating the resources on field re-
search ensures optimization utilization of the time and
resources invested. Given below are steps involved in
planning of PJM:
1. It is advisable to first list the current authentic,
validated information available on healthcare
decision-making process.
2. Identify the gaps in the information
3. Prioritize the information needed to focus the
resources on the most appropriate and relevant
gaps
4. Identify and allocate the resources needed to fill in
the gap
5. Design and validate the PJM process
PJM tool will enable us to get insights about design-
ing of marketing strategies and allocating resources.
Patient journey can help us to look at the marketing
resource allocation by rational analysis of the lives of
the patients and customers. Sensible use of market
data and PJM ensure the sound analysis of the human
side of decision making process.
Challenges:
The integrated use of information tools with PJM
needs trained manpower and resource allocation.
In addition to sales and marketing teams, PJM may re-
quire the support and efforts of decision makers right
from manufacturing, distribution and finance who
may have their own priorities.
In a complex, heterogeneous market like India, we
need to pay attention to regional variations to enable
selection of robust strategies.
You must have come across pharma companies who
initially do not invest resources in market research
tools. When the complexity and size of market increas-
es, organizations need to use market sales data, mar-
ket research and customer insights to increase patient
access by better acceptance of their offerings and ROI.
Till now, strategies used to gain patients’wallet share
were launching extension, tier pricing and increasing
reach and coverage.
Patient Journey Mapping (PJM) is an important aid
to prolong product life cycle of existing brands and
position new launches by analyzing stakeholder’s
actions through various phases of treatment pathways
to identify opportunities, design and revisit brand
strategy. -PM

B
rand audit to a brand manager is what a finan-
cial audit is to a finance manager. It is a critical
and a detailed health checkup of a brand. A
brand SWOT analysis (an acronym for Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is one such
audit which can help a brand manager to know her
brand inside out. While Strengths and Weaknesses are
internal; Opportunities and Threats are external.
SWOT is a very strong developmental tool and can be
applied in any sphere of life. What are the topics on
which you can do a SWOT analysis?
ØØ Of yourself as a professional – whether you are a
medical representative or a CEO.
ØØ Of yourself as parent, as a husband, a daughter,
a son, or even as a sibling. You can be a better
parent, or a husband or a sibling.
ØØ And for a brand manager, it can give her a deep
insight into her brand.
SWOT analysis for a brand is so compelling because
with a little thought, it can help a brand manager
rediscover her brand. It can facilitate her to look at
the brand in a fresh perspective.
STRENGTHS
These are the characteristics that give a brand an ad-
vantage over others. They are the positive tangible or
intangible attributes; like brand identity, brand image
and brand equity. A strong logo with memorable
colors can be strength for the brand. So also a good
tag line – like‘Utterly, Butterly Amul’!
E
Vivek Hattangadi
BRAND AUDIT AND
SWOT ANALYSIS - A
TOOL FOR BRAND
MANAGERS
How to use the powerful SWOT to gauge the
health of a brand.
Vivek Hattangadi is a Consultant in Phar-
ma Brand Management and Sales Training
at The Enablers. He is also visiting faculty
at CIPM Calcutta (Vidyasagar University)
for their MBA course in Pharmaceutical
Management.
vivekhattangadi@theenablers.org
What determines the health of a brand? Vivek
Hattangadi explains with brand Amul as an
example.

Vivek Hattangadi | Brand Audit and SWOT Analysis - A Tool for Brand Managers
Strengths are the beneficial aspects of the brand. The
Tiger Butterfly mnemonic of Trika, (alprazolam from
Unichem) is another case in point.
WEAKNESSES
These are the characteristics that can place a brand at a
disadvantage relative to competition. Weaknesses can
detract a brand manager from her ability to attain the
core goal of the brand and can have a negative influ-
ence on its growth. Weaknesses are the factors which
do not meet the standards you feel it should meet. For
example if we do a SWOT analysis of the Indian pharma
industry, one weakness is the lack of commitment to-
wards quality, although we have advanced technologi-
cal know-how. This weakness can be corrected through
a paradigm shift in the attitude of manufacturers.
OPPORTUNITIES
These are the chances which a brand manager has
to make greater progress in the current environment
(external attractive factors); like improved economic
conditions, change in buying habits and lifestyle and
many more. She should recognize the opportunities
and grab them whenever they arise. Opportunities may
arise from market, competition, newer technology or
even disruption. In 2003, Cadbury’s found itself in the
eye of a storm, when a few instances of worms in its
Dairy Milk bars were reported. Cadbury’s converted
this threat into an opportunity. It revamped the brand.
The packaging was changed to include a sealed plastic
wrapper inside the outside foil. Today, the brand is
stronger than what it was in 2003.
THREATS
Threats are the external elements in the environment
that could cause trouble for the brand; external factors
beyond the control of the brand manager. Threats arise
when conditions in external environment jeopardize
the brands growth prospects. Threats compound the
vulnerability when they relate to the weaknesses.
Threats are difficult to control. When a threat comes,
the stability and the very existence of the brand can
be in jeopardy. The very recent case is that of Maggi
Noodles is known to all. For the Indian pharma indus-
try, DPCO is a perennial threat.
HOW TO DO A Brand SWOT Analysis - The SWOT Analy-
sis Format
A SWOT Analysis is usually done using a four-square
template. There is a box for each of the attributes:
STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITY, and THREAT.
What the Pharma CEO
Wants from the Brand
Manager
A Book by Prof. Vivek Hattangadi
Available on Flipkart
(click to purchase)

Vivek Hattangadi | Brand Audit and SWOT Analysis - A Tool for Brand Manag-
Use bullet points to do the analysis, as in the SWOT
analysis of Brand Amul done elsewhere in this article.
Here are some of steps to be followed while doing a
SWOT Analysis
ØØ Establish the objectives – The purpose may be spe-
cific or wide.
ØØ Select someone who can help - Expert opinion
may be required for SWOT analysis.
ØØ Let Brand SWOT Analysis be in a workshop mode.
ØØ List Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, &
Threats – gathering background information is
vital.
ØØ Develop an action plan – It should be time bound.
No SWOT analysis is complete without a time-
bound action plan.
ØØ Revisit your findings at frequent intervals – See
whether your behaviour matches your action plan.
And finally, when doing a SWOT analysis, it goes
without saying, integrity is very important or the brand
manager would be misleading herself and the SWOT
analysis may the not be effective. (If you are doing a
personal SWOT, get feedback and share it with some-
one you trust.)
A brand SWOT analysis conducted right now may
become obsolete three months hence. It requires the
brand manager to work on it at defined intervals so
as to remain relevant currently. She has to strengthen
the strengths and take care of the weaknesses. She has
to take full advantage of the opportunities instantly,
while strategizing how to overcome threats.
Use this tool even for your personal development.
As an example, I have done the SWOT analysis of Brand
Amul on 5th September 2015. Whether this remains
relevant on 5th December 2015 is debatable; hence
the need to do it periodically. -VH
strengths
opportunities
weaknesses
threats
ØØ Largest food brand in Asia –
turnover Rs. 21000 crores
ØØ Strong brand association
ØØ High Quality - TQM
ØØ World’s largest pouched milk brand
ØØ Robust supply chain
ØØ Complete dependence on villages
for raw material
ØØ Short shelf-life of their products
ØØ Strong domestically only
ØØ Inconsistent quality as seen in
Amul milk powder
ØØ Penetrate international markets
ØØ Diversify product portfolio and
enter nutritional baby food
segments.
ØØ Acquisition of smaller brands like
Sumul, Vijay, Prabhat and more.
ØØ Strong global brands like Unilever,
Nestles, and Abbott
ØØ Villagers demanding a better price
for milk
ØØ Low yield of Indian cattle
SWOT Analysis of brand‘Amul’on 5th
September 2015
Activity Person responsible Time frame
To improve consistency of Amul milk
powder benchmarking Nestles milk
powder
Director – Formulation &
Development
12 months
Acquiring Vijay and Prabhat dairies Chief Executive Officer 18 months
Making strong presence of Amul felt
starting with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Nepal and the Gulf countries
Director – International
Marketing
36 months
Action Plan based on SWOT Analysis of brand‘Amul’

T
raining and Development (T&D) departments have
a tough life: small budget, high expectations.
These days training and development may be em-
bedded in the more fashionable department called“Talent
Management”.
The list of offered courses, seminars and workshops is
long. It usually starts with on-boarding workshops, covers
Finance for Non-Finance employees, and reaches as far as
outplacement.
T&D initiatives constantly hover above employees, ready to
enrich his or her professional life and CV.
A major and open question was recently expressed by a
head of T&D in a global biotech company:“We are invest-
ing so much in training, but I cannot see many things
change!”
She was talking especially about marketing, sales and the
different types of field force like Key Account Management,
specialty reps, medical liaison managers and market access
people.
Looking a bit deeper into the subject, a number questions
come to the fore waiting to be addressed. There are four
central questions.
E
In order for training programs to have a measurable
impact on business, the training department needs
to answer four important questions.
FOUR
QUESTIONS
EVERY TRAINING
DEPT. SHOULD
ASK ITSELF
Hanno Wolfram
Hanno Wolfram, is the founder and owner
of www.Innov8.de, a Germany based
company offering consulting projects for
pharmaceutical companies.

”
Why train?
The objective of training is quite self-evident: people
need to improve. Yet the driver to invest and send
someone for training must lie in a clearly analyzed
and well understood business need. Only then
everyone involved will have a clear idea what must
be improved and to what degree. As in real life, a pro-
fessional diagnosis must come before any“therapy”is
started.
To set up such a diagnostic pathway there are plenty
of tools. One of my favourite tools for beginning an
assessment is the online questionnaire. Very similar to
a physician assessing a patient’s problem, the word-
ing of questions can be an art. The selection of the
various ways to answer is essential as well. Answering
patterns reach from full text over multiple choice to
clicking buttons in a value matrix. Online surveys are
essential, and very helpful when it comes to a larger
number of people, like in a field force or the complete
organization.
Thinking about specific subjects or assumed gaps in
smaller groups of people, a cause and effect-analysis
may be very helpful indeed. It takes time and effort, a
culture of openness and individual involvement.
At the end one must be very clear about the ques-
tion:“What is the objective of the training?”or“Why
should we invite people to a training?”
One possible objective can be“learning.”Although
learning is really only a beneficial side-effect of train-
ing. Training, as an initiative to address a business
issue, needs to initiate change. Participants should
change the way they act in their professional tasks
and surrounding. In an ideal situation, participants
should act differently after a training than before.
Any training and
development initiative
must have its grounds and
justification in a specific,
clear and “fully diagnosed”
business issue to be
addressed and solved by
training.
Hanno Wolfram | Four Questions Every Training Department Should Ask Itself
Fig. 1 For Medical Reps, training needs can arise around any one of the many determinants of call quality.

”
Measuring the performance of trainers and the
training department is not too difficult. Repeating
the initial diagnostic assessment about the“Why
train?”will automatically lead to measurability of the
training: It will show the intended difference between
“before”and“after”. The repetition of the diagnosis is
the pathway to find out, if a training was successful
and met the intended endpoints.
Any training and development initiative must have
its grounds and justification in a specific, clear and
“fully diagnosed”business issue to be addressed and
solved by training.
Who to train?
Peter Drucker once defined effectiveness as“doing
the right thing”and efficiency he said, was“to do
things right”.
The complaint“Our sales force does not perform well
enough!”, often leads to a request for proposal from
an external vendor for“The High Performance Sales
Team”covering all x-hundred reps. This procedure is
fine if you are measured against your“spend”of the
training budget. However, running training initiatives
this way neither is effective nor efficient.
A more appropriate starting point will be to run a set
of analytics to identify those who need training from
a business perspective. This will contribute to a wise
investment in your people and the business, showing
a clear return.
The crucial question is:“Who needs to be empowered
or moved to act differently on which subject and
in which situation?”In any case, the question must
be fully related and mirror the previously identified
business issue.
If there are first line managers, you might want to
leave the assessment to them, but you should never
leave them alone. They need a structured approach, a
questionnaire and boxes to tick. If handled otherwise,
you will hardly achieve the intended correction of the
business issue to improve the performance of your
business.
A training and development initiative must identify
its participants following individual assessments
instead of a“one size fits all”approach.
How to train?
Answers to the first two questions about the Why and
Who will give direction towards the How. This How
consists of striving and designing an appropriate
training methodology.
A training and
must identify its
participants following
individual assessments
instead of a “one size fits
all” approach.

”
It is important to make distinction: learning and
training are two different things. Learning is followed
by repetition. Repetition is followed by examination
of what is learned. Learning is lead by a teacher, not a
trainer.
Training methodologies are different from teaching
and vary by purpose. The following three points shed
more light on this.
1. The major purpose of training is to empower
people to move from A to B by improved insight
and understanding.
2. Moving in a different direction needs change.
3. Moving from A to B is an individual’s decision
needing explicit action.
Assessing and judging the value of training methods
depends on the business issue to be solved and the
people attending. In all this, there is one common
denominator: any kind of training, no matter how
it is executed, has to result in change - change of
insight, change of perception, change of habits and
different behaviours. After a training, a person needs
to perceive the covered matter in a new way and act
differently.
The spectrum of“how to”might involve aspects of
self-reflection, parts of coaching, repetition, exam-
ples, role-modelling, peer-reviews and probably
indicate group-work, key-notes,“intellectual arson”,
meta-plan work, presentations, exercises, creative
techniques involving artists and actors, and so on.
A training and development initiative must leverage
a methodology driving a change of mind-set, habits
and behaviour into the intended direction.
What to train?
Changing behaviours or habits is possible after the
following are accomplished:
1. Dissemination of a clear insight into the status
quo.
2. Giving a clear direction by sharing the intended
outcome.
3. Establishing a“sense of urgency”to drive the
change of behaviours.
The first step, conveying insight, has a lot to do with
“learning”in its true and narrow sense. Participants
may have to learn differences between past and fu-
ture or getting clear about the glass being half full or
half empty. All these novel and game-changing legal
compliance rules may serve as good examples.
A training and
must leverage a
methodology driving a
change of mind-set, habits
and behaviour into the
intended direction.

”
A training initiative usually is designed to solve a
business problem. To ensure success of the initiative,
all(!) involved must fully know what the planned out-
come is and what they need to contribute to achieve
the intended outcome individually. After they have
learned about the status quo, the objective must be
conveyed and understood.
If you check yourself for your own readiness to
change habits, you will understand, that no slide deck
and no speaker’s charisma will make you change
substantially. How often have you been told by your
parents, friends, mentors and others“Don’t!”but you
did. How often did you, as a parent, tell and urge your
children“Don’t!”and still they did it.
Training should be designed and developed to solve
a business problem by changing patterns of be-
haviour. This is what you rightfully call“change”. But
there is no change without an individual reason why.
The Art of Training lies exactly here: creating a sus-
tainable sense of urgency and the inherent wish to
change habits and behaviours.
A training and development initiative must contain a
method, a tool and a moment when a sense of urgen-
cy is triggered in an individual causing the change of
habits and behaviour. -HW
A training and
must contain a method, a
tool and a moment when
a sense of urgency is
triggered in an individual
causing the change of
habits and behaviour.

24 | MedicinMan December 2013
xxx | yyy
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