Blog

01Mar 2024 by cesare ferrari

Value proposition design for medical products (Part 4)

After discussing value proposition in general and with respect to the customer and the product, in this post, I would use the value proposition canvas to analyze the value proposition of a medical product and its product market fit. Inclusively, I'll evaluate the value proposition of hyaluronic acid injections with a specific customer segment in a defined context. Let’s start with only one customer type. Customer profile The customer profile is an orthopedic surgeon consulting a patient suffering from knee osteoarthritis. In this context the customer has the following "jobs to be done": Providing a treatment to reduce pain and increase mobility Being recognized by the patient Producing patient satisfaction Identifying patients needing surgical treatment Creating patient loyalty Performing a medical act (prescription or procedure) Making money Pains The orthopedic…

17Feb 2024 by cesare ferrari

Value proposition design for medical products (Part 3)

Upstream marketing

Welcome to the third article about value proposition design for medical products. As a quick recap, we analyzed the various customers and gathered insights on what jobs they are doing, identifying their pains and gains. You can access part one here and part two here for more details. In this third part, I'll show you how to craft a compelling offer using the left part of the value proposition canvas, and share more insights on the value map. So don't skip any part as you read on. The value map First, let me remind you that your value proposition primarily comprises products and services that are the base of your offering. Products and services Defining the products and services - it is that which allows your customer to do the…

03Feb 2024 by cesare ferrari

Value proposition design for medical products (Part 2)

Upstream marketing

If you found value in Part One of this series, I can assure you that this next part will make a more significant impact on your understanding of this subject of value proposition design for medical products. As a fellow practitioner, I am firmly convinced that by understanding our customers and empathizing with them, we can design products that customers will "love". It is the same reason why the customer side of the canvas is the focus of this post, so you do not want to miss any part of this, especially the concluding notes. The customer The starting point of every value proposition canvas is the customer and is why you should create customer profiles for each customer segment. You should also ensure that all the…

19Jan 2024 by cesare ferrari

Value proposition design for medical products (Part 1)

Downstream marketing, Upstream marketing

Introduction The market success of a drug or medical device is strongly determined by its value proposition. It is why designing and communicating a compelling value proposition to all the stakeholders is one of the most vital medical marketing activities. The role of the product manager (whose responsibility is to lead a cross-functional team to develop the value proposition and ensure its communication at every interaction with the stakeholders) is a significant part of this process. Reason being that the different stakeholders, healthcare professionals, patients, providers, and payers can have different or even divergent value perspectives, increasing the complexity of developing an effective value proposition for all the stakeholders. This article is one of four series, and I'll start here with the definition of the value proposition of a drug…

16Dec 2023 by cesare ferrari

Holiday Season

Downstream marketing, Sales, Upstream marketing

The holiday season is a hectic time for many people. Between holiday shopping, holiday parties and holiday cooking, it can be difficult to find the time or energy to read during this busy time of the year. This is the reason I normally take a pause during the holyday season. This is my last article of 2023, and I would like to re-share a few posts on important topics for medical sales and marketing professionals. Business plans I have a pragmatic position on business plans and business cases. I do not consider realistic plans and planning useless. However, before starting to write a long and detailed business plan any entrepreneur or intrapreneur should focus on building and testing the product and the business model. I have analyzed in detail the…

01Dec 2023 by cesare ferrari

6 Best Practices For Onboarding New Medical Distributors

Sales

In the previous post, I examined the importance of an effective onboarding program for new medical distributors. In this article, I will focus on six best practices to produce a successful onboarding plan. Let’s see together what I think is important for onboarding medical distributors: 1. Prevent misalignment There is an old saying, “Prevention is better than cure,” which is valid also for commercial partnerships. We can all agree that partnership is working together to achieve common objectives and it is fundamental to understanding each other in a business relationship. For this reason, at the onboarding or even better before the onboarding, the two partners (supplier and distributor) should be clear about their respective priorities and goals. As a supplier, you should establish what is important to you and communicate…

18Nov 2023 by cesare ferrari

How To Make The Best First Impression With Your New Medical Distributor

Sales

Consider this: You worked hard to find and select a new commercial partner in an uncovered market. You and your new distributor invested time and resources to establish what both expect to be a long-term, profitable and fruitful commercial relationship. All the prerequisites are fulfilled, the distribution agreement is signed, and the regulatory departments are working together in harmony to register the products. Well... the worst thing you and your partner can do is consider the partnership well-founded and drive attention to something else. As a supplier, you have the responsibility to help your distributor capitalize on “quick” wins in the first months of the relationship. This is why it’s necessary to show you how to make the best first impression with your new medical distributor and establish a successful…

05Nov 2023 by cesare ferrari

5 Mistakes In Key Account Selection

Sales

In my previous post, I discussed key accounts and their role in product development. Today I would take the analysis several steps further by sharing a few common mistakes in selecting and categorizing key accounts.  In my experience in medical device marketing, suppliers and distributors are frequently small and medium size companies and I have always believed their process to properly identify and select their key accounts can be improved.   This is because the selection of key customers of a medical company has a fundamental effect on the success of its sales management strategy.   Also, categorizing the customer base needs to be internally agreed upon and normally takes more time and effort than expected. Nevertheless, the impact on sales can be relevant, therefore it is worth it.   With that being…

22Oct 2023 by cesare ferrari

Customer Orientation In The Medical Business

Sales, Upstream marketing

I recently met an ex-colleague and we discussed for a couple of hours several decisions made by the management of a MedTech company that we both felt were not focused on the customer. We agreed that those decisions were evidence of putting the business needs over what was best for the customer.    For this reason, after this eye-opening conversation about how far small and medium-sized medical device companies are from being customer-centric, I decided to return to this topic.   If you follow this blog regularly you should already know that I’m a strong advocate of customer centricity and customer orientation. Read on to find my takes and solution to building a customer-centric medical business. What is customer orientation?  Customer orientation is a business philosophy that puts the needs of the customer at the center of the…

06Oct 2023 by cesare ferrari

How do you find customers to talk to? (Part 2)

Upstream marketing

Remember the first post on customer interactions where I shared essential tips on how to find customers to talk to? Great! Here’s the follow-up and I’ll be talking about how to effectively find customers to interact with. Just in case you missed the first post (part 1), you can go over it here. It’ll help you understand how to define the profile of a customer and the general strategy to approach them. Let’s move right into the focus of this content, which is customer interactions. 5 ways to generate fruitful customer interactions Once the profile of the customer and the approach strategy is well defined the next step is to find an appropriate number of customers to speak with. Here are 5 practical examples that show you how. 1.…