Vertical focus: pharmaceutical firms find a spoonful of CRM helps the sales pitch go down.(customer relationship management)

CRM Magazine, May, 2004 by Myron, David

Does this sound familiar? "Ask your doctor if [medication name] is right for you." The barrage of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads and the availability of medical information over the Internet are creating the most knowledgeable customer base ever, but as consumer awareness increases, so do antacid prescriptions for pharmaceutical marketers.

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The ad campaigns create a pull-marketing effect, bringing patients into doctors' offices with product-specific questions. The challenge is keeping physicians up-to-date on new products, customized content, clinical evidence, and comparative analysis of medicines. According to an Accenture survey of 400 physicians conducted last year, 30 percent stated that pharmaceutical sales reps...