Contact Information: CONTACT: Elio Evangelista (919) 433-0214
Effective Thought Leader Relationships Maintained Through Diligent Communication
| Source: Cutting Edge Information
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - April 24, 2008) - According to a recently
published study by Cutting Edge Information
(http://www.PharmaOpinionLeaders.com), mutually beneficial thought leader
relationships are the result of ongoing relationship-building strategies.
The report, "Pharmaceutical Opinion Leader Management: Cultivating Today's
Influential Physicians for Tomorrow," examines the ways that pharmaceutical
companies are managing these relationships.
Establishing a thought leader relationship is relatively simple --
pharmaceutical companies offer consulting or research-related opportunities
to encourage influential physicians to work with their products. However,
maintaining that thought leader relationship requires diligence from
pharmaceutical companies.
Growing pharmaceutical companies must work especially hard to maintain this
relationship. At smaller companies, brand leaders often recruit and
develop thought leaders for commercial purposes. However, as
pharmaceutical companies grow and their thought leader relationships tend
to become more clinical in nature, a thought leader's point of contact may
change from the brand director he or she may have worked with for several
years to an unknown medical science liaison (MSL). Companies must find
ways to make this transition as smooth as possible for a thought leader who
does not understand the necessary shift.
The most effective way to manage this shift is to recognize that
communication between parties must be consistent and informational. The
most common means of communication is through e-mail, but smaller
companies, especially, believe that face-to-face communication is more
beneficial for their purposes. No one form of communication is practical
for every company. Many times, a combination of e-mail and face-to-face
proves more effective.
"Each pharmaceutical company must look inside itself to determine its own
needs, as well as the needs of their thought leaders. Only then can
companies establish programs to effectively communicate with their thought
leaders and therefore grow their thought leader relationships," says Elio
Evangelista, research team leader at Cutting Edge Information.
"Pharmaceutical Opinion Leader Management: Cultivating Today's Influential
Physicians for Tomorrow" is a study of 41 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and
medical device companies' thought leader management structures, resources,
processes and activities. The report includes detailed segmentation and
funding data collected from top companies, such as Pfizer, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Schering-Plough and Novartis.
Download a free summary of "Pharmaceutical Opinion Leader Management:
Cultivating Today's Influential Physicians for Tomorrow" or purchase the
report at:
http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/pharmaopinionleaders/index.htm#body