Essays on Evaluation of Sales and Marketing Strategy: A Perspective from Pharmaceutical Industry in Thailand, a Survey

Abstract

This thesis was conducted during the author's final year of a three-year PhD program at the IICSE University, USA. The research has its focus on the constant need for new, innovative ways for marketers in pharmaceutical industry in Thailand to reach target physicians (customers) and also adapt to marketing changes. To be able to detect what changes need to occur in the industry, we need to understand the impact that medical representatives (or pharmaceutical representatives) have on the prescription-writing habits of doctors, and competitive landscape in terms of sales and marketing performance of different players in the domain. Physicians are solely responsible in the prescription of pharmaceuticals elsewhere in this world, including in Thailand. The medical representatives are responsible for detailing physicians and other healthcare professionals the information on medical products, so that patients can get the best medicine for their disease treatment.  Both physicians and medical representatives can have a large effect on the perception of a certain pharmaceutical from a certain company.  Physicians also need to be educated by medical representative, and medical representatives must find the best approach to selling their medical products based on the needs of the physician’s patients.   
Different companies have drugs that have very different molecular compositions or classification that treat same diseases.  Usually one expensive original drug can be prescribed for a single disease, so it is important for medical representatives to point out how their medicine will best treat a certain disease in a certain type of person.  This in turn requires asking some questions on how the medical representative can achieve their selling goals.  What selling method makes one drug more desirable over the other? Do physicians respond better to a friendlier, more relational and educated sales representative? What kind of marketing methods are the most effective or preferable by physicians? How do physicians perceive the different ways of selling?  This research was conducted by looking into the selling techniques and marketing strategies used by pharmaceutical companies and medical representatives in Thailand. This should help to distinguish the best sales and marketing methods for pharmaceutical companies and medical representatives, especially in today’s industry.