Do the Public Need More Marketing Savvy Pharmaceutical Companies?

If I read correctly between the lines, when the author of Selling Disease wrote the book, it hinges on the premise that pharmaceutical companies really are promoting outcomes of not using their product.
As a former pharma company CEO used to say, "If people think that cost of medicine is high, try getting sick!"

Perhaps he meant otherwise, but a layman, the message to me is prominent.

Is it clear to you?

In the last post, we've discovered how to apply for pharmaceutical sales jobs when you have no experience. Before that, we've looked at how to choose your ideal pharma company to work for. These 2 subjects are closely related. However, this article is offering you a different point of view.

You don't have to agree with it if you think of working in Pharmaceutical line.

Being trained as an accomplished sales person (cough), selling for the industry, I had been through various selling model, from evidence-based selling to patient focus model of sale.

I notice one common theme runs through all of them: getting sick is bad for patients...

... But not necessarily so for business!

Am I against this whole selling sickness stuff?

If I answer YES, that makes me a hypocrite simply because that's how I build my career around.

If I answer NO, that also makes me a hypocrite!

But I believe in one thing, which is so bright, and I tend to practice it myself. I'm a member of the public also.

Remember?

That single thing is:

Being Educated

I had my formal education and training in a health-related field (Biomedicine). It's an advantage because I find it easier to fathom and relate medical terms and concepts.

But that's not an excuse for me to stop learning. In fact, I learned more and more outside school then when I was inside.

I do see that laziness is the culprit here.

Why?

It's easy to just accept whatever others, especially those who we regard as the experts than to counter check the fact and figures.

I echo what my lecturer used to say about statistics or figures: "Number don't lie. True. But liars make numbers!"

Can you see that also?

Pharmaceutical companies need to deliver the figure to stakeholders. To this end, they employ savvy marketers and excellent sales teams. It's what they have to do. It's required of them.

But what is required from the public?

Public Need to be Better Informed

Forget the marketing genius companies that sell sickness all over the place.

Forget the things that they do to support a political campaign, public services, community deeds, so on and so forth, and focus on getting better informed.

Choose who you listen to wisely.

Be like the sophisticated investors who are having money to invest in pharmaceutical companies, only this time you're investing in your own well being.

Do you think these investors simply dump their money without proper studies and research?

They want the best return on investment, and so should you. This is your health we're talking about.
Start training your mind to see what your account could not.

So here's the plan:

• When you're given a diagnosis, get as much info as you can about it. Ask questions. Ask a lot of questions.
• When you're prescribed with medication, learn about it. Learn about the disease. Learn about medicine as much as you can. Do not swallow everything being fed to you by your prescribers
• When you're not sure about something related to your health, ask. Keep asking until you satisfy. And then ask some more.

These are just simple habits and actions you can take to be more informed.

Trusting your doctors is excellent. Double check on your own is better. Combine both, every time, is the best.

We can't stop pharmaceutical companies from being good at marketing their products or selling sickness, but we can choose to be educated public when it comes to our health.

It pays to be educated.

Don't you think?