When you compare PCD pharma companies, almost every one promises “promotional support”. In practice that phrase covers very different things: from a full set of printed material for every product to a single brochure. Because promotion is how a PCD franchise turns stock into prescriptions, it is worth knowing exactly what you will get.
This guide explains the usual kinds of promotional material, how partners use them on doctor and chemist visits, the rules that apply to promoting medicines, and what to ask a company before you sign.
Why promotional material matters in a PCD franchise
In a PCD franchise, you (and any medical representatives you employ) promote the products to doctors in your area. A doctor sees many representatives a week, often for a few minutes each. Clear, accurate material helps you present the product quickly: the composition, the strength, the dosage form and the pack. It also helps the chemist find and reorder the product.
Good material does not replace knowing your products, but it makes every visit more efficient.
The usual kinds of promotional material
| Material | What it is | How partners use it |
|---|---|---|
| Visual aid | A folder or flip book with pages for each product | Shown during a doctor visit to present a few products clearly |
| Product cards | A card per product with the composition, strength and pack | Left with the doctor or chemist as a reminder |
| Reminder cards | Small cards or leaflets naming the products | Handed out at the end of a visit |
| Order books | Printed books for recording orders | Used to take orders from chemists and stockists |
| Stickers | Product or brand stickers | Used in pharmacies, where allowed |
| Product-card manual | A collection of all product cards | Your own reference for the full range |
| MR bag | A bag to carry material and samples | Some companies supply one; many partners buy their own |
Some companies also provide sample packs or literature for particular products. What is available, and on what terms, varies from company to company.
How to use the material well
- Plan each visit. Choose two or three products that suit the doctor’s practice, rather than showing the whole range.
- Keep material up to date. If a composition, strength or pack changes, old material should be replaced.
- Match material to stock. Do not promote products you cannot supply promptly; ask the company what is in stock before you plan a campaign.
- Leave something behind. A product card or reminder card helps the doctor remember the product after you leave.
- Use order books consistently, so you can track what each chemist orders and when to follow up.
Planning a promotional cycle
Many partners plan their visits in monthly or fortnightly cycles:
- Choose the focus products for the cycle: two or three per specialty you visit.
- Check stock of those products, so that every prescription you generate can be filled.
- Prepare the material: the right visual-aid pages, product cards and reminder cards for each doctor.
- Visit doctors and chemists, presenting the focus products and noting questions you could not answer.
- Follow up at the chemists near each doctor to see whether prescriptions arrive.
- Review at the end of the cycle: which products gained prescriptions, which did not, and what to change next time.
A simple cycle like this makes promotional material work harder, because each piece is used for a purpose rather than handed out at random.
Keeping track of material
Promotional material costs money even when it is free to you, because it takes time to carry and use well. Keep a small stock at your premises, note what you hand out to whom, and ask the company for fresh material before you run out of the items you use most. Return or discard material for products that have changed, so that doctors never see out-of-date information.
The rules on promoting medicines
Promotion of medicines in India is expected to follow the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP). In broad terms:
- information about a medicine must be accurate, balanced and consistent with its approved use;
- claims must not be misleading or exaggerated;
- gifts, cash or other personal benefits for doctors and their families are not permitted as an inducement to prescribe;
- free samples are restricted and must be handled responsibly.
The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act also restricts advertising that claims to treat certain diseases. If a piece of material makes claims you are unsure about, ask the company before you use it. Promotional material should inform; it should not promise results.
Material for chemists
Doctors are not the only audience. Chemists decide which brands are on their shelves and often suggest a brand when a prescription names only the composition. Product cards, stickers where they are allowed, and a clear list of your products with compositions and packs help chemists stock and find your products. A short, regular chemist visit, with up-to-date material and a quick check of their stock, often does as much for your orders as a doctor visit.
What to ask a company before you start
- What material is supplied, and for which products: every product, or only some?
- Is it free of charge, supplied against orders, or charged?
- How often is it refreshed, and is it updated when a product changes?
- How quickly is it dispatched, and is it sent with your stock?
- Are samples available, and on what terms?
- Can you see examples before you sign?
Add the answers to your comparison of companies alongside price, territory and dispatch. Our 10 questions to ask before choosing a PCD company covers the rest, and what a PCD pharma franchise costs shows where promotional material fits in your budget.
Working with Ancare Life Sciences
Ancare Life Sciences, Panchkula, supplies promotional material free of charge on request: visual-aid folders, order books, reminder cards, stickers and product-card manuals. Read how our PCD pharma franchise works, browse the product list with compositions, or contact us to ask about material for the ranges you plan to start with.