Episode #1: Field of Dreams - “If you build it, your field data will come.”
Ray Liotta is an accomplished actor, and one of my favorites. However, I must admit I’m not so impressed with his latest work (although another brilliant move by pharma marketers) letting us know how he quit smoking with a well-known medication that rhymes with “Antics.” I’m thinking more about the dawn of his career, starring as a baseball ghost in “Field of Dreams.” We all know the movie: lots of doubters at first, then a lot of success. Another happy ending.
Unfortunately, many life science marketing organizations are closer to “Goodfellas” (undeniably Ray’s most acclaimed role) than “Field of Dreams” when it comes to their sales enablement strategy. They’re still using that shine box or a bunch of other siloed, outdated tools instead of a cutting edge, fully integrated sales enablement platform that will gather their “field data of dreams.”
Most life science organizations will acknowledge that they do not yet have a comprehensive sales enablement strategy. Just like the doubters in Field of Dreams, most marketing leaders initially have doubts about taking the lead and spearheading a Sales Enablement Strategy (SES) for their organization. The data is overwhelming: A long term SES will better align your sales and marketing organizations, increasing productivity, and ultimately revenue.
According to the marketing automation company, Marketo, aligning Sales and Marketing departments can help your company become 67% better at closing deals. Field data is undeniably a big part of this success story. In an increasingly competitive environment where prospective customers are more educated than ever, marketing content needs to be distinctly relevant to their pain points, and in the hands of sales at the precise moment it’s needed. Gathering and being able to apply timely data from all of your field teams gives marketers a competitive advantage.
Sales Enablement technology can help bridge the gap between field teams and marketing, allowing your Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs), sales teams, and other customer facing teams to engage with prospective customers through content in a personalized, valuable, engaging way - ultimately leading to higher win rates and shorter sales cycles. A life science field of dreams.
