Selling with iPads or Hard Copy?

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As we all know, social media and electronic technology is used continuously.
Multiple Pharmaceutical companies have equipped their field sales forces with iPads loaded with sales pieces, visuals and scientific studies, to utilize in the field. However, many of the field representatives I have worked with find that using an iPad during a call is very difficult. Many are using them only to complete administrative tasks, opting to continue to share the "hard copy” back up visuals.
Why would this be?
What has been your experience in engaging both field representatives and physicians during field calls by implementing the use of an iPad to share information in a conversation?

Linda Nelson
79 months ago

4 answers

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The sales person using the iPad is often challenged with the size of persons attending. The more in attendance makes the display more difficult to see and to review. iPads may be most useful in complicating transactions or registration etc. Not for presentations. Generally these devices are distractive at best . Tom

Thomas Kaye
78 months ago
0

iPads are wonderful for the Marketing Department as it will cut printing costs significantly. It also allows for quicker updates or edits to marekting tools and much less paper wastes when pieces are outdated. That said, you need to make sure that the marketing pieces on the iPad can be pulled up quickly and easily by a sales rep. The worst thing for a rep is to have a selling opportunity and the iPad not open or be slow to load. I still prefer the iPad over print but only if set up with the primary focus of selling success in place.

Dan Harper
78 months ago
0

I think the short answer is that the two modalities of presentation are complementary so both could be used.
ACC

Anthony Chang
78 months ago
0

When the shift to Ipads or "digital detail aids" first started years ago I found the DDA to be an amazing tool. It was innovative and Dr's had never seen anything like it before. It was a great novelty that often allowed me to gain more time with my doctors (at least in my case). Once the novelty wore off, using the DDA become more of a hassle than a beneficial tool. I currently use way more paper resources than my Ipad. I find that it is very hard to keep the flow of a call going while you are clicking around on the ipad to get the next piece of information. I often refer back to graphs and what not throughout a call and it is much easier to do that with a paper detail aid. I do like to use the Ipad for short stand up calls when you do not really need to flip through any pages.

Jackie Cohen
78 months ago

Have some input?