Exporting home success
For companies looking to venture and start up in a new country, the prospect can be a daunting one. How do you manage to achieve that winning formula that you have created in your home country? It is possible to translate the success that you have worked hard to establish into new global territories, with minimal infrastructure, where a presence is required, in order to grow and develop your business. The key to getting it right and ensuring success is to partner with a company who will do the work for you and make the transition a smooth one. When a Pharmaceutical or Healthcare company wants to enter the UK market or any other country they do not always want the responsibility and financial pressure of setting up a new country office and building an infrastructure of personnel to carry out the necessary functions. That is why it is imperative to form a strong working partnership with a company that can perform all the essential functions on their behalf. When doing this you want to know you are in safe hands and have the confidence in your partner organisation that they will be able to take responsibility for all aspects of the start up.
The inception of this relationship needs to commence at a very early stage, so that both companies can be involved in all aspects of the global transition. If you choose the right partner to work with, the network and support they can provide is tremendous when building the platform to launch you successfully into a new dimension.
VMC is one such company that offers this unique service and has now worked with both American and European Pharmaceutical companies, assisting them in that leap into new and exciting territories. They have now built and established a model for companies wanting to enter the UK market that works extremely well. The framework they have developed offers a diverse support mechanism. An example of this is with an American based company, Enturia, who wanted to launch their unique, range of products into the UK market to help in the prevention and control of MRSA. After numerous meetings and discussions between Enturia and VMC, the partnership was formed and the process of launching Enturia into the UK commenced.
The partnership started with a blank sheet of paper and some of the issues and areas that needed to be investigated included:
- Pre market analysis in relation to NHS funding and protocols
- NHS treatment and management systems and best approach
- Set up of advisory boards and KOL development
- Defining a structure for the company in the UK and establishing a basis for its growth
- Defining a structure/ profile for the sales function and clinical support team
- Recruitment of key persons to head up the UK function
- Defining the definitions of the territories for the sales team
- Recruitment and all HR aspects in relation to employing Sales and Clinical Support team on a contract through VMC
- To establish small office (rented premises) in the UK
- Setting up and delivering an ITC relevant to the requirements of the Sales Team and the Clinical Support Team
- All ongoing project management of the Enturia team in the UK in relation to their employment/ sales results/ customer relationships/ ongoing training etc.
One of the strengths of VMC is the strong alliances that they have in place with other companies. PDC Healthcare and Training Central being two such companies. PDC Healthcare were able to assist Enturia in the very initial stages of their development into the UK market with the analysis of the NHS funding available for ChloraPrep and the best approach to take within the UK market.
PDC Healthcare can also assist with licence applications and setting up of trials, both in the UK, European and Eastern markets.
Training Central also assisted Enturia with their unique “off line” training management system in aiding the Sales and Clinical Team with the learning of the clinical data required for the role.
VMC along with their established team of providers helped to fulfil all of the other requirements defined on the list.
As a consequence Enturia successfully launched ChloraPrep into the UK market. The project has been a great achievement and it has allowed Enturia to take the time to build an infrastructure in the UK. Enturia has now transferred both the Sales and Clinical Sales Team over onto headcount, showing the strength of the platform that has now been built in the UK.
“The success of the recruitment and management of the field team and of this product on the contract with VMC is evidence of the fact that we are taking the team on to Enturia headcount. On behalf of Enturia I would like to thank the whole team at VMC for the major part you have played in our success to date. I look forward to continuing the great partnership we have established over this last year on the other projects we have in play."
General Manager, Enturia
In the last twelve months VMC have also became partners of choice with European companies York Pharma, Basilea and Alexion. All have pharmaceutical products, some pre licence and require assistance to launch into the UK market. All three companies are also launching into other global territories simultaneously. In addition to the pre entry market requirements mentioned previously, other areas that VMC have been able to support the above three companies with are:
- Defining and provision of most appropriate CRM system
- Training in local Healthcare (product) environment
- Provision of customer data (consultants/ SPR’s, GPSI’s etc)
- NHS information at PCT/ Strategic Health Authorities level
“VMC were appointed to York Pharma (UK) Limited at the end of a rigorous competitive selection process. Since that appointment as well as providing their undoubted expertise in recruitment, VMC has brought their experience and knowledge of the changing NHS. Working together we have designed, developed and implemented what I believe to be a structure and process of working with our customers that responds to their changing needs and will achieve our objectives."
Sales and Marketing Director, York Pharma
Making that major crucial step into a new and unknown market does not have to be one of dread. Instead, by choosing the right partner to work with, it can be one of excitement and fulfilment. You need to know you are going to achieve your goal and to be assured of this, one of the first steps that needs to take place is choosing this very special partner. It is essential you take time to do this, because if you get this stage wrong, it will be the determining factor as to whether your market entry is a success or not.
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If you get this stage right then this will be the foundation to your successful launch into any new global territory.
Make sure the partnership works for you and is designed and bespoke to achieving your specific objectives. Without a doubt this approach works, especially for smaller, niche type companies. It gives the security and network to a diverse range of support mechanisms, expertise, advice at strategic levels, across all functions.
If you are looking to develop your business into a new global arena, whatever your size, start by making that first important step – choose the right partner to work with and let them do the work on your behalf.
