But I could not have predicted a day when a smartphone like mine would become instrumental in the medical care of patients.  A recent article published in InformationWeek, (“Pick Up Your Smartphone: The Doctor’s Calling“) reports that healthcare providers are increasingly using this new technology to reach out to patients – including underserved populations who may not have traditional desktop computers, but do have mobile phones.

Here at Technekes, we incorporate the same technology in our Patient Assistance Program platform, giving drug manufacturers a tool for reminding patients to re-apply for the program.

And that, I believe, is only the beginning.  At Technekes, we can verify PAP eligibility, inform patients of their status, and confirm shipping via phone, text or email.

Liz Reese, Sales Trainer, Healthcare Practice Group

For years, a pharma rep could predict, with nearly 100% accuracy, the first question a doctor would ask following a product presentation:  “Do you have any samples?”

Increasingly, the answer is “no.”  According to a recent article in Medical Marketing & Media, industry support for samples dropped 25% from 2007 to 2011.

From a rep’s perspective, that’s a landshift if not a downright earthquake.  Still, I’d contend that answering “no” to a sample request is not a bad thing.  Smart pharma marketers still have plenty of options – options that are more affordable, more manageable and result in measurable results.

Co-pay cards or coupons, for example, can be great alternatives.  Not only are they are cost-effective to print and ship (no worries about packaging or inventory maintenance, either) but they are 100% trackable.  Manufacturers can see exactly when and where coupons are redeemed.

That isn’t to say that there won’t be occasions for sampling.  With our RepOnCall programs, we’ve found we can still offer samples – but can do so more affordably and intelligently by extending the offer only at the end of the conversation – and to healthcare professionals who have a genuine need and desire for samples.   And isn’t that a smarter solution for patients, manufacturers and healthcare providers alike?

If you’d like to know more about Technekes RepOnCall, visit our website or call Bobbie Montgomery, vice president, Healthcare Practice Group at 704.817.5682.

Technekes is proud to support four teammates from the Raleigh office who will carry on our corporate tradition of “giving back” by participating in Relay For Life this spring.

Relay For Life celebrates and remembers individuals who have fought cancer.  To raise funds, Michelle Palatine, Liz Montgomery, Kelly Gilliam, and Luke Williams are putting together a team of Technekes’ employees to circle the track at NC State University with other Relay For Life teams, April 13.

The Technekes team, named “Cancer Never Sleeps,” will take turns walking the track all night long during the event.  “Cancer Never Sleeps” also plans a few fundraisers in advance of Relay For Life, and has designated teal, orange, and blue* as their team colors.  What we can do is show our support by “liking” the team on Facebook, making a donation on their website, or even better— doing a few laps with them on the 13th.

It’s a terrific cause – and by supporting our team, perhaps we can all get a better night’s sleep.

* Teal represents ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer awareness.  Orange represents leukemia awareness.  Blue represents colon and prostate cancer awareness.

What is the one line of your email that virtually everyone on the distribution list will read?

Here’s a clue:  It’s not the personalized greeting.  Not the elegant logo and tagline.  Not the compelling offer.   Not even the urgent “P.S.”

It’s the subject line.

Yes, a subject line is short (hopefully) and disposable (sadly), but it’s also an essential tipping point, determining whether the reader even opens your message.  That’s a lot of responsibility in a few dozen characters.

According to Badin, maker of the email plugin Boomerang, the average email user receives 146 messages a day, of which 71 (nearly half!) are deleted.   All the more reason, then, that your subject line should be the hardest-working part of your communication.

I see subject lines like the blurbs on magazine covers in the grocery store checkout line.  Those blurbs aren’t written to summarize the article or tout the publisher’s mission statement or uphold the magazine’s brand.  They’re written to be irresistible.  They’re written to snag a shopper’s attention, prompt him or her to pick up the magazine, flip to a specific article, and quickly decide to make the purchase – all before the last bottle of shampoo slides across the scanner.

That’s why, instead of blurbs like “Our experienced and dedicated editorial staff has worked diligently to leverage expansive and innovative educational content regarding satisfying your stakeholders,” we see blurbs like, “Seven ways to drive your partner wild.”

There are, of course, guidelines to consider when drafting email subject lines.  A subject line should be relevant, accurately reflecting the message of the email itself.  A subject line should be concise.  Study after study indicates that the shorter the subject line, the higher the open rate.  We also know that even when a longer subject line is “clicked open,” the reader likely does not read the subject line in its entirety.  The writer should also bear in mind that longer subject lines may be truncated.  Depending upon the mail server, a subject line may be automatically “shortened” to fit.  (AOL’s character limit, for example, is 60.  Yahoo’s is 47.)

These constraints; however, should only make us work harder, giving subject lines the respect they deserve – and empowering them to do their singular, short-lived job – get your email opened.

Years ago, in an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry gives Elaine a stack of bills — $182 altogether — for her birthday.  Her incredulous response went along these lines, “Cash?  Cash?  You gave me cash?”  Kramer, also disbelieving, chimes in, “Cash?  You gotta be kidding.  What kind of a gift is that?  That’s like something her uncle would get her.”

I think of that episode every time a company asks why they should offer incentives over cold, hard cash.

For starters, incentive items have longevity — or to use an industry term, they are “sticky.”  Cash bonuses are fleeting – usually spent quickly and spent entirely.  An incentive, i.e., “gift” is different.  It has a shelf-life.  Whether an iPod listened to every day or a set of golf clubs used occasionally, a gift stays around.

Because they are tangible, incentive items also lend themselves to emotional memories.  Cash, on the other hand, is seen as more utilitarian.  Bonuses are often spent in mundane ways like paying down bills or are simply absorbed into everyday purchases.  An incentive, i.e., a “gift” is different.  It has staying power.  When a sales associate listens to her new iPod or prepares dinner on his new Weber gas grill, they remember how they chose and received the gift.  And while it stays around, the “gift” reminds the recipient of the “giver” – the company that provided the reward.

And finally, cold, hard cash is well, cold and hard.  Studies have found that employees come to regard cash bonuses as “expected,” rather than something special.  The recipients don’t feel any lasting warmth as a result of receiving a cash bonus.   Furthermore, it’s hard to talk about cash, depriving the recipient of “bragging rights.”  Few people want to – or in some cases, are even allowed to – tell friends and extended family about a bonus received.  On the other hand, they’ll speak freely, openly and kindly about the appliances, boats or trips receive.

Bottom line, I think Kramer got it right, “Cash?  What kind of a gift is that?”

You’ll find a familiar face in this month’s issue of Medical Marketing and Media.  It’s our own senior vice president of healthcare marketing, Bobbie Montgomery, sitting in as guest writer for the February “Viewpoint” column.

As usual, Bobbie is able to see beyond the constraints of pharma marketing — including tightening regulations and slashed sales forces —  to identify real and profitable opportunities for clients in 2012.

Congrats on being published, Bobbie!  The only thing better than seeing you in print is actually seeing you in action with our wonderful clients!

Ashley Williams, SVP, Ag Practice Group

Lindsey Burke walked away a real winner at Technekes’ Annual Meeting and Holiday Event.

First, Lindsey participated in two “Technekes Idol” talent show performances.  Ultimately, her individual clogging routine took first place, beating out six other performances, including her team’s rendition of  the “12 Days of Technekes.”  The talented Lindsey is taking her first ever clogging class.  Talk about bravery!

More important, Lindsey won the coveted Breakout Award, which is awarded annually to a Technekes employee who has been with the company for fewer than two years, but has already made a tremendous impact.

The “Breakout Award” trophy is a real working clock crafted from blown out engine parts.  Pretty appropriate with Lindsey and her family being in the farm machinery auction business, don’t you think?

Please join me in congratulating Lindsey and dedicating this very appropriate song to her!

When most of us think of poverty in America, we think of the homeless, the unemployed or other individuals who somehow missed out on the American dream.  We don’t picture the poor as people we know – people living in the suburbs in households headed by married couples with fulltime jobs.  (See “Older, Suburban and Struggling, ‘Near Poor’ Startle The Census,” The New York Times.)  However, a new government measure of poverty released last month identifies the poor and “near poor” as being people who look a lot like us and our friends and neighbors.  Even the government bean counters who work on these issues every day were surprised to find that, under this new calculation, one out of every three Americans lives at or just above the poverty level.

Those of us who work with healthcare benefit programs should welcome the change from the long-criticized Federal Poverty Level, which measured financial status solely by the annual family income.  The new Supplemental Poverty Measure provides a more realistic assessment of household wealth by taking into account benefits such as food stamps and tax credits, as well as expenses like insurance and transportation costs, and then adjusts the total for regional differences in the cost of living.

This new review of the complexity of poverty in America points out the vital need for pharmaceutical Patient Assistance Programs.  Through its service provider, Technekes, the Foundation works to offer pharmaceutical manufacturers a streamlined and compassionate way to provide free prescription drugs to patients who cannot otherwise afford them.  With poverty now affecting some 51 million Americans, programs like RxMatters are needed now, more than ever.

Preston Fay, Chief Marketing Officer, Founder

Men have a 50-50 chance of developing cancer in their lifetime. I know two people diagnosed in the last six weeks. That’s why I need your help.

November is now know as “Movember,” and it is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world.

I and 15 of my brothers at Technekes are sporting a wide variety of Mo’s to raise much-needed funds and awareness for men’s health.

We’re on day 19, and so far our Mo’Rauders team has raised nearly $1,400!

I don’t often come a beggin’, but now I’m asking you to sponsor my scary handlebars and evil lower-lip thingy by making a contribution. I know it’s ugly, but Movember is a worthy cause.

Here’s how you can help:

• Go to this page: DONATE NOW!
• Enter a donation amount: $10, $25 or $10,000
• Follow the simple steps to complete your transaction
• Bask in the glow of your good deed and my nasty facial hair which is gone on 12/1!

Thanks so very much for your help!

Alex Dowlin, Director of Sales Operations, Healthcare Practice Group

As many of you know, a group of brave gentlemen here at Technekes in Raleigh and Charlotte have taken on the task of bringing awareness for prostate cancer … by growing moustaches.

Someone very close to my wife, Heather, and me has been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, and to show support for him and bring awareness for men’s health, I’ve pledged my “attempt” to cultivate a genuine 100% face grown moustache for 30 days.  It’s Movember, the month formerly known as November, which is dedicated to growing moustaches and raising awareness and funds for men’s health. I have joined the movement and will be donating my upper lip to the cause for 30 days.

My moustache (Mo) will spark conversations, and no doubt generate some laughs; all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for cancers affecting men.  Please join in our effort by becoming a Mo Bro or Mo Sista, or support with donations or forwarding on our progress to your networks.  You can see updated pictures of the team here:  http://mobro.co/alexdowlin.  (As of today, it looks like my lip is dirty.)  This won’t be pretty.  I will forward out progress of our team, the Midnight Mo’rauders as we progress.

Why am I so passionate about men’s health?

• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
• A man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every 2.2 minutes
• 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
• 24% of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women

Please support my efforts by making a donation to our team, The Midnight Mo’rauders, at http://mobro.co/alexdowlin.

You can even write a check payable to “Movember Foundation”, reference my name and Registration Number 1913786 and send it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726

If you’d like to find out more about the type of work you’d be helping to fund by supporting Movember, take a look at the Programs We Fund section on the Movember website: http://us.movember.com/about

Thank you all in advance for supporting my efforts to change the face of men’s health.