It seems as though each competitor tells a different story. It’s a more effective product than yours. It’s the safest product available. There are virtually no side effects. It’s covered on every managed care plan, so patients pay next to nothing. It’s difficult to compete with competitors who appear misleading, and in your gut, you know some are just plain untrue. So don’t.
Companies have fabricated extraordinary stories over the years to deliver a message that makes them, and their prescribers feel better about using a product that actually is inferior to others on the market. Ever heard of “light and fluffy” cholesterol? Ever heard of “more potent”? How about “hydrophilic instead of lipophilic”? I hope you’re smiling by now, because these messages have actually been used, while usually having no clinical significance to patient care.
So how do we overcome the difficulty of other brands telling half-truths?
Follow the principles of integrity and ethics that guide the world’s great leaders in their respective businesses. We’ve adapted them to our world in and out of pharmaceuticals.
1. “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business.” – Henry Ford.
Always remember that medicine is for the patient. It is not for profit. Keep this at the focus of all your efforts as it will help you avoid the distractions of sketchy competitors.
2. “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Respect is at the core of all we do in each of our jobs. Treat your customers as though they are your family, and when you do, you will gain the trust that the message-mixers don’t have.
3. “Power is actualized only when word and deed have not parted company.” – Hanna Arendt.
The proof is in the pudding. Eventually the truth will rise to the top and your success will be realized although often that may seem to be an eternity. Usually when the truth comes out, the message mixers are long gone. Yet you know the power of the truth—no matter how long it takes to come out.
4. “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” –Samuel Johnson.
Build integrity in your brand by promising only what you can deliver. Continue to focus on what you can deliver and not what they say. No matter the cost, deliver what was promised and never over promise.
5. “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.” – Aristotle.
Good ethical behavior should be a part of everything we do. There is really no difference between business ethics, legal ethics, or religious ethics. There is ethics. When we weave that into our fiber, we act consistently and ethically. Every single day.
