Medical Device Link.

Originally Published MX November/December 2005

TOPSPIN

Establishing a speakers bureau can help medical device manufacturers build credibility with a receptive audience.

Catherine M. Wolfe

Word-of-mouth marketing can be a promoter's dream come true. The trick is figuring out how and when to use this marketing tool successfully. Last year, diagnostic imaging systems provider Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. (Tustin, CA) launched its Aquilion 64 CFX CT system, based on a new CT technology that physicians are anxious to learn about and use in their practices. With the new technology, the CT scanner can capture superior, precise images of a patient's heart while the person takes a single breath and holds it for only 5—12 seconds. These diagnostic images help physicians check for suspected heart disease, often eliminating the need for invasive cardiac angiograms.

Toshiba is not the only company offering this technology. And the company's competitors are considerably larger with significantly more resources. Toshiba's predicament: How can it communicate to the market the message that it offers arguably the best of this new technology and not be overwhelmed by the strength and voice of the competition? This challenge is exacerbated by the need to reach difficult-to-access clinical decision makers, all the while constrained by a fixed, modest budget.

Catherine M. Wolfe is director of marketing services for Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. (Tustin, CA).

Toshiba has found that companies in its position can find success by creating a speakers bureau, in which customers tell their stories to prospects and subtly provide visibility and validation to a medical product company and its offerings. The accompanying continuing medical education (CME) credits, required for medical professionals to maintain their licenses to practice, can ensure attendance at such events and provide a service to customers, in turn benefiting patients.

Building an "A" Team

From the moment medical product marketers decide to start a speakers bureau, they become talent scouts seeking the most informative, topical, and engaging speakers. Speakers will join bureaus because they are interested in advancing the new technology and sharing their clinical experiences with their colleagues. As an additional incentive, and to ensure they have a good group of professionals from which to choose, medtech companies may want to write into their research agreements the requirement to make presentations at CME activities, much in the way they may oblige their luminaries to publish papers.

When companies are looking for speakers, they should seek strong presentation skills, an ability to address many levels of knowledge, and an enthusiasm for the topic. Building a speakers bureau around accomplished and credible faculty will ensure there is a strong base of presenters from which the CME provider can select when planning continuing education activities. A speaker from an internationally renowned teaching institution like Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes (Baltimore) is going to be a bigger draw than the physician from the local clinic.

Also, things will go much easier for medtech companies if they work with cooperative speakers. Plans change, events get started late, and rules are revised. Selecting speakers who understand that their company partner will always do its best to prepare them will help when the inevitable challenge arises.

Advertising without Names

Next to having a well-respected and clinically expert faculty, one of the most important aspects of a medtech speakers bureau is offering CME credits. There are, however, some important things to understand.

First, medical products companies should align themselves with an experienced education company. These organizations work with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), which oversees review and approval of all CME courses. Because technologists, in addition to physicians, are an important part of Toshiba's purchasing cycle, the company's CME group also works with the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) to obtain continuing education (CE) credit.

Companies should not be overwhelmed when first attempting the process of organizing a meeting. There are a lot of rules, and they can change annually. CME and CE credits are highly valued—and the biggest draw for prospects to attend a meeting. Speakers and company representatives need to follow the guidelines provided by the ACCME or they can lose credit.

The rules prohibit the mention of company products at any time—by speakers or medical company representatives. The sponsoring company's name is on the initial flyer and posters at the event, but it is secondary to the information publicizing the educational event. Commercial promotional materials cannot be displayed or distributed in the educational space or placed immediately before, during, or after a CME activity. Also, during the event no one may engage in sales or promotional activities. Sponsoring companies may not pay directly for speakers' travel, honoraria, site rental, or food. Those costs must be channeled through the independent CME company.

This brings up another important point. Medtech companies live and breathe by FDA guidelines. Because products are not mentioned or promoted at a CME event, FDA promotional guidelines are not an issue for the most part.

Also, sponsoring companies need to look for a CME organization that is well established, flexible, and has a good working relationship with the ACCME and other organizations like the ASRT. It's important to partner with a group that is reasonable while working through the inevitable hurdles of putting together a program.

Designing the Event

When a company is creating its CME event agenda, it's best to keep it simple and focused. Frequently, weekday evenings work best. A buffet dinner reception held the first 45 minutes of a program, starting at about 6 p.m., provides flexibility for attendees when arriving. Presentations can be anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour in length following the dinner reception. A two-hour program with at least a half hour for questions and answers is generally acceptable.

Programs that feature one speaker work when the speaker is exceptional. Scheduling as many as three speakers in one evening, each with 30-minute presentations and then 30 minutes at the end of the evening for questions and answers, can be even better.

Presentations should be lively and educational. Including anecdotes and illustrations makes the material more interesting. Presenters shouldn't forgo good slide design principles. No more than six bullets per slide and six words per bullet are good guidelines that prevent slides from being too busy. There should be plenty of visuals, not just slides with words.

An important consideration is the quality of a speaker's message. Sponsoring companies may be expected to help speakers format their presentations, but when the presentation is offered for CME credit, medical product companies may not be involved in content development. CME activities must be independently developed by the presenters and must be unbiased toward any one product or technology. Certainly companies hope that presenters will share favorable information on their products and technology, but they must compare fairly and discuss all relevant products and technologies.

What may begin as an opportunity for a company to gain visibility may also turn into a way for customers to promote themselves. In medtech, there can be at least two outcomes of events: the sponsoring company provides a worthwhile educational experience, and a customer promotes newly acquired capabilities using new technology to a group of referring physicians. For example, hospitals, imaging centers, and medical group practices are interested in presenting their ability to conduct cardiac scans to referring physicians. Sharing the capabilities of the technology allows referring physicians to see what is offered at a particular facility and consider which patients may be appropriately referred for scanning or treatment. It's important to know that the rules governing meetings for prospects are the same as the rules governing presentations to referring physicians.

The Deal Is in the Details

Logistics may be a big nightmare, but it can also be the crowning touch. The CME provider is critical to ensuring that the food and drink provided are satisfying, that the room is comfortable, and that the tables and chairs are organized well for seeing and hearing speakers.

If there is more than one speaker, all presentations should be on one computer system to avoid changing out systems in the middle of the event. Physician presenters may resist this, but events run better if everything is on one laptop because there is less chance of equipment malfunction. Sponsoring company representatives should check the sound system and run through all presentations to make sure film clips work and there are no unexpected issues.

Figure 1. Save-the-date cards are a good way to get on prospects' calendars. The card allows companies to promote the event and can often be ready to go long before the actual flyers receive final approval for continuing medical education. (click to enlarge)

When planning this aspect of a meeting, companies should avoid lavish affairs. ACCME guidelines stipulate no five-star locations, no exorbitant meals, and no gifts.

Promoting a Meeting

Although products cannot be featured and the company name is secondary to educational information, companies should still promote their events. Save-the-date cards are a good way to get events on attendee calendars while waiting for mailers and flyers to be approved (see Figure 1). Flyers should be colorful and feature the speakers, their topics, and any visuals that may be appropriate. In diagnostic imaging, visuals include images such as a CT or an ultrasound scan (see Figure 2).

Providing save-the-date cards, flyers, and posters to sales organizations in both printed and electronic versions ensures that organizations can reach as many people as possible. And don't forget the Web site. Adding CME events to a calendar of events guarantees additional exposure.

Figure 2. The heart, a scan achieved with Toshiba's Aquilion system, draws readers' attention to flyers promoting the speakers bureau. These flyers are used by the sales department to generate attendance at events. (click to enlarge)

Promotion doesn't end with the event itself. Company sponsors will probably find they'll have about a 40% drop-off rate between registration and actual attendance, though they will probably get additional attendance the evening of the event from those who did not register. Those who registered but were not able to attend are good candidates for a follow-up visit. The course handouts, with copies of all of the presented material, give salespeople a good reason for this visit.

Also, CME events are required to survey audience participants. The survey will tell how the speakers did, what attendees thought of the location and the quality of the food, if any of the speakers were biased, and more. Companies should familiarize themselves with the survey before the event so they understand how they will be measured. Surveys provide a good opportunity to discover additional ways to meet audience needs, and many ideas for new programs come from the surveys (see Figure 3).

Ensuring Success

To ensure the life of a speakers bureau, there are some basics that should not be overlooked. Every event must help drive business growth. Although the ACCME is very strict about promotional guidelines, the program must help bring in sales or it's very likely company management won't support it. Tracking attendees and the institutions they represent against sales reports is a smart way to ensure continued funding.

Developing programs around relevant topics and those that have been identified through a needs-assessment process ensures success in the market. The key is to pick a technology that is new and about which the market is anxious to learn. It will help guarantee attendance.

Figure 3. On a scale of 1 to 4 (4 being best), attendees of six of Toshiba America Medical Systems' 2005 continuing medical education events, held in five states, rated their experiences an average of 3.7. (click to enlarge)

If possible, companies should bring in complementary programs. For instance, Toshiba's events feature new cardiology technologies but also have the chief financial officer or administrator from an imaging center talk about the business model for running a successful practice. Those discussions draw as many people as the technology itself.

Strong logistics are critical. Attendees want a comfortable environment, a site that's easy to reach, and tasty, satisfying food. They want the materials to be easy to read and understand. And, they want the event to be on schedule. Nothing can ruin an event faster than poor planning and follow-through.

Companies shouldn't shortchange their speakers. During a CME event, they can be the strongest draw or the quickest audience turnoff. Presenters need to understand they can't change their presentations once they have been approved for CME credit. Do they know how much time they have, and what the audience is looking for? Do they know how to answer the tough questions? Recommending faculty with quality credentials and experience can ensure a worthwhile learning experience for attendees.

Conclusion

A speakers bureau is a good idea when a company has something interesting to offer a medical audience that is topical and relevant in today's market. It isn't a good idea if a technology or product offering is old and there are no new applications to introduce.

While a speakers bureau is not inexpensive, it can more than pay for itself if medical products companies do their homework, and plan and work with customers who have visibility in the industry, present well, and are enthusiastic. A company's competitors may be offering speakers bureaus as well. Companies just need to make sure that their event offers something that the competitor's does not.

Finally, making a speakers bureau successful takes a team effort in- volving coordination among the CME organization, the sponsoring company, and the speakers. If the company puts all of those elements in place, it will ensure a successful program and build a pipeline for future business.

Copyright ©2005 MX