Creating a Strategic KOL Management System

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Creating and Maintaining a Strategic KOL
Management and Engagement System
Best Practices, LLC Strategic Benchmarking
Research
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Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Research Overview
• Participating Companies
• Key Findings Insights
• Universe of Learning Key Demographics of
  Participating Companies 6
• Structuring Strategic Thought Leader Management
  and Engagement .9
• Administering Strategic Thought Leader Management
  and Engagement15
• Coordinating and Communicating Strategic Thought
  Leader Management and Engagement
  ...22
• Aligning Software Tools to Support Strategic
  Thought Leader Management and Engagement
  ...30
• Identifying and Engaging Thought
  Leaders..35
• Measuring Strategic Thought Leader Management and
  Engagement Success..42
• Staffing Strategic Thought Leader Management and
  Engagement45
• Looking Forward Success Factors for Strategic TL
  Management Engagement..51
• About Best Practices, LLC

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Business Issue Objectives
Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are recognized as one
of the most effective avenues for building
awareness in medical and scientific communities.
As biopharma organizations reconsider their
strategic approach to TL engagement, they are
seeking an evidence-based understanding of
current and evolving approaches to creating and
maintaining an integrated, strategically-focused
TL management system.
Research Objectives
Methodology
Field Survey External Interviews

• Identify the most common and favored
  organizational structure for strategic TL
  management and engagement
• Understand the current state of TL management
  practices in the pharmaceutical industry
• Determine how TL management practices are
  evolving
• Identify innovative practices that are driving TL
  management success at other organizations

Expert Sources
34 TL management leaders from 29 biopharma and
device organizations participated in the field
survey, and we interviewed 4 for in-depth
insights.
Harvesting Insights Analysis
INFORMS

• Formulate a Strategic Approach for
• Improving the Value and Effectiveness of KOL
  Management System and
• Ensuring Alignment with the Organizations
  Evolving Strategy and Structure

Objective
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29 Life Science Organizations Participated in
Study
Thirty-four TL management leaders from 29
biopharma and device organizations participated
in the external field survey, and we interviewed
4 participants for in-depth insights
Benchmark Class
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Key Findings Study Snapshot of Peers Strategic
KOL Management

• Many observations have been harvested from the
  study. These are some of the key benchmarks to
  surface.

Most respondents believe a decentralized TL
management structure is not optimal, though
almost 40 percent use a decentralized system now.
Most view a hybrid or centralized structure (48
and 38 percent, respectively) as optimal for
modern Thought Leader engagement. Many
companies (38) seek to use a strong core team to
lead KOL management companywide. This can be hard
as companies employ cross-functional oversight
groups with leadership from business units,
medical affairs, marketing and others. In fact,
28 said that their companies have no formal KOL
management process in place. Eighty percent of
companies said Medical Affairs oversees TL
engagement and strategy, but their structures do
not support this. Only 31 percent say that
Medical Affairs handles the administration of
such programs. This represents a potential gap or
hole where priorities can become misaligned.
Strategic TL Management Structure
Most Effective Way to Coordinate TL Activities
Medical Affairs Guides TL Engagement/Strategy
5 Copyright Best Practices?, LLC
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No One Structure Seen as Best for KOL Management
No single structure for strategic KOL management
is embraced by the 33 life sciences organizations
that participated in this study, although for
current structure the largest percentage - 39 -
utilize a decentralized structure. It is
noteworthy that while decentralized is used by
many organizations, it was only favored by 3
when asked what they felt was the optimal
structural approach for this activity. Almost
half 48 - said a hybrid approach was optimal
for strategic KOL management.
Q3. How is your strategic KOL management and
engagement system structured? Q4. In your
experience, what is the optimal organizational
structure for strategic KOL management and
engagement?
Current Optimal Strategic KOL Management
Engagement System Structure
I've done it both ways. Ive worked in companies
where they had everything broken down by business
units and then I've worked at companies that
said, Oh no, business units may become too
siloed, so let's bring it all together. -
Senior Director
(n29)
(n33)
of Responses
Other Optimal I have not found any system ideal
in trying to handle management of internal team
with external KOLs Marketing Sales Optimal
structure often depends on the business needs and
the size and fragmentation of the businesses.
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Communication Key to Coordinating KOL Management
Communication was a theme in other approaches
cited by participants for coordinating KOL
management across functions.
Q13. In your experience, what is the most
effective way to coordinate strategic KOL
management and engagement activities across
different functions and/or groups?
Coordination of Strategic KOL Management and
Engagement Activities continued
Communicate effectively between all stakeholders
Organize leverage field feedback
Conduct regular meetings
Other

• Define the roles of each functions and joint
  committees
• Having a defined process and transparency across
  all functions and groups to increase efficiency
  and decrease redundancies

• Expert database with strategic planning tool and
  CRM database for info sharing on activities
• Via regular quantitative and qualitative feedback
  (CRM tool, OL surveys)

• Regular, collaborative meetings between KOL
  strategic leadership personnel and relationship
  owners.

• Flexibility/ Course correction based on both
  micro and macro trends Discuss/revise plan based
  on KOL maps, scorecards (ROI/ strategy), what is
  working/not working, current and future product
  mix, megatrends affecting healthcare, competitive
  inroads, etc.

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Ad Boards Scientific Presentations Most Valued
KOL Activities
A wide range of KOL activities are valued by
organizations since these respected scientists,
clinicians and faculty members provide invaluable
insights and credibility. Advisory boards and
scientific presentations were seen as the most
valuable by participants.
Q22. Which KOL activities below are most valued
by your company? (Check all that apply.)
67 Investigator-initiated research (i.e. IITs,
IST, etc.)
87 Supporting Advisory Boards
77 Delivering scientific presentations
57 Educating KOLs other healthcare
professionals
Most Valued KOL Activities
73 KOL relationship management
50 Identifying training speakers
43 Recruit-ment for medical pubs
50 Coordinating company-sponsored research/
trials
47CME activities
43 CI gathering from TLs
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33
33 - Attending medical conferences 27 - HEOR
presentations/research involving TLs 17 -
Managed Care activities involving TLs
17
(n30)
of Responses
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Many Have Trouble Evaluating KOL Management System
Like KOL management itself, there doesnt seem to
be one accepted approach for assessing an
organizations strategic KOL management system.
While many claim no formal system is in place, a
quarter of participants said they rely on KOL
feedback for their evaluations.
Q25. Describe how strategic KOL management and
engagement success is assessed or evaluated
within your company.
Evaluating Success of Strategic KOL Management
and Engagement
Extremely variable. No consistent process that I
am aware of. Each team does it individually.
Sales modification of physician behavior
affecting sales or patient safety // By tests
and surveys // Cross functional team meeting
based on inputs from colleagues
Assessed by evaluating strategic utilization on a
monthly basis
Market share or clinical trial results
Dedicated FTEs // Monthly report in spreadsheet
// Project deliverables // Publications,
presentations and IIS plus more
difficult-to-measure relationship and advice
received
Not evaluated // Not typically assessed within
the company. But, during the engagement
activities, if the project was not performed to
satisfactory level, we will just not engage the
KOL again.
(n24)
of Comments
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Strategic KOL Management Requires Multiple
Players, Layers
Executive interviews surfaced several recurring
themes around whats needed for an effective KOL
management system software or internal platform
that shows interactions a coordinator or primary
point of contact for medical and commercial and a
cross-functional team in each TA or BU that
tracks, aggregates and then shares KOL
interaction information with senior leadership.
KEY ELEMENTS FOR STRATEGIC KOL MANAGEMENT
System/ Platform
Medical should not be creating the commercial
strategy, and the commercial should not be
influencing medical strategy. Once you get to the
very senior management level of the company,
we're talking Senior VP level, then everyone
needs to be in congruence that Yes, we should go
forward based on what we're hearing from the
medical and our commercial colleagues. - Sr.
Director 2, Medical Affairs

• Gathers Information from Coordinator,
  platform/system and across Functions
• Aggregates Information to Show Status of Current
  and Future Projects
• Shares Overview of Medical and Commercial Status
  on Current and Future Projects with Senior
  Leadership

Cross-Functional Strategic Group(in each TA/BU
and includes Coordinator)

• Identifies/Segments KOLs
• Shows Interactions (who, when) for Medical
  Commercial
• Includes Notes Visible only to Medical or
  Commercial

• Separate Medical Commercial Person for each
  TA/BU
• Coordinates KOL Interactions for Functions that
  dont have Regular KOL Contact
• Oversees and Guides Use of System/Platform

Coordinator/ Primary Contact Point
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About Best Practices, LLC
Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting
firm that conducts work based on the simple yet
profound principle that organizations can chart a
course to superior economic performance by
studying the best business practices, operating
tactics, and winning strategies of world-class
companies.
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200 Chapel Hill, NC 27517 www.best-in-class.com
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