EXPERT RESPONSE
Customer loyalty programs can, and should, be defined as anything and everything that leverages desired customer behavior. This is especially true in the pharmaceutical industry, where prescription writing or non-prescription recommendations are driven by physician trust, engagement, advocacy and the strong influence of neutral, informal communication between rep/company and doctor and between peer doctors. In other words, this could be events, special training, targeted materials, etc. that are both functional (efficacy) and emotional, or relationship, in nature. Rep behavior and interaction, i.e., sales force focus and optimization, is particularly critical here.
In a seemingly commoditized pharma market space, the survivors and winners are those who can articulate, and effectively communicate, the strategically differentiated value proposition and get "customers" to carry most of the bricks re: brand support. Another way of saying this is -- find (through targeted physician, pharmacist and patient advocacy research) those elements of efficacy, communication and value that positively break your company out of the commoditized pack.
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