The Friday Collection for Sept. 1

Because of the upcoming holiday weekend, this week’s Friday Collection is a…Thursday Collection (with a few bonus entries as well!)

So, are pharma companies really cutting down on the number of sales reps – or not?

Another major-league fine for sales and marketing practices.

Upcoming pharmaceutical sales training conference (October) – hope to see you there!

A site I visit every weekday for pharmaceutical news.

Article from Forbes on looming drug patent expirations.

Just for fun…

Remarkable animation of planes in flight over the United States (requires QuickTime player).

Stunning photos of the interplay of light with the atmosphere – you could spend an enjoyable 20 minutes with kids of any age here.

Bonus: What websites have the sweetest interfaces?

Everyone knows that Amazon.com has one of the most well-thought-out user interfaces, particularly for e-commerce. Here are several other sites that have impressed me (and I have VERY high standards!) with their simplicity and attractiveness of design, as well as functionality:

Netflix: This DVD-by-mail service has one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use structures I’ve seen. The degree of personalization is brilliantly implemented.

Thesaurus.com: I have used thesaurus.com and dictionary.com for years despite somewhat clunky interfaces, but recently, some designer integrated and re-designed these sites (tied together with reference.com, an on-line encyclopedia), and now they are an absolute joy to use. Try it once – you may never use a print volume again!

iTunes: OK, not technically a website, but an application linked to the Apple iTunes store. Recently loaded a bunch of CD-ROMs onto my computer using iTunes, and was deeply impressed by how straightforward and flexible the interface was. A lot of power, accessed by a very simple approach.

Froogle: We all know and use Google, of course. But if you haven’t consulted Froogle before you purchase something on-line, you may be tossing money out the window. Just type in what you’re looking for, and Froogle will immediately bring back all the places where you can find it, with price comparisons.

That’s it for this week – have a delightful Labor Day weekend!

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The Friday Collection for Aug. 25

Interesting performance scorecard for various pharma CEOs.

Great list of upcoming pharma conferences (from PharmaVoice).

Historical context from Pharma Exec: a timeline of industry events over the past 25 years, and artifacts from the time machine.

PharmRepClinic, featuring practical articles from the highly prolific Jane Chin.

The chilling effect of overly broad patents; in this case, on Learning Management Systems (I still haven’t succeeded in my effort to patent “atmospheric exchange methodology utilizing rhythmic input/output transfers via musculature-based systems”, but once I’ve got the inside track on charging people for breathing, things ought to get pretty lucrative!)

And, just for fun – sure, I like coffee, but you won’t catch me trying to use all these terms in the coffee glossary (favorites: “pyrolysis” and “stinker”)

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Nominating by e-mail!

No, this is not the latest method of voting in Florida! Actually, I’m seeking your input. A key piece of the Impactiviti business plan is lining up a network of best-in-class suppliers, a process that is well under way. However, I was reminded again this week that my best source of recommendations will be my colleagues in the sales training field. While meeting with a client, we were interrupted by a phone call, which turned out to be from a company that had an offering for which I have been (up to then, in vain) diligently searching.

So – do you work with any such companies? The kind that come to mind immediately, when someone asks for a recommendation? Glance at my prior post (“The good ones“) to see the profile of the right sort of supplier. And please let me know of any recommendations you may have by e-mailing me at stevew(at)impactiviti.com.

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The Friday Collection for Aug. 18

Example of pounding in the press over drug promotional activities. This and similar articles drawn from this.

The ten product websites most visited by docs.

Interesting and promising potential treatments for HIV and for depression (the latter link from the enjoyably eclectic Book of Joe blog)

Local ASTD chapter meetings are a great place to expand your network and hear some interesting talks. Here in the  Pharma Zone:

Northern NJ Mid-NJ Metro NY Southern CT Eastern PA Greater Philly

Fascinating: did you know that volcanoes blow smoke rings?

Just for fun: You know you’re always wanted to do this. Pick a desk, press the red button, and watch – your patience will be rewarded!

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The good ones

Where are all the good suppliers? Well, I’ve managed to work with some really top-notch vendors over the years, and as I’ve been meeting with a growing number of them to set up partnerships in order to better serve our mutual clients, here’s what I see in “the good ones”:

* Creativity – the best companies continue to think, re-think, and ask the right questions.

* Drive – if your offering (or gaining new business opportunities) doesn’t excite you, it definitely won’t excite me!

* Reputation – when clients and other vendors recommend someone highly, I’m all ears.

* Integrity and transparency – neither I, nor my clients, are looking for a new source of problems.

* Partnering mindset – a readiness to work on making the pie bigger for everyone.

* Chemistry – a sense of interpersonal ease, and an intuitive agreement on how to view people and business.

These companies are flexible, client-focused, and collaborative. And, as one individual recently put it as we discussed partnering, the key distinguishing feature is “us” – that is, quality people with a right attitude.

No individual or company is perfect, but my aim is to work with the good ones.

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The Friday Collection for Aug. 11

The helpful, and regularly updated, summary of new (upcoming) drugs to watch from Forbes.com.

Article discussing the ongoing battle about the use of presecribing data by pharma companies.

What do you think of “nano-learning“?

A new company to keep an eye on (OK, we have to be self-serving sometimes!).

Just for fun: if you like to see the final destination of buildings and other structures that have outlived their usefulness, this is the successful demolition of Seattle’s former Kingdome – and here’s an effort with a surprise ending!

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The Friday Collection for Aug. 4

News article on those pharmaceutical lunches.

Sounds like a very interesting newer book on training.

Amazing collection of “legacy” drug ads.

And, just for fun…very amusing pictures of what can happen when safety rules are violated!

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impactiviti’s logo unveiled!

impactiviti logo

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