| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
|---|---|
| Diane Ross, Director | I have worked for Resolute communications since 2004, moving to Real Science Communications in 2014. I have led both medical education and PR accounts, for global, European and UK clients. Main therapeutic experience across oncology, rare diseases, haematology, dermatology, CNS. I have no client-side experience. |
| Clare Middleton, Director | RS ~ 4 years PLBR ~ 6 years |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Spent career ~15 years in medical communication agencies |
| What has been your role in the new business and organic growth efforts of the agency? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | I have been responsible for organisation of new business meetings, focused on driving efforts to contact new clients, maintain ex-client relationships, identify and drive new opportunties between business units. I am involved in development of credentials for new opportunities, responding to RFIs, development of proposals, from both a strategic and tactical stand-point. |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Organic growth: developing proposals reactively to client requests, proactively reviewing brand plans or pitching off back of discussions new business: lead generation, relationships with old clients on new brands, development of proposals, attending pitches |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Responsible for the overall agency P&L; responsible for growing accounts and bringing in new business along wih the wider SMT and account teams |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Diane Ross, Director | At Real Science, we aspire to bring fresh thinking to every one of our clients' challenges. We are a dynamic medical communications agency focused on developing engaging, memorable 'scientific content' that can be disseminated in many different ways. We empower our people to communicate science in a creative, impactful way that makes a real difference to people’s lives. |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Real Science is a medical communications agency that puts science at the heart of everything we do. Our vision is to empower our people to communicate science in a creative, impactful way, that makes a real difference to people’s lives. |
| Now bring the agency to life. You have certainly been through this exercise, however applying it to your agency agency can be quite revealing in understanding more about your "DNA". If the agency were a car, what kind would it be? What color? Why? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Mini, red, small and nimble, scoots around corners, finds a way through to success, not too showy but has fun and works hard and is dependable |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Mercedes Black Detail orientated, reliable, efficient, smart |
| Specifically within Healthcare, which categories, conditions or disease states does your agency do most of it’s work within? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Oncology, CNS, dermatology, respiratory, rare diseases |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | HCP communications A range of disease and therapy areas - cardiovascular, rare diseases, oncology, smoking cessation, HIV/AIDS, dermatology |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Oncology CNS dermatology |
| Which 3 - 5 services does the agency most often provide these clients? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Organisation of symposia or educational stand-alone meetings Organisation of advisory board meetings Development of educational slide kits |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Strategic development Content development Meeting management |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Content development Meeting project management eg congresses, ad boards, Strategic support eg messaging, reviewing credibility of content |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often. | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Lucid, Just, Inventiv Health, 90Ten, |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Lucid Healthcare Interactions Circle Science |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Health Interactions/MediTech media Lucid Inventiv |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Creativity and thinking differently for medical communication tactics Flexibility and drive to succeed |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Knowledge of content and application to their strategic goals |
| Clare Middleton, Director | High quality standards on a regular basis Can do attitude, flexible and always going the extra mile Friendly High science Creative and innovative approach to med ed |
| In the eyes of clients, what do your competitors provide of value, that you do not? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Not sure |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Greater innovation, thinking outside the box |
| Clare Middleton, Director | More challenge and strategy |
| Are there any negative perceptions about the agency that might hold back your new business efforts? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Size, whether we have capacity to take on a large project |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Small size and capacity to manage additional work |
| Clare Middleton, Director | not aware of any |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do your presentations back up the agency’s recommendation with an irrefutable logic trail? In other words, how well do you typically build a strong argument for the agency’s recommendation? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Diane Ross, Director | 8 |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | 9 |
| Clare Middleton, Director | 8 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected strategic consumer insight vs. a predictable consumer insight? In other words, how well do you always have something brand new to share about the client's target audience? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Diane Ross, Director | 5 |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | 6 |
| Clare Middleton, Director | 2 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected creative/concept/program/tactical idea? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Diane Ross, Director | 5 |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | 8 |
| Clare Middleton, Director | 7 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you demonstrate the business impact of your recommendations? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Diane Ross, Director | 3 |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | 6 |
| Clare Middleton, Director | 3 |
| Overall (and as you consider the questions above), what do you believe most holds back the effectiveness of your client and new business presentations? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Having identified a customer insight that shapes all of the ideas, and having truly innovative ideas where you can show an impact on business outcomes |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Limited Client budget, time-frames to do something original, regulatory approvals |
| Clare Middleton, Director | I think we have a good record of new business, the main thing that holds us back is capacity |
| What are the top 2 or 3 changes or trends you see in terms of how clients are interacting with agencies? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | For some, cost contrainsts on projects and desire to have more for same budget Desire for strategic thinking and innovative ideas |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Less and less wanting agency specialists but wanting one agency with multiple skills More project by project work rather than being involved in all aspects |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Sometimes procurement led Wanting more innovation or perceived innovation |
| What are the top few changes you see in terms of why clients put accounts into review? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Lack of quality of deliverables Lack of client service Lack of straegic thinking / alignment with the client team |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Drop in standards ie Quality control Under resourced project teams Low creativity / innovation High prices Relationship issues between agency team and Clinet |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Want new ideas quality of other agency not as expected |
| If you’re able to answer, how is most new business coming in to the agency (i.e., competitive reviews/RFPs, proactive prospecting, referrals, etc.)? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | Referrals or ex-clients coming back with new opportunities based on new role |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Organic growth Client referals Sister BU referrals RFPS |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Referrals/keeping in touch with old clients leading to RFPs |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | to expand network of clients, as client referrals and ex-clients main source of business. to increase awareness of Real Science in Publicis network so receive more RFPs. to keep doing great work, so keep getting client referrals. |
| Alister Sansum General Manager | Lead generation |
| Clare Middleton, Director | get more of the team integrated and playing a role learn to be as efficient as possible in busy times potentially more insight led Continuously thinking of new creative ideas |
| Any final advice for us as we prepare your training program? | |
| Diane Ross, Director | to focus across different disciplines and not solely on advertising, to provide insights on what else we can be doing to drive contacts within Publicis and clients, to provide tools to make the proposal development process more efficiently and to produce great recommendations. |
| Clare Middleton, Director | Look forward to it and sorry for the delay in returning this! |