Having a good rapport with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) in the life sciences industry is vital. However, engagement is harder during a time when face to face interactions are scarce at best. Most of us are inundated with Zoom meetings and email chains, and it is no different for clients and other contacts. To stay at the forefront with the industry’s thought leaders, a robust and effective KOL development strategy is a necessary step.
Identify Your KOLs
Your KOL development strategy should begin with identifying thought leaders most relevant to your topic. Prior to Covid-19, it was important to understand that the quality of each connection is more important than the volume of people you talk to. This is true, even more so now given most interactions are virtual.
Influence mapping provides a clear picture as to which thought leaders are the right ones to engage. Following the 80/20 rule and focusing on the small percentage of influencers that influence the majority, practitioners in a particular therapeutic class can provide focus and direct the appropriate allocation of costly resources.
Be Present and Respectful of Your Partners’ Time
How often do you find yourself multitasking during virtual meetings or events? When you are not fully engaged, in turn, it is difficult to get engagement from the people you interact with. Giving each meeting or event your full attention is essential.
In a virtual event such as medical affairs advisory boards, it is common to have a dozen or more people on a call. One of the tools that can help here is multi-monitor setup. You can keep your notes on one while you keep the thumbnails of participants on a call in another. This allows you to successfully check in with different participants and be sure that you are getting everyone’s feedback and input. Participant engagement is key.
Use All the Digital Tools You Have at Your Disposal
The Zoom platform allows users to engage virtually, however, it does not end there. There are many other valued and trusted tools that can be used before and after the team meetings, conferences, and advisory boards to keep engagement levels high.
Employing a state of the art life science CRM solution is vital in keeping current with key customer relationships. Users can access and update contact demographics and make note of recent communications, which can be viewed across the organization. An effective CRM system allows users to query and sort contacts using multiple criteria to plan future engagements.
Takeaways
When your normal engagement tools are on hold because of world events, you need to work more effectively than ever to maintain relationships with KOLs. To keep engagement alive:
- Identify the most effective people to contact. Focus on adding quality and connection over volume.
- Be present and engaged to increase engagement during every meeting.
- Identify and use each KOL engagement tool you have available to collect and manage data effectively.
Working strategically can help you maintain engagement even during challenging times. You can also use what you learn for more effective face-to-face engagement later on. At Synergistix, it is our goal to be your CRM partner for life. Get in touch today to learn more information about how our all-inclusive CRM can serve your organization.
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