Client Profile
Metrics Contract Services, a subsidiary of Mayne Pharma Group Limited, located in Greenville, NC, is a full-service global CDMO specializing in oral dosage forms. Metrics Contract Services also offers clients an impressive portfolio of advanced delivery methods for controlled release, bioavailability enhancement, and taste masking.
Business Situation
Metrics had partnered with an outbound tele-marketing firm in an effort to relieve some of the lead generation burden from its three primary salespeople. The sales team spent its time interacting with new customers, traveling, and closing sales, which left limited time for prospecting. They briefly evaluated hiring an inside sales team but quickly decided that wasn’t a viable option financially. Outsourcing the prospecting function was their best option. After two years of working with the telemarketing company, they decided to reevaluate the situation based on the lack of results.
A new member of Metrics’ management team that had worked with Athena SWC through a previous employer was impressed with Athena’s process model and methodology. He suggested the sales team look into a potential partnership with Athena. The Metrics sales team was intrigued by Athena’s methodical processes for nurturing prospects through the sales funnel, as well as the company’s familiarity with the pharmaceutical market. Their current provider was not as structured or process-oriented, so Metrics decided it was time for a change.
Process Focus Appeal
In an industry, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, where processes and procedures are ingrained into the culture, having a partner like Athena that is also process oriented brings a level of confidence in its ability to provide repeatable quality results.
One of the first processes implemented as a team was the kick-off meeting and site tour. Athena’s team, met face-to-face with key individuals at Metrics’ facility to better understand the company and its goals and to explain how the program would benefit them. Getting everyone onboard with clear executable goals is a key factor in the program’s success.
A second key factor to success is having both companies coming together to work as one unified entity. “One of the things that makes this relationship successful is that we look at Athena as part of our sales and marketing team,” said Tom Salus, Director of Sales, Metrics. “It can’t be a transactional relationship; it needs to be a partnership. We have successfully established that with Athena.”
Once the team is unified with clear goals, execution of the plan must be repeatable and consistent. A third key factor in the program’s success, and the reason Metrics chose Athena, is its unique process-driven and systematic approach to increasing market awareness, nurturing prospects, and generating qualified sales leads. Athena presented Metrics with a quantifiable front-end sales process, trained inside sales resources, and the enabling technologies required to execute and measure the impact of the strategy.
Each component of the process, including target market profiling, prospect research, direct mail, outbound phone calls, emails, permission-based e-newsletter, and ongoing follow-up touches, is strategically designed to provide messaging that resonates with the targets and produces qualified leads based on Metrics’ criteria within the pharma market.
The Athena and Metrics team works closely targeting key influencer’s and decision makers and making adjustments to the program when required through the program’s built-in process of ongoing improvements (POOGI).
A Worthy Investment
Metric’s has been working with Athena for 18 months and has been very happy with it’s results. Athena’s process has kept a steady flow of prospects in Metrics’ pipeline, which has led to new account closures. In addition to the increased flow and closures, Metrics has experienced a large boost in market awareness.
“For us, the investment in Athena is not only the pipeline of leads, but also increased brand awareness,” said Salus. “Every time they send out an email that talks about Metrics or a voicemail is left—the repetitive use of Metrics’ name—gets them familiar with who we are. I look at it as a living advertisement. We could place an ad in an industry journal and hope that someone will look at it and maybe act on it, but they could flip through and never see that we are there. It’s harder to ignore a voice email, an email, a direct mail piece or a newsletter without getting some brand recognition.”
The Results
