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A Go-to-Market & Commercialization Capability model represents a stable backbone of processes and capabilities, that quickly adapt to agile cross-functional initiatives.


Adjustable to strategic changes, it balances short-term performance & long-term sustainability.

A DEEP-ROOTED GO-TO-MARKET CAPABILITY ENABLER

Francisco Toste

Founder | GM


  • Executive MBA by IESE / AESE (#1 global MBA 2021 by The Economist)
  • Negotiation Dynamics, executive program by INSEAD
  • Economics degree by Nova University of Lisbon (Portugal's top)


+25y of executive leadership blend in leading firms across geographies and functions, including customer excellence, commercial operations, general management, and finance.

20y in healthcare

   / 27y overall

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Toste - Healthcare Consulting, experts in Healthcare GtM and Commercialisation Capability, executes on the strategies. with experience in affiliate, area and global scopes. Several healthcare companies - including Wyeth / Pfizer, Abbott and Abbvie - permitted exposure to 20 brands & 26 indications (including 8 biologics), during different lifecycles. Of these, 10 brands & 16 indications were launched, and 8 brands were impacted by generics. 

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WHY REINFORCE THE HEALTHCARE GtM

& COMMERCIALISATION CAPABILITY?

The case for a change


The picture above exemplifies a GtM & Commercial Capability model, represented by thin threads, people & other resources, intertwined to few larger threads (tactics), and delivering mutually connected solutions & goals. The strategy is the plan and set of activities to reach these goals.


If there are no secrets to evolve, experience and strategic will are needed to:

  • Put patients at the center, as strategy endpoint. All the other stakeholders are enablers and gate keepers.
  • Develop a management cultural evolution, truly believing in teams' purpose, ensure capacity, give autonomy, with accountability, flexibility, resilience, and ethics. An agile mindset is mandatory.
  • Create multidisciplinary teams and structures to interface with multiple stakeholders - HCPs are squeezed between government regulations, patient organizations increased maturity, and providers' negotiate harder.
  • Modernize processes to foster agility, efficiency and insights visibility. Imagine a compliance tool for all external stakeholders interactions, to transfer the ownership from the ethics department to the actors.
  • What are the needed capabilities? There is no 'model fits all'. E.g., should the multi-channel be in the IT or just the technical piece? Why not have the patient support programs in customer operations - is this legal?
  • Insights management - Have a clear strategy for data collection, curation, aggregation, and only then start to derive insights to take decisions, defining feedback loops so the teams can constantly adapt their actions.



Structuring a GtM model


A GtM model involves people, capabilities, and processes needed to launch & market a product or indication. A healthy one adapts to strategic changes, balancing short-term performance with long-term sustainability. However, an operational commercialisation model by a brand is different:

  • The first is an umbrella that gives the structure and standards to act, transversal to all the company, usually with flexibility for brands. In general, it is managed by a commercial and operations excellence department.
  • The second materializes and provides content in order to achieve specific objectives, often with the direct involvement of the previously stated team, for customization and smooth operations.


Two examples:

  • Have a company brand plan methodology, then have brand teams issuing their own.
  • A specific brand patient support program is developed, it is then adapted and expanded to other brands, if required.


A metaphor for these synergetic capabilities:


The capabilities (not necessarily functions) that contribute for it:

  • Transformation / change management / project management office,
  • Innovation (not product related), maybe integrated with Transformation,
  • Launch excellence,
  • Brand excellence,
  • In-Field team excellence,
  • Omnichannel engagement (including CRM management),
  • Learning (management, technical, behavioral), at least till brand team level,
  • Business intelligence & analytics,
  • Patient experience, including patient support programs. This can be in the customer excellence department if independent from a commercial focus, or compliance kicks-in.



Keep it pragmatic


The more complex the model, the more synergies can happen by building and gathering these capabilities in one department. The complexity of it will depend on the stage of the company, portfolio, brand, services, alliances, outsourced providers, geographical activity, eg..


Keep it simple with a gradual evolution and increasing synergies - silos are to be broken. A premature or over complicated model will most probably complexify business and add costs. However, prepare for the future as to build capabilities, set multi-disciplinary teams, processing efficiency and technology embedment (plus experience, maturity and agility) do not happen overnight.


Avoid cloning the capabilities per brand, unless a new division is being incubated and requires a very different mindset. A variable attention is to be given to some brands or therapeutic areas. Maybe the company intends to avoid having a brand fighting for resources face to other established revenue generators.

All functions involved in the GtM and commercialization phase are One Team, and similarly the capability model team supports all functions. Enabling only commercial functions is a silo perpetuation. These activities require a deep partnership between medical, market access, compliance, commercial, etc. These agile, resilient, and autonomous teams should act as brand and infield teams, developing and executing their tactical plans, infield team playbooks, account plans, and 3y/5y brand plans, eg..


The tendency for a broad medical operations department (not embarking the clinical and R&D operations)  to add a customer excellence team, will be the next dogma to break, both departments should build common brand plans, with segmented tactics for each, and need to deliver the overall strategic objectives. Execution of the tactics can be segmented while coordinated and enabled in a department. As exemplified for brand plans, eg, CRM activities and databases can be shared, except the details of a medical call for an off-label discussion.


When using a GtM Capability Model to support launches, start building additional capabilities and define all needed activities at least 18 months before the launch (according to how you define launch). As mentioned above, prepare today for tomorrow. These developments are not instantaneous.

Go-to-Market & Commercialisation Capability model trends


For the GtM, Covid highlighted some launch capabilities:

  • Solid launch excellence plans to manage higher complexity,
  • Focus on Omnichannel engagement, especially online content & communities, and remote engagement,
  • Patient experience as a critical objective, needing:
  • To revisit deeply the patient journey changes: diagnosis, treatment, e.g.,
  • Reinforce patient support programs (PSPs) to alleviate professionals load supporting patients, and reinforce telehealth,
  • Importance for real world evidence / data (RWE/D) to justify benefits & costs.


A market survey with senior healthcare managers found (Credit Mckinsey):

In this study, the higher valued responses point to agility, simplification of organizational structure, and modernization of the engagement model.


Consequently, the most valued capabilities for the model, none yet fully embedded (as per their feedback):

  • Transformation, launch excellence, and brand excellence for:
  • Agile ways of working in [clin. trials], launches and content development,
  • Build new BD capabilities & practices,
  • Omnichannel & business intelligence to cross-functionally elevate digital & analytics,
  • Brand excellence, moving from a push to a pull marketing,
  • Transformation, to ease stakeholders access to subject matter experts (SME),
  • In-field team excellence to:
  • Connect field roles across functions,
  • Foster inside/remote sales.


Data has also been in acceleration for some time (credit IQVIA):

The capabilities required for the needed data focus, are:

  • Omnichannel engagement that needs higher data volume management,
  • Better business intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI) analytics for decision making,
  • Need to ensure that (patient experience) patient support programs also gather real word evidence / data for market access and clinical.


To note that a report (credit Indegene, by DT Consulting), confirms that 'if pharma firms want to maintain this upward trajectory, they need to further strengthen their capabilities, starting with more effectively communicating their vision of what digital can do for customers. Pharma companies failure to make significant progress on highly relevant but complex behind-the-scenes digital capabilities like analytics and CRM remains the biggest missed opportunity.'


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Toste - Healthcare Consulting, experts in Healthcare GtM & Commercialization Capability, executes on the strategies. with experience in affiliate, area and global scopes. Several healthcare companies - including Wyeth / Pfizer, Abbott and Abbvie - permitted exposure to 20 brands & 26 indications (including 8 biologics), during different lifecycles. Of these, 10 brands & 16 indications were launched, and 8 brands were impacted by generics.

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Contact or About Us

EXPERIENCE PROVEN GtM & COMMERCIALISATION CAPABILITY SOLUTIONS

We act as


  • Consultants,
  • Interim Management (for 'business as Unusual'):
  • Lead intensive and complex change management, pe for turnarounds
  • Consultancy with full hands-on implementation
  • Expert additional resource, pe for explosive growth
  • Qualified executive gap filler, pe sudden exit, death, sickness.



What we do


We transform Healthcare GtM & Commercialisation Capability models to adapt to strategy changes, balancing short-term performance with long-term sustainability. The model gives the structure and standards to prepare and act on the commercialization, transversal to all the company, with flexibility for the brands.



Working a mix of


  • Team agile mentality,
  • Capability build-up,
  • Processes efficiency, and
  • Technology embedment.


The scope (examples):


  • Transform GtM & Commercialization capability models
  • In diverse geographies, pe Middle East or France
  • For different decision levels, pe global / area / affiliate or hybrid structures.


  • Set-up specific operational GtMs & Comm for brands, pe, for a rare disease: market analysis, define org chart, define launch sequence, hire & train in-field and brand teams, orient brand planning


  • Define or improve transversal company capabilities
  • Transformation & Innovation
  • Launch Excellence & Brand Excellence
  • In-Field Team Excellence
  • Omnichannel Engagement
  • Business Intelligence & Analytics
  • Learning
  • Patient Experience.


  • Drive transversal projects, pe, create a dashboard, set-up a new KAM model


  • Define and deliver on existing or new functions, pe, create a job spec and fill it until roll-out is secured


As capabilities & processes 


Click on the rows for examples of projects developed. Most were sustained over time, and several became use cases, were awarded, or turned into embryos for global projects.

  • Transformation

    • Global Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding contribution to drive the vision and mission of a global customer excellence department, with the advancement of the implementation of their global operational model, including brand excellence, in-field team excellence, winning with data, real world evidence, digital transformation, and enhanced patient experience.

    • Internationally developed in a team and project of excellence - #1 Area award for 2016, 15, 14, 2013

    • Implementation of a corporate transformation program, for 6y defining the new ways of working of a spun-off company. Reorganization of 28 affiliates, from $220M to $1.1B. From a sales rep & doctor relationship to a multi-capability team facing multi-stakeholders. Integration of all new functions, e.g., market access, gov. affairs, patient relations, KAM, ext. affairs.

    • Championed the Year of the focus on Affiliates, Global President’s award, simplifying the HQ activities that permit more focus for affiliates and reduce costs: less travel, more remote management, less business reviews, calendar alignment for functions, simplification on affiliate reporting, eg, Involved multidisciplinary teams from around the world.

    • Improved an area operations agility, transferring the ownership of compliance to the employees, standardizing operational procedures & system for all external interactions. Turned activities time-to-market from more than 1 month to less than 2 days and reduced monitoring findings to less than 5%. 

    • Assumed an area Ways We Work Ambassador for 4y. Served as a role model and localized global cultural developments. Last team evaluations of 4.4/5 for brand & management teams. Agility and work life balance had good improvements. 2000 people covered.

  • Innovation

    • Created an Innovation vision and methodology for any level of an organization – how to evolve innovation, embed it in the ways of working, and impact the patient experience?

    • Structured a 'Strategic Plan without numbers' framework. A capability shaper and motivator about our purpose. Each other year a trends exercise was run in house however without products, competitors or financial data. Affiliates and area teams immersed in contacts, or a 2-day hackathon with external speakers. Built a direct understanding of stakeholders needs and required new capabilities.

  • Launch Excellence

    • Served as part of an area and another for a global team launching the new product launch & launch readiness capabilities in two companies and deployed it across affiliate and area - Presidential Award for the first one.

    • Roll-out of all capabilities needed to launch a new therapeutic area for oncology Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL). Mainly launch plan, market analysis (size, forecasting, size, patient journey), definition & set-up of an area hybrid organizational model, in-field sizing (especially using medical scientific liaisons) and deployment, training maps for brand & in-field teams, and patient support programs.

  • Brand Excellence

    • Part of the team that defined and implemented the Global Integrated Brand Planning 175 Brand Management Strategy, global President’s award. Focus on impact, consistency, and quality across all functions, with intensive training. innovated with customer insights from affiliates feeding into global clinical development. Raised concepts of KAM, market value drivers and evidence generation.

    • Revamping of compliance in brand planning - global Best in Class award. Became a global standard. With more complex teams, interactions, and brand planning sophistication, came the need to clarify compliance, defining activities and KPIs for medical, regulatory, market access, commercial, etc. The company was by then subject to an imposed Compliance Integrity Agreement with the US Government. 

  • In-Field Team Excellence

    • Set-out an area brand & in-field teams' certification, VP award. Embryo for global standards, for both. With the consolidation of brand teams, area turned into accounts management instead of just individual healthcare professionals, requiring multidisciplinary in-field teams coordinated by KAMs from market access, dealing with the portfolio. The process had guidance, training and governed the quality via assessments. 

    • As commercial operations, part of an affiliate team that maintained strong commercial performance despite generic menacing >50% of product sales. Minimized sales decline to 21% in 4y (€96-76M) adjusting sales force by -54%, refocusing targeting in specialists & key accounts, concentrating in vaccines & antibiotics & biologics, and structured a new KAM approach.

  • Omnichannel Engagement

    • Sellection and implementation of a Veeva CRM, as backbone for all needed omnichannel. Became a Global standard. Added that Zero’s CRM was to be discontinued by the company, affecting urgently the Middle East & Africa. A partnering was set between EEMEA & Asia. A full implementation, including medical use and the first key account module in Veeva, delivered in time and on costs (>1M). Later, European countries were moved out from Cegedim Teams. 

    • Unleashed area digital to evolve into omnichannel branding - VP award. Embryo for global omnichannel incentive approach. In an expertise lagging other industries, was defined a process to simplify approval omnichannel initiatives, creating the first view worldwide of what was going on (>230 projects in area), a data base of solutions for quick best practice sharing, skills assessment and training of champions across area. Helped to speed time to market, keep costs controlled and foster secure action. 

    • Deployment of omnichannel utensils over the CRM. Introduced global 'informed consent' and a Veeva approved email; area drove closed loop marketing (CLM) / eDetailing for brand teams' orientation and feedback by in-field teams– light and full versions; liaison with global approved content vault for attitudinal segmentation; global Veeva dashboard for analysis (also verify Business Intelligence page). 

  • Learning

    • Area learning path for in-field & brand & management teams. With another program from Latin America, became embryos for a global solution. A catalogue, fed initially by affiliates materials, on the learning that each function should go through, for different levels of job maturity, from technical to behavioral. included one week immersion programs. Learner centric via an ePlatform, permitted eLearning and inscriptions, and used other solutions. Generated monthly analytics. Examples below. 

    • Rebooted product learning, changed from a commercial to a medical ownership, introduced online training and remote assessment via mobile messages (Qstream). Product evaluation went to 98% avg after 3y, when some countries hardly achieved 70% avg at start.

    • Global implementation of Challenger course for in-field teams selling skills – best in market by then. A soft challenging way to question the HCPs thinking and introduce message hooks. Was critical for the deployment of a global attitudinal segmentation in immunology. 

  • Business Intelligence & Analytics

    • Increased brand performance via precursor region-wide market research for immunology, hepatitis C, and leukaemia. Were a major basis of brand teams actions, sometimes relaunched yearly. Included market size, brand attributes & penetration, gain & lost patients, promo evaluation, message recall, attitude to biosimilars, brand image, eg.

    • Market research agility through ethical leadership – VP award. The first worldwide operating procedure for any function. Ensured optimal process for MR, with all checks confirmed (like pharmaco-vigilance), while avoiding use as a promotional tool. Also, visibility of what was going for synergies & sharing.

    • An area first management dashboard. High focus in in-field team, especially KAM development and message delivery. Using Qlick view technology, integrating SAP financials, activity CRM, learning data, CLM, eg. The basis for efforts on profiling, segmentation and targeting or promo mix, eg.

  • Patient Experience

    • Launched a global patient Journey, central to a patient-centric brand plan, a shift from the healthcare professional / payer that was a client / customer focus. From the discovery of the disease to treatment and beyond, what are the important opportunities, blockages, and patient flow, eg.

    • Revamped a global patient journey to a broader area patient experience, building a patient-centric structure, integrating the patient support programs, previously in Medical. Later part of the team that defined global standards and compliance for this.

      

    • Launched patient support programs that already incorporated what are post Covid musts, like remote delivery, mobile nurses, nurses/psychologists using motivational tools, supporting programs (smoke cessation, eg)), mobile apps, pharmacists training, online centres of knowledge for patients, the use of independent CRMs and call centers. Critical for real world evidence, adherence, and compliance to treatment.

      

    • Patient support programs achieved 56% patient’s enrolment in immunology area. Delivered real world evidence in hepatitis C with 99% patients achieving a sustained viral response, and in immunology reduced dropouts / adherence from 50% to 12% in the 1st year of treatment.

Learnings for building one


Realistically, you will be building the plane while flying. Many times the build-up of capabilities, the development of people, the increase of processes efficiency, and the technology embedment, do not grant the luxury to structure and only then operate.


With a plan, 'get going, then get good'. To pursue excellent solutions, sometimes it's just need to start. A vision and a plan to achieve a significant objective is needed, though sometimes factors are not in favor with, eg, resources available, workload balance, short-term goals vs long-term investment, or the learning curve.

Teamwork and synergies, when a group of people subordinate their individual objectives to a common goal, are mandatory. These activities require a full partner of global / area VPs / GMs and are Enablers, proactively finding the best solutions while co-creating and implementing with their peers.


It's important that management endorsement be balanced with internal stakeholders buy-in, or:

  • High endorsement & Low buy-in => policing burden,
  • Low endorsement & High buy-in => ad-hoc actions.


Lastly, the importance of affiliates is not to be neglected. The business impact and the accountability is there. This means more autonomy in decision making as their agility generally leads to innovation and use cases for area or global.



Our efforts are to find efficient & distinctive solutions.

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Toste - Healthcare Consulting, experts in Healthcare GtM & Commercialisation Capability, executes on the strategies. with experience in affiliate, area and global scopes. Several healthcare companies - including Wyeth / Pfizer, Abbott and Abbvie - permitted exposure to 20 brands & 26 indications (including 8 biologics), during different lifecycles. Of these, 10 brands & 16 indications were launched, and 8 brands were impacted by generics.

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Contact or Turn-It ON

TESTIMONIALS

When we clicked


Some of the comments that incentivize us to run the extra mile. Access their LinkedIn clicking on the photos / text.

List of services

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Toste - Healthcare Consulting, experts in Healthcare GtM & Commercialisation Capability, executes on the strategies. with experience in affiliate, area and global scopes. Several healthcare companies - including Wyeth / Pfizer, Abbott and Abbvie - permitted exposure to 20 brands & 26 indications (including 8 biologics), during different lifecycles. Of these, 10 brands & 16 indications were launched, and 8 brands were impacted by generics.

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Contact or GtM Solutions

YOUR NEEDS ARE OUR MANDATE



We transform Healthcare Go-to-Market (GtM) & Capability models to adapt to strategy changes, balancing short-term performance with long-term sustainability. The model gives the structure and standards to prepare and act for the commercialization, transversal to all the company and flexibility on the brands.

We do not channel for 'favorite' solutions. We want to freely discuss your needs, share ideas, define potential solutions, show value, and then have the possibility to pitch for a project.

We do not shy away from any structural project in the commercialization arena, big or small, to build or reinforce, in turnarounds or growth, along the brand lifecycle, from global to affiliate. Passion, pragmatism.


Sometimes a smaller consulting company faces a judgement versus bigger ones but (credit Gallagher & Associates):


"The four pillars of traditional consulting:

  • Information,
  • Insight,
  • Expertise,
  • Execution ...


... are no longer the sole domain of big consulting. The key is to close the gap between the idea and the execution."


Twenty years of immersion in ideation, delivering, and living with the results prove our superior execution. 



Our Value Proposition

Click on the rows

  • Expertise in Transformation, GtM & Commercialisation

    • Balances theory & practice
    • Transversal across companies, levels, geographies, functions, brands, and lifecycles
    • Diversified portfolio with capabilities, people, tech, and processes.
  • Flexibility & Agility
    • A Thinker with strategy & a doer with implementation
    • Hands-on & multi-tasking
    • Neutral to politics, objective angle
    • Free of proprietary methodologies, focus on cost-effectiveveness.

  • Capacity to Scale

    • With experienced executives (ex T1 consultants or from top biopharmas)
    • Service providers partners and other providers vetted in internet networks

  • Performance

    • Full commitment as future work relies on referrals and a successful record
    • A Customer centricity mentality
    • Track record of sustainable successes, many awarded  

  • Investment & ROI

    • Fee not impacted by structure and intangibles / image costs 
    • Project fee with potential performance fee; professional liability insurance
    • Testimonials and awards demonstrate the value brought

Our Engagement Methodology

Vision


Mickey Mouse phase 1 - big ears, small mouth

- Strategic goals and priorities.

- Expectations for organizational set-up.

- Ideas for the Go-to-Market Model deliverables.

- Key issues and opportunities.

- Decision making process.

Reality


Mickey Mouse phase 2 - big ears, small mouth. 

Critical to start people's engagement.

- Organization readiness to change.

- Actual GtM, needs, and use cases.

- Ongoing projects, and perception. 

- Stakeholders' map, deciders and influencers (D&Is).

- SWOT vs other players.

- Financial calendar and procedures.

Ambition & Choices


- Draft a high level GtM model - discuss with higher management for validation of path.

- Refine, Refine, Refine - discuss with other levels for more detail.

- Test along with relevant individuals and Influencers.

- Have an Agile Scrum mentality (#1 project management methodology) - achieve the result being flexible in the plan execution.

- Approval for GtM model roadmap OR for specific solutions.

- Plan agile activities, owners, timing, KPIs and resources.

Improve & Measure


Execute the plan:

- Critical to communicate & engage on the Why, How, When and Who, with the project team and target community. 

- Plan agile activities, owners, timing, KPIs and resources.

- Constant loops with the project team and periodic deliverables feedback by management.

- Allow for pilots, adaptation and customization. 

- Have an Agile Scrum mentality - fail fast, learn fast. 

Win


- Benchmark the achievements.

 - Adaptation & customization? 

- Scale in most agile areas, then across the organization.

- Measure impact. 

- Ensure continuous tunning, buy-in & cultural fit.

Our business approach is to Understand YOU

To start a direct communication


Our objective is to know you and then to Understand You. To have interactions where we learn and address problems together, starting now or later, and to become an extended resource for your team.


Now its time to Turn-It ON and engage with us: 

  • Contact us functionality
  • francisco.toste@toste.eu
  • +351.913.235.570 (also WhatsApp)


Speak soon.

Francisco



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Toste - Healthcare Consulting, experts in Healthcare GtM & Commercialisation Capability, executes on the strategies. with experience in affiliate, area and global scopes. Several healthcare companies - including Wyeth / Pfizer, Abbott and Abbvie - permitted exposure to 20 brands & 26 indications (including 8 biologics), during different lifecycles. Of these, 10 brands & 16 indications were launched, and 8 brands were impacted by generics.

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Healthcare Go-to-Market & Commercialisation Capability

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