How to Promote PCD Pharma Products: Doctor Calls, Chemist Coverage and the First 90 Days
The part of a PCD franchise nobody writes down: how a partner actually turns a price list into prescriptions – from Trumac Healthcare, working with 4000+ partners since 2007
By the Trumac Healthcare team, Panchkula · PCD pharma franchise company since 2007 · Updated 7 November 2026 · About us · WhatsApp +91 90416 77932
Taking a PCD pharma franchise is easy; making it pay is a routine. The partners who build a lasting business do the same few things every week: a fixed list of doctors, a short product story per doctor, stock at the right chemist before the first prescription is written, and a follow-up before the doctor forgets. This guide sets out that routine – how to promote PCD pharma products to doctors and chemists, what material to carry, how to plan the first 90 days and which mistakes cost new partners their monopoly.
1. Pick the doctors before you pick the products
Make a list of 10–15 doctors you already know or can reach through a chemist or a friend. Write next to each one their specialty, the number of patients a day, and the molecules they already prescribe. Choose your first 25–30 products from the product list to match that list – not the other way round. A derma range for a dermatologist, cardiac-diabetic for a physician with a diabetes clinic, paediatric for the child specialist. Partners who order “a bit of everything” end up with stock nobody prescribes.
2. The doctor call – ten minutes, three products
- Open with the visual aid – one page per product, composition, strength, pack and the clinical point that matters to this doctor (once-daily, better tolerated, new molecule, lower cost per course)
- Detail three or four products, not the whole range; the doctor remembers one story per visit
- Ask for the trial – “May I request you to try it on your next five patients?” – and name the chemist where it is available
- Leave the LBL and a reminder card; note what the doctor agreed to
- Follow up in 7–10 days: ask how the patients did, detail the next product, confirm the chemist has stock
Time of call matters: before the OPD rush in the morning, or the lull after lunch. Respect the doctor’s time and the compounder’s; both decide whether you get the next appointment.
3. Chemist coverage – the prescription must find the product
A prescription for your brand that the chemist cannot fill becomes a prescription for someone else’s. Before the first doctor call, place opening stock (two or three packs of each detailed product) at the one or two chemists nearest the clinic, on a short credit or small discount. Give the chemist the product card so the counter staff recognise the name. Check stock every visit; a stock-out in the first month kills a new brand. The PTR PTS calculator shows the chemist’s margin, which is your opening argument.
4. Stockists – when and how
Supply chemists directly until monthly volume justifies a stockist; most partners add one when they cover more than 20–25 chemists or more than one town. The stockist buys at PTS, supplies chemists at PTR, and takes credit risk off you. Choose a stockist the chemists already buy from, agree the margin and credit period in writing, and keep the doctor relationship yourself – the monopoly is yours, not the stockist’s. See PCD vs distributorship for how the margins split.
5. What to carry
- Visual aid for the division – supplied by Trumac Healthcare with orders
- LBLs and reminder cards – one per product you detail
- Samples within the limits the company and the code allow, for the first trial
- Price list with MRP and net rate (for chemists and stockists – never for the doctor)
- The Trumac app and product pages on your phone – every product has a pack photo, composition, pack and MRP, which is the fastest WhatsApp detailing there is
- Full list on the promotional material page
6. The first 90 days
| Weeks | What to do | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Licence, GST, first order of 25–30 products; stock placed at 3–5 chemists; first calls on your 10–15 doctors | Doctors agree to try two or three products; chemists ask for product cards |
| 3–6 | Second and third calls; add 5 new doctors; weekly chemist stock check; second order of what moved | First repeat prescriptions from 3–5 doctors; one or two products start moving without reminders |
| 7–10 | Detail the next tier of products; appoint a stockist if covering 20+ chemists; ask prescribing doctors for referrals to colleagues | 8–12 prescribing doctors; the monthly order covers itself |
| 11–13 | Review: drop products nobody writes, add a second division for your best doctors, plan the next town | Steady monthly repeats; partner decides whether to go full-time or add a representative |
7. Keep it compliant
Promotion in India is governed by the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices: no gifts, cash, travel or hospitality for prescribers; samples only within prescribed limits; claims only as per the approved product information. Partners who build on product quality, availability and service keep their doctors for years – and keep the company’s name clean. Trumac Healthcare supplies literature and material that stay within the code.
8. Mistakes that cost new partners their area
- Ordering 60 products for 10 doctors – money sits in stock nobody writes
- Detailing without stock at the chemist – the prescription goes to a competitor’s brand
- Calling on 50 doctors once instead of 15 doctors every fortnight
- Giving the price list to doctors – it ends the relationship
- Letting the area go quiet for months – monopoly rights are kept by regular orders (see monopoly pharma franchise)
- Skipping the follow-up – most first trials are forgotten by day 10
Guides for new PCD partners: drug licence for a PCD franchise · low-investment start from ₹25,000 · PCD vs distributorship vs ethical · franchise for medical representatives · what PCD means · franchise agreement & terms · PTR PTS calculator · top 10 PCD companies in India · top derma PCD companies · top gynae PCD companies · top PCD companies in Chandigarh · how to promote PCD products · first order product lists · requirements · cost & documents · how to choose a company.
Frequently asked questions
How do PCD franchise partners get prescriptions?
By regular doctor calls with a visual aid, detailing three or four products that fit the doctor’s practice, leaving literature and a reminder card, placing stock at the doctor’s nearest chemist the same day, and following up within ten days. Prescriptions follow consistency, not one big visit.
How many doctors should a new PCD partner cover?
Start with 10–15 doctors you already know and can see every two weeks; add doctors as the first ones start prescribing. Thirty well-serviced doctors support a full-time partner; a hundred poorly serviced ones do not.
Is it legal to give gifts to doctors?
Companies are bound by the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), which bars gifts, cash and travel to doctors; medical representatives may provide product literature, free samples within limits and scientific material. Build the practice on product, service and availability.
What promotional material does Trumac Healthcare provide?
Visual aids, LBLs (leave-behind literature), MR bags, notepads and reminder cards with orders at no extra charge, plus pack photos and product details on every product page for WhatsApp detailing.
How long before a PCD franchise becomes profitable?
Most partners see the first repeat orders within two to three months and cover their running costs within six, provided they call on doctors regularly. The timeline in this guide shows what usually happens month by month.
Can I promote on WhatsApp instead of visiting?
WhatsApp works for follow-ups, pack photos and availability updates, but prescriptions start with a face-to-face call. Use the website product pages (each has a pack photo, composition, pack and MRP) as your digital visual aid.
Starting out? WhatsApp +91 90416 77932 with your district and the doctors you cover – we suggest a starting range and send the visual aid of that division. Related: cost guide · franchise for MRs · start from ₹25,000 · requirements.