IMU Alumnus’ Interest Leads to a Sales and Marketing Career

Studying Business Management, a non-nutrition related subject at IMU with emphasis on general marketing, product life cycle, 4Ps etc., has sparked Jaron Low’s interest in marketing and sales and his decision to go into the business field. He started working in Nestle Healthcare as a Product Advisor from July 2012 to January 2013 and then joined Abbott Diabetes Care as a Sales Executive. “I was working as a sales executive and then a product specialist in Abbott Diabetes Care. I was running across designated territories in dealing with various health care professionals (HCP) that include endocrinologists, physicians, diabetes educators and pharmacists at the beginning of my career, and then promoted as a product specialists to deliver product updates and Continuous Medical Education (CME) in drawing efficient understanding of the aforementioned among HCPs. That was also the starting point that has given me a chance to take on a marketing role.”

In January 2015, Jaron was promoted as a Product Manager in product management with marketing roles. Jaron also provides staff training to ensure his subordinates are well equipped with good diabetes and product knowledge in dealing with HCPs during field work. He also provides training on product knowledge in the neighbouring countries head offices of Abbott Diabetes Care in the South East Asia region, eg. Bangkok, Thailand and Jakarta, Indonesia.

“The promotion to become a Product Manager was quick but it was not easy. Besides the product and medical knowledge that I have gained, display of leadership and effective role player are also crucial. I am fortunate my superior has given me a flexible learning platform, and he believes that a manager should not be only evaluated based on his years of working experience, but by his performance and achievements. I was one of the top sales performers among the team and being the most-proactive in hospital CMEs and product training to deliver extensive brand penetration among the healthcare professionals.”

In most recent years, Jaron assisted Abbott Diabetes Care in launching a new glucometer with functionalities that is beyond blood glucose testing. It can be used as an insulin injection notebook where all data or memories are transferable for download and proven convenient for monitoring among healthcare professionals namely doctors, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians.

“Self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) is an effective approach in diabetes management, and it cannot be done without a glucometer. However, compliance is the key! Glucometer is a very common tool, with numerous brands in the market and they are perceived as similar by every healthcare professionals. That is the challenge that a product manager has, to bring up the exclusive product positioning among all. The unique selling preposition should be highlighted, to distinctively segment the product features in catering the patients’ need.” Jaron feels that he would not be where he is now if he did not have prior knowledge in medical nutrition and clinical experience gained during his internship in hospitals and community settings while studying Nutrition and Dietetics at IMU. “Diabetes knowledge in medical nutrition subjects also help me a lot in my current work field, so as to be a qualified trainer among my colleagues with clinical experiences. In addition, good communication and interpersonal skills gained at IMU during practicums and internships, have molded me to be confident in public speaking and to demonstrate extensive professional selling skills” For Jaron, attending the IDF-Western Pacific Congress 2014 16th Scientific Meeting in Singapore as a delegate on behalf of Abbott Diabetes Care with practicing diabetes nurse educators of leading hospitals in Malaysia was his greatest experience.