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How To Start A Sales Conversation

This document provides guidance for pharmaceutical sales representatives on how to have effective sales conversations with doctors. It discusses that while 44% of doctors still trust pharmaceutical companies, 19% do not trust them and 38% of doctors plan to spend less time with sales reps. Doctors prefer if reps provide additional useful information, educative patient materials, and unbiased scientific studies. The document recommends that reps focus on building trust through emphasizing patient wellbeing, providing complete drug information, and establishing similarities. It provides tips for reps such as discovering the doctor's communication style, asking questions, and having a well-prepared presentation. The goal is for reps to have long, educational conversations with doctors.

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Umair Mughal
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48 views24 pages

How To Start A Sales Conversation

This document provides guidance for pharmaceutical sales representatives on how to have effective sales conversations with doctors. It discusses that while 44% of doctors still trust pharmaceutical companies, 19% do not trust them and 38% of doctors plan to spend less time with sales reps. Doctors prefer if reps provide additional useful information, educative patient materials, and unbiased scientific studies. The document recommends that reps focus on building trust through emphasizing patient wellbeing, providing complete drug information, and establishing similarities. It provides tips for reps such as discovering the doctor's communication style, asking questions, and having a well-prepared presentation. The goal is for reps to have long, educational conversations with doctors.

Uploaded by

Umair Mughal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to start sales conversation

Doctors opinions about sales reps

 Longitudinal study od doctor attitudes during


in a period of 2 years*:

 Trust:
 44% doctors still trusts pharmaceutical
companies
 19% mostly do not trust to pharma companies

* Mackintosh, International Journal of Medical Marketing, 2004


Doctors opinions about sales reps

 Comments of doctors that participated in survey:


“Less commercials, more expert information,including
risks and side effects”

 Time devoted to med reps


 38% doctors that participated in a survey plan to
spend less time with med reps in the future
What doctors prefer?
 57% doctors would be prepared to
spend more time with med reps if they
brought *:

 Additional useful information


 Educative materials for patients
 Nonbiased scientific studies
* Mackintosh, International Journal of Medical Marketing, 2004
What should pharma companies do?

There are two options that pharma


comapies could chose:

1. Shorten converation so that is lasts 30 seconds

2. With right approach to the doctor made


conversation last longer up to 15 minutes
What should pharma companies do?
If you chose second approach, at the beginning
you should take care about three things:

 First impresion
 Introduction to sales convesation
 Sales conversation

So, let’s start...


First impresion
What influences doctor’s
perceptions?

Pharma company
image
Visit outcome
Image of med
rep Longterm
Percieved values: cooperation
ethics, honesty, trust Recomendations

Wright & Lundstrom, International


Perspetion of med rep:
Journal of Medical Marketing, 2004
similarities, intresting
Company image
 Definition of comapany image:
perception of company actions

 Company image influences all


stakeholders
Company image
Company success: Customer preferences :
Johnson & Johnson 6th; 1 Pfizer 7.60
Merck ranked 11th; 2 Bristol-Myers Squibb 7.20
Pfizer 20th, 3 Johnson & Johnson 7.19
Eli Lilly 29th 4 Merck 6.88
Bristol-Myers Squibb 32n 5 Eli Lilly 6.78
6 Amgen 5.68
7 Pharmacia 5.57
8 Wyeth 5.32
Magazin Fortune, according to
Wright & Lundstrom, International
9 Abbott Laboratories 4.91
Journal of Medical Marketing, 2004 10 Schering-Plough 4.80
Percieved values
 In order to gain trust, following values
should be incorporated in mer rep’s
approach:
 Patient wellbeing – ethics
 Good knowledge of product characteristics –
scientific and not commercial approach
 Provision of correct drug information –
disclose all information both favourable and
less favourable (side effects, health risks...)
Perception of med rep
 Physical appearance –
neatly dressed

 Attitude: friendly
relationship, openess

 Similarities – common
values, interests
Getting to the doctor...
Environment
 Cold – warm atmosphere?
 Private or public?
 Diploma or familiy pictures?
 Rewards, newspaper’s articles?
 Sports medals, achievements...

 Attitudes toward work


 Sistem of values
 Personality type (DISC)
Beginning of conversation
Introduction
 Atendent:
 Meet and greet
 Remember her/his name

 Doctor:
 Handshake
 Matching doctor’s handshake: if strong respond equaly, if
weak respond with mildly stronger handshake

 Addressing doctor:
 Name or surname?
Beginning of conversation
 Suitable topics: Compliment,
common acquitance, event,
observation

 Not suitable: Get down to business


or too personal topics

 Establish equal level relationship


with doctor – partners in process of
discovering new information on
drugs
Help in establishing equal
level
 NLP approach: each person codes her experiences
using diminantly one type of representation means:
picture, sound or movement.

 Why is that important?


 Reveals the way thinking – what kind of information are relevant
to doctor
 Gives you chance to adapt to doctor’s style – if you are percieved
as similar, good relationship is more likely to ocurre
 Important to know when asking questions
 Easier to spot doubts and objections
Behaviour of different types
 Visual type: stiffed, loud, gestures in front of eyes,
usual sentence – “I can see what you mean...”

 Auditive type: moderate voice intensity, bows head


on the side when listening, might avoid looking in the
eyes when listening, usual sentence – “I hear that
you really understand my needs...”

 Kinestetic type: relaxed posture, deep voice, speaks


slowly with long breaks, usual sentence – “I feel that
we understand each other...”
Adjustmens strategy
 Discover the type of the person

 Act similar to other party in two areas:


posture and tone of voice

 Imitation – adequate and inadequate

 Sign of success
If visiting doctor for the first time
 Present yourself:
 Explain how frequently you will see each other
 State the purpose of the visits – longterm and
shortterm goals
 Explain benefits doctor/pharmacist will have
from this business relationship (latest
information, scientific research, benefits for the
patient…)

 Ask premision to ask questions and than – do


it!
Questions
 Each section of your presentation should finish with
question. Purposes of questions are different and
might be:
 To raise interest

 Discovering needs

 Verify facts

 Clarify objections

 Get several small “yes”


Tips..

 Good presentation is:


 Prepared in advance
 Good organized
 Given in a clear and understandable way

 Non-verbal:
 Gestures that should be omitted: crossing
arms, tapping on the desk...everything
associated with haste and nervousness
Thank you!

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