How to start sales

conversation
 Doctors opinions about sales
reps (US and Europe)

 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 (US and Europe)

 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, 2002, 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
 Nurse:
 Meet and greet
 Remember her 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
 NLP
Construction Recalling
of picture pictures

Construction Recalling
of sound sounds

Kinestetics Internal
representation dyalogue
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!