In the pharmaceutical industry it is tricky to close a sale as there is “no immediate sale” –there is no tangible product that is exchanged and no money that passes hands so a close and commitment becomes tougher for the role of the Pharmaceutical Representative

We also know that Doctors do not like being pushed into a corner and asked to make decisions to change prescribing AND over the years have learnt to just say “yes” or “I’ll bear it in mind” so the representative leaves quietly and no one is upset. This has been likened to “groundhog day” as the Doctor often says “I’ll bear it in mind” and the Representative often accepts this as the norm and walks away not knowing how to move things forward

The overall aim therefore is to get commitment to action from the Doctor which is appropriate, realistic and owned by them so they are more likely to take action rather than an obliging “yes” that never materialises into any change. This is critical to the success of any product or project and is probably the one skill that when developed can make the biggest difference to success

We know from well researched facts (the rule of consistency and commitment by Prof R Cialdini) as well as anecdotal evidence that if we volunteer and own a commitment we are much more likely to take action than an agreeable “yes” that is easy to say and not do…

What did we do?

• We looked at what a large sample of Pharmaceutical Representatives were doing currently and found that less than 50% were closing a call or gaining any commitment from their customers. This is quite typical of the norm from anecdotal evidence across the industry
• Breaking the habit – We rolled out a series of creative workshops and National interventions looking at “why” it’s tough to get a commitment and how to change the habit of shying away from a close
• We developed National incentives and regional competitions to reward the change in behaviour and identify quick successes from Representatives and Managers
• Calls were transcribed and  recorded over a 12 month period to monitor the change in this skill area

Results

ü  Collected over 70 examples of success of where Representatives had gained a commitment from a customer as a result of their interaction

ü  An increase in engagement of Representatives in calls – measured by feedback

ü  An increase of 30% in the skill of gaining closing and gaining commitment over a 12 month period

ü  Sales results exceeded 120% of a stretch target as this strategy started to demonstrate results

Learning’s

• We know that the skill of closing is uncomfortable for some Representatives and we need to find a way of doing this that is comfortable, realistic and adds value to our customers and us
• Customer feedback states that they like to be asked for commitment
• Managers have to be on board with this as their coaching in the field is critical to the success of the skill development
• We know a habit takes 21 days to change and it requires engagement, desire and will to want to change – what needs to happen to engage Representatives to want to start closing and gaining commitment? – this needs consideration and thought in line with your company culture
• This is a simple yet extremely effective  skill and behaviour change strategy that needs keeping simple yet engaging – it also needs to be implemented over time to gain the full effect – A 2 year period for embedding as a minimum to gain significant results

The purpose of the project was to change the mindset, thinking and behaviour of all Pharmacists across Europe to become happy to recommend the right medication to their customers. This disease has traditionally been treated by the Doctor however this is now shifting the advisory role of the Pharmacist.

This programme was aimed at all Pharmacists across Europe to help change their thinking around a very common complaint in the general population. It is critical that this happens so that customers across Europe get educated on this disease and have access to the right treatment without going to their Doctor.

• Customer Requirements.

The customer needed an innovative, persuasive presentation that would be rolled out across Europe and then localised to Country need. The messages had to be simple yet compelling and dry data had to be translated into a dynamic and persuasive presentation that would motivate the sales force as well as the Pharmacists to change behaviour and thinking.

• KPI’s.
  • A innovative presentation to be rolled out across Europe to change mindset and behaviour of all Pharmacists
  • A roll out workshop for all Country heads with all supporting documentation for local implementation

• Outcomes.

This programme was designed and rolled out across Europe within the timeframe (one month). The feedback was excellent from the project team as well as the Country heads. The opportunity for change and excitement around this was phenomenal along with the personal feedback and thanks on the finished presentation. It is yet to be rolled out in individual Countries and this will be happening over the next 6 months.

• References.

Within this presentation there were a number of theories that i used to help develop the ideas. These included:

• • The Secret Language of Leadership by Stephen Denning
  • The Science of Influence and Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
  • Methods and theory from the teaches of NLP

• Testimonial.

“Jenny has recently worked with us to help with a key element of a pan European launch, a major initiative for our division, within a very short timeframe. She was able to quickly and effectively deliver a complex concept into a usable and inspiring presentation for implementation and roll out. Her energy, passion and commitment to deliver the standards within the timelines met our needs consistently. The piece of work was eagerly accepted and complimented by all Country Heads and was applicable for all markets. She worked extremely well within our team and was a pleasure to work with.

This was an exciting and stretch goal as it was higher than people could imagine achieving. Once the organisational goal was set individual goals cascaded from this from department and brand.

All of the goals shocked people as they could not see “how” these could be achieved. The aim of this was to push people’s normal thinking and behaviour and encourage creativity to achieve what would normally be considered possible. This was rolled out throughout the whole organisation so every single person was engaged and focused on achieving this exciting and stretching goal.

• Customer Requirements. The whole purpose behind this was that people were focused on a truly exciting goal and worrying less about the “how”. My role within this project was as a key stakeholder within the “Goal Group”. The expectation of the “Goal Group” was to set a goal that was exciting, engaging and could be rolled out throughout the organisation. It needed to be simple and easily understood by every single person and applicable to all roles and all brands.

KPI’s.

•  
  • Engagement and understanding of the organisational goal measured via an engagement survey
  • Sales growth that met and exceeded the goal within the allocated time frame
  • Change in behaviour and motivation of all employees measured through survey and feedback
  • Clarity and focus on individual, team and organisational goals

• Outcomes.

•  
  • The organisational goal was understood and known by every single employee within the organisation
  • The engagement survey measured 98% understanding and engagement to the organisational and dept goals within 6 months of the goal being set
  • The sales growth exceeded stretch target by 20%

References.

The theory of this approach is supported by many leading experts in the field of thinking and mindset around “success”.

Testimonial

“Early in my work in the pharmaceutical industry, Jenny taught me the importance of setting goals. Jenny’s visionary approach and determination to the task at hand and commitment to the goal inspired me to set my own career goals.

With any goal that matters things may becoming challenging on the way but with Jenny’s drive and enthusiasm I was inspired to keep going. Jenny’s coaching style and belief helped me to reach little milestones in my career which have led to the achievement of a long desired career goal.

Jenny has led the way for her team to set attainable yet challenging goals. With her enthusiasm Jenny has inspired a new approach to work by ensuring we are clear on our vision and on the steps we need to take to achieve it.  In short, Jenny is a true role model!”

The purpose of the project was to build the skill and impact of representative presentation and facilitation skills. It was identified that 50% of customer facing time was spent facilitating meetings and presenting to large groups. It was a critical business need to improve the impact of presentations and facilitation to increase the commitment and agreement gained from customers to use product

• Customer Requirements. As access to this group of customers is so tough (as with most customers!) the time spent in front of them is critical. The overall objective was that the representative group (approx 200) would be able to quickly and effectively build on their skills of presenting and facilitation and increase the commitments gained from the customers.

• This was to be measured pre, post and 3 months on from training

• KPI’s.
  • An increase in the impact of presentation and facilitation skills – Pre and post event as well as 3 months on
  • An increase in a number critical behaviours that contribute to the level of influence of the customer – Pre and post event as well as 3 months on
  • An increase of commitments from the customers resulting in increased sales

• Outcomes.
  • An increase of skill and behaviour of up to 100% in some the critical skill areas post event and 3 months on
    • Engaging audience
    • Confidence
    • Persuasive messages
    • Gaining commitment
  • A 4 day event that shifted mindset, skill and behaviour in the representative population
  • A marked increase in sales following this event – main brand exceeding targets
  • Follow up training to meet ongoing needs with a learning CD to support ongoing training.

Testimonial

Jenny’s passion for coaching and developing people to maximise their potential is evident in everything she does, and this project was a great of example of how she used her enthusiasm and skill to bring out the best in people.

Her planning and attention to detail ensured that everyone knew what they were trying to achieve on the course, and could clearly identify how they would apply the new skills to their role.  Jenny’s constant questioning – “What are trying to achieve here?” focussed and motivated her training team to deliver a polished and energising training meeting – and the measured outcome in behaviour and performance is evident in the post training assessment.  More than anything the meeting was fun, a key priority for Jenny in any training or coaching that Jenny delivers. An inspiration to work with.