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

Have a think about your own engagement and how you perform when you are disengaged. Think about your reports or employees in your organisation, think of the impact that being disengaged has on the individual as well as the organisation. Is it not worth investing time, energy and focus on working out an effective strategy to engage yourself and others?

Take a look at our approach to individual change to see how we approach this very differently from others

Five years ago, The Gallup Organization began creating a feedback system for employers that would identify and measure elements of worker engagement most tied to the bottom line–things such as sales growth, productivity and customer loyalty.

    After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the Q12, a 12-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement. Results from the survey show a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. Here are those 12 questions:

• Do you know what is expected of you at work?
• Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
• At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
• In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
• Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
• Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
• At work, do your opinions seem to count?
• Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
• Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
• Do you have a best friend at work?
• In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
• In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

 Copyright 1992-1999 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved. Gallup and Q12 are registered trademarks of The Gallup Organization.

Gallop found that engagement levels can be predictors of sickness absence, with highly engaged employees taking on average 2.7 days per year v’s disengaged employees taking an average of 6.2 days per year. Q12 meta-analysis, The Gallop Organisation (2006)Almost 3 times more days sickness reported not even taking into consideration the disengaged performance when at work. From many findings we know that being disengaged can lead to an increase in sickness and absenteeism. What are your absenteeism records like and what could be done by looking at higher engagement of your staff?

Great Leadership ensures a strong transparent culture and direction that gives employees a sense of worth and purpose. Alongside this people can see how the company vision and goals link to their own purpose and vision. More and more we are finding when people are engaged with their own purpose as well as the company vision they become more productive, engaged, happier and more fulfilled. It is a win for the company and individual.

When we talk about leadership, we are not talking the control and command style, but inspiring leadership. A leader that genuinely cares about his/her people, one that believes in the potential of staff and knows that with the right role and reward people want to do well.

There is still a common misconception that people are just there to do a job and when it gets tough these people are easily dispensable. We know from all of the engagement work that with the right leadership and line management people increase their performance, discretionary effort and drive for success, sometimes more than thought possible.

A leader has to inspire, believe in his/her people, do the right thing, listen, and trust and set clear and inspiring goals. They need to communicate clearly with narrative that hooks people emotionally. The sooner we realise that this is not soft skill but essential business skill the better for business success as well as employee health and well being   

Mind’s Populus poll of 2050 workers found that as a direct result of recession:

• 1 in 10 had visited their GP for support
• 7% had started a course of medical treatment for depression 
• 5% had seen a counsellor 
• Half said staff morale was low 
• 28% were working longer hours 
• A third said staff were having to compete against each other.

Mind’s new research found that over the course of their careers:

• Almost 50% of people had lost sleep due to work
• 22% had developed depression
• 1 in 5 said that work stress had made them physically ill 
• 1 in 4 had cried at work due to unmanageable pressure
• Only 38% of workers think their current employer is doing enough to support them.

Please see Mind’s website for the full review

This is such a significant problem we all have to wake up and think, is it really worth it? What can I do for myself and others in my organisation to avoid this?

I spoke to someone that I know very well today after taking time out after a stressful period at work, He said to me that after taking time out of work and reflecting he asked himself the question “why did I take it all so seriously and why didn’t I see what it was doing to me”?

If you feel that work is taking over please take action now. There are many small things you can do starting from today to prevent work and stress taking hold of you. If you don’t look after yourself then it is unlikely anyone else will.

These include:

• Commit to getting more sleep
• Exercise each week at least 3 times
• Eating the right foods
• Taking time out for relaxation and leisure
• Making time for yourself, doing something that you enjoy doing
• Doing some kind of meditation that allows you to be present in the moment
• Take regular breaks at work, even if they are small 10 min breaks to walk around and get some air
• Focus on your strengths, engage in who you are and what you are good at

Even if you committed to one of these points you would be taking some action to take the control back into your own hands