Pharma Selling Skills: Classic and New Methods of Operations

What is selling? To satisfy a need or want with your product for mutual benefits by identifying or generating or influencing a need or want. In the modern healthcare environment, success requires specific medical sales skills and effective medical communications in pharmaceutical marketing. The process is built on integrity selling, where maintaining congruence between words and actions is emphasized as important for establishing trust with doctors.

Basic Steps of Selling

The document outlines the basic steps of selling as a structured sequence to ensure professional interactions:

1. Pre-call planning: Targeting, call preparation, projecting company image, and utilizing waiting time.
2. Opening: Establishing a positive atmosphere and initiating the business discussion.
3. Questioning: Using techniques to probe for information.
4. Presentation: Demonstrating how the product fulfills the doctor’s requirements.
5. Objection handling: Addressing doubts or misinformation.
6. Closing: Finalizing the call for mutual benefit.
7. Post-call analysis: Reviewing the interaction for future improvement.

The Opening Phase

The objectives of a successful opening are to create a positive atmosphere, exchange names, and simply connect to start a gentle conversation. The steps of opening include the greeting, stating the purpose of the call, and initiating the business discussion. One effective method is the Need/Benefit opening, where you identify a known or presumed need and offer a product feature and benefit to satisfy that need.

Effective Questioning Techniques

Questions are used to PROBE information from doctors. A powerful tool to encourage the flow of conversation is the Funnel Technique. Different types of questions serve specific purposes:

• Open question: Invites an extended doctor response. These start with What, When, Why, Where, Who, and How.
• Closed question: Invites a “Yes” or “No” reply from the doctor. These start with Do, Will, Is, or Should.
• Choice question: Gives the doctor two or more positive options in order to rule out a negative “No” response.
• Tag on questioning: These are used when a doctor makes a positive statement which you want to reinforce.

Professional Presentation

During the presentation, you must sit up straight in front of the doctor, look confident, and speak with enthusiasm. Hold the Detail Aid in front and use a pen to focus the doctor's attention, but do not look at the Detail Aid—look at the doctor and observe his or her actions. If interrupted, do a brief recap before continuing. When presenting the benefits, focus on what the doctor wants, what the doctor gains, and what the feature offers.

The DAPA Method of Selling

This method defines the structured interaction between the Medical Representative and the Doctor:

• Define: Define the doctor’s requirement for your product. The Medical Representative asks open active questions while the doctor listens and answers.
• Acceptance: Acceptance by the doctor of the requirements. The Medical Representative does active listening and makes notes.
• Prove: Prove that your product can fulfill the doctor’s requirement. The Medical Representative offers the product or service.
• Acceptance: Acceptance of the proof by the doctor as his or her need.

Handling Objections

Objections are a natural part of the selling process. Understanding the type of objection is critical for providing the right response:

• Misunderstanding: An incorrect negative perception because of misinformation. To handle this, provide the right information.
• Skepticism: A doctor’s doubt that your product can actually deliver the stated benefit. To handle this, offer proof such as clinical studies and references.
• Real Objection: A real shortcoming or disadvantage of your product. Minimize the impact by focusing on the advantages.
• Indifference: The doctor is not interested because they are satisfied with a competitor’s product. Identify a need that cannot be satisfied by the preferred product.
• Hidden Objection: The doctor does not openly raise an objection because they are disinterested. To handle this, ask the doctor if they have concerns.