The way pharmaceutical reps sell to physicians has changed significantly in recent years, and standing out among a sea of other reps isn’t as easy as it once was. If you are a pharmaceutical rep – or if you manage them – these the four essential fundamentals you should know to stand out and make profitable connections.

Two-Minute Sales

The average time today’s reps have with a doctor is two minutes – down from six minutes just a few years ago. Two minutes is less than the average length of a pop song. That isn’t much time to make a positive impression on a busy physician and get them to remember your product. This is no easy feat. Successful reps must:

• Know their data cold (without looking at their tablet or sales materials)
• Project confidence
• Keep the focus on patient outcomes
• Adapt to the conditions of the meeting, the mood of the doctor, etc.

Listening

Two minutes is a very short amount of time, but that doesn’t mean reps should spend those two minutes barraging physicians with facts, figures and promotional materials. They also need to listen to physicians and make the meeting feel much more like a conversation than a sales pitch. If you can position your company as a resource for a doctor rather than just a sales rep, you’ll build a much stronger relationship.

Teamwork

Pharmaceutical reps used to be lone wolves out in the field, but today, there is much more collaboration. Co-promotion of products has become extremely popular, and it is important for reps to master working cooperatively with the team, rather than competitively. This requires a willingness to share data more freely than ever before, becoming a responsive and supportive member of a team, and the ability to stay focused on shared goals, rather than individual goals.

Adaptability

If there’s one thing reps can count on in pharmaceutical sales, it’s change. From adapting to different doctors’ styles to responding to changes in rules and regs to keeping pace with the latest studies, reps have to be able to roll with change. People who get stuck doing things a certain way or who struggle to change their approach when necessary will not be able to maintain a competitive edge in the market.

If you are looking for pharmaceutical reps for your organization, or if you are a rep looking for new career opportunities, partner with the experts at SMR Group, Ltd. today. Our team can match talented reps with dynamic organizations every day. Contact us today to learn more about the ways we can help you achieve your goals.