Insights Gained…How A Manager Can Help Size Up A Providers’ Office

As a manager, you are focusing upon many things that are likely sales related when you enter an office with a representative.  It is good to be truly observant of many other aspects to help your representative relate quickly to the office.  Private offices are often decorated by the doctor, so there may be wall hangings that show interests and hobbies.  

What are the office hours for reps?  As your rep becomes trusted in offices, they may be given special times to call.  Note how many patients are in the waiting room, and what their general demographics are.  Are they seniors?  Is your product focused upon adults? Are there care givers assisting patients from where they live?  It is okay to ask what they are seeing mostly this week so you can relate to their challenges. If it is ‘school physicals time’, the office will have younger patients than usual.  If your product has formulary status with specific insurance plans, it is valuable to ask what plans the office has signed up with.  

Your rep will want to capture names and titles of all the office staff if possible, then focus upon those who interact most with representative visits and appointments.  Appointments are more effective if they are the first 3 days of the week because the disease treatment your rep presents is most likely to walk into the office a day or so after your call.  If that time interval is over the weekend because the appointment was made Thursday or Friday, it is less likely the product will be remembered.  

Your rep should never be on their phone, or reading magazines (though note the titles subscribed to), and it is unproductive to talk with patients.  Best to read corporate study material, or their literature including the package insert or a clinical study.  You may be able to help your rep by noting name tags, or procedures relating to calls and samples that your rep may miss.  

Carry a small notebook to quickly and briefly note any specifics you wish to praise as well as a possible aspect to work on.  If there is a pharmacy in the building it may be valuable to drop by and mention what was discussed.  When the two of you leave the office, you can enjoy sharing information and insights gathered, and how to enter notes quickly into their digital device.  Real success in medical sales relies upon many aspects and insights gained!

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