Pharma Selling Skills

Classic and New Methods of Operations

By
Bapan Paul
 Content
• What is selling?
• Basic steps of selling
• Pre call planning
• Opening
• Questioning
• Presentation
• Objection handling
• Closing
• Post call analysis
• Integrity selling
 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.
 Types of Selling

Created Market Create the market

 Basic selling Steps

Objectio
Pre call Opening Question Presenta Post call
n Closing
planning ing tion analysis
Handling
 1. Pre call planning

Targeting

Call Preparation

Projecting Company Image

Utilize Waiting Time

 2. Opening

Steps of Opening Types of Opening

• Greeting • Need/Benefit opening:

• Purpose of call • Identify a known or
• Initiating business presumed need
discussion • Offer a product feature
& benefit to satisfy that
need.
• Opening as a question
 Objectives..

 Positive atmosphere
 Exchange of names
 Simply connect
 start a gentle
conversation
 3. Questioning

• Invites an extended doctor response

Open
question
• Start with What, When, Why, Where, Who & How

• Invites a “Yes” or “No” reply from the doctor

Closed
question
• Start with Do, Will, Is, Should

• Give doctor two or more positive options in order

Choice
question
to rule out a negative “No” response.
 3. Questioning

Benefit Tag • Benefit is presented in the form of a

statement supported by a Feature
Questioning and followed by a Closed Question

Tag On • Tag on questions are used when

doctor makes a positive statement
Questioning: which you want to reinforce.
 Objectives

 Questions are used to PROBE information from doctors

 Questions starting with

WHAT
WHERE
WHY
HOW
WHO
WHICH
are very useful
 Funnel Technique
A powerful tool to Encourage the Flow of Conversation
 Method Of Selling

efine the doctor’s requirement for your product.

Medical rep : asks open active questions
Doctor : LISTENS and ANSWERS accordingly

cceptance by the doctor of the requirements.

Doctor : ANSWERS and gives acceptance
Medical rep : does active listening and makes notes

rove that your product can fulfil the doctor’s requirement.

Medical rep : offers the product (or service)
Doctor : does active listening and if things are not clear, asks questions
cceptance of the proof by the doctor.
Medical rep : does relevant answering
Doctor : accepts the product as his/her need
 4. Presentation

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 doctors attention

Don’t look at the Detail Aid, look at the doctor. Observe his/her actions

If interrupted, do a brief recap before continuing

Don’t be distracted by surroundings

 Presenting the Benefits

what the doctor wants? what the doctor gains?

Need Feature/Offering Benefit

what do we offer?
 5. Handling objections

•An incorrect negative perception because of

Misunderstanding misinformation.
•To handle this provide the right information.

•A doctor’s doubt that your product can actually deliver

Skepticism the stated benefit.
•Offer proof (clinical studies, references)

•A real short coming or disadvantage of your product.

Real Objection •To handle real objection, minimize the impact by
focusing on the advantages
 5. Handling objections

•Doctor is not interested in your product because

doctor is satisfied with competitor’s product or
doctor has never used that type of product.
Indifference •Identify a need that can not be satisfied by the
doctor’s preferred product.

•Doctor does not openly raise an objection

Hidden because the doctor is disinterested.
•How to handle: Ask doctor if they have concerns.

Objection
 When Do Objections come?

 When D to A from DAPA is not done

 It’s a doctor tactic to get a discount
 The doctor is confused due to hidden cost or
competition
 A habit of asking questions
 A strategy to postpone decision making
How do we tend to handle objections?

Dejected Angry Challenging Frustrated Defensive

How Should We React to objections?

Pause Stay calm Don’t get Don’t get Don’t

defensive aggressive disturb the
customer.

Let him
speak first
Kinds Of Objections

Unspoken Objection

Objection that we hear and

can answer

Objection that we hear and

cannot answer
 The unspoken objection

Doctor Doctor Doctor

frowns smiles looks
(sarcastic) elsewhere
What do you do when an unspoken
objection comes?
PAUSE and then convert it into a SPOKEN OBJECTION by
asking

• You are thinking something Sir?

• Anything particular Sir?
When you hear an objection and you
can answer?
 Pause
 probe gently

 Please, tell me more.

 Apart from this, is there
anything else that is of
concern to you?
 If I can take care of this to
your satisfaction, could we
proceed forward (would
you consider our product)?
Handling the objections we hear and
cannot answer
Our Products
Features we offer but and features Features the doctor
doctor does not need wants, but we do not
Find Out: have
Find Out:
 Why the doctor may  Why does the doctor
not need it? want it?

 How important is it?

 How long will the 1) Essential 2) Desirable
doctor not need it? 3) Useful

 Can we explore an
 Will the doctor ever alternative?
need it in future?
 Selling The Price Effectively

 Psychological aspects of price:

 Price is the only weapon that the doctor has.

 Make sure YOU believe in your own pricing.

 Make the doctor feel that you are there to help and
not to fight.
 Selling The Price Effectively

The right stage to present the price:

NOT UNTIL the doctor has REALISED the
BENEFITS of your product
QUALITY BENEFITS CONSISTENCY RELIABILITY REPUTATION BRAND NAME SERVICE YOU
 Selling The Price Effectively
SANDWICH METHOD

Benefits
Price
Benefits

 STEP I: present the BENEFITS of your product

 STEP II: put the price in front of the doctor

 STEP III: JUST CONTINUE with explaining him/her the features that he/she will derive
out of this price
 6. Closing

Review all the benefits accepted by the doctor

Ask for business (trial use, continued use, expanded

use)

Wait for a response

What prevents a medical rep from
closing effectively?

Fear

Uncertainty

Doubt
Why a medical rep may not close
well?

 Too Early
 Too Late
 Too Meek
 Too Aggressive
 Doctor’s objections not resolved completely
 Sales process not followed
 When to close?

 The DOCTOR has understood your product completely

 The DOCTOR has developed trust in your company

 The DOCTOR has a desire for the benefits for his/her

patients
7. Post call analysis
Integrity Selling
Congruence – Model
AIDINC - Model
AIDINC - Model