Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 25
FEATURESTORY
The Well-Rounded Rep:
4 Ways to Make Soft-Skills Training More Effective
I By Michelle O’Connor, Brian Smith and David Ilconich ow can pharmaceutical and biotech companies break down access barriers in today’s market? e key is to develop well-rounded representatives. Access is top of mind for our people in the eld: More than 9 out of 10 representatives worry about decreased access to clinicians, according to a recent study of 1,500 current and former CMR Institute students. Industry access studies back up their concern, with more physicians closing their doors to salespeople. Yet representatives in the survey say they are nding success by tailoring the information they present to the needs of the clinician’s practice. What’s more, representatives say they have more effective interactions with prescribers when they take care to establish a relationship, listen to prescribers’ needs and respect customers’ time constraints. All of these e ective representative behaviors are what many would call “so skills.” And it’s these skills that make well-rounded representatives.
H
• Understanding cultural di erences Together, these skills can help repreWell-rounded salespeople possess sentatives build the credibility, rapport valuable so skills to boost their pro and customer focus ciency in today’s Representatives to relate clinical intough selling environment — in addi- with high levels of the formation in an eftion to having solid soft skill emotional fective, compliant and ethical way. knowledge of their intelligence generate products, the disSpecific twice the revenues of eases those prodStrategies ucts treat and the their colleagues As pharmaceutihealthcare business. cal and biotech trainers, there are sevWhat exactly are the so skills that eral strategies to make the most of your well-rounded representatives need to so -skills training e orts. Here are four possess? Each company may categorize to consider. them a little di erently, but they o en center on these critical skills: 1. Make sure reps understand why • Active listening so skills are valuable. • E ective questioning
Beyond Mere People Skills
• Responding to customer feedback • Emotional intelligence • E ective transitioning between products • Being able to read environmental cues and buying signals • Communicating within teams
Here’s a compelling fact: Hay Management Consultants reported that representatives with high levels of the so skill emotional intelligence generate twice the revenues of their colleagues. Higher-performing salespeople understand the value of self-awareness, selfmanagement, empathy and
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25
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Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Leap of Faith
Contents
Field-Based Training: Developing Future Leaders
Gender Inequities in Training
Social Learning in Action: Beyond the Hype
Time Management: Training the Clock-Watcher
Cover Story: Pfizer: Managing Manager Development
The Well-Rounded Rep: 4 Ways to Make Soft-Skills Training More Effective
Mobile Learning: The Power to Perform
Demystifying MSL Training
Leadership Lessons from the Military
Coaching the Amiable Rep
Investing in Sales Training 2.0
Infographic
Clip & Go Activity
Heard it on the Tweet
People News
Company News
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions With…John Baldoni
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 4
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 5
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 6
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Leap of Faith
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 8
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 10
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 11
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 12
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Field-Based Training: Developing Future Leaders
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 14
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Gender Inequities in Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 16
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Social Learning in Action: Beyond the Hype
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 18
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Time Management: Training the Clock-Watcher
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 20
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover Story: Pfizer: Managing Manager Development
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 22
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 23
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 24
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - The Well-Rounded Rep: 4 Ways to Make Soft-Skills Training More Effective
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 26
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 27
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 28
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Mobile Learning: The Power to Perform
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 30
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 31
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Demystifying MSL Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 33
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 34
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Leadership Lessons from the Military
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Coaching the Amiable Rep
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 37
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Investing in Sales Training 2.0
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 39
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Infographic
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 41
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 42
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Clip & Go Activity
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Heard it on the Tweet
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 45
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - People News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Company News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 5 Questions With…John Baldoni
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover4
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