selling skills

Back Wheel( Medical / Product knowledge )

It supplies the driving force .

If you don’t have a strong back wheel, you cannot go anywhere.

Front Wheel( Selling Skills )

It supplies Steering .

It directs the Medical and Product knowledge .

The difference between outstanding and less successful PSR is that;The less successful PSR omits key selling steps or performs them at inappropriate times but, not because the “ SUPERSTAR “ talks more smoothly , is more attractive , or better dressed

Who is The Successful Salesman

Self Starter

Ethical

Initiative

Self dependable

Motivated to learn

Confident in his company

Confident in his products

Confident in himself

SMART Objective Specific

Measurable

Ambitious

Realistic

Time based

The Intelligent Icebreaker

Definition

It’s a ( small talk ) whose purpose is to relax both parties and establish an easy and natural dialogue.

How do you find out an intelligent icebreaker ?

It reflects the physician’s professional interests ;his practice, office , employees, or colleagues .

Examples:Has the doctor remodeled his office ?Installed new equipment ?Attended a recent conference ?

An Intelligent Icebreaker has three characteristics:

1- It’s about professional topic.

2- This topic interests the physician .

3- It encourages a response from the physician that allows for transition to the IBS of the sales call itself.

1- Initial Benefit Statement( IBS )

Definition

A statement that normally occurs early in a sales call ( sometimes it can occur later ) which introduces a product in a manner which will generate maximum interest .

Skill Model:

1. Describe a general physician or patient need, problem or concern you feel is likely to attract the physician.

2. State related feature(s) and benefits that satisfy the need.

3. Mention the product by name. (Be prepared to react to the physician's response.)

When to use:

• After the intelligent icebreaker as a bridge to introduce your product.

• When the sales call is underway to bridge from one product to another.

Rationale:

• Starts the sales discussion on a productive course by placing the product in the context of a probable physician’s need.

• Emphasizes your interest in the physician's needs (not what you have to sell ) and steers the conversation in the direction of what's important to the person to whom you're taking.

• Provides an opportunity for the physician to respond(either positively, negatively or neutrally), thus providing you with valuable information.

If Omitted or Performed Incorrectly:

• You may seem more committed to selling your product than meeting the physician's needs.

• The doctor may be confused about the product's relevance to his needs.

• The doctor never "warms up'. or becomes involved in the sales discussion and you don't know why.

• The doctor continually talks about irrelevant, non-sales related topics. (You lose control of the discussion.)

2- Reinforcing Desired Responses

Definitions:

• A desired response is a positive physician statement about company, a product, or personnel.

• A reinforcing statement is your resulting statement, which acknowledges the desired response and incorporates it into the sale discussion.

Skill Model:

After you have recognized that a statement is positive and identified what feature or benefit is being reinforced,do the following :

1. Agree with or acknowledge the desired response.

2. State a related feature and benefit.

Rationale:

• Establishes a psychological bond of understanding.

• Establishes a mood of agreement and commitment.

• Demonstrates your interest and involvement in what the physician says.

• Positive statements tend to lead to positive actions (such as a favorable buying decision).

• Behaviors that are reinforced tend to occur more frequently.

Remember

For a ( mixed statement ) which contains a desired response and other material you want to ignore, reinforce only the positive element.

3- Asking Probing Questions

Definition:Probing questions enable you to establish and maintain a dialogue with the physician.

Rationale :• To prompt the flow of information by

encouraging the physician to talk about a given topic and/or expand upon a comment, question or objection.

• To clarify your understanding of a key word, an attitude, a complaint or a need.

• To uncover and demonstrate your interest in the physician's ideas, attitudes and needs.

Types of Questions or Probes

Question

Or

Probe

Open Closed Choice

Types of Probing Questions:

Probing questions are classified according to the specificity of information they require physicians to supply with their answers.

Different types of probing questions allow physicians varying degrees of freedom to respond with what is important to them.

An open probe - prompts physicians to talk at 1ength on a particular topic but allows the freedom so that they can select what is important to them i.e( exploratory questions ).

N.B. Questions often begins with ( How / What / When / Why )

A closed probe - requires a specific and limited response (often yes or no)i.e ( narrow questions ).

A choice probe - requires the physicians to select, from a brief list you supply, the alternative that is most important to them or the alternative which best reflects their meaning

If Omitted:

• You may talk too much and listen too little.

• You may misunderstand the meaning of a statement.

• The physicians may conclude you are not interested in their opinions or needs.

• You may not uncover physician needs that are critical to obtaining a favorable buying decision.

• As a result, you may discuss features and benefits that do not appeal to the physicians.

*If you want a physician to talk , avoid a series of closed

probes and use open probes to encourage him to talk at length.

*Avoid questions that imply you know the answer .

*Ask a single question that is short and to the point .

4- Effective Listening

Definition:

The use of non-judgmental statements and/or gestures to demonstrate to the physicians that you are listening to what they are saying and that you:

Understand

Are interested in

Empathize with the facts, feelings and opinions that arise from your conversation.

Types of Effective Listening:

1. The paraphrase - restating in your own words your understanding of the ideas contained in the physician's statement.

2. The active listening statement - restating both the ideas and the feelings contained in the physician's statement.

3. The Short statement - (e.g., “I see,” “I understand”) to indicate your attention and interest in what the physician is saying.

4. Body Language - (such as leaning forward) to indicate attention and interest.

The Paraphrase

It’s a summary, often of a much longer statement, and confirms your understanding of the facts of what was said and demonstrates your interest in the physician’s ideas .

Example :

So, you need a Drug that controls Neuropathic pain rapidly , for 24 hours with high safety profile.

The Active Listening

In addition to summarizing the content of a physician’s statement, active listening uses language that reflects the feeling behind it ,how he feels about what he’s just said .

Example :

You’re concerned about the economic status of your patients, so you need a cost effective medications .

Short Statement

PSR is sometimes hesitant to choose between wanting the physician to continue talking on a topic and wanting to indicate he is listening .

Examples :

Yes…

That’s a good point…

Body Language

Gestures and expressions are a non-verbal variety of the short statement .

Examples:

If you smile , nod, lean forward, or establish eye contact,you will encourage the physician to continue and to indicate attention and interest .

Words

( 7 % )

Tone

( 38 % )

Body Language

( 55 % )

Elements of Communication

Carelessly used effective listening may be:

Interpreted as putting words into the physicians' mouth or telling the physicians what they are thinking.

May annoy or confuse the physicians by telling them what they just said.

Needs The Selling Process is based on Satisfying Customer’s

Needs

5- Using Features to Sell Benefits.

Definitions:

A feature: The qualities or characteristics of a Product.

e.g. its mode of action, dosage, or chemistry.

A benefit: What the user --physician or patient -

gains from the product.

( Solutions not Features )

Doctors don’t buy drugs ( features ) ,but they buy solutions ( benefits ) to their problems .

When to use Features to sell Benefits:

After you have identified a physician/patient need (a problem or opportunity) and the physician has told you it is important.

N.B ( Try never to present a feature/benefit sequence until you have identified a need )

Rationale

1. Stating benefits: Demonstrates your interest for what interests/concerns

the physician.

Makes features more meaningful by explaining how they win help the physician and/or his patients.

Increases the probability of a positive physician response.

Keeps the physician interested and invo1ved in the sa1es discussion .

2. Stating features: Ensures that the physician understands how and

believes that the product's characteristics will resu1t in the benefit.

If Omitted:

The physician will look at his watch, be unresponsive , or terminate the discussion and you won't know why.

If the physician allows the discussion to proceed to the close, you will probably get a "no" and, again, you won't know why.

6-Using Visuals

&

Third-Party Support

A Visual Aid is :

A multi-colored , high impact product description , it contains ;

1. A central theme .2. Product features and benefits .3. Clinical studies .

Types of Support Materials ( Third Party References )

monographs.

Publications of major clinical studies.

A list of local physicians currently prescribing a particular company products.

Rationale :

To establish the credibility of product's benefits.

To increase the physicians' interest and understanding

To help the physician retain product informationwhen he is considering therapy for a patient.

To pre-handle the objection: "I'm a special case."

When to use Support Materials:

The physician doubts in a product’s benefit (s).

The physician misunderstands a key point which is difficult to explain orally.

The physician's interest is waning.

Skill Model:

Preparation:1. Study the support material.

2. Practice using the support material.

During the sales discussion:1. Be alert for signals that support material is needed .

2. Link the support to the signals .

3. Establish credibility.

4. Control the presentation.

5. Customize the presentation.

7- Handling Objections.

Definition:

An objection is a prospect's negative opinion (stated, unstated or implied) that prevents a favorable call outcome.

Types of Objections:

Doubt

When a physician does not believe that a product's features will result in the benefits you've described.

Misunderstanding

When a physician misunderstands important product knowledge either about a feature or a benefit.

Indifference

When the physician may understand and believe what you say,but the benefit(s) you mention is notimportant to him .

Skill Model ( CAR Check ):Clarify :Ask questions and/or paraphrase to make sure

you understand the objection. (Show respect.)

Acknowledge : ( Don’t agree with it )

Respond (Answer the objection ):

(For doubt) Supply proof by using third party references or visuals.

(For misunderstanding) Explain, then restate the feature and benefit.

(For indifference) Acknowledge the comment (do not agree with it) and present a counterbalancing benefit. (Ask for or be alert for physician's reaction.)

Check ( To confirm )

Rationale:

To demonstrate your interest in and respect for the physician’s opinion (without necessarily agreeing with it).

To identify the physician’s concern that you must clear it up to get the sales .

To identify an important, unstated need. (An objection is a need stated negatively)

If Omitted:

• If you don't handle an objection you're likely to get others (i.e., you will get a series of insincere objections and you won't know why).

• If you don't follow the skill model, you may: Answer the wrong objection.

Waste time answering an objection when none exist.

Communicate while you're not interested in what the doctor is thinking --you'd rather sell than listen.

8- Making an Action Close

Action Close …

…is not just shaking hands , it’s what perceptions have we left at a physician’s mind before we close .

Definitions:

A favorable decision: The result of the physician's internal

thoughts about whether or not to prescribe a Apex product.

An Observable action: External and therefore observable

action , the doctor takes to implement a favorable decision

Why PSRs don’t want to close ?

* They don’t want to know how they’re doing .

* They fear a refusal and don’t know how to respond when they hear one .

Rationale :

1- If a PSR cannot close , he cannot sell, regardlesshow many words he uses .

2- If you don’t ask for a commitment the physician won’t volunteer one .

3- Asking for a decision lets you know where you stand .

4- A ( No ) answer does not mean the sales is over , only that more work needs to be done to uncover the objection .

5- If you don’t ask for a commitment , someone else will do .

When to close :

1. At the end of the discussion, after you have mentioned benefits that meet important needs and have handled any objections (i.e. the benefits offer enough advantage to represent a reasonable "net gain" for a change of habits).

2. When you hear a buying signal :

• An enthusiastic comment about a feature or benefit.

• A positive statement you normally hear at the end of the call.

3. After the doctor agrees you have answered an objection.

Skill Model:

1. Briefly summarize specific product benefits that have been accepted by the physician as important.

2. Request a specific buying action.a. Use a direct close for most major decisions.

“ Doctor,in light of these advantages, will you prescribe Pregdin-Apex as a first line therapy ? “

a. Use an assumptive close which assumes that the physician is committed to prescribing or expanding prescription of the product

“ Doctor , how many Apetoid Loading dose would you like me to leave with you ? “

a. Ask for the largest reasonable commitment first.

b. Wait for an answer… don't talk.

3. When you get a "yes " thank the doctor.

Concepts:

Asking for a decision gives you important information about what's going on in the doctor's mind.

Don't be afraid of a “no “ when you close.

Close when interest is at its highpoint.

Close as soon as you can.

Obtaining observable action increases the probability that the doctor will prescribe the Apex product.

Remember

Professionals

respect

professionals

The ( Linkage Concept )The linkage between clinical and personal needs , your role in probing this linkage .

PSR : What would you like in a Drugs For Neuropathic pain ?

Dr : Something that relieves pain quickly with no side effects .

PSR : How would this affect you personally ?

Dr : It would save me time having to switch patients from one drug to another and gives me more time to patients with more serious problems .

PSR : These studies show how my product relieves pain quickly with few side effects .

These studies indicate that you won’t have to keep switching patients from drug to another . This will free your time to devote to patients with more serious problems.