Medical sales representatives need to establish strategic relationships with various stakeholders involved in the healthcare sale. Yet, the number of rep-accessible HCPs has decreased dramatically. In fact, majority of clinical stakeholders surveyed indicated a preference not to see sales reps.

 

Whether interacting with clinicians, C-suite executives, supply-chain personnel, or other decision-makers, both access and relationships are driven by relevance and value. Medical reps frequently struggle to convey these essentials and instead rely on product-focused presentations.

 

The ability to distinguish oneself today is critical, as reps who sound and act the same are quickly dismissed. The increasingly diverse healthcare sales environment demands business/customer-centric and patient-centric conversations. No longer can medical and pharmaceutical sales reps focus on clinical issues and get the sale. Sales reps must lead relevant conversations that qualify and quantify specific value propositions with every stakeholder.

 

Medical reps must also be prepared to deal with new influencers, such as hospital groups, IDN’s, and payers.  

 

Product training alone is woefully inadequate.