You receive a voice-mail message from senior leadership, which contains the same thing you've heard from your manager for
months: "Stay focused! Don't worry about things you can't control. You are our most important resource. We are the right size
to compete in today's market." Before you hang up or listen halfheartedly in disbelief, what should you do? Trust is tenuous
in trying times. Should you believe them? Should you stay, update your resume just in case, or immediately look for another
job?
We have heard a lot about how we should act in tough times; now is not the time to panic, but no one ever tells us when it
is a good time to panic. We've all heard the clichés so many times that they are now second nature: We have nothing to fear
but fear itself; The measure of a man or woman is not how they function in good times, but how they keep their head when all
others are losing theirs; and my favorite, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
The demise of this industry has been forecast for decades. In 1992, companies laid off thousands of reps only to hire many
of them back in 1993. I am not saying today will have similar results, but similar questions are being asked by pharmaceutical
sales representatives about the stability of their careers and the industry in which we work.
What should you do? The options may simply be to panic or perform (although some may advocate a blend of the two). Let's take
a moment and analyze each option. Panic
To panic is really not a strategy. It is an unfocused, unsophisticated act motivated by fear of the unknown and your place
in it. It is filled with irrationality, irritation, unproductive acts and unproductive thinking. When we panic, it may be
due to self- and corporate doubt, and fear of the element of surprise. When we panic, we are:
- Immobilized and prone to fear, chasing and believing every negative rumor
- Susceptible to working shorter days and questioning the value of working hard
- Negative in our conversations with peers and customers, which is contagious
- Going through the motions and delivering suboptimal results
- Reluctant to go above and beyond the call of duty, adapting a "why bother attitude" (which doesn't help the client or the
company)
- Suspicious of every corporate act and view leadership as untrustworthy and self-centered
- Not as persuasive and reduce the percentage of effective closes (Customers can tell when we don't believe what we are asking
them to commit to)
- Always on edge, with an increase in stress, blood pressure, illness and absenteeism, and not enjoying the job as much.
During a season of panic, we are not contributing our best. This state of panic is detrimental to every party involved in
our daily interactions. However, I have seen some benefits to panic in certain situations. Many representatives will work
harder and deliver more calls, and increase the quality of their effort. Additionally, panic is known to activate the slackers
to get out into the field more regularly. When I was a sales rep, which was eons ago, there was a rumor of cutbacks at a certain
company. It was amazing the number of reps who mysteriously appeared in my territory. These reps were the exception, not the
rule, and gave the majority of the hard-working reps a bad name.
Many times panic is related to self-doubt and the element of surprise.
