DIAGNOSIS
Corporate training is on the horizon – but what can you get out of it?

PRESCRIPTION
Newbie and vets alike can benefit from a few practical hints

New pharmaceutical sales representatives usually look forward to training with a mix of anticipation and anxiety – it's exciting to begin a new journey. It's fun to meet new people. And it probably means that you're done with home study manuals and online tests. At the same time, it's natural to worry about not performing well at training.

Many experienced representatives approach training with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation. It's nice to get out of territory for a little while and see far-flung friends, but the time out of territory may hurt your sales numbers. And besides that, you now know the mind-numbing reality of role-play grinders.

Take heart! Pharmaceutical companies are constantly evolving their training to better meet the needs of their sales forces. And whether you're a new or veteran rep, here are some practical things you can do to get more out of your company-provided training.

Prepare

Read all correspondence about the meeting, including details of what to bring, what to study, where you are expected to be and when. Complete all prework assignments by the specified deadlines.

Prepare yourself by identifying three specific challenges you are facing in your territory. List each one individually and indicate what you have done to try to overcome them.For example:

Challenge: My primary product requires prior authorization from the largest HMO in my territory.

My response: I have distributed prior authorization forms to all of my target prescribers.

Challenge: My highest target physician will not see pharmaceutical reps.

My response: I call on the practice regularly and leave product brochures and invitations to educational programs.

Challenge: I am new to pharmaceutical sales and I don't know who the key opinion leaders are in my territory.

My response: I am following the territory routing schedule that I inherited from the previous rep.

Think of this list as a springboard to make the training more relevant to your territory. Use the strategies in the rest of this article to gain insight and ideas into how to overcome the challenges you've identified.

Ask

Ask if there are any opportunities for you to be involved with the planning or presentation of the training. Many training meetings include regional or district break out sessions with more flexible agendas. Think about some of the skills and best practices you've developed that your peers may benefit from. For example, have you boosted your sales numbers by calling on NPs and PAs in your territory? Do you have a creative approach to program recruitment? How does your background in nursing help you sell against the competition?

If you came to pharmaceutical sales from another industry, you may have strategies for routing, call presentation or gaining access that are applicable for your peers. Whether you're a new or veteran rep, presenting to your peers is a great way to polish your presentation skills and deepen your understanding of the material.

Realize

Realize that once the training is complete and you are in territory, you probably won't have time to go back and study your training material. This is your opportunity to practice saying "subungual onychomycosis" and "macroglobulinemia." Now is the time to ask the difference between CABG and off-pump CABG, and to find out why a physician may recommend one procedure over the other.

Realize that role plays, although artificial, are the best way to develop your product-presentation skills. If you spend the time now to become absolutely fluent with the PI, your visual aids, patient profiles, prescribing information, and features and benefits, you will be able to really listen to prescriber questions and objections, and you will have excellent responses in the forefront of your mind.