Take control
 Whether
you're new to the field or have been in pharmaceutical sales for 15
years, time and territory management is difficult to master. New
technologies like voice mail and e-mail that are alleged to make our
lives easier instead add to the clutter of information we must sort
through every day. And the increased use of marketing strategies like
team selling has made routing even more critical. A time study of sales
reps at a large pharmaceutical company in Canada, conducted by
Toronto-based Pace Productivity Inc., found that reps worked 49 hours
per week. Of that, only 12 hours per week were spent on pure selling or
service. Almost three hours per week were spent simply waiting (this
number might have been higher, but some reps used waiting time to do
administrative tasks and, thus, this time was classified as
administrative rather than waiting time). The rest of the week was
spent on administrative tasks, territory planning, pre- and post-call
notes, and paperwork. How can reps reduce the time they spend on
administrative tasks, optimize their waiting time and increase the time
they spend on selling? We asked industry experts to answer some of
reps' most frequently asked questions on territory and time management.
Here is what they had to say: Q: How should I design my routes so I'm making the best use of my time? A: Keep geographic areas together and use a well-thought-out plan or system to create your weekly-daily routes. For example, a two-digit numbering system assigns every targeted prescriber to a route week and day (1-1 is Monday of the first week, 1-2 is Tuesday of week 1 and so on). If you set up a four-week cycle, you will have 20 routes, which should cover 100% of your territory. Within a single daily route, list the offices in the order you plan to visit them. Rank the importance of each prescriber you will see each day so you can spend more time with the most important ones and "fill in" with the lower-volume prescribers. Have your calendar with you in each office, and plan appointments to match your routes. This will decrease windshield time, and each appointment will fit in with the rest of your day. Use your sales force automation system or a simple Excel spreadsheet to check off prescribers as you see them. You will be amazed that there are some key targets you haven't seen as often as you thought -- or as often as you need to. Always plan more than you can do each day, and allow time for the unexpected opportunity or mishap. It will happen. If you're prepared, it will not disrupt your plan. John R. Moore Southeast area business manager, specialty division Schwarz Pharma Q: Is it worth it to drive a long time to see a targeted doctor, or am I better off keeping my call average high with the doctors who are close together? A: We know from our research that salespeople who see targeted physicians out-produce those who don't, because targeted physicians represent a significantly higher return on face-to-face time. The balancing act is: Does one targeted physician equal 10 second-tier physicians? My guess is no. Based on numbers I've seen, one top-tier physician is worth between two and four second-tier physicians. Using that math, six second-tier physicians outweigh one top-tier physician, so the answer would be to keep your call rates high. Ideally, you'd see five top-tier doctors, then drive for two hours and see one more top-tier physician, and then drive home after 5 p.m. Fred Marshall President Quantum Learning Q: My manager wants me in the field by 8:00 every morning, but the majority of physicians don't get in until around 9:00. What should I do in the field between 8:00 and 9:00? A: The fact that the doctor isn't in the office doesn't necessarily mean the support staff isn't there. Go to the office anyway and use that time to build some rapport with people -- like the receptionist, for example -- who have the ability to make it easier for you to see the doctor. You can talk to nurses, physician's assistants and other people who may give you a better feel for what the patient base looks like. What is their insurance typically like? What problems have they been complaining about lately? What does the doctor normally prescribe? When you can get that data-gathering done with others in the office, you can tailor your message to the doctor pretty specifically. You also might want to talk to the support staff to get a feel for what kinds of needs the doctor has, what kinds of data usually influence him and what his personality is like. Seleste Lunsford Senior Product Manager Achieve Global Q: How frequently should I change my routes so they don't get repetitive? A: Repetition is good. A well-designed route is flexible but doesn't need to change very often. Many appointments are made six, nine or even 12 months in advance, and a route change may put you in a totally different part of your territory when it is time for that long-awaited appointment. Change your daily routine instead of your overall route. If you've always visited one office in the morning, go there in the afternoon. Different people may be working, and you may uncover new selling opportunities. To add variety, make one cycle a "coffee" cycle and take morning snacks to offices. Next time around on the same route, treat the offices you visit in the afternoon. Remember, snacks and treats are only a tool to give you better access to sell to the physicians and office influencers. If you have product samples, use consistent routing to measure how a given physician uses your samples. An increase or decrease can lead to a great selling opportunity. Physicians and office staff remember how frequently you visit and appreciate consistency. You will have a greater chance of seeing the physician if the receptionist knows it will be another four weeks before you are able to return. John R. Moore Southeast area business manager, specialty division Schwarz Pharma Q: Many of my offices close around lunch. What should I do during that hour? A:In a job such as a pharmaceutical sales rep's, there are high priorities and low priorities. Certainly, you want to spend as much of your day as possible on the high-priority activities. For pharmaceutical sales reps, this is spending face-to-face time talking with doctors about products. If there is a time of day when physicians just aren't available, then that's the time to do all the low-priority tasks, like paperwork, administration, ordering samples and so on. It's also good to have some downtime during the day to take a break. Driving yourself crazy for ten hours a day and surviving on coffee and doughnuts just is not smart. Given the pressures and stress that people face, it's wise to take at least some time off to regroup and refresh. And if you can do that during a time when your physicians aren't available, that's even better. Mark Ellwood President Pace Productivity Q: Under what circumstances is it OK to leave an office after I've been waiting for a long time? A: Waiting is a part of the job. A physician once said that patients pay to wait, while reps are paid to wait. He was wrong -- you're not paid to wait. But you are paid to access your customers, and that often requires a great deal of patience. But how much is too much? That varies from office to office, but generally you can ask yourself these questions to determine if it's time to move on to the next customer: * Am I certain the physician knows I'm out here waiting? * Have I exhausted my alternatives to getting beyond the waiting room (speaking to nurses, calling on support staff, checking expiration dates in the sample closet, etc.)? * Have I waited considerably longer than I have in the past to see this customer? * Will I jeopardize my opportunities to see several more customers if I continue to wait for this one? * Will I likely be able to see this customer more promptly if I return soon? If you answer "yes" to all of these questions, it's time to move on. Ask the gatekeeper for a better time to return and go on to the next customer. Greg Nicholson Primary care training manager AstraZeneca Q: I have 50 e-mails in my inbox. How can I get through them without wasting my entire morning or evening? A: E-mail was designed to be a high-value tool that would make communication easier, quicker and cheaper. Instead, it takes the average person about two hours a day to manage 25 unread e-mails. Here are ways to avoid wasting time with a crowded inbox: * Upon opening your inbox, quickly scan all new e-mail messages to get a sense of their content before proceeding. * Next, delete all low-value or irrelevant messages and those from addresses you don't recognize. If this is too hard at first, transfer them into a "read later" folder. * After you complete the steps above, focus first on messages relating to one particular topic. Read the first in the series as a refresher, and then the most recent. In many cases, this technique allows you to skip over all e-mails in between. * Doing the above should take about ten minutes or less and should reduce your inbox messages by 60%. Deal with the remaining e-mails in order of importance. * Less is more. Respond to e-mails, including thank-you notes, only when a response is absolutely required. * Do not labor over composing an e-mail. This is a sure signal that a higher order of communication, such as a telephone or face-to-face conversation, is required. * Take advantage of the utilities in your e-mail software package (such as a preview pane, color coding, folders, a junk mail filter and an out-of-office assistant) to help you manage and organize inbound messages. Christina Cavanagh Author of "Managing Your E-Mail: Thinking Outside the Inbox" Q: Is it OK to run personal errands between calls or have a midday workout? A: Being on-the-go and moving about town is a perk of the job. However, you cannot abuse that benefit. Talk to your manager about your specific requests. Generally, it is safe to run an occasional errand if it will not take you away from your work for more than fifteen minutes. Do your best to conduct such errands during the lunch hour. Lunchtime is a great time to get caught up on e-mails or with other administrative work you can do in your parked car. It is also a time when office-based workers run some of their quick errands, and as such, it is reasonable for you to use some of this time to take care of personal business. You should definitely get permission from your manager before stopping off at the gym. It may look convenient because it's right between a couple of offices, but it requires a considerable block of time away from your job. Don't alter your workday based on your personal needs. The focus of your day must remain your work. Greg Nicholson Primary care training manager AstraZeneca Q: How much of my day should I plan, and how much should I leave to chance? A: Many people resist the idea of planning their days too tightly, for fear that they will not be able to act with sufficient spontaneity and flexibility when something new or unexpected comes up. On the other hand, the basic mathematical rule is that you will save 10 minutes of time and mistakes for every one minute you spend in planning! The basic rule is the old "80/20 Rule." You should plan 80% of your days and weeks in advance, leaving about 20% of buffer time for unexpected delays and emergencies. By planning each day and each week in advance, and taking time to estimate exactly how long you will require both in traveling and selling time, you will eventually become more and more accurate. Simultaneously, planning your days and weeks in advance gives you a tremendous sense of control, which is necessary for mental well-being and peak performance. Brian Tracy Chairman Brian Tracy International Author of "Time Power" Q: What are the most important things to have in my notes to help me make an efficient call? A: I'm not interested in efficient calls; the most efficient call is to drop samples and leave. Effectiveness is what counts. So, what are the most important things to have in your notes to help you make an effective call? * A clear picture of where you want the physician to be -- for example, using your product first-line for patients with mild to moderate disease or becoming a speaker and advocate for the use of your product first-line with those patients. * A clear picture of where the physician is now. For example, is he using a competitor's product first-line for patients with mild to moderate disease? * A personal or clinical touch-point to connect with the physician and bring you both "back to the moment." This lets you ask: "How was your trip to the beach with your daughter?" or "Last time you were concerned about side effects and their impact on compliance. I've brought some data on that subject. Would you like to see it?" * The key messages you plan to deliver and supporting materials like visual aids or clinical studies. * The commitment you want the physician to make (attend a speaker program, read through a study to discuss next time, try your product with a handful of patients with mild to moderate disease to get a feel for how it works). * Your key probes -- the things you need to learn and your strategy for finding them out. Fred Marshall President Quantum Learning If you have a territory and time management question you would like us to address in a future issue of Pharmaceutical Representative, e-mail it to pr@advanstar.com.
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