This comparative analysis clearly points out what the doctor values versus what the company and managers value in a sales call. This allows managers to coach to the needs of the customers by being not only behavior but outcome oriented and making coaching doctor focused.

Let's look at a typical example of the results of using this coaching model, and how they lead to a positive outcome. In an assessment call, the manager gives a high rating to the representative on closing because he or she asked the doctor to write for the product at the end of the call. The manager acknowledges that the selling skill is applied appropriately and perceives that the representative is moving product use forward by asking for the business.

The doctor, on the other hand, rates the representative significantly lower on closing. The reason for this has to do with the doctor's mindset: the doctor did not have enough information to be able to answer the closing question at that point. The doctor chooses to answer the question politely (and sometimes not so politely) to end the conversation. The reason for this is directly linked to the MD Mindset. Doctors need all the clinically relevant information in proper sequence before they can commit to using a product. Therefore, the doctor perceived the representative as pushy and did not believe he brought value to the call by being product focused rather than doctor focused. The call was terminated quickly, without any real intention to use the product.

With the manager's positive reinforcement for utilizing the selling skills tools out of sequence, there is frustration all around because it doesn't ensure a real commitment to product use. The doctor has not gained the information needed to change prescribing habits and product utilization is not guaranteed.

So, based on the subsequent analysis and educational session, the appropriate coaching outcome would be for the manager to explain that, in this case, closing for some action other than product use would have been preferable. This would have reinforced that the representative's interest was with the doctor, the doctor's needs, solving the patients' problems – and not exclusively on product use. By presenting in a doctor-focused manner, the representative gains more time, brings more value, and is more likely to bring doctor satisfaction and product utilization. In other words, a successful call.

Managers must broaden their perspective from one of coaching focused on messaging and product to one of delivering information based on the behaviors doctors feel bring value and will change their clinical behaviors and prescribing habits. This creates the culture of selling based on the needs of the doctor and the practice, and establishes a doctor-focused environment rather than a product-focused selling environment.

"Coaching to the MD Mindset" enables sales managers to:

• Evaluate their alignment with doctors' needs
• Analyze their representatives' response to the MD Mindset and how it is necessary to adapt to it
• Discuss with their training department specific support for themselves and their representatives to help them align their efforts with the needs of their customers.