Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor is the owner of Taylor Presentations, a company that focuses on pharmaceutical sales motivation. Her book, Secrets of Successful Pharmaceutical Salespeople, is available for sale at www.TaylorPresentations.com. Taylor is also available to give keynote speeches and training seminars on the principles in her book. She can be reached at Sarah@TaylorPresentations.com.

Welcome to Success Stories, which explores what makes the industry's top-performing representatives so amazingly successful. Each month we will talk with someone who works closely with sales representatives, such as managers, trainers, managed care specialists, medical science liaisons and even doctors, to get their unique perspective on what habits, traits and competencies propel a rep to the top of his or her company.

Some people have it. Others don't. A handful of charismatic reps simply know how to charm the apathetic, convert the resistant and quickly develop the relationships needed to succeed in the pharmaceutical industry. In other words, these reps have an ability to establish rapport.

Seven steps to reinventing yourself as a success

Do you ever get frustrated when you can't get in to see a particular physician? And on the rare occasions when you do get in to see him, does it feel like he never listens to what you're saying? You're dying to increase your sales with this high-prescriber, but nothing you do seems to make any difference. It's enough to make you wish you could hire someone else to do your job for you!

Dr. Richards was one of the busiest internists in the area – he was writing prescriptions with both hands, yet his office was impenetrable. Every rep in the territory tried to get in – if one could secure just five percent of his business, he would be king, and make his numbers for the entire year!

They'll know the important information about each drug and its class, but you'll know the small details that can make a big difference for patients. This is where you begin consulting.

You schedule the lunch months in advance for a busy clinic at which you rarely get to see the doctors. When the day arrives, you get there early, making sure all the food and detail pieces are in place.

While some customers always seem to be difficult, even our favorite ones can have bad days.

Your manager has just assigned you the job of mentoring a new representative. Whether it's your first time or you're an old pro, mentoring new employees is a rare opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills. In fact, one of the principal responsibilities of a manager is mentoring, so what better way to prove your worth as a management candidate than mentoring a rep? That new employee's success – or lack of it – will reflect on you; take advantage of this opportunity and make sure you shine by following these three easy steps: