Pharma Front-line Manager Special Issue. Field Force Excellence 2012 Conference in Mumbai, June 2, 2012

1. Vol. 2 lssue 4 www.medicinman.net April 2012
Editorial
Front-line Manager - The Last Mile
Disconnect in Pharma Strategy
According to an excellent must-read “Understanding and Aligning SFE with communication, disengagement and at-
Booz and Company’s Pharma Sales and Commercial Excellence”. Read Vikram’s trition?
Marketing Trends Report, 68% pharma and Hanno’s article and send us your
executives believed that the present feedback. The article by Jitendra Singh gives front-
pharma business model was broken and line managers five simple steps to cope
with the current challenges till the Indian
needed significant repairs. Then there is the MedicinMan Poll on
pharma leadership steps in and addresses
LinkedIn, which has received excel- the issue holistically.
I wonder what an India specific survey lent response – 90 votes in 10 days and
would reveal. Most consulting com- counting (Booz and Company surveyed Srinivasan’s article on facing interviews
panies are busy trumpeting the huge 150 pharma executives globally). This should help Medical Reps as well as re-
potential of Indian healthcare market Poll is to identify the learning needs of cruiters.
without saying much about the current pharma front-line managers. Five skills
business models and practices. The busi- were listed – see Poll and Participate - Dinesh Chindarkar and Dr. Neelesh re-
ness part that needs the most repairs is http://linkd.in/yJ2HVZ port on Health 2.0 India. A very interest-
Sales Force Management and Front- ing and new frontier approach to health-
line leadership development. 1. Managerial Skills of Planning, care issues. These new approaches could
hold some answers to fixing the pharma
Organizing, Execution and Monitoring
business model.
In this issue, MedicinMan looks at the last
mile challenge from several angles and 2. Creating Trust & Building Relationship Encouraged by the success of Brand
perspectives. First, there is an excellent Drift for pharma brand managers
lead article written by industry veteran 3. Spot, hire, motivate and engage talent MedicinMan is partnering with Knowl-
Vikram Munshi who has worked in sen- edge Ventures to produce an event fo-
ior positions in pharma giants, GSK and 4. Build skills of team members cusing on Sales Force Management,
Ranbaxy.(http://in.linkedin.com/pub/ specifically on enabling front-line
vikram-a-munshi/5/168/141) 5. Effective communication managers to unleash the FORCE in the
FieldForce. Call us if you want to part-
Vikram’s article echoes the voice of thou- Except for managerial skills, all others ner with us.
sands of front-line managers on whom require significant amount of emotional
intelligence and leadership learning. We look forward to your feedback and
new and newer strategies are thrust
And it is clear from the comments that support in our efforts to foster Field
without addressing their basic need of
very little learning and development Force Excellence.
quality front-line people. Concepts like
happens at the front-line. Everyone ex-
SFE, KAM, CRM make eminent stra-
pects the front-line manager to perform
tegic sense. However, they fall flat at like an expert juggler who can balance
the ground level. And that is how good several roles and responsibilities simul-
concepts like SFE, KAM and CRM get taneously. But an expert juggler learns,
a bad name and are discarded/misused trains and practices like hell before he
or made into our own brand of khichdi; performs before the crowd. Significantly,
instead of what Hanno Wolfram writes Effective Communication Skill received
in his excellent article – the least importance – does this reflect
on the underlying problem of poor

2. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
MedicinMan Poll on Competencies for
Pharma Front-line Manager
Comments
Deep Bhandari
As the name indicate this is first management position, hence, not an easy one. The first time manager’s need to transition into first
line manager is not natural as expected. Often they all have wrong role models. First line management is about managing a team
of people to produce a set of business outcomes, which are at least, acceptable to the employing company. Essentially there are two
types of sets of skills and competencies that are needed to produce the requisite results. The first sets of skills are those that involve
being able to understand and act on, from a commercial perspective, the business and the environment you are working in. We come
across FLMs who continue to focus on same work values, skills set and time application what made them successful as Reps and get
frustrated when they and organization don’t get the desired results. The second set of skills and competencies are around being able
to manage a team to produce the required results. These tend to be skills and competencies such as motivation, interpersonal skills,
communication skills, and leadership, developing others, working with people and performance management.
Rajiv Sharma
The pharma industry today as graduated from scientific to service oriented selling as there is very little to offer to their customers by
way of their products . It is the people and their skills that is going to make the difference in the clinic . Therefore, it is best to have
those who have the skills to train and develop sales personnel; they must get the opportunity to lead the team of sales personnel not
the ones who are star performers in terms of sales only .
For more comments see pages 12 & 13 and details of the Poll go to - http://linkd.in/yJ2HVZ
2

3. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
SuperVision for the SuperWiser Front-line Manager
A Specific Resource for Developing Pharma Front-line Managers
“The book “SuperVision for the SuperWiser Although the first-line manager’s job is very
Front-Line Manager” is a must read for all important, a great majority of FLMs do not
pharmaceutical Sales Reps who are aspiring have clarity on their roles. Even after years,
to become Front Line Managers and thus they function as super-medical representa-
further their career. It begins with a bang, as tives. The transition period is infinite. In light
it portrays the targeted readers in good light of this, the delightful book by Anup Soans
with the potential of the industry and them- would serve as a guidebook to many FLMs.
selves. The writing style is quite easy to read, I have not seen many such books by Indian
the quotes in every page add exquisite flavor authors. I recommend that SuperVision for
to the point of discussion and the cartoons the SuperWiser Front-line Manager should
are apt & humorous. I recommend this book be a part of the welcome-kit whenever any
in my training programs for Senior Reps who medical representative is promoted as first-
are aspiring to become Front-Line Managers line manager. Needles to mention, all senior
as well for Managers new to their role.” first-line managers should read and absorb
the material from this book
Senior Manager - Training and
Development, Eli Lilly Prof. Vivek Hattangadi
SuperVision for the SuperWiser Front-line “Supervision for the superwiser front-line
Manager is a necessity for the Pharma Indus- manager written by Mr.Anup Soans is must
try. There are number of books and publica- for all front-line managers of every pharma
tions available on top management functions companies. It is tailor-made to Medical Reps
but hardly, we come across books on basics to transform to leadership position.”
for the basic functions – like Strategic Phar-
ma Selling for MR and FM. SuperVision for Head- Sales Marketing,
the SuperWiser Front-line Manager should Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
be textbook for all aspiring and practicing
MR and FM. I am sure it will help them to
understand and develop leadership skills.
Finally, what our country needs today and
more for tomorrow is ‘Sells PULL’ than ‘Sells
PUSH’. Hope your book will contribute to-
wards this objective.
SanjoyMitra, Managing Director, SMSRC
I personally find SuperVision for the Super-
Wiser Front-line Manager extremely valu-
able for FLSMs and MRs who want to build
their career in Pharmaceutical sales. Chapter
on EQ and MI are been very interesting. En-
tire efforts have been very effective yet sim-
ple. I recommend SuperVision for the Super-
Wiser Front-line Manager for all the pharma
professionals.
Training Manager; GSK, India
To avail of special offers on SuperVision for the SuperWiser Front-line Manager,
call 9342232949 or email - anupsoans@gmail.com
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4. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Heart to Heart - From the Front-line
Manager
Dear Sir, dealing with? I do not think so. You in front of HO. Things they like to hear.
might tell me to focus the roll-out of But I could see that your body language
I want to share my honest thoughts with the Corporate SFE program on my ex- lacked conviction. I have been working
you on the roll out of the Corporate SFE perienced team members. Let us take with you for the last 5 years and I know
program. The chances are that after I Vikas, my team member for 3 years. when you are convinced and when you
pen down my thoughts, I may not have A good performer, but egoistic. You are not. I also overheard you speaking to
the courage to send you this mail. But know he delivers results but always has your colleagues in the washroom during
let me cross the bridge when I come to his way of doing things. the tea break. You said that this initia-
it. Sir, I want to ask you 3 questions. tive is needless and will lead to unreal-
My second question: If you were in istic expectations from HO. If you as my
My first question: Why is it that not a my place, how would you roll-out this leader are not convinced how do you ex-
single Corporate SFE Team Member program to Vikas? The moment I start pect me to be convinced?.
is a field sales manager? Sir, I do not questioning his doctor list, he will get
appreciate people coming and tell- offended and may even go to the extent Sir, I am feeling much better after writ-
ing me what to do when they have no of pulling his performance down to ing down what was in my heart. But I
idea about the realities we face in the show his displeasure. At the end of the have decided not mail this to you. My
field. Yesterday’s group had a senior month, I am caught between the devil job is important to me and I do not want
HO manager who worked in the field and the deep sea. Do I focus on SFE or to jeopardise my career by speaking out.
15 years ago. Does he know that in do I meet my end of the month com- Rather, I too will make all the right nois-
the last 15 years, there has been a sea mitment? Will you as my boss accept es which HO wants to hear while I con-
change in the kind of talent attracted by reasons like this for not delivering my tinue to guide my team the way I have
the Industry? Pharma industry is not a numbers? I know you will not. I simply been doing to maintain the current level
preferred employer now and I have to cannot take this kind of risk with my of performance.
recruit whoever I find. Do you expect performance.
miracles from this kind of talent? Even Please forgive me.
if I try to mould and develop, the new My third question: Sir, Are you con-
Medcial Rep takes it as harassment and vinced that the SFE roll-out will en- Warm Regards,
resigns even before he is confirmed. hance our territory performance?
Do the Corporate Team members have During the entire meeting I could see Vikram
any idea about the kind of talent we are that you were saying the right things
The Strategy Execution Last Mile Disconnect
Field Sales Team HO Team
Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.
Peter Drucker
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5. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Understanding and Aligning SFE
with Commercial Excellence
Hanno Wolfram
It is very clear that the first two letters of We all know this: if you measure calls, can be called “commercial excellence”.
SFE stands for Sales Force. The 3rd letter you get calls. If you measure mileage you Commercial Excellence covers and is
is not clear at all! The letter “E” stands for get mileage, if you measure round table an issue for the whole company and in
Effectiveness or Efficiency or Excellence. discussions, you will get them. From our a pharmaceutical enterprise must be
All three meanings are used in pharma daily life we all know this phenomenon: seen as something, which is related to
companies. Often within a company, SFE setting a computer on your car to display every single “client facing” part. Com-
might stand for any or rather all of the three “fuel consumption” will influence the mercial Excellence in the future will
meanings indicated. In the latter case con- way you act. If you set your car display mean:
fusion will eat up a lot of energy and time. to “average speed achieved” you will try 1. Healthcare stakeholders see us as
A clear idea of what a word means is essen- breaking records. There are plenty of ex- acting in a commercially excellent way
tial for human communication. Within a amples in work and family life. This is the (this means giving and taking!)
pharma company, the “idea” must not only reason that a clear, coherent definition 2. Our clients will like the way we run
be clear but the meaning must be common and understanding across the company is our commercial operations
and the same for all. Why? Because other- mandatory. 3. The shareholders or the balance sheet
wise you would never know what your boss will deliver proof of our excellence
or colleague would mean when he says: SFE Summary:
“You did an excellent job!” Actually SFE as a The most important part in defining
concept triggers many details in a company. • Sales Force Excellence must be some- what Commercial Excellence means
For example KPIs will be influenced by SFE. thing decided by clients. in your company is the fact that Com-
Many metrics and measures are decided us- • It can be measured as GSK is doing. mercial Excellence does not allow the
ing the “E” in SFE as a starting point. “Client satisfaction” is the key metric old rules of departmental thinking.
driving bonus payments and “excellence Remember that the word department
Peter Druckersaid, Effectiveness stands for awards”. comes from “depart” and not from
doing the right thing. Efficiency stands for • If the “E” stands for “effectiveness” a “cooperate”. Commercial Excellence,
doing things right. “Excellence” we need to medical rep would make many calls. One if understood the way indicated above,
define ourselves and I would suggest using of the subsequent KPI is “calls / day”. In can be achieved only by joint effort
many cases this metric / KPI is seen as be- within your company to achieve the
the vote of clients - client rating on a scale of
ing from the past. commercial results. One of the major
1 to 10. A rating of ‘10’ would imply –“I was
• If the “E” stands “efficiency” a medical consequences could be that the core
served in an excellent way”.Then we have a
rep would make impactful calls to high KPI is “bottom line results”. To achieve
metric for “excellence”. GSK is doing this potential physicians and one of the KPIs Commercial Excellence, departments
in the US after abandoning revenue related could be “revenue increase per call”. like Market access, Pricing & Reim-
KPIs for Medical Reps. bursement, KOL management, Key
Commercial excellence leads one step Account Management, OTC field force
The key message from all three “E-words” further into the future, but ….only if it is and Rx field forces must work together
is contained in the sentence: “You can only defined properly! Establishing and run- in a unidirectional way.
manage what you measure and what you ning a company only has one core pur-
measure gets done!” pose: gaining more return on your capital.
Anything that contributes to this purpose
5

6. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
5 Steps for Better Field
Sales Management
1. Gain Role Clarity: The challenge for Front-line interaction and turning corridor calls with
Managers in Pharma industry is to understand doctors into purposeful meeting are key skills
and execute their their Role and Responsibility to ensure success.
correctly. Firstly, it is important to understand
their Roles clearly and it is equally important 4. Hindsight or Insight: Today, the manager
to execute the same. In absence of Role clarity, has too many things to do and their focus
Regional Manager does the job of Area Manager shifts from one task to another. It is difficult
who in turn does the job of Medical Reps. to stay focussed and perform their Role and
Responsibility correctly, which requires dedi-
2. Set Objectives and Manage: Begin by setting cation and involvement. Technology has made
clear objectives for you and your team members the task of Managers simpler. However, un-
that is in line with the company’s goals for your less data is analyzed properly and acted upon
territory. In order to set objectives and achieve quickly, it is merely hindsight. Managers who
them, managers need to manage their time effec- analyze the data and gain insight can take pro-
tively. They have to take various steps to achieve active actions. They will progress in their ca-
the objectives within specified time-lines, while reer and contribute to their company’s success.
keeping their team motivated and engaged.
Manager should understand the importance of 5. Focus on People and Customers: Focus is
actions that help them to accomplish their task the key to win. List down the tasks you need to
effeciently. Often, a lot of time is spent in meet- undertake daily, weekly and monthly. Take out
ings without achieving the meeting objectives. the time to study the data, which is required
Web conference is a new technology, which to accomplish the task, prepare the action plan
helps managers to conduct short meeting with and evaluate its implementation and progress.
individuals. These meetings are also very focused Today’s manager needs to lead his team and
and effective as compared to group meetings. It serve his customers well. The right approach
also saves time and travelling costs. should be team and customer centric.
3. Adapt to Changing Dynamics: During 80’s and Jitendra Singh is a senior field sales manager at a
early 90’s the approach of Pharma Managers was leading pharma company in Mumbai with success-
to improve the knowledge and skill of his team ful track record of nearly two decades. He can be
members, as the promotion of the products was contacted on: 9867780819
scientific. Hence it was very important for the
pharma executives to deliver their message and
doctors listened to them. However the dynam-
ics of the pharma industry started to change in
the 90’s and now it has totally altered to engaging
doctors with brands and companies. Scientific
discussions took a back seat and is no more the
prime area of expertise required from a Medi-
cal Rep. In the present market situation gaining
access and enlarging the window of in-clinic
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7. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Brand Drift
First-of-its-kind Pharma Branding Event
Brand Drift broke new grounds in the Pharma Branding space and will continue the trend by creating new events that will enable
pharma managers and service providers to share insights and scale new heights. The next event will focus on Field Force Excellence
and will bring together leaders from Sales, Marketing, SFE, HR, L&D in June 2012.
Brand Drift – Stimulating Young Talent to Scale
Arvind Nair, Conference Director New Heights
– Finally the Applause!
Our BI product (C101RxBI) enables top and middle management to analyze
their daily, monthly and yearly performance and identify areas of improve-
ment in Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Product Management. C101Rx-
BI utilizes the concepts of drill down, summarization, navigation, slicing &
dicing to reveal hidden intelligence from data obtained from various data
sources like Primary & Secondary Sales, Finance, Expenses and MR’s Daily
Call Reports.
Our SFA product (C101RxSFA) enables MRs to enter Daily Call reports,
Tour programs, Stock and Sales Statement, Leave, CRM Activities, Sample
Requisition, Expenses etc. via mobile or internet. AMs, RMs and Top man-
MedicinMan - Getting Ready for the Next Event agement can review and approve DCRs and Tour Programs via Internet.
C101Rx Alerts delivers actionable information to all users on a daily basis in
the form of SMS or Email.
Brand Drift Associate “There is a lot which Indian SME in Pharma field can get in terms of
Advanz101 Systems Pvt Ltd (ASPL) is the Business directions from analytics. In the coming time, it is more important than
Intelligence (BI) and Sales Force Automation (SFA) ever to use their resources optimally for best results. Using latest analytical
solution provider focused on the field of Ethical technologies will keep them ahead of competition.” - Bhagyesh Dwivedi,
Pharma Domain. Director at ADVANZ 101 Business Systems Inc
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8. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Pharma Field Force Excellence 2012
First-of-its-kind Pharma Sales Force Event
DATE : June 2nd 2012
High Attrition - Low Attraction.The challenge faced by the Indian Pharma industry
is at an all time high. Issues like high sales force attrition,low attraction at the entry
level, poor quality Medical Reps and Front-line Managers, stringent MCI guidelines,
new DoP guidelines, thinning lines of product differentiation,scarcity of time with
doctors are the key concerns that affect all pharma companies without exception.
Knowledge Ventures, producers of Brand Drift 2012 and MedicinMan, India’s 1st
magazine for Field Force Excellence partner to create Pharma Field Force Excellence
2012 to engage the key stakeholders of pharma industry to focus onenabling the
Front-line Manager to Unleash the FORCE in the Field Force. Pharma Field Force
Excellence 2012 is a focused Pharma Sales Force management event conceptualized
and organized to bring together thought leaders and experts to deliberate, interact
and discover new ways of improving ROI of Field Force for companies and satisfac-
tion for field sales people.
Benefits of Attending Pharma Field Force Excellence 2012
Pharma Field Force Excellence 2012 will kick-off with a CEO Round Table to ensure
the involvement and inputs from the top leadership.
This will be followed by insightful sessions from leaders in Sales, HR and L & D to
reinvent the Front-line Manager and “How to Enable the Front-line Manager to Un-
leash the FORCE in the Field Force”.
For Details conatact – Arvind Nair, Conference Director - 9870201422 at Mumbai
and Anup Soans, Editor – MedicinMan at Bangalore – 9342232949.
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9. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Health 2.0 Comes to India
Anil Swarup; IAS, Making a Passionate
and Brilliant Case for Health for All
through RSBY
Dinesh Chindarkar – Health 2.0 Panel
Discussion.
Health 2.0 - an international meeting of Health 2.0 India was not just another Health 2.0 India focused on rural Bharat in
minds, made its maiden entry to India conference, but a memorable experience, a big way - the inspiring presentation of Anil
through a memorable event in Delhi on which threw light on opportunities and Swarup, IAS and his dedicated enterprise
Jan 30, 2012. Health 2.0 India, addressed challenges likely to be faced by health- - Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana won ap-
the impact of emerging media and tech- care professionals and patients. Veter- plause and appreciation of all.
no-wellbeing on the future of healthcare ans shared their rich experience and the
in India. Professionals from technology, geeks showcased their innovations and It is time for Indian Pharma to revamp its
pharma, media, advertising, social media, expertise. It was this coming together agenda and partner with innovators like the
physicians, bureaucrats and NGO came of experience and innovation that made ones showcased at Health 2.0 India; to be-
together to share their opinion and experi- Health 2.0 India very unique. A collective come healthcare companies that can delight
ence to design, develop and direct the fu- vision for the health of Generation Next patient and physicians.
ture of healthcare in India. emerged at Health 2.0 India.
Above all Health 2.0 India was a great net-
Health 2.0 India was a celebration of entre- With a 360 degree exposure to new ideas working opportunity and the conversation
preneurial spirit in every sense. Speakers and innovations, the expert panel and continues on Facebook - www.facebook.
from diverse fields shared their common very capable moderators took the dis- com/Health2.0IndianChapter
interest - the future of Indian Healthcare. cussion on Indian healthcare to the next
Veterans like Som Mittal from NASSCOM level of empowering patients to make Report by Dinesh CHINDARKAR,
inspired the audience with anecdotes informed choices and connecting stake- VP-Operations, MediaMedic
drawn from their vast experience. And holders by using the latest and the best Communications
youthful pioneers ensured audience en- social media.
gagement with their outstanding innova-
tions.
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10. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
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11. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Health 2.0 – A New Approach to
Healthcare
By Dr. Neelesh Bhandari, MD; CEO: Digital MedCom Solutions http://www.twitter.com/edrneelesh
Healthcare has changed dramatically, but this was not a sudden shift. This change from traditional healthcare to Health 2.0 has been
a slow drift and it has been creeping in on us since 1945. When the Allies defeated the Axis powers in WW2, a fundamental shift oc-
curred in prevalent human thinking. Power ceased to remain in just a few powerful hands. The world’s best NGOs - WHO, UN were
formed after WW2. The universal declaration of Human Rights set the bar for civilization. The American model of individualistic,
people-centric and technology-enabled development was accepted as the roadmap. World leaders worked towards creating an inclu-
sive society with basic human rights for all. Right to health and patient empowerment were the next logical steps. The arrival of the
Internet in mid 80’s was another watershed movement in the evolution of human thinking. Now, Social media and wireless devices
have started converging in healthcare for patient empowerment. Patient communities, medical forums, collaborative research and
mobile medical applications on hand-held devices are ways in which health care has changed. This technology enabled collaborative
care model is Health 2.0. No widely accepted definition of Health 2.0 exists. A wordle image of the Wikipedia article on Health 2.0
throws up the most widely accepted associations of Health 2.0.
Social Media Samurai – Jini Mathew and
Dr. Neelesh – Delighted to Meet Offline
The most common associations for Health 2.0 are:
1) Web 2.0
2) Collaboration between Patients and Healthcare Providers, Participatory Medicine
3) Use of Technology and Data
4) Sharing of Information
5) Use of Internet and Digital Tools
With the ubiquitous hand-held devices (like smart phones) and 30% of world’s population being online, the
delivery and acceptance of healthcare has also changed. People want to be involved in their healthcare and
they expect to be helped in this by healthcare providers. Numerous apps and websites have made healthcare
data rich and participatory. Healthcare delivery now need not be limited to medical visits but can be present
24/7. Health 2.0 has given hospitals, doctors, pharma companies and patients a chance to combine forces to
improve healthcare. In fact, Health 2.0 is just a “nerd”ic expression of the often misunderstood Health Rights.
Health rights are broadly evaluated on Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality of healthcare. And
Health 2.0 fulfills all the requirements for being classified as a fundamental health right. A few common uses
of Health 2.0 include medical education, managing a particular disease and sharing of data for research.
Health 2.0 takes the principles of a free progressive post WW2 society and applies it to healthcare. Health 2.0
is a democratic alternative of the traditional and feudal healthcare delivery system of the older times.
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12. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Hot on Linked
As seen on Indian Pharma Connection
MedicinMan Poll on Competencies for
Pharma Front-line Manager
What They Have to Say About
Front-line Managers
Manan Joshipura
The current senario is such that the FLMs are sandwiched between the two layers, first of their field force and second of the higher
authorities....he cant explain the field force as most of the time they do not listen and when there is no result even the higher authori-
ties are not ready to listen to him. What all want is result, but no one thinks of putting their own effort. Effort from the marketing
team, efforts from FLMs and efforts from the medical rep as well.
Ankur Sharma
A 1st line manager is the vital connect between Field Force and Senior Management, important characteristics for a good Front-line
Manager are- 1. A good listener- it has been seen that most of the issues of Field Force gets over if you give a patient listening. 2.
People friendly and having trust in senior management and able to transfer the same trust to field 3. A good coach and a situational
leader. 4.Analytical and achievement orientation.
SrinivasanVenkatraman
Front-line Manager must be able to bring out the best from each one of his team members through proper induction, on the job
training, monitoring the implementation of marketing strategy, monitoring the field workings of his team members, motivating, and
guiding them to success, and make them earn incentives and ensure that the best ones in the team are rewarded with career growth at
the right time. This should be success mantra for any Line Manager. Managers who implement the above relentlessly have tasted suc-
cess. Those who do not implement the above fully, though they may talk so many things, but they ended up as me-too managers only.
Joachim Hirt, Dr.
The front-line manager must have a clear understanding of his role. In my experience as a Front-line manager, as a sales manager,
as a field coach and a executive coach, this is the key success factor to develop and train the people. Most of you know the quote: “If
you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long
for the endless immensity of the sea.” (Antoine de SaintExupery)
Venugopal Kusumanchi
All skills are required but he must develop trust and relationship with his subordinates to mingle with them and develop personal
relation with them then subordinates will obey him and follow him.In my opinion, Front-line Manager must be a leader not a boss.
Kapil Garg
In today’s scenario, I think Planning and Organizing is highly needed. Working smart and hard is critical for reaching any objective.
A manager who can plan right, can do right. Teams members are young, they have lot of energy, intelligence & enthusiasm; what they
need is the right commands, mature and unbiased guidance. So a manager with clear objectives and proper planning always achieves.
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13. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
NITIN NIGAM
Building Trust is the foundation.People today are ambitious; they understand Manager’s Intention. Only with right Intention one can
achieve long lasting success, else it’s all short term.
Hariram Krishnan
As the saying goes” The tail trails the head”. Hence FLM is an extension of the sales management and a very vital one as he is directly
responsible in orchestrating a revenue generating team that directly interphases with the customers. With his experience in selling,
he is expected to keep the sales team sharpened in their day-to-day skills and knowledge. How much of this he does by ON THE
JOB COACHING and TRAINING is the deciding factor of his team members remaining engaged in their work. So as much as we
talk about a BRAND MANAGEMENT strategy, do we chalk out a SALES FORCE MANAGEMENT strategy??? If strategies can take
care of building brands, then we can also look at strategies for building GREAT FLMs. Are we inclined towards this? Or is this a LIP
TALK in most organizations!
Prof. VivekHattangadi
People are the building block of any commercial organization and are also an important element of the marketing mix. Remember,
people like and are also loyal to people from whom they can learn. So the attitude, skills and appearance of all first-line managers
need to be first class so that they earn the respect and loyalty of their reportees. So it becomes vital to develop them so they in turn
can strengthen their people. The owners and entrepreneurs should take a note of this. All first-line managers should be looked-up
as future general managers, vice-presidents or CEOs and should be treated and groomed up that way. This can have a great impact
on the success of the company. Pharma companies need to model on the lines of Unilever where every employee is looked upon as
a future CEO.
SanjeevDeshpande
Generally companies do NOTHING to develop Front-line Managers. This is because the leaders/higher up authorities do not feel
the importance of this investment. If they look into themselves they are also equal contributors to attrition. Just see a situation, today
if any company launches Amoxy+Clav combination, it may be possibly 300th brand. What is that a MR can communicate to doctors
about the product? Will scientific knowledge training alone make them productive? Certainly not. Hence the concept of training
and development needs to begin at the top level. In fact the time has come that top-level people revisit school. Possibly then if they
practice good values and look at people as investment rather than cost, things will start changing.
Milind Mangle
The reason I chose spot, hire, motivate and engage because 1. Attrition is here to stay as long as economy is growing, so it is better
to equip a manager to spot & hire candidates and keep the pipeline ready 2. For motivating and engaging team members a manager
needs to develop trust, skill & relationship.
Rajneesh Sharma
Spotting, hiring and engaging the performers lays down the foundation of a sales team. Of course all other skills are equally impor-
tant. Managers are not necessarily doing the things that matter most. The actions that correlate the most with high engagement are
not always the ones that receive the most favorable ratings. And in some regions relationships trump skills, that is, employees’ knowl-
edge of their managers as “people” behind their titles appears to impact engagement levels more than manager’s actions.
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14. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Medical Reps - How to Win in Job
Interviews
V.Srinivasan is a Sales Admin & HR expert. He has worked in reputed Pharma Co’s in India and abroad.
Reach shridhar1956@rediffmail.com or Mob: 8056168585.
Pharma Companies are always on the look out for candidates with the right attributes. However, even good
candidates may not get through unless fully prepared. Here’show you can prepare well and get into the plum
job you always wanted.
• Your CV should be brief,well formatted and ideally two pages.
• Understand the nature of the job, its requirements, and then if you are confident, apply. This will help to
design your resume andprepare for the interview.
• Attend interview informal attire, anecktie and neatly polished formal shoes.
• Don’t carry your certificates in a plastic carry-bag; carry a neat bag or file/folder.
• Hair should be trimmed and combed.
• Smile is the most important part of your attire.
• Be on time for the interview. This conveys the impression that you are punctual.
• If you are asked to wait, be professional and avoid casual talk with others. If you want information,askin a
professional way.
• If you feel tense, compose yourself, and try to remain cool. Tell yourself that you have done everything to
win it.
• Be brief about your family background. Talk about your qualifications, achievements in extra curricular
activities and then your job experiences, your achievements supported by proof like sales data, appreciation
letters, proof of incentives and justification for job changes. These things can be practiced before hand and
then you can finalize what to say and what not to say on these issues.
You can highlight how you have converted important customers to your products, how you have established
new products.Your high call averages (both Doctors and Chemists), Average POB values, Your performance
in training programs, promptness with which you have been conducting market survey (RCPA) to show that
you have been promoting right products to right and potential customers will make the interviewer under-
stand your capability to contribute to the business of the organization.
Keep all testimonials/certificates, sales data, appreciation letters, proof for having earned trophies/incentives,
etc. latest salary slip, jobwise, so that during interview you are able to take it out and show to them in an or-
derly manner without wasting time. This will convey a message that you are better organized.
Be ready to practice the given detailingwell within a short time. This is a very important criterion in the
selection ofa Medical Rep.
Don’t ever pick up any argument/heated exchanges during interview, even if you are provoked. However you
have the right to express your views politely.
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15. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
At the end of the interview normally you will be asked to indicate your salary expectations. Go fully pre-
paredto answer such questions. You can keep a minimum salary level; for example 25% more than current
salary. This will help you to make decisionscorrectly and quickly. Similarly if the job involves relocating,it
should be planned, so that you can say yes or no.
Collect as much information as possible through their website, their sales picture, whether their brands are
fast moving, the kind of daily allowancesetc;to help you to take a decision based on merits. Don’t hesitate to
seek such details politely during the interview.
Read HardKnocks for the GreenHorn – The Best Way to Prepare for Job Interviews for Medical Reps.
Read SuperVision for the SuperWiser Front-line Manager – The Best Way to Prepare for Job Interviews
for Front-line Manager.
Read Repeat Rx – The Best Way to Prepare for Job Interviews for Key Account Manager, Second Line
Sales Manager, National Sales Manager, Sales Training and other Field Force/SFE related jobs.
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16. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
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17. MedicinMan Vol. 2 lssue 4
Repeat Rx
Cash or KA$H?
Workaholic or Work-oh-Frolic?
Performance or Perfo-Romance?
Discover a Whole New Way of Pharma Field Sales
A Unique 4 Stage Calling > Connecting > Consulting > Collaborating Process
That Enables Amateurs to Grow into Achievers by Creating Trust and Building
Relationship with Doctors.
Repeat Rx Includes a 3 Level Assessment Tool to Empower Medical Reps and
Front-Line Managers Reach a New of Engagement Peak called Perfo-Romance
by transforming Workaholics into Work-Oh-Frolics.
India Specific Methods and Metrics to Overcome Madness and Mess in
the Market. In an era of commoditization, the only real differentiator is the
Confidence with which your Field Force attacks the market everyday. Repeat
Rx – an Emotionally and Rationally Intelligent Way to Develop a Confident
Field Force.
Order Direct from Author and Take Advantage of the FREE OFFER
What Cannot Be Measured Cannot Be Managed. First 1000 copies of Repeat Rx
come with a free 3 level Competency Assessment Tool with 120 Competency
Assessment Questions for assessment by Self, by Immediate Supervisor and by
Coach/Mentor/HR.
A MedicinMan Field Force Excellence Resource
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