Dear Friends,
A few days back I was discussing with my friend Mr. Satish Dandekar, Vice President, Ipca Laboratories about the importance of communication and product knowledge for effective in-clinic performance. He made a very interesting and relevant observation.
He said that product knowledge is as important as excellent communication skills for top-class in-clinic performance. Where else will the medical representatives get confidence to communicate effectively?
I fully subscribe to his views and dedicate this Issue VI, Volume I of ‘The Enablers’ to Mr. Satish Dandekar for bringing out this very important point.
Issue VI, Volume I of ‘The Enablers’ dwells on the subject of the importance of developing product knowledge to enhance communication skills.
While a medical representative should have sound product knowledge, the depth of knowledge of a first-line manager should be at least three times more. He should easily articulate product knowledge, especially with new products. Off-the cuff remarks and objections made by physicians may be struck down with factual information on the product. Or else, we and our team may fall into the trap of ‘One-Doctor Syndrome’.
Please do let me have your feed-back on this issue of ‘The Enablers’.
With warm regards,
Vivek Hattangadi
079-26601479 / 9376100041
Technical knowledge and communication skills |
Very recently I was watching a clip on communication skills on YouTube. Darryl Cross, who was making the presentation, was saying that for business and career success 87.5% weightage should be given to communication skills and 12.5% to technical knowledge. I reflected on the observations of my friend Mr. Satish Dandekar. Is this weightage appropriate in the context of the Indian Pharmaceutical Market?
Technical skills or product knowledge gives the medical representative the muscle to communicate with confidence. His body language changes and exudes self-belief and enthusiasm. It makes objection handling smoother and raises his image and of his organization. Poor product knowledge can negatively affect both- the medical representatives and the company’s image.
Because of the sheer size of the medical representatives in pharmaceutical companies in India today - with some companies having as many as 7500 medical representatives - the measurement of effectiveness of the field-force personnel is a sound business challenge. A few pharmaceutical companies have realized that training medical representatives on selling skills alone is not enough. Training medical representatives on medical science and product knowledge, in addition to developing their soft-skills can make a difference in the in-clinic effectiveness.
So the cycle is now complete. In the good old days physicians depended a lot on the medical representatives of companies like Carter-Wallace, Pfizer, Parke Davis, Ciba-Geigy, Hoechst and Roche and a few more (M&As have changed many of these names) for product information. Specialist physicians once again today are relying more and more on specialty medical representatives for product information, because they are knowledgeable.
Knowledge is power. For medical representatives and first-line managers, sound product knowledge can mean a different level of communication which translates into more prescriptions. It is difficult to effectively communicate with a physician if we cannot transmute the product features into benefits.
Product Knowledge Strengthens Communication Skills
Having a thorough awareness and insight of the products allows a medical representative to use diverse techniques and methods of putting forward the product to physicians. Total communication skills will allow a medical representative to recognize and adapt a sales presentation for the various types of doctors. Strong product knowledge builds intrinsic motivation.
Total communication
Communication is total or complete when we smoothly blend our actual words with our non-verbal messages. Sound product knowledge will complement this effect. Communication is truly complete when we display aggressive listening techniques. This will make the physician realize that we are truly enthusiastic and interested in his prescriptions.
Seeing someone completely enthusiastic about his product is one of the best selling tools. As we generate excitement for the product, we remove any uncertainty the physician may have about the product. The easiest way to become enthusiastic is to truly believe in the product. And for this, top-class product knowledge is mandatory.
What is kind of knowledge should a medical representative have?
- All the indications for the product including off-label indications i.e. indications not yet approved by DCI.
- The correct dosage for each indication and for every strength of the product.
- The mechanism of action of a drug and of the principal ingredients in a drug, when in a fixed dose combination.
- The adverse drug reactions and its contraindications
- Knowing drug-drug interaction is vital, as today the prescription trend is towards fixed drug combinations and poly-therapy.
- How does the molecule differ from other molecules for the same indications? For instance, what is the difference between fluoxetine and escitalopram in depression or how ramipril is different from enalapril or lisinopril?
- The pricing structure of the product.
A first-line manager should be at least three times more knowledgeable that the medical representatives. For instance he should have conclusions / results of landmark trials, more so, if it is a new product. To quote an example, a first-line manager who works for a company marketing ramipril should know about the HOPE Trial like the back of his palm. He should also equally conversant with such clinical trials for competing molecules. He should know about the ATLAS Trial for lisinopril.
There is no limit to this. Someone has rightly said, I think it is John Kennedy,: “The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.”
Reflections
· Darryl Cross gives 87.5% weightage to communication skills and 12.5% to technical skills. How much weightage would you give to product knowledge and total communication skills and why?
· Why should a first-line manager have at least three times better knowledge than the medical representative?
· Try to discover more kinds of information which a first0line manager can have to distinguish himself from the medical representative.
Quotable quotes |
Information is not knowledge. - Albert Einstein |
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is knowledge of our own ignorance. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. - Benjamin Franklin |
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. – Confucius |
True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing. – Aristotle |
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