There was a time when I joined as a fresher from an Arts background. But now, the competition is very high. So many top-ranked pharmaceutical companies are hiring only B.Sc. or B.Pharm candidates.
According to those companies, a candidate may be a fresher, but during his training, he can adopt the pharmaceutical terms faster than any candidate from an Arts or Commerce background. This is a common perception in the industry today.
However, as an Area Business Manager, my experience is quite different in this scenario. Over the years, I have taken reports and managed many freshers from a science background. Honestly, I didn’t observe any major difference in their on-field performance. I strongly believe a fresher is always a fresher, whether he is from an Arts or a Science background. What truly matters is dedication and the willingness to learn the job.
After joining as a fresher, it is the core responsibility of an immediate Manager to sharpen his work skills and product knowledge. This is the crucial time to guide that fresher right from the baseline and build a strong foundation for his future.
It is a very critical period for the fresher because this is the exact time when he is creating the base of his entire career. If the base is weak, the career will not sustain. That’s why, in this blog post, I am sharing the 3 most important things a new joinee must do right after joining as a fresher in the pharma industry.
1. Ask & Observe:
Right after joining, your company will usually ask you to do a three-day field induction work with any senior Medical Rep. Since you are a fresher, you will naturally see everything as different and completely new. During those initial days, your first and foremost priority should be asking questions. Do not hesitate.
Ask whatever you want to know. See, everything is new for you right now—terms like detailing, call planning, MTP (Monthly Tour Plan), STP (Standard Tour Plan), RCPA (Retail Chemist Prescription Audit), Primary sales, Secondary sales, call closing, and target achievement. That is exactly why it is very normal that you are raising questions. Keep a notepad handy and note down all the answers you are getting from that senior MR.
Along with asking, you must deeply observe what that senior MR is doing both inside and outside of the clinic. Observe how he is talking with the Doctor, how confidently he is starting his call, how he is holding the visual aid folder, and most importantly, how he is closing the call to generate a prescription.
Observe everything in detail, like how he is doing the RCPA at the pharmacy counter and during the RCPA, what specific questions he is asking the chemist. Also, closely observe how he is trying to build a long-term professional relationship with a Doctor. This practical observation will help you a lot when you finally join your own HQ (Headquarter) and start working independently in your territory.
2. Understand Your MSL:
MSL means ‘Must See List’. It is basically your master customer list where you get all the vital information like the Doctor’s name, gender, specialty, qualification, mobile number, email ID, clinic’s name, precise location, and visiting hours. Understanding this list is the backbone of your daily fieldwork.
As you are a new MR and a fresher, you probably don’t know much about the exact clinic locations or routes. Take your manager’s help here without any hesitation. Ask him to map it out and note all the location details clearly in your diary. Always keep that diary securely in your working bag; it will be your best guide in the field.
Your Manager will tell you about the most important customers’ names and their specific details. Also, he will guide you with the historical information of your core prescriber details, showing you who yields the highest business in that territory.
Furthermore, ask your manager about the basic working norms of the company, like Doctor call average, Doctor coverage, and Doctor compliance. These are the metrics by which your daily performance will be measured as a Medical Representative.
Let me break it down for you. Suppose your manager is saying that in our company, the Doctor call average criteria is 11. It simply means that daily, you have to successfully complete 11 Doctor calls.
And, suppose you have exactly 100 Doctors listed in your MSL, and by the end of last month, you managed to meet with 90 of those Doctors. In that case, your percentage of Doctor coverage for the last month is exactly 90%.
Doctor Compliance basically means the visit frequency. Suppose your company norm is to visit every Doctor on your MSL twice a month. If, last month, you gave a successful twice-a-month visit to 85 Doctors, then your last month’s Doctor compliance percentage is 85%. Keeping these numbers high is the mark of a successful MR.
3. Daily 30 Minutes Practice:
During your initial days, this is the time when your company will not ask you much about primary or secondary sales targets. Rather, their main focus will be on your basic daily work routines like call average, coverage, compliance, and most importantly, your detailing quality inside the clinic.
To master this, I strongly believe that a strict 30 minutes of daily practice in front of a mirror can improve your in-clinic effectiveness a lot. Practice how you pitch the product, how you handle objections, and how you sound. It builds immense confidence.
These above three things are mandatory steps you must do after joining as a fresher in the highly competitive field of a Medical Representative. These are the most practical, real-world, and powerful tips I have shared with all of you from my own journey.
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