9 BASIC SELLING SKILLS

EFFECTIVE CALL MANAGEMENT

Presented by:
S. M. Jarjis
Training Manager
Renata Limited
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 What Do We SELL ?
 PRODUCT ?
 OR…….
 ????
 Yes- SOLUTION
 Every product has a list of features/benefits but the customers are interested in
one or two benefits that matter the most to them.

 You may highlight all the features of your product but the customer is only
interested in knowing how good your product is for providing a particular benefit.

 Customers don’t want to listen to long presentation. They want to hear what
matters to them.

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 SELLING IS A MENTAL GAME

 Selling is essentially a mental game;

 50% of successful sales are due to mental skills

30% due to technical skills

20% are based on product knowledge

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 Pharmaceutical Selling

 ???
 How pharmaceutical Selling is different from
consumer selling ?

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 Pharmaceutical Selling Reality

 The pharmaceutical market is getting increasingly

competitive
 All competitor’s are using almost same selling technique
 The number of competitor’s are constantly increasing
 We can not match all our competitor’s in size of their
sales forces and promotional resources
 Doctors’ are becoming busier than ever before

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 Fighting For Share Of Mind

 Thousand of medical rep’s are out in the market

for fighting to get doctor’s share of mind
 Every one has their own “creative” way of doing
things effectively
 You need innovation tools to get a doctor’s share
of mind
 What makes you a special ?

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 -Professional approach
SELLING -Introduction
PROCESS Relationship -Handle customer
response
Product knowledge -Need identification
Clinical papers Selling
Sales skill
Diseases state Handle objection
Competitor Information Skill
Presentation skill
Listening

10 BIGGEST SALES MISTAKE

1. Failure to do adequate pre-call planning
2. Failure to identify customer need, want
3. Inability to articulate product feature to sale benefit
4. Too fast a pace in your sales presentation
5. Asking for commitment too soon
6. Overacting to objection
7. Nervousness
8. Talking too much
9. Becoming complacent
10. Lack of sales follow-up

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 KEY TO SALES SUCCESS
 01. Know your product and believe in it
 02. Stop selling and start listening. Selling is not
about talking well; it is the ability to gather and
consolidate the information and provide helpful
intervention
 03. Leave your ego at the door and learn
flexibility; keep an open mind and always
address the current circumstances
 04. Manage yourself like a business; Time is
money, invest it where there is maximum return.
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 KEY TO SALES SUCCESS

 05. Respect your customer by preferring the way S/he

likes to communicate: Be aware of customer’s
communication style and response accordingly.
 06. Leave foot prints: Let the customer know how
they can find you if they need to contact you.
 07. Manage the sales process with ‘next’ steps: At the
end of every call, always communicate the next
action.

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 KEY TO SALES SUCCESS
 08. Be a student of a world
 09. Always be positive: Be positive and maintain a
consistency in your attitude, even under difficult
time.
 10. Let your enthusiasm show:
And let the customers see that you love what
you are doing. Show them you care by getting
exited whenever you uncover their needs and
solve them with your products.
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 SALES CYCLE
During the call

•Opening
•Presentation
Before the call After the call
•Questioning
•Handle objection
Pre-call planning •Closing Post call analysis
•Prospecting *Evaluating the call
•Analyses the customer *Recording the call
•Set objective •Set objective for
•Plan the call next call

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 CALL PREPARATION
 This process starts before entering the doctor
chamber
 Each doctor is an individual with his/her special
needs
 Each call is linked to the last call made to this doc
 A rep’s has to formulate a specific strategy for
each and every call
 With good planning, there is a better chance of
achieving the call objective successfully
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 STEP-1, Analyses the customer
 Identify the decision-making process of each
customer

 Get new information about the doctor’s practice

from the pharmacist or the doctor’s attendant

 Review the last call

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 REVIEW the last call
 When was the last call?
 What objective were set for the last visit?
 Which product were covered?
 What objection were raised?
 Which product were sold & which product were not sold?
 What information was gained?
 What were the doctor’s need?
 Review the commitment you made during the last call?

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 STEP-2, Objective setting
 Objective should be ‘SMART’

S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Realistic
T- Time- bound/table

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 STEP-3, Plan & call
 Ask yourself following question;
* What products are to be covered & in what order?
* Which feature & benefit will be mentioned and in
what order?
* How the call will be opened?
* What promotional material will be used?
* How to get the commitment & close the call?

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 PROJECTION THE RIGHT IMAGE
 Your non- verbal behavior can communicate a
strong message;

# Posture
# Facial expression
# Dressing & Grooming
# Being on time

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 10 BASIC SELLING SKILLS

1. ICE- Breaking/Initial Benefit statement

2. Use visual aids and third party support
3. Using Features to sell benefits
4. Asking probing question
5. Focus on needs
6. Reinforced desired responses
7. Use effective listening
8. Handle objections
9. Bridging
10. Make an action close/Asking for Rx
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 ICE- Breaking/Initial Benefit statement
CALL OPENING
 Opening is the most important steps of a sales call;
 It helps to capture customer’s attention and create interest
 Opening establishes the purpose of your call
 Draws doctor’s attention to an important feature & benefit to your product
 Direct to conversation towards customer need
 Set the mood & structure for the entire call

STEPS of Successful Opening

Greeting
Rapport building
Purpose of the call
Initiating Business
Discussion
TYPES OF OPENING
 Need / Benefit opening
 Opening as a question
 Stimulating opening

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 Using Features to Sell Benefits

FEATURE
 Features are attributes or inherent characteristics of a product which you can feel, see or measure.
 Feature are meaningless unless translated into a relevant benefit for the customer.

BENEFIT

 Product feature translates in to a benefit. A single feature have multiple benefit.

 A product benefit advantages that meet the explicit needs & wants for a customer.
 A product benefit refers to what the product can do for the customer- ‘what is it for me?’
 A product feature don’t vary, but the benefits you present must be tailored to the need on the individual doctor.
 People don’t buy products or feature, they buy benefits.

LINKING FEATURE & BENEFIT

 Each product is ‘linked’ to its corresponding benefit in a single sentence.

 To link a feature to its benefit, use phrases such as;
# “Which means-------”
# “So your patient can ------”
# “This would result in ------” Benefit

Link phrase

Feature

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 Feature & benefit
FRATURE BENEFIT

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 Asking Probing Question QUESTINING

 Questioning should be used for the purpose

gaining information to use the sales call

** Use questioning judiciously, nobody

likes to be ‘interrogated’

** Plan & structure your first few question and

practice to make them as ‘natural’

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 WHY QUESTINING ?

 Questioning is used to:

 Uncovered needs
 Understand attitudes
 Gain specific information
 Lead the customer through the
presentation

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 TYPES OF QUESTIONING
 The choice of the questioning technique will
depend on the purpose of the questions and
what you plan to do with the information:

** Open questions
** Close questions
** Choice questions
** Benefit- tag questions

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 OPEN QUESTION
 A question that invites an extended customer
response

 Help to explore doctor’s need, attitudes,

concerns and prescribing habits

 Starts with what, when, why, where, who and

how
 Use of “Why” better to avoid
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 OPEN QUESTION

 Open question are used;

01. To gather information and uncover customer needs-

# What are their prescribing habits?
# What influences their decision to
prescribe?
# What will it take to convince them?
02. To encourage a doctor to communicate more
freely.
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 OPEN QUESTION

 Example:
@ What is your preferred choice among the
different classes of antihypertensive medicine
available in the market?
@ When would you consider starting an oral
anti-diabetics to a new diagnosed patient?
@ How do your patient generally respond to
cholesterol lowering medicine?

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 CLOSED QUESTIONING

@ A question that invites a “Yes” or “No” reply from

the customer.

@ Questions should be designed to preferably

obtain a “Yes” response.

@ Close questioning starts with; DO, WILL, IS, SHOULD.

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 Closed questions are used
# To control the discussion and direct the conversation
to a subject matter we want to discuss– Directive
questioning
# To confirm or check our understanding on what the
customer said-confirming questioning. When the
customer is not communicating
# To compel a customer to a clear-cut decision as in
closing.

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 – Example:

– # Do you use ARBs as a drug of choice for hypertension?

– # Will you like to prescribe an anti diabetic that does not

cause hypoglycemia?

– # Do you refer all your patient for CT scan before starting an

anti-epileptics drugs?

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 CHOICE QUESTIONING

A choice question gives a customer two or more positive

options in order to rule out a negative ‘No’ response.
# Used to eliminate negative options.
# Useful in doing a sales call with an undeceive buyer who is
looking for options.
# To refocus the customer focus.

Example:
 Would you prefer to prescribe Rolac Tablet or injection?
 While making a prescribing decision, would you give more
weightage to safety or economy?

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 BENEFIT-TAG QUESTIONING

 In benefit- tag questioning, a benefit is presented in the form of a

statement, supported by a feature, and immediately follow by a
closed question.
 ‘Tag’ is a question that you put at the beginning, middle or end
of your statement, that calls for an agreement from the doctor.
 It is a technique for generating a flow of ‘yes’ response through
out the sales presentation, before going for the final closing.

Example:
Zithrin is once daily dose for three days. (Feature)
Thus it is economy and ensures patient’s compliance. (Benefit)
**Is it important to you? (Tag)
* ------ Is it right?
* ------ Do you agree?
* ------ Does not if?

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 Focus On Need : CUSTOMER NEEDS
 A NEED is the basic human requirement that the customer wants to satisfy.
 Need is the minimum requirement and simply meeting a customer’s need, does not give a
competitive edge.
 Need will not necessarily make the customer to buy what the seller is offering.
 Example: need for food, clothing, shelter, safety, transportation.

 CUSTOMER ‘ WANTS’

 A wants is a desire for something specific to satisfy an underlying, e.g product,

service etc.

 Want will drive customer to make a buying decision.

 Example:
# Want to diner a good restaurant
# Wants to buy a nice car
# Wants to buy a nice house

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 Reinforced Desired Responses
 Reinforcing is the skill of satisfying customer needs with
product features & benefits.
 Reinforcing firmly establishes you as a problem-solver
and shows the customer why your product is needed
What are the signals that tell you when to Reinforce?
a. A clear need stated by the customer in his/her own
words
b. Confirmation by the customer of a presumed need that
was expressed by you in a closed probe
Steps of Reinforcing:
1. Paraphrase the customer need
- Express direct agreement
- Restate the customer need
2. Propose a feature and benefit that satisfy this need
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 EFFECTIVE LISTENING

* The purpose of questioning is to listen for customer responses to uncover their needs and wants.
* No benefit in asking question if we are not ready to listen.
* Very few people are good listeners because we are not trained in listening.

 1. Constantly analyze what is being said.

 2. Listen for main points and supporting reasons.
 3. Categories the important points. Priorities important points and remember.
 4. Weight what is said against what you know.
 5. Look ahead to see where the customer is going.
 6. Look for non-verbal signals
What do we listen for ?

# Customer Needs.
# Customer Wants.
# Customer Expectations.
# Customer Problems.
# Customer Goals.

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 Use Visual Aids & 3rd Party Support :
PRESENTATION
 Presentation is the skill of pin-pointing on the
customer’s identified needs/wants with
appropriate product feature and benefits in a
persuasive manner that creates a “Win-Win
Situation.”
 The result is that the customer feels they “must
have” your product/proposal.

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 DURING PRESENTATION
 Sit upright and in front of the doctor.
 Look confident and speak with enthusiasm.
 Hold the detail aid in front of you and use a pointer to focus
doctor’s attention towards the bullet points.
 Don’t look at the detail aid, look at the doctor’s eyes /face to
observe his/her reaction.
 If you are interrupted, do a brief/summarized detailing of the
containing of the visual aids
 Don’t be distracted by the surroundings.

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 SELLING TOOLS
 Different types of promotional material are available to a salesperson in his/her effort for effectively
communicating the selling message to the customers.
 Impact of VISUAL AIDS:
a) We remember 10% of what we hear
b) We remember 20% of what we see
c) We remember 65% of what we see & hear simultaneously
Benefits of Selling Tools
1. Helps enhance customer’s attention & interest.
2. Enhance recall and retention of Brand name.
3. Facilitated effective communication.
4. Provides proof of the verbal claims.
5. Assists in systematic delivery of promotional messages.

EFFECTIVE USE OF VISUALS

# Know the layout and content.
# Practice with it.
# Keep visuals neat and clean.
# What you say, should coincide with what you show.
# Use visuals to answer questions.
# Illustrate one point at a time.
# Draw attention to key point using a pointer

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 Handle Objections : HOW TO MANAGE THE OBJECTIONS

@ Welcome the objection

@ Separate people from objections
@ Develop sensitivity on how doctor’s feel when the voice objection (empathy)
@ Show concern
@ Don’t reject objection as it may hurt the customer’s self esteem.
@ Don’t argue with the customer.
@ Don’t take it personally
@ Do lead them to answer their own objections

STEPS OF HANDLE OBJECTION

Listen

Acknowledge

Feed the objection back

Answer the objection

Verify
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 HANDLE OBJECTION
REASONS FOR RAISING OBJECTION
 Desire for more information.
 Resistance to change.
 The doctor’s need have not been recognized.
 Human tendency to avoid making a commitment.
 To get rid of sales person
 Product is not offering enough benefit.
 Product need not established
KIND OF OBJECTION RAISED
@ Price Objection
@ Product Objection
@ Service Objection
@ Company Objection
@ Personal Objection
@ Competitive Objection
@ Lack of need Objection
TYPES OF CUSTOMERS OBJECTION
All objection can be classified under the following types;
@ Misunderstanding.
@ Skepticism.
@ Real objection.
@ Indifference.
@ Hidden Objection.

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 MISUNDERSTANDING
 An incorrect negative perception about some aspect of your product because of inadequate information or
misinformation.
SKEPTICISM
 A customer’s disbelief or doubt that your product can actually deliver the stated benefit.
REAL OBJECTION
 A short coming or disadvantage of your product.
 A customer’s expressed want/needs which your product cannot satisfy.
INDEFERENCE
Customer is not interested in your product because;
- Customer is satisfied with a competitor product.
- Customer has never used that type of product.
HIDDING OBJECTION
 Doctor does not openly raised a objection but is not supporting your product;
- Loser interest in your presentation.
- Rushing your through the presentation
- Being too agreeable.
 How to Handle:
Frankly (but politely) ask doctor if they have any concerns they would like to discuss.

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 ANSWERING OBJECTIONS
 Real Objection: Minimize the impact by focusing on the other advantages of your product. Make the
doctor realize that no product is perfect but your product provides so many advantages that a certain
minor disadvantage can be overlooked.
 Skepticism: Offer solid proof in form of clinical studies, reference etc. If the proof document is not
readily available at that time provide the document at the first available opportunity.
 Misunderstanding: Provide the right information in a manner that you don’t antagonise the doctor.
 Indifference: Identity a customer’s need that cannot be satisfied by the customer’s preferred product
and position your product as the best choice.
ASKING FOR BUSINESS
 A sales person’s selling ability is measured by the number of sales they can successfully close.
 Now matter how effective the sales presentation was or how good is the relationship with the doctor,
the real success of the sales call depends on the use of effective closing.
 As a general rule, you don’t get anything in life, unless you ask for it.
TYPES OF COMMITMENT REQUESTS
 Trail Use: To get the doctor to prescribe the product on a trail basis.
 Continued Use: To get the doctor to continue prescribing the product.
 Expended Use: To get the doctor to prescribe more of you product for the same indication or prescribe in a new
indication
WHEN TO CLOSE
If you Close the call too soon:
 Asking for commitment before the doctor has conceptually bought into your product may leave then
with some unanswered concerns. This could prevent them from prescribing your product.
If you take too long to close:
 The doctor may become restless and loose interest, or you may actually talk them out of
prescribing the product by raising a concern that had not occurred to them earlier.

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 Make An Action Close : WHEN TO CLOSE
 When the doctor gives a buying signal.
 When you reach a logical point in your
presentation;
# After presenting the product you planned
# After answering all question and
overcoming objections.
# When the time is running out
BUYING SIGNAL
 A signal from the doctor that he/she has accepted
your products benefit or feels positively about the
product.
 Buying signal could be verbal or non-verbal.

VERBAL NON VERBAL

BUYING SIGNAL Doctor ask question about Doctor lean closer to you.
doses, cost, availability.
STANDARD CLOSE
Makes positive comments Smiles, nods is agreement.
 Review all the benefits accepted by the doctor. about your product
 Ask for business.
Ask technical question. Pick up a product literature.
 Wait for a response.

Ask you to repeat something. Doctor intently reads clinical

paper you have presented.

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 Bridging

What is Bridging?
 It is the skill of managing the sales conversation by making smooth transition
between subjects.
 Principles of Bridging: Avoid abrupt transitions, and bridge smoothly and
naturally from one subject to the next one.
The Short Call :
Purpose: To make maximum use of limited time with the customer
Constraints:
 A time-pressured customer will want information, not conversation.
Strategy:
 Present product features & benefits to meet known or presumed needs.
 Ask for action as soon as possible
 Attempt to expand the length of the call whenever possible

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 Practical Steps For Short Call
Introduce Yourself
Introduce yourself

Customer Gives a Time Limit Signal

Customer Gives a Time Limit Signal

Open The Call Open The Call

Present Additional Feature & BenefitPresent Additional Feature & Benefi

Ask For Action Ask For Action/Rx

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 The 10 Golden Rules Of Successful Selling
1. The successful salesperson is not a “Good” or “Fast Talker” but the opposite is true-s/he
is a good listener.
2. The good salesperson does not sell to “anybody”; s/he first finds and judges/qualifies the
right prospect.
3. The good salesperson does not go into a call “blindfold”; s/he is carefully prepares the
call setting objectives and planning strategy.
4. The good salesperson look for dialogue right from the start and therefore begins with an
approach & question.
5. The good salesperson does not present the product or services until s/he has learnt what
the prospect’s needs and buying motives are.
6. The good salesperson presents only those features & benefits of his/her product or
services that are related to the prospect’s needs.
7. If the prospect’s raises an “Objection” the good salesperson does not view it as a
resistance but rather an opportunity to respond to the prospect’s need in more detail
8. The successful salesperson tries to close whenever s/he notice the buying from the
prospect
9. The good salesperson knows that the post call review is already the start of the next call
10. All in all, the professional salesperson’s goal is not to sell, but to help his/her prospect to
buy and arrive together with him at a Win-Win situation

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 SALES CYCLE
During the call

•Opening
•Presentation
Before the call After the call
•Questioning
•Handle objection
Pre-call planning •Closing Post call analysis
•Prospecting *Evaluating the call
•Analyses the customer *Recording the call
•Set objective •Set objective for
•Plan the call next call

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