The Importance Of Executive Coaching At Entry Level Pharmaceutical Sales Job

I've made my last post less than 12 hours from this post. 

I haven't stop fretting about executive coaching and mentoring. I'm not certainly going to stop now. 

I'm adding on.

If you feel overwhelmed by a sudden surge of tasks you have to shoulder during your Pharmaceutical sales job entry-level, and if you're curious to know how those successful sales reps wing it during their entry, then pay close attention to what is printed here.

MY OWN FIRST DAY, WEEK, AND MONTH ON THE FIELD

Even up to my own first year...

I was blessed to land a job with Roche Pharmaceutical during those 'dark' years. 

I called it dark years because the year was 1997. Malaysia was at its worst economic downturn crisis.

The veterans would remember those days, those doom and gloom days...

Maybe I spoke too soon because my luck ran out as soon as I accept the offer. I was put in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, with 'zero' family and relatives. 

Or was I actually lucky?

Come to think of it, I was luckier because I was far from the family which means full focus on the job, and I met new friends! 

Double lucky-break, if you ask me. 

And the best part was, my friends were all in the pharmaceutical industries and had been around for more than 5 years, on average.

Since Roche offered no coaching nor mentoring at that point in time (I'm not sure if they provide it today), my friends automatically become my mentor.

MY FRIENDS AS MY COACH AND MENTOR

Was that a 'BAD' thing?

There are pros and cons but to me then, at a pharmaceutical rep job entry-level, I remember the GOOD things more than the bad.

When you have friends as your executive coach and mentor, the environment was different; thus the acceptance was also more comfortable. 

They talk on your terms. 

You see them 'walk-the-talk,' so to speak, and they're with you come rains or shine.

You RESPECT them. And that's the single most important ingredient to executive coaching.

Why respect? Because respect leads to CREDIBILITY. With credibility comes TRUST.

THE "TRUST" FACTOR

Let me ask you this...

"In your current pharmaceutical sales job today, how much do you trust your immediate 'coach' or 'mentor'?"

If you can quantify from a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is 'NONE' and 10 is 'I DIE FOR...', where would you put your trust?

Realize that I'm kidding you with this exercise. 

Why? 

If you remember the 'All-Or-None' law for muscle 'Action Potential,' then trust is the same. 

It's an 'all-or-none' game. 

Whether you trust or you don't. 

Just like a sedative. 

There's no such thing as 'mildly' sedative. It's either sedative or non-sedative.

Well? How did you answer my question? 

For those people who manage sales reps, a pharmaceutical sales manager, allow me to share what I discovered during my fruitful years as a manager myself. 

I hope I can hit home a point or two and you can benefit from them.

I used to manage four reps. 

For a small branch office, I was responsible for maintaining the whole branch plus four more sales reps in the Government/Specialist sector. 

But let's just focus on my Team Members at this moment...

Three of my Team Members were actually my previous colleagues. 

We used to report to the same Boss, and we did joint-calls to the customers, and we're peers.

Things sure change fast! 

When I got promoted, I didn't know how to react (I should've thought about it before accepting the offer). 

And I'm sure, my ex-colleagues didn't too.

We thought we can get along just fine. 

Then...

Problems and issues started to pop up one after another. 

It's normal to have problems and issues, but it's not reasonable to me, to settle it at a level different from where I was then. 

Now I'm a manager and had to behave like one. 

But I persist with my 'friendly' approach. 

My colleagues took the opportunity, and they went for the 'killing.'

Back-stabbing, bad-mouthing, 'gossiping'... 

...were norms the minute I lay my eyes off them. 

I didn't know until my Branch Administrator, my Personal Assistant, casually leak the issue out. 

Boy, I was surprised.

They even hold their grudge towards me after I left and took my VSS.

Some of them still think I was irresponsible and held back their application to transfer to the Hospital Sector. 

Some thought I was biased for not taking their friend in. 

Some think I'm just too laid back to be deemed aggressive.

Today, I'm happy to report that they got better Boss than me, just the way they 'want' it.

The new Boss treats them as they are at the pharmaceutical sales job entry-level, and spend more time to coach and mentor them.

I heard some of them are improving a lot with such a style.

Just the other day, my good friend who also took his VSS from Pfizer, receive a phone call from our ex-colleague who just transferred to Hospital Sector (he's obsessed with that portfolio since forever) asking for... 

...brace yourself because a 'killer' question's coming... 

where to PARK his car!?

 And, "Where's the EYE clinic?"

Hmmm...

I can hear a cry for executive coaching, maybe just to break a few small sales.

And I can also hear the shout of ego-maniac and non-gratitude from afar.

I couldn't be bothered.

So, pick your executive coach and mentor seriously as your life depends on them. Pick those who you can respect, see credibility, and most importantly, you can TRUST.

And one last point, if you got promoted, make sure you manage 'new types of blood.' You only have ONE choice... your manager's post or your colleagues.

It's disappointing that you're unable to have both.