Management Training Programs For Medical Sales Rep

After five pharmaceutical companies, I've shied away from talking about management training programs for medical rep. My thinking is if I've lost interest in becoming a sales manager, why should I even mention it to others?

But that's just my thinking...

I know what's it like to be a manager. The very reason why I developed such a fresh feeling towards management in sales is that what some senior leadership "bozos" did in a pharmaceutical company I worked for before.

The "trauma," if I can call it that, affected me so profoundly that it makes me feel not worth an ounce of my energy to pursue the manager's position anymore.

Obviously, some readers of this blog do not share my sentiment...

...and that's reasonably OK. We can agree to disagree over this issue :-)

So, these readers want to know how to get their feet into the manager's position in pharma companies. I did write about how to ace the interview for such a post, and it has become quite popular too.

And I wrote that based on my experience, just like most of the posts herein.

I don't like guessing, and I don't wish for others to guess also when planning for something they want. Due to that, I'll share a story or two which you can use to chart your plan to get into the sales manager's post.

Allow me to take you back to my working years with a pharma company before I am voluntarily backed-out from it...

In that particular company, when a sales rep has shown consistent performance, and when he or she has moved up the skill level (SL), there's a program in place that allows them to request for career development.

Now, not everyone wants to be a manager, of course, but the opportunity is there.

They can make a request, during a performance review, which direction they want to go moving forward.

So, if they choose to be in management, plans have been set up to assist them in achieving their desired position.

And they have to follow this plan...

Like other plans, the success of achieving the program largely depends on the sales rep's performance. The program, in short, is not a guarantee for a post in sales management.

But more often than not, those reps who enroll in such management training programs from the beginning, have good records of getting to where they suppose to.

I can tell you other "hidden" factors that contribute to success, but that's a topic for some other day ;-)
What managing competencies that these reps have to go through?

Sales training competencies are on top of the list. It makes total sense that, to manage sales effectively, then sales managers have to know what they need to improve on.

In the company which I mentioned earlier, advance selling strategies such as SPIN Selling, are introduced at this stage...

...but not the fundamental strategies. They're the "train the trainer" kind of stuff.

Then there are managing people competencies.

At this stage, "inspired to be managers" are exposed to skills of coaching and mentoring. They'll learn how to mold the raw talents of their team members into superstar salespeople.

The module I was exposed to, back then, was the One Minute Manager modules. It was based on the work of two prominent persons: Dr. Ken Blanchard and Larry Wilson (remember Larry and his creativity story? He's the one).

I remember one useful lesson from that module which I always apply up until now...

...and it's about giving feedback.

When giving feedback, managers in pharma sales and other managers for that matter are encouraged to apply the "Sandwich Approach."

It works like this:

Let's supposed your team member did something not up to the performance index (read: standard), and you're going to "redirect" him/her.

Here's how you're going to say it:

"Bob/Judy, I appreciate that you take the time to see customer A. I can see that you're making positive move towards building relationship with him, AND I would appreciate more if next time, you come well prepared. You'll avoid looking clumsy and wasting precious time to address customer's concern without having to travel so many times between his office and ours. Keep up the good effort in building the relationship..."

Whatever comes after the capital "and" is what you want them to improve. It was "sandwiched" between two compliments or appreciations. Can you see it?

This and other kinds of people management skills are what you'll be exposed to once companies put you through management training programs.

And this is for medical reps who already employed by the pharma companies.

What about those from outside: from different industries or different companies? What kind of management training they have to go through?

I got a friend who reports to a new manager after his current sales manager was promoted to Human Resource Manager.

Yes, in a pharma company, such movement is called "lateral move"...

It could be that my friend's manager, make it clear in his performance review that human resource is the direction he wants to take. He probably got what he asked for.

As for my friend, the new sales manager had a different managing style compared to the previous one.

And it happened to be an "unfavorable" style...

My friend, as a result, finds his career move into a different company a few months after that. This is precisely what my trainer used to say once, "People leave people. People don't leave companies."

That really rings the truth...

It left me wondering whether the new manager was not put through the same management training as his predecessor. He could have skipped it due to his prior managing experience.

Of course, if any companies were to recruit new managers candidate, they should know that whatever experience these candidates have previously are "null and void" in the new environment.

I mean, you can't expect Pfizer's past managerial experience to manage GSK, for example. Maybe there are merits in the expertise that can be useful, but to run things like they were used to, are totally futile.

In the words of another trainer, "Don't send the duck to lead the hens."

Clearly, new manager recruits need to go through management training made for companies they currently served.

Different folks need to be stroked differently, and the same goes for managing salespersons from all stages of competencies.

Companies can choose to outsource the training to outside training consultants, but nothing can beat in-house trainers, based on they know what best for companies and their employees.

What are the take-home messages here?

1) Enroll in the in-house management training program, if it has one, and communicate your intention during the performance evaluation process.

2) It is imperative to engage in the new companies training for managers as it will blend the new recruit into the company's missions and visions. What's past is past.

3) In-house training for management has a distinct advantage, especially the understanding of inner strengths and weaknesses.

Hope this helps with your own understanding of available management training programs.