The reality of the field

So it's coming up on three weeks since I've been out of training and have been placed in the real world of field sales. I've learned a few things that our trainers conveniently forgot to mention, or simply did not emphasize:

• Doctors have better things to do with their time than to listen to a sales rep deliver a marketing message.
• You occupy the rung below single-cell amoeba on the food chain as far as the people you interact with are concerned.
• Doctors think they know everything, but they don't. In turn, their patients risk receiving suboptimal treatment because of the doctor's refusal to listen to facts that run contrary to their beliefs.
• With all this pressure, saying what you want to say in a precise, effective manner is an art form.
• If you can't develop a thick skin, don't show up to work.

What a wake up call this has been. Before I started this job, I thought of sales reps the same way most other people think of them - nuisances that make your product purchasing decision unpleasant. This image shattered once I got to training, where I developed immense respect for the sheer volume of knowledge a pharma rep needs to learn in order to do their job effectively. Being in the field has been another wake-up call. I can't imagine how some of these reps do their job day after day for years on end. I don't understand how they dig deep within themselves to find the motivation to go on after facing yet another close-minded physician. I don't understand how they spend hours on end working by themselves, with almost no support or interaction with their coworkers.

So far I've been happy if I can get my name across to a doctor before he starts walking away. My favorite story from these last three weeks happened in week 1. I was visiting an office for the first time, and walked up to the receptionist to introduce myself, mention the products that I carried, and ask if the doctor was available. The nurse looked me up and down and asked what else I had with me. Confused, I repeated the products I was responsible for. No good. "What ELSE do you carry?" she asked. At this point I admitted defeat. "Umm, what would you like me to carry?" I asked.

Which is when the receptionist told me that unless I had some premium items (i.e., pens, pads, etc.) for the staff, that I wasn't getting back to see the doctor anytime soon. Of course, yours truly had no premium items at the time, so I started to leave, crestfallen and teary-eyed. I had almost reached the office door, when I heard the receptionist call out behind me, "Sugar, I'm just messing with you. The doctor is on vacation!" The entire office staff laughed heartily.

*sigh* Abused AND ridiculed. I need a hug.

For me, this experience is a dose of bad-tasking, albeit necessary, medicine. I thought I had strong communication skills coming out of business school, but I've quickly learned that I don't stand a chance against a polished sales rep. In school we were taught to develop 5 minute elevator pitches - speeches to have on hand to deliver to your company's CEO should you run into them on the elevator up to work. 5 minutes? Are you kidding me? Seasoned sales reps that I've seen in action can deliver impactful messages that will stop a doctor in their tracks in 20 seconds. If this is the only skill that I pick up from this rotation, then I'll be a happy camper.