Changing role of managers while jointly working with MRs

R K Srivastava reviews activities in the current scenario and also suggests various steps a manager should take while working jointly with medical representatives

The first line manager plays a very important role in pharmaceutical industry and an effective manager can either make or break the company. It has been observed that if a manager is effective the entire team becomes effective.

Over time, the role of managers and the expectations from them has also changed. Today, the manager has to work more harder compared to what he used to do earlier. He has to be a doer and lead the team. He cannot afford to have dichotomy behaviour. For example: If he expects a medical representative (MR) to make eight calls, he has to also make minimum six calls, that too important calls. He cannot afford to visit pack up calls and fulfill the work norms of the company.

In this changing environment where reps’ standards are falling, work culture is declining, ethics dimensions are changing not only in the internal customers but also in the external customers the joint working effort is emerging as an important tool. This is not only improving the productivity of the calls but also enhancing personality of the MR and his effectiveness.

It also helps optimise the resources given by the company. The activities during the joint working to be initiated by managers have changed with time.

Communication

It plays an important role in not only motivating the MR but also in clarifying certain objectives for the reps. A clear well defined role for the MR will lead him towards better call productivity. The following activities should be incorporated under the communication:

i) Discussion on letters received from Head Office.

It has been observed that MRs do not open letters and read the content as they get dozens of letters from the head office (HO).

Therefore, the manager should spend 5-10 minutes to discuss each correspondence with the MR so that he is aware of the action he is to take and if required he should make him reply to the letter immediately.

The benefits are:

• He educates his MR
• He gets communication strategy implemented. Thus, improving his efficiency.
• The effectiveness of MR goes up.

The manager should utilise his time during the joint working to ask himself what value addition he has given during the time he has spent with the MR. In fact he should give some training.

ii) Trained MR on product knowledge/handling objections

Manager should take up one product and give simple question and answer with respect to composition, mode of action and how to convert competitive brands prescribing doctors to his own brand. This 30 minutes discussion will built the confidence of the MR. In fact, the MR standards are not rated high in the recent study conducted by doctors. MRs with good product knowledge are respected by the doctors.

The above communication can be made provided the MR excels in selling skills.

iii) More time to be spent on improving the selling skills of the MR

iv) There should be clear cut directives on methods of improving sales

In today’s environment, the manager has to communicate the methods of improving sales during the joint working and if required demonstrate the same.

Call analysis

The manager should analyse the call during the field work with respect to

• Doctors visit
• Frequency of co-doctors visit
• Return on time wasted on core customer (ROTI)
• Batting average of the calls
• Study the doctors list and find out the percentage distribution pattern of the doctors in his list and compare the same with the visit made during the joint work.

This can work as an eye opener for many managers.

Hence, the manager’s role is becoming important not only in call analysis but also in customer visit tracking.

Customer visit tracking

Today, managers cannot afford to forget this activity. This is a must. The author’s experience reveals that very few managers maintain MR-wise, month-wise, doctor-wise profile tracking. This will help monitor the visit of the core customers.

Control measures

During the joint working the manager should observe the following which can serve as control measures:

• Ask the retailer about the non-moving product and personally check the manufacturing date. This gives an idea on the prescription flow. The prescription flow is an indicator of MR’s working.
• Observe the behaviour of greeting of the retailers.
• Observe the greeting and expressions of doctors with representatives visit.
• Also observe the behaviour of compounder/ receptionist.
• Ask the doctor his experience about the product which he is prescribing. Many times doctors give vague reply or may give the real information which may be contrary to the expectations and the impressions given by the MR.
• Change the tour programme and work in an another area with non-productive reps.

It has been observed many times that the MR takes his senior in an area where sales is good and thus the manager is under false impression that the representative is working well.

Customer prescription behaviour tracking

Managers should define co-doctors and discuss the same with the MRs. During the joint work in today’s scenario this doubt should be clarified and rectified through proper retail audit. Today, a manager does not carry proper retail audit cannot survive in today’s environment. This is a must. The study of high product manager revealed that this is one of the most important activities through the joint work.

Other role of a manager during joint working with respect to the implementation of the activities initiated by the HO are discussed below:

I) Promotion: The manager has to observe whether the MR is retailing as per the strategy communicated by the HO. Today the MRs are deviating from the strategy given by the HO. A recent study reveals that 80 per cent of the MR do not implement the strategy completely.

Therefore this becomes an important function during the joint work. He should also observe the sampling plans of the MR. The sample should not be given like a mere postman. Right doctor, right prescription, right product concept still needs to be implemented in today’s environment as there is no proper selection of doctors. Infact, recent study reveals that many times a product fails because of wrong selection of doctors.

II) Place: This is another area which is gaining popularity as the number of brands are increasing in the same product categories. Distribution plays a very important role. Therefore, the manager should monitor:

• Secondary sales product-wise
• Availability of the products at key retail outlets
• Near expiry products and devise an action plan to liquidate the same.
• Improve POB booking by working personally as today MR does not do POB booking presuming that POB is the job of stockist’s reps. Explain this scheme to the retailer and get maximum mileage, as many times, stockist does not pass this scheme to the retailers.

II) Setting of objectives which is very quantitative than qualitative: Today a manager should be clear in doing so. It should be more task related activities. This helps him to improve his productivity.

Summary

Today the role of a manager during joint working has changed. It has become quantitative than qualitative. The above activities discussed should help the manager to improve his effectiveness.

Thus, if the manager implements the above eight activities, the effectiveness of the MR goes up so also that of the manager. Manager visit should be welcomed and not be treated as policeman. Strong marketing team with strong first line managers can help the company to survive in a highly competitive environment, which is going to emerge after 2005.

The writer is Mumbai based marketing consultant. Email: srivastava@vsnl.com