Most reps I have coached do not have a pitching problem. They have a questioning problem.
The pattern is familiar. Two or three background questions. How many patients, which age group, what are you prescribing now. Then the tablet comes up and the pitch starts.
Neil Rackham's research on large sales calls, published as SPIN Selling, found that the successful sellers asked more about problems and their consequences. Background questions on their own did little.
That matches what I see in clinics.
So I coach the questions, not the pitch. Three moves:
- Ask about the problem. "Where do your patients struggle most with their treatment?"
- Ask what it costs. "What happens when those patients stop after the first month?"
- Let the doctor name the value. "What would it mean for you if more of them stayed on treatment?"
When the doctor says the benefit in their own words, the rep does not need to push it.
My habit in the debrief: before we talk about the product at all, I ask the rep to recall the questions they asked. Most are surprised how few there were.
What I avoid is handing out a script. Read-out questions sound read out.
“A rep who asks better questions needs to pitch less.”
Lesson 14 of 23 in Step 4: Coaching, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.