The report says we are in stock.
The patient standing at the pharmacy counter says otherwise.
Both can be true. Stock at the distributor is not stock on the shelf. And a doctor's prescription is only worth something if the patient walks out with the product.
That is why, in my teams, some field days include pharmacies. Not to check on the rep. To see what the rep sees.
What I look for, with the rep leading the visit:
- Is it on the shelf? Is it visible? Is it in date?
- I ask the pharmacist one question: "How often do patients ask for it and not find it?"
- Then I listen for the reason. Ordering, delivery, credit or demand. Each one needs a different fix.
Afterwards we look at three numbers separately. Sell-in, what we sold to the distributor. Distributor stock, what is sitting there. Sell-out, what the distributor sold to pharmacies. When they disagree, the shelf usually explains why.
The fix is almost always supply and service. Better ordering, faster delivery, a conversation with the distributor. Never a price cut.
And then we go back a few weeks later and look at the same shelf.
“A good prescription is wasted if the patient finds an empty shelf.”
Lesson 11 of 16 in Step 3: The field day, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.