The first call introduces you. The second one tells the doctor whether you were listening.
I often hear second calls that sound exactly like the first. Same opening, same slides, same message. From the doctor's side of the desk, that says one thing: this rep does not remember me.
How I teach reps to run the second call:
- Read your last note in the car. What did he ask? What did you promise?
- Open with his words. "Doctor, last time you mentioned patients stopping early."
- Deliver the promise first, before anything new.
- Ask what happened. His experience with his own patients beats any slide.
- Add one new thing that builds on last time.
- Agree the next step, so there is a reason for a third call.
This is where the call note earns its value. A good note turns a repeat visit into a continuing conversation. A missing note turns it into a cold call with a familiar face.
“If your second call sounds like your first, the doctor learns you were not listening.”
Lesson 5 of 7 in Step 7: After the visit, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.