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The Pharma Career Ladder · The medical rep · Step 1: Planning your territory · Lesson 2

Segmenting by potential, not politeness

The doctor who is nice is not always the doctor who writes

By Ahmed El Menshawy · 20 years in pharma, from medical rep to country manager in the UAE. Founder of RepPharma. LinkedIn
Published

The warmest welcome in your territory is not always your best customer.

In my experience, many call plans quietly follow politeness. The doctor who always has time gets visited often. The busy specialist with a full waiting room gets visited when it is convenient. The friendly call feels productive. It often is not.

  • By politeness, you call on who has time for you. By potential, you call on who sees the patients.
  • By politeness, a friendly chat counts as progress. By potential, only asks agreed and kept count.
  • By politeness, you avoid the difficult specialist. By potential, you plan him first.
  • By politeness, last year's list stays. By potential, you review it every cycle.

Kindness from a doctor is welcome. It is just not a segmentation criterion.

“The doctor who is nice to you is not always the doctor who writes.”
Segmenting by potential, not politeness: The doctor who is nice is not always the doctor who writes

Lesson 2 of 12 in Step 1: Planning your territory, with the full guide and a checklist for this week. Discuss this lesson on LinkedIn.

More lessons in step 1: Planning your territory

Lesson 1Targeting is not a listHow to choose the twenty doctors that matterLesson 3Coverage, frequency, qualityThree numbers that explain a flat monthLesson 4The cost of a missed cycleWhat happens when your frequency slipsLesson 5A-list disciplineProtecting frequency on the accounts that carry your territoryLesson 6Building a real route planGeography, clinic hours and trafficLesson 7The weekly plan that survives MondayWeekly planning that copes with realityLesson 8Hospital vs retail mindsetTwo different games carried in one bagLesson 9Pharmacy is part of your territoryStock, substitution and the last mile of every prescriptionLesson 10Key account basicsMapping people, not just placesLesson 11Territory intelligenceWhat to notice that never makes it into the CRMLesson 12Working a new territoryWhat to do in your first thirty days

Planning your territory, in RepPharma

Grade doctors by potential

Doctor potential is graded from three inputs: patients per day, packs the doctor could prescribe and packs the doctor prescribes now.

A month of visits in seconds

Smart monthly plans are drafted from each doctor’s priority, required visit frequency and best time to visit. The manager approves in one click.

Sell-out next to stock

Distributor stock and pharmacy sell-out are shown side by side, with short-expiry lots flagged up to 90 days ahead.

Start a new territory with real customers

A pre-loaded UAE directory of doctors, clinics and pharmacies, so a new rep starts with real customers instead of an empty list.

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