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The Pharma Career Ladder · The medical rep · Step 6: Objections and influence · Lesson 10

Social proof in a clinic

What "other doctors are using it" should really sound like

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

"Everybody is prescribing it, Doctor" is the weakest sentence in pharma selling.

Research on persuasion found people follow others most when they are unsure, and most of all when those others are like them. So social proof works in a clinic. It just has to be done properly.

  • Similar: a GP listens to GPs, a specialist listens to specialists.
  • True: only what you know happened. No invented names or numbers.
  • Permitted: name a colleague only if he has agreed.
  • Specific: "Several GPs in this area start it for new patients" beats "everyone uses it".

A doctor can smell an exaggeration. The moment he catches one, everything else you say loses weight.

“Social proof works when it is true, similar and specific.”
Social proof in a clinic: What "other doctors are using it" should really sound like

Lesson 10 of 19 in Step 6: Objections and influence, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.

More lessons in step 6: Objections and influence

Lesson 1Handling "I am busy"Three honest responses that keep the door openLesson 2The objection behind the objectionPrice is rarely the real objectionLesson 3When the doctor says noWhat to do in the next ninety secondsLesson 4When you do not know the answerThe four words that protect your credibilityLesson 5Competitor questionsAnswering without attackingLesson 6Handling price with bonus not discountThe commercial lever that protects the brandLesson 7Negotiating small commitmentsTrial, protocol, next appointmentLesson 8The six principles of influenceEach one has an honest use and a line you never crossLesson 9Reciprocity without briberyGiving value that is not a giftLesson 11Loss aversion in the clinicWhy "what the patient loses" beats "what he gains"Lesson 12Anchoring, used ethicallyThe first number a doctor hearsLesson 13Selling to a scepticEvidence, not enthusiasmLesson 14Selling to an early adopterSpeed, novelty and follow-throughLesson 15The adoption ladderFrom awareness to advocacy, and where you really areLesson 16Teach, tailor, take controlThe Challenger model, inside a real clinicLesson 17Reading buying signalsFour things a doctor does before he switchesLesson 18The rule of one askOne request per call, every callLesson 19Closing without pressureAsk for a specific, small, checkable commitment

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