The last week of the month is where good territories get damaged.
The target is close, the pressure is on, and the quickest fix is to push extra stock into pharmacies. It feels like selling. The report looks better for a few days. Then next month starts in a hole.
The loop I draw for reps:
Month-end push. Pharmacies overstocked. No reorders next month. Another month-end push.
And written beside it: prescriptions did not change.
What chasing stock actually does:
- It borrows from next month.
- An overstocked pharmacy stops reordering.
- Short-dated stock comes back as returns.
- It hides the real demand from everyone, including you.
Your number that matters is sell-out: patients being treated. Sell-in follows it. It does not lead it.
A good rep says no to "take a bit more as a favour" and spends that last week on the doctors who create demand.
“Stock you push this month is the order you lose next month.”
Lesson 5 of 5 in Step 2: Your numbers and forecast, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.