The monthly review is the hour many reps dread most.
It does not have to be. In my experience, the difference is almost entirely in how the manager runs it.
Seven things I try to do every time:
Share the numbers first. The rep gets the same report two days before. Nobody thinks well when they are seeing their figures for the first time across the table.
The rep goes first. "How do you read your month?" Their reading tells you as much as the numbers do.
Look at sell-out. What actually moved from the distributor to pharmacies and hospitals. Not what was shipped in.
Find the main cause. Coverage, frequency, message or stock. Usually one of them leads.
Check the calls behind it. Which key doctors were seen, and how often?
Agree two actions. Two, not ten. Written by the rep, in their own words.
End with support. "What do you need from me this month?" And then actually do it.
The one thing I avoid is opening with the ranking of the whole team. It puts the rep on the defensive before the conversation has started.
“A monthly review should leave the rep with a plan, not a bruise.”
Lesson 9 of 13 in Step 2: Targets, forecasts and numbers, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.