The debrief in the car park is not where coaching happens.
It is where coaching is agreed. Whether the rep actually changes anything is decided in the seven days after, and most of us are not there for them.
In my teams, the week after a double visit looks like this:
- Same day. We agree one skill, and the rep says it in their own words.
- Next morning. The rep sends one line back: the skill, and one doctor to try it with.
- Mid-week. A short call from me. "Did you get to try it? What happened?"
- One week on. I see it again, on a call or in the rep's own story.
A few things I have learned about that week:
- Ask about the skill, not the number.
- Praise the attempt, even when the call went badly.
- If it did not happen, ask what got in the way. Usually something did.
- Only then pick the next skill.
The follow-up is not an inspection. It tells the rep the skill mattered enough for me to remember it.
“A skill agreed on Monday becomes real when you ask about it next Monday.”
Lesson 17 of 23 in Step 4: Coaching, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.