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The Pharma Career Ladder · The first-line manager · Step 3: The field day · Lesson 4

The silent observer

Staying out of the rep's call

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

It happens on almost every double visit.

Halfway through the rep's call, the doctor turns to the manager. A question, a comment, sometimes just a look.

And the manager answers. Politely, helpfully, and for the next five minutes the call belongs to the manager.

I have done it myself. It feels like support. It is not.

  • Three things happen when the manager takes over:
  • The doctor learns that the manager is the person to talk to.
  • The rep learns to wait for rescue.
  • And after the call, there is nothing to coach, because the call you watched was yours.
  • What I try to do instead:
  • Stand two steps behind, out of the doctor's eyeline.
  • When the doctor turns to me, smile and turn back to the rep.
  • Keep every thought for the debrief.

The one exception: if something inaccurate or unsafe is said about a product, I step in, briefly and politely. That is not coaching. That is responsibility.

Everything else can wait for the cafe table after the call.

Staying silent is harder than it sounds. But the rep's call, with all its rough edges, is the only thing worth coaching.

“Every sentence you add in the call is one less thing you can coach after it.”
The silent observer: Staying out of the rep's call

Lesson 4 of 16 in Step 3: The field day, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.

More lessons in step 3: The field day

Lesson 1How many days in the fieldThe number that defines the jobLesson 2Planning a field dayChoosing the rep, the day and the goalLesson 3Coaching in the fieldWhat a manager actually does on a double visitLesson 5What to look for, not just listen toReading the doctor during the callLesson 6Meeting a key doctor togetherThe manager's role in a joint callLesson 7When the rep freezesRescuing the call without taking it overLesson 8Field days and trustInspection or developmentLesson 9Market intelligence from the fieldWhat to report upward and what to ignoreLesson 10Handling a customer complaintEscalation with the rep, not around themLesson 11Pharmacy and stock realitySeeing the shelf for yourselfLesson 12Hospital access problemsWhere the manager can actually helpLesson 13The territory ride that changes nothingWhy some field days are theatreLesson 14Field notes that survive the weekCapturing, not rememberingLesson 15Visiting the difficult territoryGoing where it is uncomfortableLesson 16The manager who never leaves the officeWhat that costs a district

The field day, in RepPharma

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