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The Pharma Career Ladder · The first-line manager · Step 3: The field day · Lesson 13

The territory ride that changes nothing

Why some field days are theatre

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

Some field days look productive and change nothing.

Six calls, a long drive, lunch together. Then the rep goes back to working exactly as before.

In my experience the difference is not the day itself. It is what happens before the first call and after the last one.

  • A field day for show usually looks like this:
  • The manager chooses the doctors the evening before.
  • The manager takes over the moment the doctor asks a hard question.
  • The day ends with "good day" and a drive home.
  • By the next visit, nobody remembers what was said.
  • A field day that helps looks different:
  • The rep and I agree one skill before the first call.
  • In the call, I stay quiet and watch that skill.
  • Afterwards we agree one thing that worked and one thing to try.
  • At the next visit, the first thing I ask about is that one thing.

It is less impressive to watch. There is no heroic call by the manager and no long list of feedback.

But the rep leaves with something they can use on Monday, and that is the only reason I was there.

“A field day is measured on the rep's next call, not on your visit count.”
The territory ride that changes nothing: Why some field days are theatre

Lesson 13 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 4The silent observerStaying out of the rep's callLesson 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 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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