The document discusses various techniques for opening calls with doctors in pharmaceutical sales. It describes the importance of building relationships with doctors and their total practice through regular visits and rapport building. Some common ways to open a call include introducing yourself and your company, stating the agenda or objectives of the visit, highlighting benefits for the doctor, inviting them to provide additional discussion topics, and requesting permission to proceed. Uncommon opening techniques include showing a product, highlighting key benefits, asking questions, referring to other doctors' recommendations, or sharing a new study. The goal of any opening is to gain the doctor's interest and attention in order to have a productive discussion.

1. Masum Chowdhury
Manager
Strategic Brand Management
Asiatic
masum.pha@gmail.com
0171 7642874

2. Prospecting
Pre-Approach
Approach
Need assessment
Presentation
Meeting objections
Gaining commitment
Follow-up

4. Opening
• Opening is the first step in selling skills
inside the Doctor‟s chamber.

5. What is Opening ?
• Opening is all about building rapport and
opening steps. It is the ability of Medical
Promotion Officer to build relationships
with the Doctors and his/her staff.

6. Relationship Selling

7. Relationship Rule
• People don‟t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.

8. Relationship Building
• Most people believe that before open the
call, Relationship building with the Doctor
is very important.

9. Relationship Selling
• Before discussing how to open the call, we
will briefly discuss about the Relationship
building and Relationship Selling.

10. Relationship Building
• Building relationship is the key technique
in building relationship with the Doctors.
Relationship Building is an important
skill for smooth selling process.
• It will increases trust between the MPO
and the Doctor.

11. In pharmaceutical selling,
Relationship building may be the key yet.
Relationship Building
in Pharmaceutical Selling
Relationship Building can be built with
many continuous calls.
Relationship building cannot be built
within a single visit to the Doctor.

12. Relationship Building

13. Total Practice in
Pharmaceutical Selling
• We need a greater customer‟s information
and knowledge of the total practice (people
working in the clinics or hospital to assist
the doctors) for Relationship Building.

14. Rapport Building technique in
Pharmaceutical Selling
• You can build rapport in the Doctor‟s chamber
and also outside the chamber of the doctor by
building relationship with the total practice.

15. Outside Doctor’s Chamber

16. Total Practice
• Receptionist, helper or the nursing staffs of
the doctor, all are included in the total practice.

17. Purpose of Relationship with Total Practice
• Receptionist, helper or nursing staffs are the
influencers of the Doctors. They can provide
you many information of the Doctors.

18. Rapport Building outside the Doctor Chamber
• If you build a good relation with the total
practice, you can easily visit your doctors.

19. Example of total practice
• Prof. Dr. Athar Ali, Cardiologist Practicing Padma
Diagnostic Centre, Malibagh More. 2014
•
cordial relationship

20. Building Relationship
Tips and Technique
1. Treat all staffs professionally
2. Build Rapport and relationships with key
staffs
3. Personalize interaction with key staffs
4. Always use rapport building opportunities as
a bridge to learning.
5. Provide Small Gifts
6. Building Trust

21. Treat all staffs professionally
• Take the time to talk with all important staffs
even if you will not be able to meet the Doctor.
Probe staff to stay current on activities, customer
feedback, and marketing and sales strategy of the
competitors.

22. Personalize interaction with key staffs
•

23. Rapport building opportunities
as a bridge of learning
•
Sergel
Prescription

24. • Provide Small Gifts:
Note Pad, Pen etc.
Build relationships
with key staff members

25. • Building Trust:
Keep your promises. Remain careful about their
ethical needs.
Build relationships
with key staff member

26. Building Good Relationship
with total practice

27. • There are many ways to improve your
Personal Relationship with the total
practice.

28. Understanding needs of total practice
• In your conversations with the total practice, you
can ask of their needs and improve mere
relationship.
• They may bring to you their needs such as note
pads, pens or other gifts.
• If they face any problems in managing
their work you can assist them by
simple guidance.

29. Understanding the need of total practice
• You must not ignore the importance of
total practice.
• Always keep their promises and conclude
your image as a trust worthy person.

30. 3 R techniques
for building good relationship

31. Building Relationship - 3 R techniques
• Practice staff provide you key information, tips
on how and when best to connect with Doctor.
• Recognize practice staff who is control access
to the Doctor
• Respect their position as right hand to the
Doctor, and respect their level of knowledge
• Request while obtaining help from the practice
staff

32. Building Relationship
inside Doctor‟s Chamber
• Attire
• Body Language
• Tonality
• Rate of Speech
• Repeat and Approve
• Commonality
• Positive words
• Personal Space of the MPO

33. Finally, Continuous Visit is one of the
most important factor for Building
Relationship with Doctors.

34. Opening Skill

35. Purpose of the Opening
• Create Interest of the Doctor
• Get Attention from the Doctor

36. Steps of Opening
• Propose a feature and benefits
(Key Selling Points) that satisfied
Customer’s need
• Identify a known or presumed need

37. When to Open the Call
• You can open the call, when your
customer agrees to begin the call.
• After a rapport building statement, you
can begin the business call.
Customer‟s time is highly valuable

38. How to Open
• Common ways
• Uncommon ways

39. Common ways of Opening

40. Five steps in opening skill
• Introduction
• State the Agenda (Visit Objectives)
• Benefits of the Customer
• Invite customer to add into the Agenda
• Getting Permission

41. Introduce yourself : MR can give
his & his company’s name
•
• (Old MPO
• (New MPO):

42. Tips and Technique of Opening
• Using “impactful” language and articulate
passion to gain & hold the attention of the
customer. Following are some impactful words.
• As discussed last time ….
• Misery of your patient ….
• Quick Relief ……
• New study ..
• New Dose ….
• New Indication ….
• New clinical paper …..

43. State an Agenda to the customer
(Visit Objectives)
• After the introduction, the Medical
Promotion Officer have to state their
objectives of the call.

44. State an Agenda to the customer
(Visit Objectives)
• For example: In the last call, I discussed the
dosage guidelines of Asizith 500 Tablet, today
I am here to share with you a new study about
the sensitivity data of the community acquired
pneumonia patients” May I proceed with your
permission..
Practice, Please

45. Benefits of the Customer
• After your agenda statement, it‟s very
important to tell the Doctor about the
benefits he/she may receive from the
discussion regarding the agenda. This
statement creates interest of the
Doctor.

46. Benefits of the Customer
• For example: In the last call, I discussed the
dosage guidelines of Afixime 200 Capsule,
today I am here to share with you a new study
about the sensitivity data of the community
acquired pneumonia patients and how their
results benefits your patients as well, I shall
now proceed with your permission …..”

47. Invite customer to add into the
Agenda
• Ask the doctor if he wants to discuss anything
regarding the disease and its management
area. This step is not applicable for all
Doctors.

48. Invite customer to add into the
Agenda
• „You can use this step when you have a
good rapport & trust worthy relationship
with the Doctor‟. For example: “Would you
like to add anything to discuss?”

49. Get the permission to Start
• You may follow the below statements to
get permission for the proceeding the
call.
May I proceed?

50. Get the permission to Start
• In the last call, I discussed the dosage
guidelines of Ceroxime Tablet, today I am
here to share with you a new study about the
sensitivity data of the community acquired
pneumonia patients and how their results
benefits your patients as well, May I proceed
with your permission …..”
Practice, Please

51. Uncommon ways of Opening
• Product Method
• Benefit Method
• Questions Method
• Referral Method
• Study Method

52. Product Method
• Few MPOs open their calls to show their
product. By showing their product they initiate
the discussion. In this approach, mostly
Doctors himself provides some comments in
regard to product.
• Applicable with
• Doctor is too Busy
• Doctor seems much reluctant to talk
• Launching a New Product
• Alu Alu Pack

53. Product Method
• For example: Sir, (Dr. Kamruzzaman) this
is our new anti-fungal drug Dermicon 150
Capsule which has a unique mode of
action that differentiates it from other drugs
and will be most beneficial to your patients.
Can you give some time for a detailed
discussion??

54. Benefit Method
You can also open your calls with the most
important benefit of your products. In your
customers, those who remain reluctant to probing,
this is a good technique when directly throwing a
benefit, after that you may for ask a close probe for
confirmation.
• Applicable with
• New MPO
• MPO who has weak probing skill
• Drs. who seem reluctant to probing

55. Benefit Method
• For example - Sir, (Dr. Kamruzzaman) I
would like to discuss the product, Liam
Tablet, which has a long half life and is
suitable for a single daily dosage”.

56. Questions Methodology
Open the call with question
• Applicable with
• Reading out information from the Doctor
• Need more time to discuss the product in
details.
• Launching new product.

57. Questions Methodology
• For Example: Sir, (Dr. Kamruzzaman) In
your opinion, what‟s the parameters of an
effective antibiotic for your patients of
urinary tract infection?

58. Referral Methodology
• Some customers prescribe certain drugs
due to the influence of their seniors.
• Applicable with
• Newly graduated Drs.

59. Referral Methodology
• For example: Sir, (Dr. Kamruzzaman),
You will be happy to know that Prof. Dr.
Atahar Ali sir prescribing Atonor Tablet.
Today I am very much pleased to discuss
the details of Atonor Tablet with you …..

60. Study Methodology
• Sharing the result of a study or a survey
with the Dr. SK Roy.
• Applicable with
• Analytical Doctors.

61. Study Methodology
• For example: “ ….. Today I would like to
share with you a new study of
antihypertensive drug, I am sure it will be
beneficial in managing your patients of
hypertension, Can I proceed?”

62. “You never „close‟ a sale, you
open a long-term relationship”

64. Thanks
Masum Chowdhury
Manager
Strategic Brand Management
Asiatic
masum.pha@gmail.com
0171 7642874