Sales Tips & Techniques Blog

Creating value for Pharma: The Smart Way

Being an expert is the key to driving value. This means bringing the sales representative’s expertise to the benefit of the buyer during the selling process; i.e. before the commitment to prescribe or purchase is made. But one path that is surely destined to fail is to adopt a “gosh, you’re lucky I’m here to tell you about all of your Unrecognised Problems, Unanticipated Solutions, Unseen Opportunities” approach. Is there anything more annoying to a customer than a know-it-all attitude from the sales representative? The key is for the sales force to employ a particular form of diagnostic questioning.

The word “diagnostic” cannot be overstated in this case. Merely asking questions may be a good way to get the buyer to talk, but in and of themselves, sales representatives questions become nothing more than a polite interrogation if overused.

It is instructive to remember that great selling must be conducted within the constraints of what Huthwaite calls the “boundary conditions” of communication:

• Customers put a higher value on what they say and what they conclude than they do on what they are told.
• Customers place a higher value on what they request than they do on what is freely offered.

This is why so many sales calls and sales strategy which focus on description fail to connect in a value-driving way with customers. It is also why the value drivers in and of themselves are only guidelines - not outlines - of the things you tell the customer. Bringing the value drivers alive requires conducting calls and strategies which help the customer draw conclusions, establish value expectations and extend initiations to the seller to describe their offerings and capabilities. The key is asking the right questions. The kinds of questions that are most effective are those that reveal insights to the buyer that have direct bearing on the buyer’s business and success. For those familiar with the SPIN questioning paradigm, the power of this form of questioning is obvious (see SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham).

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