Pharma Launch Readiness: Start With Your First-Line Managers

Welcome to the Performance Minute from the Performance Development Group. You're launching a product. It's an exciting time. Everything you've spent a year or more preparing comes down to this moment. But what about your field team? Are they ready to execute the plan you built? The truth is, most sales teams get built last.

And getting them ready to sell is the last thing to happen. By the time the reps arrive, launch is a quarter away and they're buried in clinical education, but building a capable team takes longer than that. Yes, a rep has to learn the clinical information. They also have to handle an objection, build a relationship with the HCP, give that HCP something worth their time, and that comes from doing the work and being coached over months. A workshop in the final quarter is not going to produce execution excellence. So, here's the tip. Start sooner.

Don't wait for the reps. Your first-line managers are hired months ahead of the field team. So, start with them. Get them fluent in the selling framework and trained to coach to it before they have anyone to coach. Then, when the reps arrive, the leaders are ready to develop them instead of learning alongside them. This is the Performance Minute from the Performance Development Group. We'll see you next time.