Track What Reps Do Before Doctors Prescribe

Welcome to the Performance Minute from the Performance Development Group. When a new drug launches, most leaders watch one number: prescriptions written. But here's the problem with that. A doctor writes a script weeks after the sales call. So today's number shows you how your reps performed a month ago. And if something is wrong, you find out a month later.

The best fix is to watch what your reps are doing right now. These are the early signals. What a rep does this week becomes next month's prescriptions, so a problem you catch now is one you can still fix. Pick two behaviors and check them every week.

For example, are reps calling on doctors who are on their highest priority list? Whatever your organization calls that list, these are the prescribers who matter the most to the launch. If reps are skipping them, that's a planning problem. So fix the plan.

Or check how your reps are handling objections. When a doctor pushes back, how well does the rep address it? As a manager, you can evaluate that after every field ride. If reps keep getting stuck on the same objection, that's a skill problem. Coach the skill, then follow up.

Remember, the best leaders inspect what they expect. Both behaviors show up weeks before prescriptions do, and both are fixable if you catch them in time. This is the Performance Minute from the Performance Development Group. We will see you next time.