Presentations are an opportunity for a Professional Medical Representative to communicate the features and benefits of the product they are promoting. An effective presentation should elicit attention and should leave a mark on the audience psyche. At the end of the presentation, doctors usually ask the speaker, in this case, you, for additional information that they may have missed, or clarifications in some part of your presentation. As the one promoting the product, you are expected to know more about it than the doctors. The presentation is your opportunity to educate your doctor about your product.

Speaking in public ranks as the number one fear-inducing activity, and the answer to overcome this is to practice a lot. To help yourself conquer this fear, you can start practicing in front of the mirror, or in front of your colleagues. Usually, companies do initiate training sessions to enhance their people’s presentation skills. The Training Manager, Product Manager or District Manager role plays the presentation and the Professional Medical Representatives take note of how they deliver the presentation. Then each of the Professional Medical Representatives will present and are rated by the managers accordingly. After each presentation, the managers give constructive feedback to better help you to develop that skill.

Presentations should be planned and the structure should be well organized in such a way that you can provide very effective yet concise communication. In organizing your presentation, it is better to start with an outline. Outlines are the structure of the presentation. The objective here is to create a structured presentation with a unifying thought.

A typical presentation structure is composed of three parts: the Opening, the Body and the Close. Although just a couple of minutes will be spent for Opening and Closing, it should be planned because you can win or lose the audience with your Opening and can make a good or bad impression with your Closing. Don’t worry about the Body of the presentation, it is usually provided by the company, but you have to study and master its entirety.

A high-performance sales force is a strategic asset in a competitive market such as the Philippine pharmaceutical industry. The right people, promoting the right product, and armed with the right message, is a crucial component of the marketing mix. They identify the customer’s needs and act on it. They also provide information about the competition in order for the management to plan ahead.

Medical Representatives play an important role in the successful execution of marketing programs and strategies, new product launches. Rigorous training programs in various competencies are used by companies to enhance their people’s competitive level, and these same competencies are the basis for performance appraisals.

Different companies have different approaches, but typically, competency parameters in the pharmaceutical industry can be made up of five key attributes, each divided into several job competencies. Key attributes may include working effectively, the pursuit of customer satisfaction, establishing partnerships, building talent and taking ownership.

While competencies vary from jobs, levels or industries, they can be broken into two: professional competencies and behavioral competencies. Individual competencies include skills and behaviors that are expected of all sales representatives. It may include decision making, communication skills, customer focus, sales ability, teamwork, people development, and leadership.

Behavioral competencies, on the other hand, are the specifics behind the individual competencies. Examples may include: building relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to help facilitate productive interactions; Understanding the sales and buying process as well as the product; territory management; planning and forecasting; teamwork and collaboration; influencing others as well as exhibiting leadership; and implementing solutions to overcome obstacles and accomplishing key objectives that have been set.