Hardly imaginable 3-4 years ago, the community of medical representatives in Romania is shaken with an increasing pace by word-of-mouth news about massive layoffs in different pharmaceutical companies, restructuring (read downsizing if not closing) of some operations, hire freezes and so on. Mergers and acquisitions are now viewed with a degree of pessimism, higher than ever. Such news come more often than not with a speed of lightning and takes most of the people by surprise. An accumulation of local factors such as commoditization of generics (still work in progress), lack of funding for obvious reasons this time, quite arbitrary regulations of market and cash flow within and some global factors such as huge market going out of patent as well as weaker pipeline of new products stretches the industry to make unprecedented streamlining measures. This puts serious pressures at global level and as a result virtually anywhere and anytime “disaster” can strike.

No matter what are the reasons for the reality we are living in the question is: How can we first survive and second get away with it as winners? If you are a Medical Representative below there may be some answers for you.

1. Stop denying! It will happen for sure and rather sooner than later. The only question is whether you will be target when your company will be target. And sincerely I wish not. Whether you will thrive within your actual company boundaries or elsewhere is less important now.
2. Get your skills in shape! Until recently it was not so difficult to be successful even if the skill level was not the highest (sorry if I am disappointing you somehow!). It is time to consider it now and for two reasons: one, you will need them more in an increasingly competitive market, and two, you may need to show them at the coming pickiest interviews in our short history. Consider the usual skills such as selling, presentation, IT, planning and organizing as well as more advanced ones such as customer profiling, giving and receiving feedback, territory management. Develop skills beyond you role, it may be coaching/counseling a new recruit, managing your boss (which is actually everybody’s role except maybe God), organizing events, making analysis out of your current available data… And by the way: be prepared to learn that your solution may not come from within the system (pharmaceutical industry); shopping around may offer interesting results.
3. Learn complexity! It is absolutely sure that the MR role gets more complex. Almost as sure as the fact that field forces are going to get smaller and smaller. The only uncertainty is how this complexity would be looking like. The good news is that MR will be less and less playing the role of an advertising robot (if that ever bothered you!). The bad news is that different experiments and models will flow living little room for comfort or complacency.  The winner will no longer be the one who knows his stuff but the one who is ready to own someone else’s stuff. We used to address doctors and pharmacists as clients; in the future THE CLIENT will be the patient (with all stakeholders involved: pharmacists, wholesalers, doctors, insurers, diagnostics units, families or care givers). It may seem nuts but some of you are partly doing it right now. “The name of the game is not specialize or die but rather generalize and thrive.” (Alan Weiss)
4. Volunteer! I mean more work for the same money! It is far better than no work for no money (bank loans not included). It does not mean you need to kiss goodbye your friends and family just to take on projects that offer exposure to new skills, more visibility in the company or the industry (i.e. participating in a congress) and makes a couple of others in your company grateful to you. It means you’re just getting prepared (it may not at up all your resources). Because you may need it!
5. Bring in more ideas! As companies struggle to face ever changing, more complex environment new ideas and approaches are needed. Being closer to the customer may prove to be a tremendous advantage. Now tell me please who in your company is closer to the customer than you!
6. Manage your boss! No matter how awkward it may look (HE is supposed to manage you, right?) this is what you have to do. It may be less relevant if he will be sacked; however the exercise is worth doing anyway. Even if looks like no brainer it is amazing how many people ignore developing a conscious mutually beneficial (I would include here company too, sorry) relationship with the direct manager (and I mean her something different than brownnosing). A Google search with key words managing your boss, managing your manager or managing upwards can provide you with enough motivation and hints to start doing it right now.
7. Make a Linked-in account. The majority or recruiters have account here and is getting more popular (really) for seeking talent. In addition to it you can find professional groups to learn things that interest you and you can be more prepared for the next point which is…
8. …take care of your network! Keep CLOSE, regular and quality (meaning giving, having things to offer; anything from great humor to real support) touch with former colleagues, peers or managers, or even former clients (if you ever meant anything for them, guess you did!). One tip: do this before you need it! Otherwise it will be disappointingly late.
9. Create a personal brand in your universe! It is cruelly true that the one who works the most doesn’t get the most. Which does not imply you should stop working. A Jewish proverb says “Don’t work too much because there won’t time left to make money!” I’ll let you adjust it for yourself. For short: achieve and humbly let as many people as possible know your achievements, discover your strengths and let people know and use them, define your likes and do more of them (you will work with smile so people will love you).
10. And one last thought: Change attitude! Times of glory grew some monsters in economic terms. Little more than a year ago it looked like there is no money in the world to pay our worth. (Well our worth is now being rigorously reassessed.) If that is your case (hope not!) get real. Maybe is time to experiment humility!

Filed under: Crisis, Field Force Managers, First Line Managers, Medical Representatives, My Job, Training & Development by admin