Advice You - Business

I first heard the term Empathic Listening many years ago at a Stephen Covey workshop. He was talking about the principal and how it had helped several sales people make more sales. I was intrigued. Having been a sales trainer in several organizations, I knew effective listening w

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

as one of the hardest skills for many sales people. Myself included.

We all leave training armed with product knowledge… amazing features and benefits… and enough information to be dangerous. But no one teaches you how to listen. What helps you understand what’s going on in your

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

customer’s world? Certainly not product knowledge. Listening is one of the most important, and least utilized skills, in most sales training programs.

Empathic listening takes listening to a completely different level. Most people listen to be understood by the person they’re t

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

alking to. Empathic listening is listening with the intent to understand the person you’re talking to. See the difference? If you are trying to understand what your customer is telling you, they know you’re listening. If you keep speaking trying to get them bought into your agen

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

da, it’s because the call isn’t about them…it’s about you and your agenda. The customer certainly knows who listens to their concerns.

It’s about finding a way to get in a person’s frame of reference. There are some simple ways to use this in you everyday business. For example,

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

f you do a lot of customer interaction on the telephone, always ask, ‘Is this a good time for you to talk?’ You never want to try and have a conversation with someone who is distracted. This simple question tells your prospect you respect their time and have empathy for their situ

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

ation. It’s much easier to reschedule than to try and have an ‘information gathering’ conversation with someone who isn’t listening.

If you do a lot of face to face customer meetings, a good way to open the conversation is with the question, ‘Do you mind if I ask you a few questio

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ns’? This is a non-threatening way to open a meeting. It also signals that you’re ready to listen.

Copyright 2006 Susan Adams

The better you get at listening, the easier customer relationships will become. A recent conversation I had with a friend illustrates this point. He i

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

s a VP of Sales in a large corporation. He was on a customer visit with a member of his sales team.

The customer had a lot of complaints and wanted to voice them to someone in authority. After the meeting, the customer pulled the VP aside and thanked him for coming. He also co

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

mmented, ‘I really feel like you listened to me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. Your sales rep, by the way, doesn’t listen. Which is why I wanted to speak with you.’

The customer just wanted someone to listen. By listening, he validated the customer’s concerns. E

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

en if the ultimate answer was that the problems would take a while to solve, it’s the fact that he listened that was important to the customer. Unfortunately, his sales rep wasn’t up to the task.

Ask yourself, how do you ever understand the needs of your customer if you aren’t lis

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

tening? Imagine the relationship you can develop with a customer who believes you have listened to his concerns and acted accordingly!

In all of the sales training I’ve taken through the years, I don’t believe listening was ever mentioned. Most sales seminars are focused on some

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

new process, and never get around to such a basic idea. Is anyone teaching you how to put yourself in your customers’ shoes? I doubt it. If you’re losing a deal, and don’t know why, how can it hurt to ask, ‘I would like to understand your current concerns regarding the recommendat

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ions I’ve made. When you feel I understand your situation, then we’ll review the proposal I made. Do you have a few minutes to discuss this with me’?

We have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason. Spend more time listening and less time talking and your sales calls will go a lot mor

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

e smoothly. Maybe you’ll discover some hidden needs, and be able to provide solutions that involve your product or service.

It’s always important to remember that empathy is not the same as sympathy. Empathy allows you to ‘walk in your customer’s shoes’. Sympathy is the expressio

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

of an emotion. Just because you empathize with someone, doesn’t mean you are agreeing with their position. Remember, your goal is to understand their position. Once you understand, you can move forward with addressing any objections. You’ve taken a customer who was ready to wal

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

k away, and have brought them back to the negotiation phase of the sale. Instead of having to discount price or give something away, you’ve created more value for yourself. All by listening.

Copyright 2006 Susan Adams

It always sounds corny to say, ‘People buy from people they

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

like’. It’s true. I’ve always believed that if I had a good product that was competitively priced then what tips the scale in the deal would be likeability.

And listening is something that makes you likeable. Listening can create rapport with a customer in a way that nothing els

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

e can. I can’t imagine someone disliking a sales rep that took the time to really listen to his or her concerns.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your skills as a sales professional, I suggest making an effort to use empathic listening. Listen to your customers and really t

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ry to understand what they might be trying to tell you. Don’t end up being the person who has to have a VP come visit, just so your customer feels ‘heard’. It’s your job to hear your customers. You just need to start listening.

Copyright 2006 Susan Adams www.susanadamshome.co

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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