Why Executive Coaching Is Important At Pharmaceutical Sales Job Entry Level?

I've made my last post less than 12 hours from this post. I haven't stop fretting about executive coaching and mentoring. I'm not certainly going to stop now. I'm adding on.

If you feel overwhelmed by a sudden surge of task you have to shoulder during your Pharmaceutical sales job entry level, and if you're curious to know how those successful sales reps wing it during their entry, then pay close attention to what is printed here.

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MY OWN FIRST DAY, WEEK AND MONTH ON THE FIELD
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Even up to my own first year...

I was blessed to land a job with Roche Pharmaceutical during those 'dark' years. I called it dark years because the year was 1997. Malaysia was at it worst economic downturn crisis. The veterans would remember those days, those doom and gloom days...

Maybe I spoke to soon because my luck ran out as soon as I accept the offer. I was put in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, with 'zero' family and relatives. Or was I actually lucky?

Come to think of it, I was luckier because I was far from family which means full focus on job and I met new friends! Double lucky-break, if you ask me. And the best part was, my friends were all in pharmaceutical industries and had been around for more than 5 years, average.

Since Roche offered no coaching nor mentoring at that point of time (I'm not sure if they offer it today), my friends automatically becomes my mentor.

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MY FRIENDS AS MY COACH AND MENTOR
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Was that a 'BAD' thing?

There are pros and cons but to me at that point of time, at a pharmaceutical rep job entry level, I remember the GOOD things more than the bad.

When you have friends as your executive coach and mentor, the environment was different thus the acceptance was also easier. They talk in your terms. You see them 'walk-the-talk', so to speak, and they're with you come rains or shine.

You RESPECT them. And that's the single most important ingredients to executive coaching.

Why respect? Because respect leads to CREDIBILITY. With credibility comes TRUST.

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THE "TRUST" FACTOR
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Let me ask you this...

"In your current pharmaceutical sales job today, how much do you trust your immediate 'coach' or 'mentor'?"

If you can quantify from scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is 'NONE' and 10 is 'I DIE FOR...', where would you put your trust?

Realize that I'm kidding you with this exercise. Why? If you remember the 'All-Or-None' law for muscle 'Action Potential', then trust is the same. It's an 'all-or-none' game. Whether you trust or you don't. Just like sedative. There's no such thing as 'mildly' sedative. It's either sedative or non-sedative.

Well? How did you answer my question? Trust or no trust?

For those people who manage sales reps, a pharmaceutical sales manager, allow me to share what I discovered during my fruitful years as a manager myself. I hope I can hit home a point or two and you can benefit from them.

I used to manage four reps. For a small branch office, I was responsible for maintaining the whole branch plus four more sales reps in the Government/Specialist sector. But lets just focus on my Team Members at this moment...

Three of my Team Members were actually my previous colleagues. We report to same Boss previously, we did joint-calls to the customers and we're peers.

Things sure change fast! When I got promoted, I didn't know how to react (should've thought about it before accepting the offer). And I'm sure, my ex-colleagues didn't too.

We thought we can get along just fine. Then...

Problems and issues started to pop up one after another. It's normal to have problems and issues but it's not normal to me, to settle it at a level different from where I was then. Now I'm a manager and had to behave like one. But I persist with my 'friendly' approach. My colleagues took the opportunity and they went for the 'killing'.

Back-stabbing, bad-mouthing, 'gossiping'... were norms the minute I lay my eyes off them. I didn't know until my Branch Administrator, my Personal Assistant, casually leak the issue out. Boy I was surprised.

They even hold their grudge towards me after I left and took my VSS.

Some of them still thinking I was irresponsible and held back their application to transfer to Hospital Sector. Some thought I was bias for not taking their friend in. Some think I'm just too laid back to be deemed aggressive.

Today, I'm happy to report that they got better Boss than me, just the way they 'want' it.

The new Boss treat them as they are at pharmaceutical sales job entry level, and spend more time to coach and mentor them.

I heard some of them are improving 'a lot' with such style.

Just the other day, my good friend who also took his VSS from Pfizer, receive a phone call from our ex-colleague who just transferred to Hospital Sector (he's obsessed for that portfolio since forever) asking for... brace yourself because a 'killer' question's coming... where to PARK his car!? And,"Where's the EYE clinic?"

Hmmm...

I can hear a cry for executive coaching, maybe just to break a few small sales.

And I can also hear the shout of ego-maniac and non-gratitude from afar.

I couldn't be bothered.

So, pick your executive coach and mentor seriously as your life depends on them. Pick those who you can respect, see credibility and most important, you can TRUST.

And one last point, if you got promoted, make sure you manage 'new bloods'. You only have ONE choice... your managers post or your colleagues.

It's disappointing that you're unable to have both.