Do you find that, despite frequently having great talks with physicians, your bottom line results just don’t measure up to expectations? The reason, suggests noted communication expert and author Marjorie Brody (www.brodypro.com), may lie hidden in that one keyword: “talks.” While pharmaceutical salespeople are generally gifted talkers, they’re not always so effective at listening, which the award-winning author of Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move? (Career Skills Press, 2005) describes as the “silent solution” to many sales challenges.

As Brody points out in a recent Pharmaceutical Representative Magazine article, listeners are those who determine the ultimate meaning of a message conveyed, gauge the purpose of a communication event, and decide whether to tune in or tune out that message. Which is why reps need to be good at both the talking – and the listening part – of the sales equation, she says.

While there are a myriad number of valid reasons for adopting good listening habits, Brody zeroes in on two of particular value for pharmaceutical salespeople.

“Listening builds relationships,” Brody says. “You will learn more about physicians and their patients. Small talk leads to big talk. It helps the other person feel important. Second, listening gives us knowledge and data to help others. Knowing about the physician’s prescribing habits, about the type of practice, about specific needs, will help you focus your conversation – so the communication efforts are more customized for each person.”

One critical point that Brody highlights is the key difference between hearing and listening. Hearing, she says, is a passive activity done with the ears, whereas listening is an active process requiring 100 percent attention done with the ears, heart, head, and gut.

So what can a representative do to improve his or her listening skills? Brody offers the following four easy-to-adopt changes that she says can turn a Chatty Cathy into a Listening Lindsay:

1. Quiet, please
   Learn to use the power of silence. Instead of jumping into any conversational lull to extol your product a little more, ask penetrating questions and then give the physician time to respond. The longer you wait, the more likely you’ll get valuable information in return, providing important insight into the doctor’s thinking.
2. Repeat as necessary
   Respond to what the customer says by repeating it back to him or her, if in different words. To do so, you must listen actively, plus the physician can correct anything you may have misheard or misunderstood.
3. No interruptions, please
   Tempting as it may be to want to chime in, avoid interrupting while the physician is speaking. No one likes to be interrupted; it’s rude and it sends a message of “What I have to say is more important than what you’re saying.”
4. Duly noted
   As the expression goes, “The palest ink is better than the best memory.” Instead of relying on your ability to recall what a physician says, break out the notepad and get it down on paper. An added bonus – when doctors see you recording their thoughts, they’ll understand that you take what they say seriously and will be more likely to engage with you.