What Every New DM Needs to Know

Being promoted from front line salesperson to district manager is, no doubt, a huge step up and an important move in the right direction for anyone pursuing a long-term career in the pharmaceutical sales field. But after you’ve popped the champagne cork and taken a moment to enjoy your accomplishment, it’s time to move forward and prepare for the formidable challenges you’ll face in trying to replicate your success as a representative in the new management role.

Rayna Herman, a principal and practice leader with Health Strategies Group, a New Jersey-based healthcare industry research and consulting firm, says that most pharmaceutical sales organizations invest substantial resources in making sure that new district managers receive adequate training, although, as she notes, this training often has significant shortcomings.

“These programs can often cram a lot of content into a very short amount of time,” she says. “The analogy I use is it’s like drinking from a fire hose. Another challenge is the timing of the training. Some organizations offer the bulk of training before the manager’s first day. In this case much of the content is abstract since many DMs don’t have previous managerial experience. Other organizations only offer courses at fixed times per year. That means a new manager could be in his job for three to four months before receiving a day of formal training.”

By contrast, she notes, the most effective sales organizations provide ongoing learning for their DMs in phases: leading up to that first day, after a few months on the job, after one year, and so forth.

Asked for a few suggestions she’d pass on to any new district managers looking to hit the ground running, and not stumble and fall flat on their faces, Herman offered the following tips:

1. Play the expectations game.
Let your people know precisely what you expect of them, and what they can expect from you. In the best relationships, reps feel like the DM’s priority is to help them succeed.

2. Get to know me!
Invest time in getting to know your reps as individuals – what are their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, career aspirations, preferred method of receiving feedback, how do they learn best, etc.?

3. Be a resource.
A great way to build credibility is by investing in understanding the district business and sharing these insights with your reps.

4. Individualize objectives and approach.
Your field rides should look different, depending on whether you’re with a rookie rep or a 10-year veteran. However, tenured doesn’t give anyone a free pass. Your reps are unique individuals, but you can expect performance and development from them all.

5. Leave the cape at home.
Being a manager doesn’t mean transforming yourself into a “super” rep. Difficult as it may be, don’t jump in during sales calls to “save” your salespeople from themselves. Also, remember that there are many effective selling styles and a rep can potentially succeed without adopting the same approach you always have.

6. Keep it short.
When providing feedback, don’t share your every last thought and insight. In this case, less is more. Instead of debriefing from the first sales call you make with a rep, take a breath, and wait until you’ve observed several calls to identify behavior patterns. Recognize that you will have more coaching success when you prioritize your coaching targets.

7. You can’t fix everything.
Many new managers want to focus all their attention on “fixing” perceived weaknesses they see among their team members. More experienced managers understand that helping reps succeed can sometimes be about improving on existing strengths and merely minimizing weaknesses.