Useful Tips On Understanding The Decision Making Process

As pharmaceutical sales representatives know only too well, a decision-making process is not based alone on rational factors. Contrary to some opinion, doctors and healthcare professionals do not operate in an emotional vacuum, even though they often have to keep their emotional sides in check to maintain professional competency and sanity. These people have to live in the same world as you and I, pick up many positive and negative emotions as they go about life and have their own opinions, of course. So many different factors determine how they make up their mind on any number of issues and this process is often referred to in pharma training.

The marketplace is becoming more and more difficult, is a very competitive environment with legislation and restrictions ensuring that pharmaceutical companies have to train their employees really well to cope. Some studies have shown that emotional factors can account for almost as many motivational triggers as their rational counterparts. The professional may well be reacting out of instinct, but nevertheless the pharmaceutical sales representative has a very difficult task to engage. The professional may be inspired by a particular brand reputation, by a particularly positive or negative reaction from a client or two and could form opinions based on the overall success of a brand marketing campaign. Often, a brand that is not able to portray its "nobility" in holistic terms, may fall well short of satisfying a healthcare professional’s avowed intention, to provide for their patient’s ultimate care.

In our evolving market, key account management training has to focus on a very detailed analysis of decision-making, as the individuals responsible become more adept. This is far more difficult than it might seem on the face of it, as emotional factors often drive the professional's choice and these factors may not be consciously or subconsciously apparent. By looking very closely, however, one or two subtle clues may be apparent, be they spoken, written or visual and when these clues are seen, they must be recorded, discussed and a pattern assessed.

There are a number of research groups active in this area, looking at trends and trying to determine the emotional needs of practitioners and physicians, ready to give this data to the pharmaceutical industry. These findings should be of prime importance as consultants determine where a particular organisation may shine. Not surprisingly, key account management training must keep up with these new revelations and positions, so that a consistent approach is applied and the clients are served, based on both their rational and emotional needs.

Ultimately, the pharmaceutical sales company should try and become even more aware of the motive behind the buyer’s decisions, than the buyer him or herself! It's important to understand that emotional triggers cannot only affect individual prescription decisions, but also affect engagement from an overall perspective. As such, if the pharmaceutical company can make significant changes to its way of doing business, it can often assuage any objections from the client.

The market is likely to become even more regulated and more highly competitive; we are sure to see these emotional buying triggers, in greater number.

Alan Gillies is the CEO of L2L Consulting, a cutting-edge pharma consultancy firm which specialises in optimising productivity and performance within international companies by applying tailored organisational strategies.