SOUND CHARACTER - The Vital Element for Pharma Reps

“We may or may not be aware of the message we are communicating with our character, depending on our degree of self awareness and willingness and ability to be honest with ourselves,” the group says.

The Trusted Adviser assessed 50 medical reps, 50 software sales people, 30 medical sales managers and directors and 100 customer-facing personnel. 

During their research, they assessed 16 character traits divided into the categories of “mature”, “opportunities for growth” and “immature” . 

Most of the participants self-assessed, but the 50 software sales were also assessed on a 360-degree basis. The group says there appears to be a consistent pattern of character traits among sales people, which was not industry specific or governed by position.

Trustworthiness, Perseverance and Acknowledgement were consistently the top three traits, while patience and selflessness were consistently the bottom two traits.

Salespeople saw themselves as having 5 mature traits and classified the remainder as opportunities for growth, while the 360 results showed that others saw them as having two mature traits, nine opportunities for growth and five immature traits. 

On self-assessment, the group says, sales people saw trustworthiness as their most mature trait, but their colleagues and customers doing 360 assessments saw it as an opportunity. And, trust has much to do with others’ perceptions, the group says.

Mature and sound character, the group says, commands trust and respect. “It communicates inner strength and within a sales person and sales leader, it communicates a confidence to customers, colleagues and subordinates alike.”

The Trusted Adviser says. “Sound character will often design and define future selling relationships and ultimately our sales reputation.”

Surely, there is no industry more in need of a sound level of trust than pharma. Portraying sound character is perhaps, therefore, more important for pharma reps than for any other sales person.

(Slightly abridged from the source: “It’s all about character” by Lisa Roner, Editor, Eyeforpharma – June 9, 2009)