Sales Call strategy Report

Sales Call Strategy Report Selling Strategically- AEB 3341

Carolyn Kreuzkamp SHADOW EXPERIENCE: MARCH 9, 2015

REPORT DUE MARCH 22, 2015

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Table of Contents

Summary of Shadow Experience……………………………………………………… p. 2-6

Business Card of Mark Keesecker…………………………………………….. p. 2

Thank You Letter ……………………………………………………………… p. 6

Company Background…………………………………………………………………. p. 7-8

Business Customer Profile……………………………………………………………... p. 9-11

Sales Call Strategy Worksheet…………………………………………………………. p.12- 18

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Summary of Shadow Experience

Sales Professional

I had the privilege of shadowing Mr. Mark Keesecker on March 9, 2015 in his profession

of Pharmaceutical Sales for Jannsen, a branch of Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson is an

international provider of healthcare supplies to both healthcare providers and individuals. Mr.

Keesecker is a representative for the medicines Xarelto and Invokana.

How I learned of the Sales Professional

Mr. Mark Keesecker is my best friend’s father, whom I have known and interacted with

for over ten years. I have always been curious of his company car, the boxes of medical supplies

and samples in his garage, and how they relate to his position with Jannsen. I was aware he did

pharmaceutical sales, and when the opportunity arose to shadow a salesperson for AEB 3341 I

knew immediately who to contact.

Business Card and Sales Representative Information

Mark D Keesecker

Janssen of Johnson& Johnson

Internal Medicine Pharmaceutical Rep

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What I Learned

I began my shadowing experience with a lot of expectations, provided what the text book

“Selling Strategically” has taught me. The first fact I learned was that this text book does a very

accurate job of depicting a realistic sales career. Secondly, sales is what you make of it. If you

are efficient and perceptive of others’ verbal and nonverbal cues then you have a leg-up in the

sales world and will probably reap lucrative benefits; however, if you prove slow to act and self-

centered while conducting your business, you eventually will find your sales demonstrations, and

therefore your customer base, lacking. I also learned that time is of the essence in sales. For

example, if one representative is doing on a call on a Monday, then another cannot show up on

Tuesday for fear of annoying the potential customer away from the sale. There is a very specific

time line for optimal sales success and when an individual- whether part of a team or not- cannot

perceive and follow this time line then the entire sale may fall through, proving detrimental to

everyone involved. Thirdly, I learned that one can only elevate themselves to a certain degree

doing sales. Of course, one can always improve their interpersonal skills, attend a sales seminar,

learn more about the product they are selling, etc., but as Mr. Keesecker told me repeatedly,

“after a certain amount of time doing this, it no longer mentally challenges you in the way, say,

an engineer or doctor is challenged daily.” I am very grateful I had the opportunity to shadow Mr.

Keesecker for the experience allowed me to understand that I would not enjoy having a career in

sales for a prolonged period of time, unless it served as a path to obtaining an executive level

position with the company for which I am selling.

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Critique of the Sales Professional

Mr. Mark Keesecker is definitely one of the top sales representatives for his region. He knows

his clients very well and is constantly aware of their communication style, mood, meeting

location and time preferences, and buying (or “writing” in the prescription realm) method. He is

also very efficient. We met up in the morning to have a sales meeting with his regional team, and

during the meeting he was organizing his calls in a manner that proved more efficient than the

methods of his coworkers. As a result, we were able to leave the meeting early and go on three

sales calls before lunch. Mr. Keesecker is also very confident in his product. As I listened to his

sales pitch I found myself thinking, “Why would anyone not buy this product?” He was very

aware of how to market his product tailored to each specific need of the client, resulting in many

successful sales calls. One quality that he could improve on would be sticking to the time he

claims he is allotting to his clients. For example, he would claim “I will only talk for two

minutes,” which would draw the clients (mainly physicians and nurse practitioners at work) in to

listen, but occasionally he would talk for nearly five or more minutes and when this occurred, the

clients’ impatience was easily detected. I think it would prove beneficial if he stay more tuned in

to this response and let off when the client prefers it.

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How This Experience Relates to AEB 3341

The principals taught in the AEB 3341 “Selling Strategically” text book directly correlate to my

shadowing experience with Mr. Keesecker. I found myself impressed with the relevance of such

topics as the importance of consultative selling, being aware of your client’s communication

style, selling your solution to someone with needs rather than selling your solution for personal

gains, and the importance of qualifying potential customers. To elaborate, Mr. Keesecker’s entire

sales pitch was centered on addressing client needs and then presenting them with tailored

solutions. Even if he only had a five minute sales call, within that five minutes he listened to the

clients’ needs, presented the product and its benefits to fit those needs, and then provided

literature and samples for the client to utilize after he left. I was able to discuss with him the

proper selling process based on my knowledge gained from AEB 3341, and he voiced that he

was impressed with the relevancy of the course. He attended a meeting the morning of the

shadowing experience at which he and his team qualified a list of over 80 new potential

customers. I had the privilege of observing CRM software in use as he and his team ridded their

list of anyone out of area, deceased, or hard to work with (a “closed” office). After they qualified

the entire list, they knew who may be worth the energy and time for a sales call.

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Thank You Letter

Carolyn Kreuzkamp

1005 SW 3rd Ave suite B

Gainesville, FL 32601

March 12, 2015

Mr. Mark Keesecker

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Jannsen Pharmaceuticals

601 Crystal Lake Dr.

Melbourne, FL 32940

Dear Mr. Keesecker,

It was my utmost pleasure being able to shadow you on Monday, March 9, 2015, and for that I

am highly grateful. I acknowledge that you have a very rigorous schedule, not to mention

exhausting, and the fact that you would mentor me for one day says much about your admirable

character. Because of this experience you have provided me with, I have a much better

understanding of a career of a sales person.

Thank you for displaying to me the important qualities of a successful salesman. Your talents in

communication make your sales calls more like amiable conversations rather than business

propositions, which translates over to why your clients enjoy writing prescriptions for your

products, Xarelto and Invokana. You also do an admirable job of presenting your product as a

solution to individuals’ needs instead of selling a product for your own personal benefit, only

adding to the comfort your clients feel when working with you.

Again, I am very appreciative that you took the time and energy out of your work day to show

me what it looks like to have a successful career as a sales person. Your talents and insight will

provide an example for me for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Kreuzkamp

Carolyn Kreuzkamp

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Company Background

General Company Information

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a branch of Johnson & Johnson that produces and markets

medicines for a host of health disorders. Although Janssen is now partnered with Johnson &

Johnson, it has not always been this way. Janssen was founded in 1953 by Dr. Paul Janssen, a

physician, researcher, and pharmacologist from Belgium. Janssen is presently headquartered out

of Titusville, New Jersey and primarily markets medicines for such ailments as hyperactive

disorders, mental health, internal medicine, epilepsy, pain management, and women’s health.

Janssen also caters to other medical needs via their sister companies, Janssen Therapeutics and

Janssen Biotech.

My Position within the Company

My role within Janssen Pharmaceuticals as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative is vital for the

company’s success. I work alongside Mr. Keesecker in the Brevard County territory, promoting

two products aiding in internal medicine- Invokana and Xarelto- for patient use. I have the

authority to access and edit the CRM software, schedule and perform luncheon demonstrations,

call on physicians and/or their assistants to obtain a sale, and qualify a list of potential clients. It

is my responsibility to make and maintain positive relationships with clients to better address

their needs with my personally tailored solutions.

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Product Being Sold

The products I am selling to my specific territory are the two medicines Invokana and Xarelto.

Invokana is for those with unmanageable high blood-glucose levels (i.e. those with diabetes).

This pill functions by inhibiting the sodium-glucose co-transporter in nephrons, which are

located in the kidneys and aid in filtering out the blood. This inhibitor prevents the reabsorption

of glucose into the blood, and the body therefore rids itself of the excess glucose via micturition.

Xarelto, on the other hand, is an anticoagulant for patients that tends towards blood flow

complications. The Xarelto pill functions by reducing the thrombin burst in the coagulation

cascade in the blood. This results in the reduction of blood-clotting properties, which then helps

to reduce the probability of stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE).

Geographic Territory, Competitive Market, and the Market Share

The geographic territory that Mr. Keesecker and I cover for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is the

Brevard County, Florida Region. The competing markets with the sales representatives for

Janssen’s Invokana and Xarelto are sales representatives pushing AstraZeneca and Coumadin,

respectively. The prescription market share for Invokana is 2% (data is only from type 2 diabetes

subjects) and that for Xarelto is nearly 20%.

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Business/Customer Profile

Business Information

Tara Buck, ARNP-C

Medical Associates of Brevard

910 Malabar Rd.

Palm Bay, FL 32907

(321) 768- 2356

Situation

Tara Buck is a Nurse Practitioner at a family Health clinic in Palm Bay, Florida. She sees

hundreds of patients a year ranging from all walks of life- from infancy to elderly- and has the

authority to prescribe medications for a multitude of symptoms and conditions. Included in these

conditions are type 2 diabetes, and DVT and PE. She is seeking to treat these conditions with

medications that offer relatively low dosage, low costs, and a small to negligible level of side

effects. Before Invokana and Xarelto were sold in the Brevard regions, physicians and

practitioners turned to other medications (AstraZeneca and Coumadin, respectively). These

medications can be costly and have side effects that result in the prescription of additional

medications to counter the side effects, resulting in even higher costs and even more dissatisfied

patients.

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Qualification Status

Tara Buck, under the authority of Medical Associates of Brevard, qualifies to be seen by a

Janssen Sales representative based on the NAME (Need-Authority-Means-Eligibility) criteria.

Need: Mrs. Tara Buck has expressed a need for both Invokana and Xarelto due to having many

of her patients complain about the rising cost and inconvenience of the alternatives that they

have been prescribed, Januvia and Coumadin.

Authority: Mrs. Tara Buck has the authority to write prescriptions for any medications that she

deems appropriate for her patients’ treatment and comfort, and therefore may prescribe Invokana

and Xarelto if she finds them more applicable than their competitors, Januvia and Coumadin.

Means: Mrs. Tara Buck is an ARNP-C and therefore has the means to write prescriptions for

Invokana and Xarelto. Writing these prescriptions will not cost her, or Medical Associates of

Brevard, anything. Mrs. Tara Buck has been provided with literature and samples on behalf of

Mr. Keesecker and myself, and therefore has been equipped with the necessary knowledge to

deem Invokana and Xarelto appropriate for her patients.

Eligibility: Medical Associates of Brevard, specifically Mrs. Tara Buck, is eligible to be called

on by a Janssen Sales Representative for Invokana/Xarelto for they employ physicians and

practitioners that write prescriptions for patients with type 2 Diabetes, DVT, and PE.

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Contact Information

Mrs. Tara Buck is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner- Certified (ARNP-C) under the

practice of Medical Associates of Brevard, a well-known medical practice with specialized

offices located throughout Brevard County, Florida. She currently specializes in Family Practice,

and is well-versed in the condition of Diabetes. She graduated in 2003 from the University of

South Florida’s ARNP program and has been with Medical Associates of Brevard since. Mrs.

Buck currently resides in Melbourne Beach, Florida and is married to Mr. Johannes Buck, and

they have two boys: Spencer and Charlie. Mrs. Tara Buck is Caucasian, with shoulder-length

brown hair, light eyes, and is 5’2 with a medium-build. She has a supportive communicative

style, and I will therefore spend much time building a trusting relationship with her, familiarizing

myself with her hobbies and emotions. I will support her emotions and decisions by providing

her with small bits of positive feedback and insight. A few of her notable hot buttons are

frustration when under pressure to make a decision and nervousness when placed on the spot,

especially when making a demonstration to a group of individuals whom she does not know. I

will avoid these hot buttons by not pressuring her to write prescriptions for Invokana and Xarelto

and not asking her too probing of questions. She will write prescriptions for Invokana and

Xarelto after I provide her ample knowledge on the two products side-by-side my gentle and

understanding personality.

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Sales Call Strategy Worksheet

Opening

I will begin by greeting Mrs. Tara Buck with a firm, but gentle, handshake. I will inquire about

her recent family vacation to the Grand Canyon to establish rapport and familiar tones for our

visit. I will then build company credibility by mentioning how the Medical Associates of

Brevard ranked sixth in the top 10 medical practices in the Central Florida region, thus proving

years of passion for their patient care and wellbeing. Along with praising Mrs. Buck’s practice, I

will also inform her of the success that Invokana and Xarelto have had within the Brevard

medical community for the past five years, including that one of our major clients is her

colleague, Dr. Miguel Rodriguez. I will then establish my credibility by acknowledging her that I

am a University of Florida graduate with a Bachelors in Biochemistry and Pre-med with a double

minor in Biomolecular Engineering and Sales Engineering. This information will reassure her

that I am very familiar with the product I am selling and how it functions in the human body on a

molecular level, and that I would not sell her a product I did not believe was effective and safe

for her patients. Her practice has a need for medicines that are efficient, convenient in terms of

dosage, of minimal cost, and aid in curbing type 2 Diabetes, DVT, and PE. Mrs. Tara Buck is

seeking a solution that will please her patients’ bodies and pockets, and her practice as well,

herself included. When she acknowledges me of these needs, I will confidently assure her that

my products, Invokana and Xarelto are exactly what she is looking for. She will then inquire of

the mechanism behind the medicines and how they differ from what is currently being prescribed

on the market, and at this point I will present her with a pamphlet demonstration and address her

questions and concerns from an understanding viewpoint.

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Selling Point #1- Efficiency of Molecular Mechanism

One of the features that makes both Invokana and Xarelto appealing to both health care

providers and their patients is that the molecular mechanisms behind both are innovative and

highly specialized. Invokana specifically targets the Sodium-Glucose Co-transporter 2 in the

nephrons of the kidney, which leads to a reduced reabsorption of glucose into the blood in

patients who have hyperglycemic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. The benefits of this

straightforward solution include significantly lower blood sugar in type 2 Diabetes patients, 24

hour function with one daily pill dosage, lower blood pressure, and potential weight loss. Xarelto

specifically reduces the action of the blood thrombin burst, a response that increases blood

coagulation properties. The benefits of this direct blood treatment include no daily blood

monitoring, no dietary restrictions, and no recurrent dosage adjustments. I will prove that both

pill solutions are simple and direct by showing Mrs. Tara Buck a quick IPad demonstration video

highlighting both pill’s mechanisms, and I will also provide her with physical literature and 30-

day samples for her to provide to her patients. I will increase Mrs. Tara Buck’s conviction in my

product by asking her “do you agree that these direct mechanisms will provide simpler and more

convenient treatment for your patients, increasing their quality of life?” After she agrees with my

question, I will attempt a trial close.

Trial Close #1- Assumptive Close

My first trial close is going to be assumptive. I therefore am going to ask Mrs. Tara Buck “Since

our medications Invokana and Xarelto offer you and your patients both safe and direct treatment,

let’s go ahead and begin increasing prescriptions for both in your office.” She will most likely

reply that she feels as if she is not familiar with the product enough, wherein she is actually

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stating “Our relationship is not yet at a point for me to begin writing prescriptions for your

product.”

Selling Point #2- Competitive Price Point for Patients

One of the other main features I would draw to Mrs. Tara Buck’s attention is that both Invokana

and Xarelto have the most competitive prices for their respective industries (diabetes, DVT and

PE, respectively). Invokana, without health insurance applied, runs about $300 for 100 100 mg

doses; whereas, its competitor, Januvia, runs about $400 for 100 100 mg doses. Xarelto, without

health insurance applied, runs about $350 for 100 10 mg doses; whereas, its competitor,

Coumadin, runs about $300 for 100 10 mg doses. However Janssen provides a CarePath solution

for their patients, which offers a no-cost care plan for both Invokana and Xarelto prescription

packages. The benefit of these price points involves patients being able to spend more of their

money taking part in enjoyable activities like exercise and travel, which ultimately leads to a

more relaxed lifestyle. I will prove this competitive pricing by providing Mrs. Tara Buck with a

visual analysis, comparing the prices and value of Invokana and Xarelto, with and without

health insurance, alongside the pricing and value of their competitors (see diagram on next page).

To gain Mrs. Buck’s confidence in my product, I will ask “Do you agree that the competitive

pricing of both Invokana and Xarelto allows your patients to live less stressful lives?” After she

agrees with my question, I will attempt an additional trial close.

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Visual analysis of competitive price points for Invokana, Xarelto, and their competitors

Type of

Medication

Invokana Januvia

(Invokana

competitor)

Xarelto Coumadin

(Xarelto

Competitor)

Dosage 100 mg 100 mg 10 mg 10 mg

Quantity/day 1 1 1 1

Price/month

(without Health

insurance)

$325 $400 $350 $300

Price/month

(with Health

Insurance)

Free (with

CarePath)

>$5 Free (with

CarePath)

>$30

Trial Close #2- Special Concessions Close

My second trial close will be a special concessions close, since Mrs. Buck has shown a certain degree of

hesitancy in committing to my products. I inform her that for every Invokana or Xarelto prescription she writes,

I will provide the patient with a free 30-day gym trial. Seeing that both diabetes and blood flow conditions can

be directly correlated to a sedentary lifestyle, the free gym membership will encourage her patients to be

healthy and active. She will then inform me that she still has a couple concerns that she would like me to

address.

Handling Objection #1

One objection that Mrs. Tara Buck may present me with is that involving a loyal source. I listen

as she tells me that she has already had the sales representative for Coumadin coming into her

office and presenting luncheons and demonstrations for over five years, and she would feel

disloyal going back on their relationship that they have spent many years building. I would

address this objection by first restating “you are hesitant to write prescriptions for Xarelto due

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to your ongoing partnership with Mr. Hughe, the Coumadin sales representative,” and then

presenting that even though Mrs. Buck and the Coumadin sales rep have an ongoing relationship,

the product I am selling has superior benefits that would help her patients in ways that

Coumadin mechanistically cannot. I would then present the third party testimony given to me

by her colleague Dr. Miguel Rodriquez after he switched his patients’ prescriptions from

Coumadin to Xarelto. Finally, I would verify that I have met and resolved her concerns

involving her previous loyal source.

Handling Objection #2

Mrs. Tara Buck, although now reassured that writing prescriptions for Xarelto over Coumadin is

what is best for her patients, is still requesting time to think it over. Knowing that she is a

supportive communicative personality, I was expecting this. I ask her to please clarify what she

means, and I listen to her communicate to me that she feels rushed to make a decision. I would

then restate “I am placing unwanted pressure on you to provide me with a decision and you

therefore are requesting space to think it over?” I will handle this objection by providing her

with a trial offer that she can provide with her patients after I leave, so that she has time and

space to see that my products are the most effective for both patient and pocket. I know that if I

continue to pressure the sales face-to-face that she will back out and not write prescriptions on

my product’s behalf. I verify that I will provide her with a shipment of trial-bottles for both

Invokana and Xarelto that she can provide to her patients on her own time, and that I will call

weekly to inquire about patient and practitioner feedback on the products and make note of her

prescription writing history.

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Closing the Sale

I would begin to close the sale by asking if Mrs. Buck had any further questions or concerns

for me or Invokana/Xarelto. Since I previously mentioned that she is a supportive communicator

and does not like making decisions on-the-spot, I provided her with samples and checked back in

weekly, and the close is therefore taking place one month after our initial visit. She got back to

me with very positive results from her patients, saying that both my products were efficient for

the body and pocket. I readdress the initial need by saying “I am glad we now see eye-to-eye

that Janssen Pharmaceuticals offers you and your patients the convenience and simplicity you

deserve. I am aware that the other products on the market can be effective, but they do not offer a

solution that addresses both quality and value. I am proud to bring you that solution that your

office has been seeking.” After making this point, I will attempt provide a summary- of-benefits

and attempt a Summary-of-Benefits close. I am choosing a summary-of-benefits close because

Mrs. Tara Buck has reported back to me with confidence in my products but would like

clarification in what my products can bring her patients. I then ask for her to write

prescriptions on my product’s behalf. “Mrs. Buck, my products, Invokana and Xarelto, can

offer your patients a simple and direct treatment for problems with both diabetes and blood flow,

respectively. Both Invokana and Xarelto target the issues head on rather than ‘beat-around-the-

bush.’ Along with effective mechanisms of treatment, both Invokana and Xarelto are offered at

no-cost to patients who have health insurance plans under Janssen’s CarePath option. This mode

of payment, or non-payment, allows patients more financial stability to enjoy leisurely activities,

thus reducing their stress levels. Ultimately, these reduced levels of stress come back to your

office and help maintain your own levels of stress. Let’s begin writing these prescriptions today

so we can have a more relaxed practice tomorrow.”

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SMACT

My sales call is specific for it offers a particular solution to a large-scale problem in public

health. It is also measureable in the way that data shows that patients will save money over time

while taking Invokana or Xarelto. My product’s solution is attainable because there has been

studies conducted on thousands on individuals on both Invokana and Xarelto showing that the

health and pocket benefits are tangible for both patients and their health care providers. My sale

call’s solution is challenging for it is tailored for each and every individuals unique bodies and

lifestyles. Finally, my sales call with Mrs. Tara Buck is timely for I provided the samples when I

said I would and the pharmacies in town have a constant stock of both Invokana and Xarelto to

be picked up on the customer’s schedule.

Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

I ensure Mrs. Tara Buck’s satisfaction by checking in on her practice once a week. I continue to

present luncheons for both she and her staff to maintain my positive rapport and business. I also

am on call for her if she or a patient ever has a question regarding my products, Invokana and

Xarelto. I have access to pharmaceutical records from all of the doctor’s offices, and if there is

ever a sudden drop in Invokana or Xarelto prescriptions I can make note and appear at her office

within 24 hours to address the situation.