6IBs Selling Field Force Training – Reading Material &
Pre-work
Objective:
• Familiarize members of field force with new model prior to face to face
workshop
• Provide participants with pre-work assignment, which is to complete precall Plan template based on brand-specific customer profile
Global Commercial
Execution
6IBs Selling
Field Force Training Prework
Table of Contents
• Evolving Our Approach
• The 6IBs Selling Model
• Upcoming In-Person Training
• Pre-work Assignment
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The future of selling in pharmaceuticals revolves
around a number of changes that impact the role of
the sales rep
― Limited Physician Access
Changes in Our
Markets
― Different Ways to Communicate with Customers
― Increased Focus on Value Based Healthcare
― Increased Focus on Patient Centricity
As markets and customers evolve, we
want to make sure the Novartis
approach to customer interactions
continues to as well
Changes in the market require a model that is simple, agile, and creates value
for both the customer and Novartis
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A simplified, future-facing selling model will allow reps
to elevate their selling and evolve along with these
changes
The Novartis 6IBs Selling Model will:
• Address the real world challenges reps face in the field
• Maximize time spent with customers
• Help reps be more prepared
• Allow reps to provide tailored messaging
• Allow reps to be more flexible and adaptive
• Help reps be more competitive
• Empower reps to engage in dialogue and provide the most value
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We took a rigorous, evidence based approach in
designing the model
Research that Informed the
Design of the Model
• Gathered input from over 750 sales personnel,
across divisions and ~10 countries, via online
surveys and focus groups
Our field surveys and interviews
showed a lack of enthusiasm for the
current NVS selling models
• Conducted 35 interviews with senior stakeholders
across divisions and ~10 countries
• Conducted rigorous academic research, reviewing
180+ articles spanning 20+ countries and 30+ years
• Reviewed 24 practitioners selling models and
supporting evidence analyzed
• Incorporated Novartis STEM research, which
includes hundreds of observations and analyses of
Novartis sellers
• Held two-day workshop with cross-functional
stakeholders from across Novartis (divisions and
markets) to identify and refine key elements of a new
model
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• 42% of sales reps agreed to a
change from their current
selling model
• 49% of sales reps didn’t care
about switching from their
current model
• A majority (78%) of FLMS
either agreed to switching from
their current model or did not
care
• Both reps and FLMs were
neutral in their ratings of their
current models as simple,
motivating, and empowering
The model has been designed around these
foundational principles
Evidence-Based with the 6IBs at its Core
Focus on the actions and techniques that are
proven to increase successful sales outcomes
Simplicity & Externally Oriented
Streamline the approach and focus on what’s
most important
Patient & Customer Centric
Put the patient first in our interactions to capture
the customer’s attention and elevate trust
Actionable for Sales & Marketing
Clearly outlines behaviors for success from the
field force and marketing
Flexible & Future-Proof
More flexibility to align your approach to the
customer and the objective
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Evidence-Based with the 6IBs at its Core
A core of the design was a focus on evidence for
successful selling outcomes (1/3)
The design of the model incorporated best practices identified in
Novartis research across hundreds of thousands of call evaluations...
Novartis Research & Evidence
Impact on
Successful Selling
Outcomes*
NVS*
Wave 3
Top Industry
Quartile*
1
Probe for Growth
x 3.3
30%
36%
2
Patient-Message-Patient
x 2.9
40%
40%
3
Discuss; Don’t Tell
x 2.8
36%
45%
4
Emotive Balance
x 2.3
24%
34%
5
Visual aid + Leave-behind
x 1.3
63%
82%
6
Close
x 4.2
30%
42%
Improvement Opportunity
* All processes and benchmarks are the intellectual property of STEM
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Evidence-Based with the 6IBs at its Core
A core of the design was a focus on evidence for
successful selling outcomes (2/3)
22
An initial rollout of the Impact Behaviors across 11 countries lead to dramatic
improvements at the country level
Good Selling Outcomes
21
22%
20
Focus on 2-3 areas
19
6IB Briefed
0%
18
6%
6I Briefed and
Coached
17
16
15
W1 (12/16)
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TEX Feb 2018 І Business Use Only
W2 (06/17)
Interim (01/18)
3 cohorts of reps
37% 15% 48%
p-value: 0.035
Evidence-Based with the 6IBs at its Core
A core of the design was a focus on evidence for
successful selling outcomes (3/3)
...as well as the top insights from academic sales researchers
Academic Research & Evidence
Visual Aids + Leave
“…individual customer
Behinds
stakeholders who perceived
supplier content to be tailored
to their specific needs were
40% more willing to buy from
that supplier than stakeholders
who didn’t.” (Schmidt, K.,
Adamson, B., Bird, A,. 2015)
“Skills and knowledge are
Plan the fundamental unit of
exchange” (Vargo and
Lusch 2004); making
salespeople’s insights and
expertise the “most
important value-creating
attributes” (Palmatier et al.
2006)
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Follow Up
“Responsiveness of salespeople in thoroughly
solving customer problems through follow-ups has
been ranked among the most important
salesperson attributes by customers.” (Sharma
1997)
“Buyers will choose the
salesperson who develops
rapport over those who
don’t.” (Martin, S.Engage
2017) / Advance
Discuss; Don’t Tell
Trial close creates a cue for
consumers to deliberate and
forces cognition and the
opportunity to secure a
commitment (Toncar,
Trial Close
Munch, and Hu 1994)
“Dominance is negatively
related to customer
satisfaction (dominating the
conversation; ‘telling’;
Discuss; Don’t Tell
forceful sales tactics).”
(Evanschitzky, Sharma,
Prykop 2008)
Patient & Customer Centric Approach
At Novartis, the patient is at the center of everything we do
and is core to our interaction with customers
• One of the most important elements of the model is the
continuous focus on the patient
• This will allow reps to connect with the customer as it
aligns with the way they think
• As you will see, this guiding theme can be found
throughout the phases of the model:
•
While patients are at the center of what we do, we fully
recognize the need to achieve additional objectives
through a sales call. For example:
– Develop the positioning of our product and its attributes
– Address/changes customer habits
– Address customer challenges (e.g. Capacity / Process
restraints)
– Address process issues & multiple stakeholders in Key
Accounts (e.g. Formulary, internal processes, etc.)
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Agenda
• Evolving Our Approach
• The 6IBs Selling Model
• Upcoming In-Person Training
• Pre-work Assignment
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The Novartis 6IBs Selling Model
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Comparing the Models: Pharma – NCSM
What Has Changed?
• Reduced number of call interaction elements
• Increased emphasis on pre-call planning
• Integrated evidence-based Impact Behaviors across phases of model
• Accounted for variability in call time and objectives with adaptive circular call flow
What Hasn’t Changed?Focusing on the patient as an anchor for customer
dialogueAsking probing questions to uncover challenges and mtivations
• Delivering tailored solutions and overcome obstacles
• Gaining agreement during close as a key point of emphasis
• Sustaining a dialogue rather than deliver one-way messages
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Impact Behaviors: Driving Successful Outcomes
Foundational selling behaviors and techniques Novartis has identified that
significantly increase the likelihood of successful selling outcomes.
Key Activities and Behaviors
Impact on
Successful
Selling
Outcomes*
1
Probe for Growth
x 3.3
2
Patient-Message-Patient
x 2.9
3
Discuss; Don’t Tell
x 2.8
4
Emotive Balance
x 2.3
5
Visual aid + Leave-behind
x 1.3
6
Close
x 4.2
• Probe for Growth- Probing for patient types (broad or
granular) where the product is not currently prescribed
(within label), or new patients where it is prescribed.
• Patient-Message-Patient - Keep patients (granular or
broader) in focus. Discuss patients relevant to the HCPs,
connect our messages with patient benefits and close
demonstrating how we will help these patients meet the
treatment expectations.
• Discuss; Don’t Tell - Engaging the customer in a true
dialogue with a 50/50 balance of speaking and listening.
Utilize impactful questions, rather than statements, to
drive the conversation.
• Emotive Balance - Emotions have a huge bearing on the
decision-making process. We buy or “buy in” emotionally
and seek facts/data to support our decision.
• Visual Aid - Sharing patient/product information with our
customers using the iPad, paper resource, or both. Our
objective is to make the customer’s experience interactive
with the goal of him/her taking hold of the material.
• Close – See description of Close phase in model call flow
*Impact Behaviors were developed as the result of correlations of hundreds of thousands of observations of STEM,
which correlate sales behaviors with good selling outcomes as observed in a call. Novartis further validated them by
correlating them with Novartis actual sales results. Reps who effectively perform with respect to the 6IBs sell more.
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The Impact Behaviors are can be used throughout the
model and are proven to accelerate sales success
Novartis partnered with the STEM organization to identify the behaviors that have the
strongest impact on successful selling outcomes. Data from hundreds of Novartis call
observations was compared against hundreds of thousands of observations in STEM’s
benchmark data. From this analysis emerged the Impact Behaviors, which represent the
greatest areas of opportunity for our sales approach.
Improvement Opportunity
• Rigorous analysis of
Novartis data against
industry benchmarks
• Impact Behaviors identified
as biggest opportunities
• Impact Behaviors were
validated in further analysis
of Novartis call
observations and sales data
• Novartis data shows that
reps who effectively utilize
the Impact Behaviors are
more successful
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Impact on
Successful
Selling
Outcomes
NVS*
Wave 3
Top
Industry
Quartile*
1
Probe for Growth
x 3.3
30%
36%
2
Patient-MessagePatient
x 2.9
40%
40%
3
Discuss; Don’t Tell
x 2.8
36%
45%
4
Emotive Balance
x 2.3
24%
34%
5
Visual aid + Leavebehind
x 1.3
63%
82%
6
Close
x 4.2
30%
42%
1
Probe for Growth
Probing for patient types (broad or granular) where the product is not currently
prescribed (within label), or new patients where it is prescribed.
How it helps
Avoids
misunderstanding
trap
Avoids
positivity trap
Explores growth
opportunity and
becomes the
basis for next
growth discussion
Uncovers relevant
beliefs/needs
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Doctor,
is there a patient
population where
you would not
consider our
product? Why?
You currently use
our competitor in
that patient
population. Is
there something
you think their
product offers that
ours does not?
Practical Tips
When you get a
positive response,
probe for additional
patients in high
opportunity areas
Explore where
our product is
not currently
used
Explore
attitudes/beliefs
for disease and
products
2
Patient-Message-Patient
Keep patients (granular or broader) in focus. Discuss patients relevant to the
HCPs, connect our messages with patient benefits and close demonstrating
how we will help these patients meet the treatment expectations.
How it helps
Deepens
understanding of
customer and
patient needs
Offers tailor-made
solutions
Prevents the
patient from “being
forgotten” during
dialogue
Basis for emotive
selling
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Since we agree that
our product makes
good sense for these
patients we discussed,
should it be your firstline choice?
How closely
does my
product match
your treatment
expectations for
patient X?
Practical Tips
Focus on
patients from
start to finish
Tie product
messages back
to patient benefits
Avoid niching
the product
(a patient type
can be broad)
3
Discuss; Don’t Tell
Engaging the customer in a true dialogue with a 50/50 balance of speaking and
listening. Utilize impactful questions, rather than statements, to drive the conversation.
How it helps
Questions ensure
customer attention and
understanding
Questions connect the
dots and translate vague
statements (e.g., 20%
survival) to concrete
benefits (1/5 of my
patients will survive)
Questions uncover
attitudes and beliefs
Provocative questions
can activate emotive
sequence
Questions can lead a
customer to repeat/recall
our messages,
increasing commitment
(activation of
consistency principle)
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When treating
patients with
disease X, what
are some of the
attributes you look
for in a product?
You mentioned
earlier that you
treat disease X
with a certain
approach. Would
you mind sharing
that approach with
me?
Practical Tips
Discuss more,
tell less
Seek to have the
customer tell you
the messages/
benefits for patients
Listen!
Observe body
language and try to
understand
(opportunities or
concerns)
Ask questions
with purpose
4
Emotive Balance
Emotions have a huge bearing on the decision-making process. We buy or
“buy in” emotionally and seek facts/data to support our decision.
How it helps
How many activities
once enjoyed by
Explores legitimate patients might now be
expectations of
HCPs, patients and missed unless a
change in therapy is
relatives - and
made?
connects HCP
choices with them
Bold questions
expose the negative
implications of
inaction and
eventually break the
status quo
Catalyzes
action
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Practical tips
How would you feel
knowing you could
Choose the right
subject: patients,
possibly extend life
• Do
you
have
a
family
member
that suffers
relatives,
HCP from
expectancy by using a
disease
x? treatment values, empathy,
new/different
self-interest
option?”
• As
an avid runner, how would disease x impact
Create associations
your life?
(situations
the with you
• How would you feel if your
doctor
shared
HCP can identify
a new option that would allowthemselves)
you to run again?
Explore the
negative
implications of the
status quo
Explore the
benefits of taking
a new action
5
Visual Aid
Sharing patient/product information with our customers using the iPad, paper
resource, or both. Our objective is to make the customer’s experience
interactive with the goal of him/her taking hold of the material.
How it helps
Vision is the
dominant sense
and increases
recall
Interactivity with
visual aid
increases
engagement
Practical Tips
Always use a
visual aid!
Allow the HCP
to handle the
visual aid
Options to increase
impact:
•
•
•
•
21
iPad pdf: x2.1
Paper aid: x2.6
iPad interactive:x3.6
Leave behind : +10%
Business Use Only
Always provide a
"leave behind"
6
Close
Closing is a natural conclusion to a meaningful conversation, not a one-time event.
The goal is to agree to an action that advances the selling process. In addition,
following up on a commitment establishes accountability for both parties.
Practical Expectations
How it helps
Confirms relevant
and meaningful
discussion
Leads to a greater
chance of a
behavior change
Provides the
opportunity to
follow-up on their
commitment
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Can you see this
as a worthwhile
step for patients?
Will you prescribe
product X for the
patients ......we
just discussed?
Every call should
end with clear
actions for rep/HCP
Ask for a
commitment
consistent with the
conversation –
several
commitment types
Follow-up!
Be alert for
“buying” signals
as they can
create an
opportunity for
immediate
closing
Plan: Design Your Strategy
Analyze current customer insight, beliefs and prescribing behavior, set a clear
objective that will resonate with the customer and advance the business, identify
a patient type and clinical challenge that will anchor your conversation, and plan
for an adaptive approach to the interaction.
Key Activities and Behaviors
• Leverage available information (own, colleagues,
pharmacies, data) and previous call insights in order to have
a sequential pre call objective. Check if something has
changed since the last call. Use ACT if available
• Analyze competition for opportunities and threats
• Review customer segment & relevant strategy
• Set a specific call objective that will resonate with the
customer and Advance the A to B shift
• Tailor discussion accordingly. Plan first business words that
engage the customer, establish a patient focus, and connect
to prior interaction if applicable.
• Plan challenging questions, potential customer responses or
objections, and follow-up questions to maintain focus on
planned objective and competitive strengths
• Prepare most impactful promotional materials
• Identify additional stakeholders that may help
• Think what can go wrong and plan for contingencies.
We will now deep dive into two concepts in more detail:
the A to B shift and planning questions using Q-R-Q
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The A to B Shift (1/2)
• Leverage available information (own, colleagues, pharmacies, data) and previous call insights
in order to have a sequential pre call objective. Check if something has changed since the
last call. Use ACT if available
• Set a specific call objective that will resonate with the customer and advance the A to B shift
The A to B shift relates to the Adoption Ladder which we will be discussing in the upcoming live training
Each incremental step has
a specific call objective.
The goal of A to B
communication is behavioral
change.
Scenario-specific call objectives
and change tasks may be too
challenging to be achieved in
one step.
Therefore, changing behavior
through changing attitudes
requires a sequential step-bystep approach.
24
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B
B
to-Be scenario
to-Be scenario
A
As-is situation
A
As-is situation
The A to B Shift (2/2)
• Leverage available information (own, colleagues, pharmacies, data) and previous call insights
in order to have a sequential pre call objective. Check if something has changed since the
last call. Use ACT if available
• Set a specific call objective that will resonate with the customer and advance the A to B shift
The A to B shift relates to the Adoption Ladder which we will be discussing in the upcoming live training
Behaviors are observable actions,
whereas Attitudes are the
knowledge, thinking, feeling, and
reasoning that drives those
actions.
Incremental A to B shifts allow for
a structured & sequential approach
in changing behavior through
attitudes.
As you set objectives in the Plan
process, identify the incremental
changes in attitude you need to
accomplish and ensure they
always align to the big picture
behavior change you wish to
achieve.
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B
to-Be scenario
A
As-is situation
Old
Behavior
New
Behavior
Old
Attitudes
New
Attitudes
Planning Your Questions with Q-R-Q
• Plan challenging questions, potential customer responses or objections, and follow-up
questions to maintain focus on planned objective and competitive strengths
Q-R-Q is a competitive selling structure for planning your questioning strategy. This approach allows you to think ahead
and beyond a single customer question, uncover customer insights, anticipate and plan for possible objections, and
direct the dialogue towards your product’s strengths.
Step 1
Step 2
Prepare a question to lead an
assertive dialogue by identifying
your brand’s competitive challenge
and opportunity
Anticipate your customer’s response or
objections to your initial question to
direct the dialogue
?
EXAMPLE
Question (Q)
Do you agree that the
opportunity to reduce the risk of
re-hospitalization and mortality
could make Entresto the right
choice for your patient who has
recently been hospitalized due to
heart failure?
Brand Spotlight: may
choose to provide
more brand specific
examples here
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Step 3
Develop follow-up questions using
if/then thinking to appropriately
address potential responses
?
Probable Customer Responses (R)
Follow-up Question/Response (Q)
• Yes but I have some concerns about
switching and I’m more confident using the
current SOC...
• Have you seen the latest clinical data
on….?
• The patient just came out of the hospital
and he is stable, so I see no need to
experiment with a new medication...
• The patient is using generic treatment and I
don’t think that incorporating a higher cost
branded treatment is necessary...
• What do you mean by stable?
• What costs are you concerned
about?
Engage: Capture Attention and Explore Through Dialogue
Capture customer attention with a clear focus on and what matters most to the
customer, create an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, and ask probing
questions to support the objectives for the call
Key Activities and Behaviors
• Build trust and personal connection, re-connect
to prior interaction and commitments (if
applicable)
• Anchor your conversation on customer needs
and patient types that your solution can solve
• Ask challenging questions to draw customer into
dialogue, uncover underlying motivations and
challenges, and reframe the situation, if
necessary
• Probe for additional or ‘next best’ patient groups
that may benefit from the solution
• Actively listen to customer and adapt objective
and approach as necessary based on initial
customer feedback
We will now deep dive into the technique of anchoring
in patient types and challenges
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First Business Words that are Targeted and Patient Focused
• Anchor your conversation on customer needs and patient types that your solution can solve
Patient types describe individual patients or groups of
patients with specific clinical or non-clinical characteristics.
Opening statements and questions
can gain interest quickly, inspire
thinking, and help you get a
conversation going with the
customer.
Effective dialogue openers
should:
• Anchor in a specific patient or
customer challenge
• Connect directly to your objective
• Get the customer thinking and
talking
• Feel customized to the unique
attributes and needs of the
customer
• Grab the customer’s attention
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When opening the call, be specific about the patient type. This way the
customer can mentally connect the discussion to real-life patients and the
implications of treatment on their lives. If you start with a larger patient group,
ask questions to develop a more specific patient profile.
There will be calls when other customer / clinical
challenges beyond the patient type need to be addressed.
This can include:
• Developing the positioning of our product & its attributes
• Addressing/changing customer habits
• Addressing customer challenges (e.g. Capacity / Process
restraints)
• Addressing process issues & multiple stakeholders in Key
Accounts (e.g. Formulary, internal processes, etc.)
Advance: Align Around Patient & Customer Focused Solutions
Build the dialog to move customer from A to B using the Adoption Ladder and
concrete A2B shifts
Key Activities and Behaviors
• Use emotive selling to explore the implications of the
status quo and connect solution directly to customer
needs and patient benefits
• Differentiate product from competitors (as compliant)
• Provide information and insight beyond what the
customer already knows
• Explore and handle objections (stated and hidden)
and realign conversation to your primary objective
• Advance dialogue and gain agreement using the
words of the customer and having your customer
repeat your messages / solutions
• Challenge customer mindsets when necessary to
move the customer forward
• Be prepared to change call objectives as required,
always having an A2B advancement in mind
We will now deep dive into two concepts in more detail:
emotive selling and overcoming objections
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Balance the Emotional and Logical Value of Your Solution
• Use emotive selling to explore the implications of the status quo and connect solution
directly to customer needs and patient benefits
Emotions have a huge bearing on the decision-making process. We buy or “buy in” emotionally and seek facts/data
to support our decision. Sometimes we focus too much on the data and evidence behind our solution, and we don’t
fully draw out the emotional impact of a decision. To change mindsets, it is important to balance evidence with
emotions.
Create
associations
Use frames,
pictures,
imaginative
situations &
stories
Explore
expectations
Emotive Selling Through Questions
Emotive
Selling
Dare to be
provocative:
get them out
of their
comfort
zone
30
Establish Connection
Discuss
moments in
life that
resonate
Explore
emotions
Business Use Only
Possible Focuses of Emotive Selling
• Patients
• Family
• Customer values
• Customer empathy (self or relatives as patient)
• Customer self-interest
“What percentage of
your patients suffers
from this condition?”
“What is your goal for
patients with this
condition?”
Explore Implications
“How many activities
once enjoyed by those
patients might now be
missed unless a change
in therapy is made?”
“Are you aware that not
adapting a patient’s
current therapy could
result in more of them
being hospitalized?”
Explore Benefits
“How would you feel if
patients shared with you
that they felt much better
after you treated them?”
“How valuable would a
better/different option be
for your loved ones?”
Brand Spotlight: may
choose to provide more
brand specific examples
here
Anticipate and Address Objections
• Explore and handle objections (stated and hidden) and realign conversation to your primary
objective
Overcoming objections happens not only during the conversation, but should also be a key part of your planning
before the conversation.
Anticipating Objections Before the Call
Overcoming Objections in the Moment
Using your knowledge of the customer and the competitive
landscape, proactively plan for likely objections using the
Q-R-Q approach
When encountering an objection you did not anticipate in
your planning, use the framework below to uncover and
resolve the root concern before redirecting to your objective
?
Question (Q)
“I know from our past conversations, cost
of treatment is a concern for many of your
patients. How much of an impact does cost
have on your treatment decisions?”
Acknowledge the objection, issue, or concern
Clarify the objection, issue, or concern
?
Probable
Customer
Response (R)
“It’s a major factor given the needs of my
patients.”
Follow-up
Question or
Response (Q)
“If a treatment was shown to reduce
recurrence of symptoms over a longer
period of time, would that be worth the
extra cost to the patients?”
Respond by reframing the issue and addressing the concern
Brand Spotlight: may
choose to provide more
brand specific
examples here
Confirm that you have adequately addressed the objection
Bridge back to your original objective using questions to redirect
the conversation
Anticipate and Address Objections
• Explore and handle objections (stated and hidden) and realign conversation to your primary
objective
Understanding the root cause of objections can help you figure out the best way to overcome them.
Root Cause of Objection
How to Overcome It
1. Misunderstanding on data or interpretation
Clarify with data and support materials
2. Disbelief
Evidence / clarify / materials / own clinical experience
/ pilot in some cases (where results are visible)
3. Misunderstanding of overall benefit / what it
means
Translate a 10% mortality prevention to the number of
patients in his/her practice that will be saved
4. Real Gap with what the customer really
wants (e.g. I want a product to cure HF, you
don’t give us that)
Review all the product’s benefits to show that the
benefits outweighs the gaps
5. Hidden concern / smoke screen - not the face
value of what the customer is saying
Dig deeper to see if this is the real underlying issue /
concern, or is there something else that needs to be
addressed
6. Indifference
Try to identify what drives / motivates this customer
(e.g. identify benefits s/he seeks for himself, practice,
patients, etc.) and apply Emotive Balance
“Successful sellers concentrate on objection prevention and not objection handling.”
Spin Selling — Neil Rackham
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Close: Gain Commitment and Progress the Business
End every with a close, which can range from small (agreeing to a specific
actioninteraction that drives the customer forward in the A2B shift) to big
(agreeing to prescribe more), and establishes clear actions for Novartis and the
customer
Key Activities and Behaviors
• React to positive/buying signals and seize opportunities to
gain customer commitment to next steps whenever they
arise
• Conduct incremental closes throughout conversation
(agreement) to build foundation for final close
(commitment)
• Advance the A to B shift through a close, which can range
from small (agreeing to specific action that drive the
customer forward in the A2B shift) to big (agreeing to
prescribe more) but always clearly advances a change in
thinking or behavior
• Every call should end with clear actions for Novartis and
the customer, and utilize a leave-behind on every call
• Ask for a commitment consistent with the conversation
• Seeks to link customer to other Novartis services or staff
We will now deep dive into two concepts in more detail:
closing for action and the trial close
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Closing for Actions that Lead to Behavior Change
• Advance the A to B shift through a close, which can range from small (agreeing to specific
action that drive the customer forward in the A2B shift) to big (agreeing to prescribe more)
but always clearly advances a change in thinking or behavior
As with all steps of the model, the close should be adaptive to the customer’s current mindset and position in the A to B
shift. It may not be reasonable to close every call by asking for a change in behavior, but you should close every call
with an actionable customer commitment that leads towards the behavior change goal.
SMALL commitments can lead to LARGE behavior
change
Large Behavior
Change
Small
Commitment
Comfort
Level
B
B
A
to-Be
scenario
As-is
situation
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to-Be
scenario
A
As-is
situation
Agreement vs. Action
A close should always include a specific ACTION on
the part of the customer
Agreement
Getting an alignment on the
product-specific features,
risk, advantages,
disadvantages and
potential benefits for
patients, customers and
health care system
Action
Getting a commitment
to concrete actions in
the improvement of
patient outcomes
High Quality Discussion
Concrete Next Steps
In theory…
I agree!
I would like to do!
Agreement
In practice…
I will!
I will do!
Commitment
Building Towards Commitment with Trial Closes
• Conduct incremental closes throughout conversation (agreement) to build foundation for
final close (commitment)
While every call should close with a clear commitment to some type of action on the part of the customer, you can more
easily gain that commitment to action at the close of the call by gaining agreement throughout the call. This is known as
a “trial close”. Trial closes are also excellent opportunities to uncover and address objections before asking for
commitment.
Ask questions that ‘test’ the
evolution of the customer’s
thinking before asking for action.
Ask for a commitment that is consistent
with the conversation and moves the
customer to action.
Ensure follow-through has been
established by both parties during the
closing process
Commitment Close
Follow-Through
“Do you agree that this solution
would help address the patient
challenge we discussed earlier?”
“Does this data address the
concerns you stated about this
solution on our prior call?”
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“Over the next few weeks as you see
these types of patients, will you give
them a fair trial on Product X?”
“So we agree that you will review the
materials I have provided and we will
continue our discussion next week?”
Large Behavior Change
Step 2
Trial Close
EXAMPLE
Step 3
Step 1
• We can enhance the commitment
close if we immediately also agree
on a follow up plan
• Establish what the customer is
accountable for and what you are
accountable for
• Confirm what actions took place
during your next customer
interaction
Follow-Up: Deliver on Commitments and Evaluate Performance
Self-evaluate to continue improving call quality and performance, deliver on
commitments made to customer, communicate progress and next steps within
Novartis, and strategize for the next interaction.
Key Activities and Behaviors
1. Call Evolution
• Capture outcomes, insights, and customer experience (as compliant and
per local guidelines) immediately after interaction to ensure accuracy
• Did I meet my objectives?
• Did I learn something new?
• What would I have done differently?
• Plan next steps in your calendar in order to follow through in a timely
manner to establish trust and credibility
• Strategize next interaction to maintain call continuity
• Identify any additional resources that may be required to accomplish next
steps with the customer and advance the A2B
2. Self-development
• Self-evaluate call performance by replaying in your mind how the call
played out
•
What did I do well?
•
What would I do differently?
We will now deep dive into one concept in more detail:
capturing outcomes immediately following a call
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Call Continuity: Seamlessly Connect Interactions to
Maintain Momentum
Gather feedback from internal & external sources (marketing, medical,
pharmacies, colleagues, CRM, data, etc.) and plan for next interaction in a way
that advances business objectives & creates value for the customer
Key Activities and Behaviors
• Track progress of next steps customer committed
to and communicate progress on your next steps
as needed
• Continue to gather data from internal & external
sources in order to build on progress made or
insights uncovered in previous interaction
• Check ACT if available
• Align prior interaction with next interaction to
ensure continued progress towards the end goal
of customer advocacy
We will now deep dive into one concept in more detail:
aligning the prior call to the next call
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Reconnecting to the A to B Shift
• Align prior interaction with next interaction to ensure continued progress towards
the end goal of customer advocacy
The close of your call should directly inform the opening of your next call. Every call should feel connected as part of a
continuous dialogue.
How has the customer’s position in
the A to B shift changed as a result of
the call?
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How will you adjust your plan for the
next call accordingly?
How the Impact Behaviors work within the Novartis
6IBs Selling model
The call flow of the selling model
(Plan, Engage, Advance, Close,
and Follow Up)
are the steps needed to enable a
meaningful conversation with a
customer
The Impact Behaviors are specific
techniques sales reps can use
throughout the call flow to increase
the likelihood of positive outcomes
in every call
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While the impact behaviors can be used throughout
a customer dialogue, there are specific points where
the behaviors are integrated with the model
ADVANCE
PLAN
As you plan, consider where and how
you can incorporate the Impact
Behaviors into your dialogue,
specifically when identifying a patient
type (Patient-Message-Patient) and
planning the most appropriate
materials (Visual Aid + Leave
Behind)
When presenting your key
message, use emotive selling
(Emotive Balance) and talk
patients not numbers when possible
(Patient-Message-Patient)
CLOSE
When asking for a commitment at the end of a call, you
obviously incorporate the Close impact behavior, but
the close should also connect to the target patient type
(Patient-Message-Patient) and you should always use
a leave behind (Visual Aid + Leave Behind)
FOLLOW-UP
ENGAGE
When opening the conversation, focus on a patient type (PatientMessage-Patient), ask questions to prompt a dialogue (Discuss;
Don’t Tell) and explore ‘next best’ patient types (Probe for Growth)
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Following the call, a key part of
your self-evaluation should be on
which Impact Behaviors you used
in the call and how they may
have been used more effectively.
Agenda
• Evolving Our Approach
• Guiding Principles
• Upcoming In-Person Training
• Pre-work Assignment
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Agenda
• Evolving Our Approach
• Guiding Principles
• Upcoming In-Person Training
• Pre-work Assignment
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As you plan for your upcoming customer
call, consider the following questions
Customer’s current
state? (A)
• Customer segment and impact on your approach
• Current position and desired state in the A to B shift
• Opinion of and prescribing habits for competitor solutions
• Progress or insights from your prior call to incorporate into this call
Customer’s desired
state? (B)
• SMART objective for this call (connect to A to B shift)
• Value of the objective for the physician and their patients
• Internal or external stakeholders you may need to involve to achieve objective
• Modifications to objective if customer gives you less time than planned
Incremental A to Bs
• Identify the incremental steps needed to move the customer along the adoption ladder (Customer Journey)
• Change in customer behavior requires a change in attitude (e.g. knowledge, thinking, feeling, and rationalization of
actions)
How Will We Get
There?
Engage
• Primary patient type and customer
challenge you will focus on
• ‘Next best patient type’ you could
also discuss as part of your
objective (as compliant)
• First business words that:
• Grab the customer’s attention
• Start a dialogue
• Establish patient challenge
• Connects to objective
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Advance
• Most impactful promotional
materials and tailored messaging
based on customer segment
Close
• Opportunities for trial closes
(testing for understanding in the
context of the discussion) to build
agreement
• Commitment to action you will ask
the customer for based on your
objective
What questions, anticipated responses, and follow up questions (Q-R-Q) will you ask that:
• Get the customer engaged in a meaningful dialogue & uncover underlying motivations and challenges
• Establish emotional connections
• Challenge the customer to consider the implications of their current approach and shift their perspective
• Investigate and reframe known or likely objections
To prepare for the 6IBs Selling workshop, think about a
customer of yours and complete the following:
Customer’s current
state? (A)
Customer’s desired
state? (B)
Incremental A to Bs
Choose one
Incremental A to B
step as your call
objective and plan a
sales call for that
step
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Engage
Advance
Close
Thank you