Learn how to overcome six common time-wasters that can affect your productivity and performance as a medical sales professional.

We usually seen this happening that the most common reasons of Sales call failures is wrong prospecting. These failures are usually due to: 1. Not knowing your competition 2. Without identify the true needs 3. Pitching the wrong product to right customer.

1. Excessive administrative tasks 2. Poorly planned meetings 3. Inefficient travel time 4. Excessive time on non-sales activities 5. Lack of organization and prioritization 6. Ineffective prospecting strategies By identifying and addressing these common time-wasters, medical sales professionals can optimize their productivity and maximize their sales efforts.

What are the most common time-wasters for medical sales professionals?

As a medical sales professional, you know how important it is to manage your time effectively. You have multiple tasks to juggle, such as prospecting, presenting, closing, and following up with clients, as well as staying on top of industry trends, product updates, and regulatory changes. However, you may also encounter some common time-wasters that can derail your productivity and performance. Here are some of the most prevalent ones and how to avoid them.

1 Unqualified leads

One of the biggest time-wasters for medical sales professionals is chasing after leads that are not qualified, meaning they are not ready, willing, or able to buy your product or service. You may spend hours trying to reach them, only to find out that they have no budget, no authority, or no interest in what you offer. To avoid this, you need to have a clear criteria for qualifying your leads, such as BANT (budget, authority, need, and timeline), and use tools like CRM software, email tracking, and social media to verify and prioritize them.

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Anand Patel

Head - Sales & Marketing | Hospital Marketing- Dr Referral, Corporate Marketing | International Marketing | Medical Value Traveling | Medical Tourism | International Hospital Business | Hospital Business
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1. Excessive administrative tasks 2. Poorly planned meetings 3. Inefficient travel time 4. Excessive time on non-sales activities 5. Lack of organization and prioritization 6. Ineffective prospecting strategies By identifying and addressing these common time-wasters, medical sales professionals can optimize their productivity and maximize their sales efforts.

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Chris Murray

Business Development Specialist | Bespoke Sales Team Training | Named in LinkedIn's Top 40 Global Sales Experts to Follow | Author | Keynote Speaker
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You need to understand and utilise customer attraction techniques. In the 21st Century everybody can search for something if they know they want it - and then purchase it - making salespeople fairly redundant. However if you have set up your business development plans to include customer attraction techniques, prospects with genuine needs will make themselves known to you so that you spend more time with people who want to see you, rather than you trying to force meetings with people who don't. Seek to spend time where you are celebrated rather than tolerated by harnessing the power of customer attraction techniques

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2 Unnecessary meetings

Another common time-waster for medical sales professionals is attending meetings that are not relevant, productive, or valuable for your goals. You may be invited to internal meetings that have nothing to do with your role, or external meetings that are too long, too vague, or too frequent. To avoid this, you need to be selective and strategic about the meetings you accept, and decline or delegate the ones that are not essential. You also need to prepare well for the meetings you do attend, and set clear agendas, objectives, and outcomes.

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Mahmoud Samir Farag

Medical Advisor NPP at Novartis
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Also make sure to keep you calendar updated so no one include you in a meeting in time you already have another plans for Another good thing I learned is to block enough time in your calendar under focus time so it’s shown as busy for others and for you to focus on doing the things you need to do without any distractions

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Aleksandar Smokovski, MD, MEconSC

Medical Doctor | Master in Economy | Experienced leader in regional healthcare and pharmaceuticals | Agnostic Eco-System Partner | Patient Partnerships and Rare Disease Lead for North Macedonia and Kosovo @ Roche
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In my experience, attending meetings that do not align with your goals can be a significant drain on productivity. Time wasted in irrelevant or unproductive meetings can be better utilized in pursuing meaningful opportunities. By being selective and strategic, you can ensure that the meetings you accept are valuable and contribute to your objectives. Declining or delegating non-essential meetings is crucial in optimizing your time. Additionally, thorough preparation and setting clear agendas, objectives, and outcomes for the meetings you do attend will maximize their effectiveness. By taking control of your meeting schedule, you can avoid wasting time and focus on achieving your sales goals.

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3 Distractions and interruptions

A third common time-waster for medical sales professionals is dealing with distractions and interruptions that disrupt your focus and flow. You may be bombarded by emails, phone calls, texts, notifications, or requests from your colleagues, managers, or clients that are not urgent or important. To avoid this, you need to set boundaries and expectations for your communication and availability, and use tools like do-not-disturb mode, auto-replies, and calendars to manage them. You also need to schedule blocks of time for your most critical tasks, and avoid multitasking or switching between them.

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4 Lack of planning and prioritization

A fourth common time-waster for medical sales professionals is working without a clear plan and prioritization of your tasks. You may be overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do, or tempted to procrastinate or work on the easiest or most enjoyable tasks first. To avoid this, you need to have a realistic and flexible plan for your daily, weekly, and monthly activities, and use tools like to-do lists, calendars, and timers to track and organize them. You also need to prioritize your tasks based on their urgency and importance, and use techniques like the Eisenhower matrix or the Pareto principle to help you.

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Syed Umair Maroof

Biosimilars | Pharma | Nutrition | Consumer Health | International Business | Digital Marketing | Commercial Excellence
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We usually seen this happening that the most common reasons of Sales call failures is wrong prospecting. These failures are usually due to: 1. Not knowing your competition 2. Without identify the true needs 3. Pitching the wrong product to right customer.

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5 Lack of skills and knowledge

A fifth common time-waster for medical sales professionals is struggling with skills and knowledge gaps that affect your performance and confidence. You may be unfamiliar with the features and benefits of your product or service, or the needs and challenges of your target market. You may also lack the skills to communicate, negotiate, or close effectively with your prospects and clients. To avoid this, you need to invest in your continuous learning and development, and use resources like training courses, webinars, podcasts, books, and mentors to improve your skills and knowledge.

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SYED MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH

Passionate Business Leader | Strategically Focussed & Commerciaaly Driven | High Performing Teams Builder | Commercial Excellence | Pharma | Med & Tech | Digitization | Make a Change
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I would like to suggest the RACE framework which can help to develop Smart Insights i.e. to critically evaluate each stage of the marketing funnels across the customer lifecycle of Plan - Reach - Act - Convert - and Engage.

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6 Lack of motivation and self-care

A sixth common time-waster for medical sales professionals is losing motivation and self-care due to stress, burnout, or boredom. You may feel tired, frustrated, or demotivated by the challenges and pressures of your job, or the lack of feedback, recognition, or rewards. You may also neglect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and compromise your health, happiness, and performance. To avoid this, you need to find ways to stay motivated and engaged, such as setting SMART goals, celebrating your wins, seeking feedback, and rewarding yourself. You also need to take care of yourself, and practice habits like exercise, sleep, nutrition, and relaxation.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Shankar Rajpurohit 🇮🇳

Senior Manager || Head of Client management || DKSH || Laos || Pharma || Medical device || OTC || OTX || Ex-Novartis
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Considering my experience of over a decade into medical sales management, here are some of the most common time wasters for medical sales professionals: • Not using sales tech and other resources at their disposal. • Wasting time on bad-fit leads Getting fixated on single-threaded accounts. • Allowing little distractions to compound on themselves. • Over-complicating their sales processes. • Neglecting follow-ups and failing to nurture meaningful customer relationships. I hope this helps !!

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What are the most common time-wasters for medical sales professionals?

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2

3

4

5

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1 Unqualified leads

2 Unnecessary meetings

3 Distractions and interruptions

4 Lack of planning and prioritization

5 Lack of skills and knowledge

6 Lack of motivation and self-care

7 Here’s what else to consider

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