A spoonful of sugar

From course materials used to train more than 3,000 sales representatives working for Merck & Co., Inc. between 1999 and 2004. The documents were among 20,000 pages obtained from Merck by the House Committee on Government Reform for a May 5 hearing on the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx. Vioxx was withdrawn from the market last September, more than four years after a study by Merck first found that it increased the risk of heart attacks. At the time of Vioxx’s withdrawal, more than 2 million patients worldwide were taking it.

When you are conducting a dinner program, you need to “work the room.” Make sure you greet all guests, offer them a beverage, and bring them into a group. Decide with your clustermates in advance who will sit with which doctors, and make sure you have one “host” at each table. Seat the guest of honor at the right of the host or hostess.

Proper positioning for a handshake is to extend your hand at a slight angle, touch thumb joint to thumb joint, and wrap your fingers firmly. Gently pump your hand up and down two or three times, then let go.

The proper shake . . .

comes with eye contact

is firm but painless

lasts about three seconds

starts and stops crisply.

Remember the following table manners:

Sit up straight.

Don’t hurry or dawdle. Keep pace with others at the table.

If you use the wrong piece of flatware, don’t panic. Continue using it.

Driving Discussion Words:

The shocking truth is . . .

Quality of life plummets . . .

Unnecessary pain/cost . . .

The immense pain causes . . .

The respected participant in scientific outcomes . . .

This is a critical time to . . .

You want to avoid the impression of making a “hard sell.” But remember: even if a physician initiates a non-business-related discussion, later on s/he may remember you as someone who wasted his/her time with small talk. Many of you do a great job transitioning between products. Let’s test your skills in transitioning in a HEL [Health Education Learning] situation:

Scenario 1

Physician says: “What a nice restaurant! I hear that the food is wonderful.”

Possible rep response: “You’re right, it is. I’d only arrange the best for you. I’m sure you feel the same way about your patients. When you decide to prescribe an antihypertensive, what characteristics make one product stand out from another?”

Scenario 2

Physician says: “I love coming to this restaurant. It has a great menu.”

Possible rep response: “That’s one of the reasons I chose this place. You can get boiled lobster or a venison steak. Speaking of a great menu, what concerns you about the HMOs you’re dealing with, limiting your choices when choosing a specific drug therapy for a patient?”

Scenario 3

Physician says: “What a great football game yesterday. Did you see how effective Drew Bledsoe was in the fourth quarter? That guy is amazing.”

Possible rep response: “Bledsoe is effective on so many levels. He’s a leader, you feel safe with him carrying the ball, and he’s a proven winner. You know who else that sounds like? Zocor, a market leader with an eight-year safety record, proven to save the lives of your patients. Physician, what concerns do you have about Zocor leading your team in the fight against congenital heart disease?”

Scenario 4

Physician says: “So, what plans do you have for the holidays?”

Possible rep response: “Well, my wife and I are going to visit my grandmother. It should be a lot of fun, though I feel so bad for her. She really has advanced osteoporosis and can’t travel at all. She wasn’t on any treatment plan for the longest time. Physician, what do you think the reasons are that some physicians don’t do much about osteoporosis until it’s in its advanced stages and nearly too late?”

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