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Offence is the best defence

 


ప్రతి ప్రొఫెషనల్ లో ఎదో ఒక ప్రజ్ఞ ఉండు

కానీ సేల్స్ ప్రొఫెషనల్ లో ప్రజ్ఞలు మెండు

ప్రొఫెషనల్స్ నందు సేల్స్ ప్రొఫెషనల్స్ వేరయా

విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

Every Professional will have a talent

But a Sales Professional has many talents

Amongst all Sales Professional is different

Viswadabhirama listen my dear Vema!

Not always talent or skill ensures success, certainly not in sales profession. Sometimes, one has to be tactful to succeed. There was a Doctor who was running a small nursing home in Ongole. He was generally friendly with medical representatives. One big source of information about changes in medical field in those days (in early 70's) was Pharmaceutical companies, particularly for doctors practicing in smaller towns. 

There is a class of products called anabolic steroids used in convalescing patients with chronic ailments. These products also were used by sports persons for performance enhancement. Most of these were derived from male hormones. All of them exhibited varying degrees of side-effects like slight change in voice, hirsutism etc when given to female patients.

Once, 2 of us (medical representative from a company called Organon and I) were waiting to meet this doctor in his nursing home. We both were selling anabolic agents. My friend was called in first to meet the doctor. The doctor was a big prescriber of my product. My friend took more than usual time to discuss about his products with the doctor (obviously he was making an attempt to wean this doctor away from my product) Next came my turn. As I occupied my seat across the table in his consultation room, the doctor asked me a question if an animal source was used in the manufacturing process of our anabolic agent (Dianabol) I could immediately realise that my friend had created a doubt in the doctor's mind. He had told that sourced from animals, my product displayed stronger side effects like voice change, hair growth over the lip etc. when given to female patients. He informed the doctor that his product was a PLANT derivative and hence free from such a problem. The doctor fell for this argument and hence his question about the source of my product. I realised that I was about to lose a good supporter of my product. I had an option of presenting him with comparative medical (comparitive clinical trial data) proof in support of my product. But I chose a different line of defence or more aptly a line of counter attack.

My botany background came to my aid. I reminded him about another drug company called Himalaya Drug Company marketing plant products. I reminded him about a product called TENTEX FORTE possessing tonic and aphrodisiac properties. Further reminded him of his botany and dioecious plants (which had exclusive male and female plants like date palm, Spinach, Sago, Mulberry, Papaya, Asparagus, Kiwifruit etc.) Smilingly I rested my argument subtly indicating that plant derivatives were also exclusively used as aphrodisiac (for displaying male virility)

His continued support for my product subsequently proved that my choice of counter attacking my competitor was successful.

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