Let me share some snippets of my expertise with you. I hope you find them useful and if you would like to chat more, just…
When reviewing evaluations, set your ego aside and focus on finding the truth. Use this feedback as a valuable tool to identify areas for improvement and enhance your skills. Growth comes from being open to constructive criticism and continuously striving to be better. Watch this video to learn more and let me know what you think!
Ghosts might not be real, but ‘ghosting’ sure is. It is ubiquitous in our society, happening in both our personal and professional lives. It may leave us confused and uncertain, especially if we were just actively engaged in discussion with someone or are following up to address a question they posed. Keep in mind that people are busy and pulled in many directions, so it’s not personal (even though it feels very personal). Sometimes it’s okay to let it go, but if this happens in our professional setting, particularly with a KOL, it’s likely that we should not walk away, and we really cannot walk away. The art of being an impactful MSL includes keeping the communication flowing and reinitiating that conversation if ghosted.
If you’ve been ghosted by the KOL, what’s your next step? An MSL’s job is to engage in scientific discussion with KOLs on topics relevant to their work, whether that is related to company initiative, new data that is important for their patients, or to address a question they’ve raised. Here are a few options to consider, with more ideas to follow in the next posts…
Have you contacted the KOL via their preferred method of communication? Many MSLs respond with “Duh, of course I did.” But on further reflection have you really taken the time to think it through? With the multitude of ways to communicate and the enormous amount of data coming at us throughout the day, it’s important that we understand how this specific KOL not only likes to receive information, but also what they hate, and what they are seduced into reading. Adjust your communication strategy accordingly. Don’t know the answer? ASK!
What strategy worked best in the past? Is email really the best tool or is a short text message more likely to garner their attention? Or is it a voicemail at a time when you know they won’t answer? Make that voicemail about them, not you. “I was thinking about you today and I remember you said ______. I loved that and mentioned it to my spouse. She/He said I should have asked you _______. So can I get a bit of time with you, so my spouse stops asking me?!”
Are you using the subject line to talk about yourself or about their patients? Think patients, patients, patients! And think about the problem the KOL has with those patients. You have a blink of an eye to catch them with an email. Do you really want it saying, “Just following up” or “Long time no see” or “(name of your drug) breakthrough.” Don’t be like everyone else. What email subject lines attract and detract your attention? Be clear!
Is the communication focused on you and your agenda or the KOL?
Today’s post is about the real you! Think back to our first meeting with someone we admire, someone who holds some power over us, who has some fame, or who could say yes or no to an agreement or a contract. What if this person was our ideal KOL? Warm, open, friendly, with all the time in the world. Would we then approach this meeting as an equal with the horizontal set-up in our minds? Each of us collaborating with our given expertise. Would the real you be able to be more comfortable, be able to be more open?
If you are still on the vertical, it can be a recipe for silence, a nervous laugh, or even a bit of groveling. Can you imagine the better set up? What if you were warm, open, friendly, confident, and not concerned with time a much as with a quality conversation. (In fact, a good rule of thumb is to never mention time, “thanks for your time”… “I’ll only take a few minutes of your time”… “I know you are busy today”… “I know you want to get to lunch,” etc.) The mention of the word ‘time’ plants the word in their mind. If you have set up the meeting for 15 minutes, you can say at minute 14, “Now I know we agreed to 15 minutes and I don’t want to overstay my welcome, so is there anything else I can provide (not “help you with”) that would be useful?” When the conversation is a good one, they will beg you to stay!
Therefore always use your time for a “timeless” conversation that has ebbs and flows (scientific exchange!) and is all about those two critical KOL questions: “Can you help me solve my problem?” and “So what?”
Of course, we encounter those in the system with authority over us every day. The system is vertical… but we don’t have to be! Even with our manager! (Well there are some exceptions!!)
The next time you are in a situation where you can choose horizontal or vertical, how would you think, act, and speak differently if you saw the other person as just like you, of course not the same but for sure socially equal? In fact, many in authority really don’t like being “up.” They prefer being treated in the same way we like to be treated: with respect and engagement.
As we’ve mentioned in a previous post, Nora Dunn from the early days of Saturday Night Live told my class one day: “You don’t have to please the audience, you need only engage the audience… And in the engagement, that’s when they will be pleased.”
In our last post we reflected on positioning in your mind’s eye: your feelings about who this KOL is and where you are in relation to them. We used the image of them being ‘up’ and you being ‘down’ which doesn’t feel so good!
But what if you lived on a horizontal plane where others are at your level despite having something you may not have? In our culture, advanced degrees are admired but are the plumbers who our homes dry equally admired? Who ranks at the “top” for you? Or could it be that the “top” or the “bottom” need not exist? As we stand next to one another vs. being on top or the bottom, we can appreciate our differences, our gifts, and our reliance upon one another. And while we are not all the “same” in terms of what we have and do, we all are “socially equal” as human beings. With this image instead of the “up and down” image, we can meet our KOL not as better, but as valuable to one another.
Who, for example, is more important in the Intensive Care Unit? Yes, the physicians are vital, but the nurses spend more time with you and in effect become consultants to the physicians. The respiratory therapists are important for sure. How about the chaplains who work with your family? And, oh yes, those who clean your room, who sanitized your room from the last patient… Are they important also? Each of these people will affect your outcome.
In every endeavor, we are all important. This is what the effective MSL not only thinks about but also believes and behaves accordingly. Despite the stereotype, physicians don’t want you to act “less than”… They want a good, robust, thoughtful conversation answering their two main questions: Can you help me solve my problem and the ever-present question: So what?
My friend Derek Arden has a saying he uses as he looks into the air or deeply into the Zoom screen with this simple phrase, “That’s quite brilliant, isn’t it?” Whenever he says that I feel a bit smarter! Even when he says it about someone else! Perhaps he is on to something commenting on ‘brilliance’ the illumined light that helps see into the shadows.
Recently I was speaking to a group of physician leaders and I commented on being a “responsive” leader. David Dull came up with a better word, “How about ‘responding’ leader?” His contribution made me think. Responsive describes, responding is an action. Nice! Brilliant, actually! If we look for it perhaps, we too can see it. Quite brilliant, yes?
How do you feel when you are meeting someone in authority for the first time? How about that new KOL who means a great deal to you (and to your manager!). Anxious? Anticipating? Excited? Fearful? Nervous? However you feel, the wise MSL will take note of the feeling, accept it for now, and put it on the back burner. Ignoring the feeling will bring it to the front burner!
Our feelings when meeting a KOL for the first time are good indicators of how we view this person, view ourselves, and more importantly, how we view the setup. Anticipating the context and potential obstacles will help you control your emotions and more importantly will give the KOL a solid, substantial memory of you. Expect to be delayed, expect a time constraint, expect a less than friendly receptionist, and also expect to be your very best self regardless.
In many of our worlds, we are set up to see the world vertically: someone is on the top and someone is on the bottom (often us!). It is an old European model from the Middle Ages (perhaps dating back even further) that some people have authority and others don’t. The one on top is perceived as better than, superior to, in charge of, and somehow dominating over those below – if not in power, then perhaps in admiration, excellence, experience, etc. Some marriages are arranged this way, many businesses are, and even children dealing with the playground bully follow this model.
If you see the world this way, you will enter your first meeting with an authority figure (i.e. KOL) as you being the one on the bottom, which…doesn’t usually feel so good, even if you are excited to meet them. Like greeting royalty of old, you enter on bended knee, ready to kiss the ring. If you have ever met a celebrity, singer, or politician, you may encounter this even though you have no clue of what this person is really like off-screen, off-stage, or off the platform.
So how is this first moment of meeting for you? Are you ever on bended knee?
Sometimes in life we take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Those 2 steps back are critical for our next step forward as they offer valuable lessons and growth opportunities. Watch this video to learn more and let me know in the comments what lessons you have learned from your steps back?
With preparation, being challenged by a KOL won’t have you running for the door, even when you’re taken by surprise. Be sure your questions are open-ended, requiring the KOL to think critically about their comments and expand on their thoughts. Give them time to respond (3-5 seconds) and don’t interrupt (it’s rude and worse, it confuses the other person) as will derail the KOL’s thought process and the insights you are hoping to gain! Ask-Wait-Listen-Respond. Acknowledge their response with body language (a head nod or by leaning in) and listen closely to hear what they are saying. Avoid thinking about your response as you will miss the nuances of their reply!
Anticipate challenging questions/comments and practice your response aloud with a colleague (they will likely face the same objection), or aloud when you are alone in your car or record a Zoom meeting with yourself answering the question. Multiple practice sessions give you what actors call “muscle memory” which are the options you can go to effortlessly. Practice makes perfect!
Being questioned by a KOL, whether it’s easy or difficult, is an opening for further discussion, and ideally, a more meaningful one! Use this opportunity to strengthen your relationship and prove your value for the company and to your KOL. Their patients will appreciate it.
I have to thank Lester Holt from NBC News for this facilitation tip! Whenever a reporter finishes their update, they always ends with “Lester?” He then has his cue and picks it up from there. You can do this with your Zoom presentations, asking the audience to do the same…simply choose another attendee’s name and add a question mark to keep the discussion rolling.
I watched a video recently of ten or so professionals having a discussion where rather than using hand offs, they used resounding periods. Almost every time someone finished speaking, there was an awkward moment of silence as they wondered who would speak next.
You can use this same tactic when you are presenting with a partner. I work twice yearly with professional speaker Conor Cunneen - IrishmanSpeaks in a back-and-forth format of lecturettes. Conor is known far and wide as a well-rehearsed presenter…except when he works with me! We both like to present ‘in the moment’, especially for this audience, so use the ‘Lester Holt technique’ and hear our names called out with a question mark at the end, keeping the flow going. It works every single time even when I have no idea what Conor was going to say…and maybe he didn’t either!
Our last post was concerned with probing physician interest. This post is an example of an AdBoard turning into an AdBORED.
In an advisory board of 45 physicians eager to hear from a research expert, it became clear he liked himself very much! During his presentation a physician asked a question. Looking down his nose, the PhD responded, “The question you meant to ask me was _____” Guess what? No more questions for the rest of that morning.
When challenged, avoid becoming defensive or panicking to please as this may end the conversation quickly and won’t help you become the artist you are working to become. Frame your questions and tone to convey genuine interest in learning more and, ideally, to find the root of the objection. Is this an opportunity to ask questions related to your company’s medical strategy (i.e. key intelligence questions/topics)?
In person or on Zoom, physically lean in to show interest and inform your eyes to be confident. The eyes are the widows of the soul. Act as if you are confident and you will be. Remember you are the expert here!
If you don’t know the answer, admit it, and take a note on paper which will indicate you are serious about gaining an answer. Consider this response: “Thank you. I’m going to make a note and bring it back to our scientists. This is really helpful.” Then follow-up with “When is a good day for us to meet and discuss what I learn?” (Securing a follow up visit in your calendars!)
I've recently launched a new series and LinkedIn Group on "The Art of Becoming an Impactful MSL" in collaboration with Kimberly Cremers, PharmD. In today’s video, I discuss the importance of approaching meetings with your KOL with genuine curiosity and immersing yourself in their world. This valuable lesson applies to everyone! Watch the video to learn more and let me know what you think.
Uncomfortable asking probing questions? Understandable! Our relationships with KOLs are critical and may feel fragile as they are developing, so probing the KOL’s objection should be deliberate and respectful and skilled. Proceeding sincerely with the goal of providing information to support the best care for patients, will make the tenuous MSL more confident and therefore more comfortable and more competent as a connector. While being respectful don’t diminish your value. You have expertise that the physician needs to serve their research and patients, and the physician has given you their time. You have something no one else can give during this visit, so don’t allow yourself to be intimidated. Probing questions=physician interest. If the doctor doesn’t challenge you or at least ask a good question, then the value of scientific exchange is lost.
When presenting to an audience where some of the members are blind, use audio description techniques. In this situation it is useful to begin with a brief visual description of you… “I’m Kevin, your presenter today. I’m sitting with a green plant behind my right shoulder and behind my left shoulder is a picture of sailboats as well as the artwork of my 6-year-old grandson. I have grey hair that my stylist calls ‘platinum’…which is why I keep going back to him!” This sets the scene for them.
For each PowerPoint slide, I begin by describing that also, “This slide is divided into four squares, in the first square…”
One way to understand the impact is to find a movie with “audio description” where a narrator fills in the action with words in between the dialog. This will help you get ideas that you can then use.
For virtual presentations, most blind audience members are able to use the chat function easily with their adaptive software.
Our last post suggested you “engage” rather than attempt to “please.” Confronted with a strong objection (or criticism) the ‘response’ is now up to us, especially when the KOL acts as if they are the authority. (You really are, right?!)
One strategy is to immediately work to find the “real” question or challenge, the deeper issue the KOL is considering? “Can you give me an example of that from perhaps a patient you are seeing” is a better response than attempting to reiterate and provide a review. The next step is to ask a few more respectful but probing questions which will get to the root of the question and clarify the KOL’s objection. Ask questions to facilitate deeper thinking about their comment:
· Why brought you to that conclusion?
· What do you think would happen if…?
· Why do you think that is the case?
· What impact do you think that will have?
· What type of data would address your concerns?
The art of being an impactful MSL is about asking the right questions and engaging the physician. Be careful not to challenge but to explore and allow the ‘teacher’ to have their say. Consider how you can apply these ideas this week and in our next post we will give you our ideas on how to apply these practices.
My NUMBER 1 TIP for your presentations: Involve the audience early and often. Watch this video to learn more!
What is your gut reaction to objections and challenges (sometimes with emotion or worse, cold logic!) from a KOL? The art of being an impactful MSL involves turning uncomfortable moments when challenged by a KOL into meaningful insights that are valuable to your company and more so to the physician’s patients.
Gaining a deeper understanding of the actual concern can strengthen your KOL relationships by turning this objection into a meaningful discussion by asking the right questions. The best MSLs shine through these times and gain valuable insights in the process. In fact, those MSLs want the physician to object! Nora Dunne, actress, director, and SNL alum said, “Your job is not to please the audience, your job is to engage the audience.” And it is in the engagement that is when they will be pleased. Don’t shrink, engage! Here are some ideas how.
When faced with a challenging question, your first step is to gain clarity. You could start by using the skill of paraphrasing (this traditional approach gets you in sync and signals that you understand). You can then ask clarifying questions to get additional facts:
· I want to be sure I understand your comment, it seems the essence of your concern is _______ (safety, price, formulary, etc.)?
· What aspect of the data led you to that statement?
· What are you using for comparison?
· Tell me more. This and the “what else?” question helps the physician begin to teach you…become a willing student…you are in the professor’s office!
A “Chat Box Waterfall” is a great way to get everyone contributing in a virtual meeting. Ask a simple question then say the following: “I’d like you to go to the chat box and I’ll give you 60 seconds to type your answer to this question but don’t hit enter until I tell you to…”
There is always one who hits enter straight away (of course!) but when at the 60 second mark you say “Hit enter!” you will see a ‘waterfall’ of contributions come in.
Then all you have to do is say, “Let’s take a moment and review these” and then as the host you find someone’s entry and ask “Bob, can you tell us about yours? When you are finished call on the next person” After a few of these you can say, “Jane tell us about yours and then send it back to me.”
This is a guaranteed involvement technique that will forever end the agonizing silence accompanying, “Anyone have any ideas?”
These are the REAL silent questions KOLs have for MSLs:
1. What ya got for me?
2. How does this relate to my patients?
3. Who are you?
4. Are you worth my time?
5. Is this new?
6. How does this relate to my patients…safely?
7. Who are you again…this time with a bit more depth?
8. What did I think of this time?
Here's some strategies to address the KOL from the inside out:
1. What if you walked in (breathe) and say: “I’ve got some new information about _____ that I think you’ll be able to use with your ___ patients.” Real KOL questions 1&2
2. Whether you are on a first or tenth visit, it’s OK to say: “Oh, I forgot, I’m ______ from ______ and my job today is to help solve a problem your patients face.” Then go quiet to allow the doctor to respond. Don’t talk during this time or it will become ‘show up and throw up.’ W.A.I.T. (why am I talking!) and you will initiate partnership. Real KOL question 3
3. When the doctor responds, even vaguely, you continue: “If I understand this disease properly, the number 1 complaint you hear from your patients is ____________. And they expect you to do something about it. Yes?” (W.A.I.T). Real KOL question 4
4. “When I did my PharmD at The Ohio State University (yes, they tried to trademark the 'The'), my best professor told me that the drug is secondary to the pain of the patient and to find out from the patient what life is like for them. Tell me if this sounds familiar: (Run through 3 or 4 patient quotes)…do your patients tell you anything similar?” (W.A.I.T). Real KOL question 7
5. “Today I’d like to get your take on the complaints and the solutions so far, and then for you to give me some feedback on this one solution. Give me your best shot, your best frustration, your most direct feedback… You cannot hurt my feelings. I want to solve your patient’s problems as much as you do.” (W.A.I.T) Real KOL questions 5&6
6. “I fear I’ve overstayed my welcome; I know you are busy. I’ll take our ideas back to the big wigs in my company. But I do have a request… During our next meeting I’d like to learn more about the challenges your patients face so I can look further into our data to see if I can provide further insights?” Real KOL questions 2-4-6-7-8
Work with these questions gradually and use them instead of your usual routine. You might even practice by having a recorded Zoom session with yourself (the playback will help you see and hear how you sound…remember look directly at the camera, no notes.) Keep the camera rolling so you get 3 or more scenarios. The more you do, muscle memory will kick in and you'll notice the improvements in your approach.
Taking time at the end of a meeting to reflect on everyone's key takeaways fosters true team learning. Each member will remember different key moments, enriching the collective understanding. Watch this video to learn more...
If we think like a doctor, WE are not what is that important to them. Time and patients and safety are what's really top of mind, and not always in that order. It is possible that inside your doctor’s head the Real Scenario goes more like this:
1. What ya got for me?
2. How does this relate to my patients??
3. Who are you?
4. Are you worth my time?
5. Is this new?
6. How does this relate to my patients…safely??
7. Who are you again…this time with a bit more depth?
8. *Silently….What did I think of this time? (actually, they are asking themselves how they felt about you without using feeling words!)
So we want to propose a strategy for you as an MSL – and frankly for anyone who wants to partner and persuade, (and remember, partnering comes first)! Our next post on Wednesday will be a scenario you can use/memorize for each of these eight questions. The art of being an MSL is having a strategy in mind, so watch this space.
For now, just observe your next KOL interaction and play (in your mind) with the eight.
