How to Answer: If given a territory and a list of physicians to call on, how would you approach your next steps?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Pharmaceutical Sales job interview.
20. If given a territory and a list of physicians to call on, how would you approach your next steps?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
As a pharmaceutical sales representative, you will likely be in charge of a given geographic territory and call on all specialty-specific physicians within that territory. Doing so can be a daunting task and your interviewer needs to be assured that you would bring a strong sense of organization and planning into your work if they were to hire you.
Written by Samantha Brown on November 28th, 2023
How to Answer
While there are many ways you can approach your answer here, what your interviewer will be looking to hear is that you will take a methodical and organized approach to ensure that you make the best use of your time and call on all of the required customers in your territory. Knowing the geographic area you will be representing is vital, so be sure to research that ahead of your interview if necessary. Ensuring that you are making the best use of your time is important, so make sure to reiterate that calling and scheduling appointments will be important to you to reduce wasted drive times.
Written by Samantha Brown on November 28th, 2023
Answer Example
"Efficiency would be the name of my game if I were to join your team as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Planning out days and weeks would be vital and my first step would be to learn my entire territory and where all of the hospitals and clinics are. I would envision myself separating the territory into blocks that I would intend to tackle in a given day. From there, planning ahead includes contacting the schedulers or MAs of the physicians to ensure that I would have a set block of time with them. I am a highly organized individual and would use an online calendar to keep my days and individual sales calls tracked. Do you have any additional organizational tools that you provide to your sales reps?"
Written by Samantha Brown on November 28th, 2023
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