One of the most difficult times during a pharmaceutical sales call is that awkward moment when you have finished your presentation and are ready to end the conversation.

You need to say something to the physician to signal that you are done and are ready to move on to your next call. Much of your training has been spent on this critical moment of "closing." You have a number of different avenues to choose from. You may want to ask for a commitment from your physician. Alternatively, you may say that you appreciate his or her support of your product. Signing for your samples may be all that you ask him or her to do. No matter what you do, it takes a long time to get comfortable with what works for you and your physicians. Initially you may feel anxious and slightly embarrassed, not knowing quite what to say. After a while, as you get to know your physicians and you become more experienced, closing becomes easier for you. It may even become fairly routine.
 
I have listened to several thousand closings in my almost 20 years of medical practice, and I am amazed at how often pharmaceutical reps miss this golden opportunity to make themselves stand out above the competition. As the conversation ends, you have two opportunities. The first is to make sure that you have done your job in communicating your information to the physicians. The second is to use that moment to "partner" with your physician and make yourself a consultant, not just a sales rep. You may be thinking, "How do I partner with my physicians? How do I make sure I have communicated my message properly?" I will guide you through some of the ways these goals can be accomplished.