Sales rep has 35 years of staying power

Rep profile

Murrell Bollinger

company

3M Pharmaceuticals

Title

Professional sales representative

current home

Winchester, VA

Territory: Shenandoah Valley region.

Customers: OB/GYNs, cardiologists, primary care physicians and internal medicine.

Awards: Bronze and silver awards; Sales rep of the year 1994, 1995 and 1996; Honors Circle member.

Sales techniques: "I find a common interest between the physician and myself. This separates me from other reps and makes the physicians more receptive to me. I don't try to get the physician to write a lot of prescriptions at once. I am confident in the products I sell and believe that if I can get the physician to write at least one prescription, he or she will want to use the product again."

Sales Philosophy: "I believe a rep needs to be honest to earn the respect of a physician."

Motivation: "I have a strong desire to compete and to win. I don't get discouraged. If someone tells me something is too difficult or can't be done, that gives me incentive to try even harder."

Interest in industry: "After I graduated from college, a friend who was a pharmacist told me about pharmaceutical sales. I talked with someone in the field and knew that I had found my niche."

Industry change: "The pharmaceutical industry has changed a lot. Reps today must be technically oriented. They must stay on top of changes and new processes in the pharmaceutical industry. There are also more specialists today. Representatives need to keep on top of research in order to sell to physicians who concentrate in one area of medicine."