Getting the Most From Your Sales Teams: Activating Behaviors That Drive Performance

Sales teams are at the heart of the customer’s experience and the engine of business performance. In pharma today, sales teams operate in a landscape that’s more complex, data-rich, and customer-driven than ever before, and they’re expected to deliver personalized, consistent engagement across channels while navigating complex systems, shifting priorities, and relentless pressure.

Organizations have invested heavily in training, technology, and enablement. Yet many still ask: Why aren’t we seeing consistent, high-level performance across the board?

The answer isn’t just in the strategy. It’s in the execution, and more specifically, in the behaviors that bring strategy to life.

From Alignment to Activation

Sales performance starts with alignment—but it doesn’t end there. You can have well-aligned reps and leaders, consistent tools, and robust data systems. But unless those elements translate into specific daily behaviors, the impact will be uneven.

High-performing organizations don’t just set strategy and hope for the best. They activate performance through a continuous loop of behavior alignment, real-time feedback, and meaningful measurement.

Behavioral Precision Drives Results

To get the most from your sales teams, you need more than alignment—you need behavioral precision. That means:

• Clarifying the critical few behaviors that drive customer engagement and business outcomes.
• Enabling frontline managers to observe and respond to those behaviors in real time—not just during formal reviews.
• Structuring KPI conversations around leading indicators, not just lagging results. When teams know what to look for and how to act on it, data becomes a tool for momentum, not just measurement.

This shift doesn’t require more tools or more meetings. It requires a sharper focus on what matters most—and a system that makes it easier to do the right things consistently.

Case in Point: When Strategy Stalls Without Behavior

A national pharma sales team was launching a new product across six regions.
The strategy was solid. The tools were in place. The regional leaders were experienced and aligned—on paper. But performance varied widely.

What was missing?
Each leader defaulted to familiar approaches. Communication across regions was inconsistent. Reps lacked clarity on how to apply shared tools in their own territories. The strategy wasn’t flawed—but the execution was fragmented.

The turning point came when the organization shifted focus from alignment to behavioral precision.

1. They clarified the few critical behaviors that mattered most.
   - Call Prep using new Best Practices Template and structured role playing before field visits
   - Discovery questions used to uncover HCP needs
   - Follow-on commitments to close each call
2. Frontline managers began giving real-time feedback tied to structured KPIs.
3. Ensure weekly sales calls delivered values by ritualizing lookbacks, focusing on what works, what didn’t work, and reviewing updated, simplified dashboards to spotlight leading indicators.

Bringing strategy to life

Sales performance doesn’t hinge on having the right strategy—it hinges on activating it through consistent, observable behaviors. When frontline managers reinforce those behaviors in real time, and teams align around what truly drives impact, execution becomes scalable.

Organizations that focus on behavioral precision—not just alignment—see stronger customer engagement, more consistent performance, and clearer business results. And that’s how you get the most from your sales teams.