Are You Just Winging It or Do You Actually Have a System?

In medical sales, the difference between hitting your quota and joining the President's Club isn't just about working harder. It's about working smarter with a system.

I had a client last year named Tyler who'd been in device sales for three years. He hit about 85% of quota every year. Not terrible. Not great. Just okay.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong," he told me. "I work hard. I'm in the field every day. Why can't I break through?"

I asked him to show me his territory plan.

"My what?" he said.

He didn't have one. He just drove around his territory talking to whoever would see him. No strategy. No prioritization. No system.

That was his problem. And it's probably yours too.

Let me show you what actually working with a system looks like.

Do You Know Which Accounts Actually Matter?

Tyler had 60 accounts in his territory. I asked him to tell me his top 10.

He couldn't. "They're all important," he said.

No. They're not. Some accounts will drive most of your revenue. Some will waste most of your time.

I had him pull data on all 60 accounts. Historical purchases. Growth potential. Competitive presence. Decision-making structure.

We found that 8 accounts represented about 70% of his territory's potential revenue. He was spending maybe 25% of his time on those 8.

"Where are you spending the rest of your time?" I asked.

"The accounts that are easy to get into," he admitted. "The ones where people are friendly and give me access."

That's backward. He was optimizing for comfort instead of revenue.

We rebuilt his entire approach. Those 8 high-potential accounts got 65% of his time. The rest got 35%. We documented it all in a simple spreadsheet. Which accounts. How often to call. What the objective was for each call.

Six months later, Tyler hit 118% of quota.

"I can't believe I was just winging it before," he said.

Most reps are winging it. That's why most reps are mediocre.

Check out RepPath's program if you want to stop winging it.

Are You Prepared for Your Calls or Just Showing Up?

Tyler's old approach to calls was to show up and see what happened.

"What's your objective for this meeting?" I'd ask before a call.

"Just to check in," he'd say. "Build the relationship."

That's not an objective. That's what you do when you have no idea what you're trying to accomplish.

I had another client, Rebecca, in pharma. Same problem. She'd call on doctors without preparation.

"What clinical data are you bringing to this call?" I asked before she visited a cardiologist.

"I don't know," she said. "I'll see what he wants to talk about."

That's reactive. Not strategic.

We changed her approach. Before every call, she'd document:

• What's the objective? (Get formulary approval, set up clinical trial discussion, educate on new indication)
• What clinical evidence is relevant?
• What objections might come up?
• What's the specific ask at the end?

Her first few planning sessions took 20 minutes per call. She complained. "This is too much work."

"Do it anyway," I said.

After a month, it took her 5 minutes per call. And her close rate doubled.

"I'm not wasting time in meetings anymore," she told me. "I know exactly what I'm trying to accomplish."

Tyler learned the same lesson. Started planning every call. Knew his objective. Knew what data to bring. Knew what he was asking for.

His meetings got shorter and more effective. Doctors appreciated that he wasn't wasting their time.

Want to meet with a coach who can help you build these systems? That's what we do at RepPath.

Are You Tracking the Right Things?

Tyler tracked calls. How many offices he visited. How many conversations he had.

"I make 15 calls a week," he'd tell his manager proudly.

"How many of those calls move deals forward?" I asked.

He had no idea.

Activity doesn't equal results. You can make 100 calls that accomplish nothing.

I had Tyler start tracking different metrics:

• How many decision-maker conversations (not just any conversations)
• How many opportunities progressed to next stage
• Which accounts were moving forward versus stalled
• Win rate by account type

Suddenly he could see patterns. He was spending tons of time on accounts that never progressed. He was avoiding hard conversations with decision makers.

"I thought I was being productive," he said. "I was just being busy."

Rebecca had the same realization. She was tracking total doctor visits. Impressive number. But most were quick check-ins that accomplished nothing.

When she started tracking meaningful conversations and progression toward formulary approvals, the numbers were embarrassing.

"I'm doing way less meaningful work than I thought," she admitted.

Once they both started tracking what actually mattered, they could see what was working and what wasn't. And they could adjust.

Do You Have a Plan for Your Key Accounts?

Tyler's biggest account was a hospital system that represented 30% of his territory potential. But he had no formal strategy for it.

"What's your plan for this account?" I asked.

"Keep building relationships with the surgeons," he said.

That's not a plan. That's a vague hope.

We built a real account plan. Who are all the stakeholders? Who makes decisions? Who influences decisions? What's the competitive situation? What's our strategy for each stakeholder?

We documented it all. Created a one-page account strategy.

Tyler realized he'd been focusing on the wrong people. He'd built great relationships with two surgeons. But the purchasing decisions were made by a Value Analysis Committee he'd never even met.

"I wasted a year building the wrong relationships," he said.

Once he had a clear account strategy, he knew exactly who to target and why. He started making progress.

Rebecca had a similar experience with her biggest hospital system. She'd been calling on individual doctors. But formulary decisions were made at the system level by a pharmacy committee.

"I didn't even know that committee existed," she admitted.

Her account plan forced her to research the structure. Figure out who mattered. Build a strategy for each person.

Six months later, she got her drug on the system formulary. It was her biggest win of the year.

"I never would have done that without a formal plan," she said.

What About Competitive Analysis?

Tyler knew he had competitors. But he didn't really track them systematically.

"Who's your biggest competitor in this account?" I'd ask.

"I think it's Company X," he'd say. "But I'm not sure."

Not good enough. You need to know exactly where competitors are strong and where they're weak.

We built a simple competitive matrix. For each key account, which competitors were present? Which products? What was their market share? What were their strengths and weaknesses?

Tyler discovered that in his biggest account, the competitor had 70% share. Tyler had been treating it like an offensive opportunity. It was actually a defensive battle.

"My strategy needs to be completely different," he realized.

Instead of trying to replace the competitor entirely, he focused on capturing new procedures and protecting the 30% he had. Much more realistic.

Rebecca did the same analysis for her pharma territory. Learned that one competitor had relationships she couldn't break. Another competitor was vulnerable on price and coverage.

"I was treating all competitors the same," she said. "But they're not the same. My strategy should be different for each."

Once both of them understood the competitive landscape clearly, they could build smarter strategies.

How Do You Set Goals That Actually Matter?

Tyler's goals were simple. "Hit 100% of quota."

That's not a goal. That's a result.

"What has to happen for you to hit quota?" I asked.

He didn't know. He'd never broken it down.

We reverse-engineered his quota. How many deals at what size would he need? That meant how many opportunities in the pipeline? That meant how many accounts to target?

Suddenly his goal wasn't "hit quota." His goal was "build pipeline of 15 qualified opportunities in Q1."

That's actionable. He could measure it. He could track progress. He could adjust if he was falling short.

Rebecca did the same thing. Her goal was "get 3 drugs on formulary this year."

But that required what? At least 10 formulary committee presentations. That required approval to present from how many department heads? That required how many champion relationships?

Breaking it down made it manageable.

"Now I know if I'm on track or not," she said. "Before, I'd just hope I was doing enough."

Do You Prepare for Performance Reviews?

Tyler's performance reviews were always awkward. His manager would review his numbers. Tyler would nod along. No real discussion of strategy or improvement.

"Do you prepare for these?" I asked.

"Not really," he said. "I figure the numbers speak for themselves."

Numbers don't tell a story. You need to tell the story.

I had Tyler prepare a document before his next review. What he accomplished. What challenges he faced. What he learned. What his plan was for next quarter.

His manager was impressed. "Most reps just show up," she said. "You clearly thought about this."

The review went from a passive evaluation to an active strategic discussion.

Rebecca prepared the same way. Built a document. Showed her wins. Explained her challenges. Proposed her plan.

"My manager took me more seriously," she said. "We had a real business conversation instead of just reviewing numbers."

Both of them got more support from their managers after that. Because they showed they were thinking strategically, not just reacting.

How Much Time Does This Actually Take?

Tyler complained at first. "All this planning and tracking is taking too much time."

"How much time?" I asked.

He calculated. Maybe 3 hours a week. Territory planning. Call preparation. Tracking. Account strategies.

"That's too much," he said.

"How much windshield time are you doing?" I asked.

He drove about 15 hours a week.

"So you're spending 15 hours in your car and you think 3 hours of strategic planning is too much?"

He got the point.

Rebecca had the same complaint. "I don't have time for all this paperwork."

"You have time," I told her. "You're just choosing to spend it being reactive instead of strategic."

After a few months, both of them had it down to about 2 hours a week. Territory review on Sunday evening. Call prep throughout the week. Weekly tracking Friday afternoon.

"It's such a small amount of time for how much better my results are," Tyler said eventually.

Rebecca agreed. "I used to think planning was wasted time. Now I realize not planning was wasted time."

What Actually Matters?

After working with Tyler, Rebecca, and dozens of other reps, here's what I've learned:

You need a territory plan. Not just "know your accounts" but actual documented prioritization.

You need call preparation. Not just "wing it" but documented objectives and strategy.

You need to track what matters. Not just activity but meaningful progress.

You need account strategies. Not just "build relationships" but documented plans for key accounts.

You need competitive intelligence. Not just "I have competitors" but systematic analysis.

You need goal structure. Not just "hit quota" but broken-down, actionable milestones.

And you need performance documentation. Not just "the numbers speak for themselves" but strategic storytelling.

Tyler went from 85% of quota to 118% in six months by implementing these systems.

Rebecca went from middle of the pack to top 20% in her region in one year.

Both of them said the same thing: "I can't believe I was just winging it before."

Most reps are winging it. That's why most reps are average.

Ready to stop winging it and start working with a system? That's what RepPath is for.

Joe Licata
RepPath