How to Get Your Medical Reps to Stick to a Selling Framework
You've invested in a selling framework. Maybe it's SPIN, Challenger, or something built specifically for your therapeutic area. The logic is sound. The training was solid. Everyone nodded along in the workshop.
Six weeks later, most reps are back to doing whatever feels comfortable.
This isn't a failure of the framework. It's a failure of how we expect behaviour change to happen.
Why frameworks don't stick
A selling framework is a set of habits. And habits don't form in a two-day training session.
Knowledge isn't the same as skill. Reps can understand a framework intellectually and still struggle to use it under pressure. Knowing the steps doesn't mean the steps come naturally when a healthcare professional throws an unexpected objection.
Old habits are strong. Most experienced reps have years of muscle memory working against them. They've developed their own way of opening conversations, handling objections, and closing. A new framework feels awkward by comparison.
The field is unforgiving. There's no safe place to be bad at something new. Reps are expected to perform from day one. So they default to what they know, even if what they know isn't what you trained.
Coaching is inconsistent. Managers have different interpretations of the framework. Some reinforce it rigorously. Others let things slide. Without consistent reinforcement, the framework becomes optional.
What actually works
Getting a framework to stick requires more than training. It requires a system that makes the right behaviours easier than the wrong ones.
Break it into smaller pieces. Don't ask reps to master everything at once. Focus on one element of the framework at a time. This week, work on the opening. Next week, work on discovery questions. Small wins build momentum.
Make practice frequent and low-stakes. The gap between training and the field is where frameworks go to die. Reps need regular opportunities to rehearse, whether that's with a manager, a peer, or an AI-powered practice tool. The format matters less than the frequency.
Standardise what "good" looks like. Create clear examples of the framework in action. Record top performers. Build a library of what excellent looks like for each stage of the conversation. When everyone can see the target, alignment improves.
Build the framework into coaching conversations. Managers should be asking about specific framework elements in every one-to-one. Not "how did the call go?" but "how did you handle the needs analysis?" This keeps the framework visible and relevant.
Measure adoption, not just results. In the short term, a rep using the old approach might still hit their numbers. But if you only measure outcomes, you'll never know whether the framework is taking hold. Track behaviours as well as results.
Make it safe to struggle. Reps need space to practise without fear of judgement. This might mean dedicated practice time with peers, self-directed rehearsal using AI roleplay tools, or simply a culture where managers celebrate effort, not just perfection.
The manager's role
Frameworks stick when managers make them stick. Not through enforcement, but through consistent attention.
The best sales managers treat the framework as a shared language. They use it in feedback. They reference it in deal reviews. They model it in their own conversations.
When the framework becomes how you talk about selling, it stops being an extra thing to remember. It becomes the way things are done.
Give it time
Behaviour change is slow. Expect some reps to adopt quickly and others to resist. Expect setbacks. Expect the occasional complaint that the old way was better.
Stay the course. The frameworks that stick are the ones that get reinforced consistently over months, not days.
Your reps can learn to sell differently. They just need more than a workshop to get there.
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