CNPR Physician Relations 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A physician says they are satisfied with the current standard of care and sees no reason to change. This is an example of which type of objection?
- Product objection
- Price objection
- Status quo objection (Correct answer)
- Access objection
Correct answer: Status quo objection
A status quo objection reflects the physician's comfort with current therapy rather than a specific concern about your product.
Question 2: What does 'share of voice' mean in pharmaceutical marketing?
- The loudness of a rep's presentation
- The percentage of total promotional activity in a market that belongs to a specific company or product (Correct answer)
- The number of times a physician mentions your product
- The ratio of positive to negative physician feedback
Correct answer: The percentage of total promotional activity in a market that belongs to a specific company or product
Share of voice measures a company's promotional presence relative to competitors and correlates with market share outcomes.
Question 3: According to PhRMA guidelines, pharmaceutical representatives may provide physicians with educational items only if:
- They are valued at no more than $100 per item
- The items are of minimal value, primarily benefit patients, and are related to the physician's medical practice (Correct answer)
- The physician requests the items in writing
- The items are provided during a formal dinner meeting
Correct answer: The items are of minimal value, primarily benefit patients, and are related to the physician's medical practice
PhRMA guidelines restrict gifts to items of modest value that serve a legitimate educational purpose related to patient care.
Question 4: Which technique is most effective for closing a physician call with a commitment to prescribe?
- Pressuring the physician with urgency tactics
- Summarizing key clinical benefits and asking a trial-close question tied to a specific appropriate patient type (Correct answer)
- Offering additional samples as an incentive to prescribe
- Asking the physician to sign a prescribing pledge
Correct answer: Summarizing key clinical benefits and asking a trial-close question tied to a specific appropriate patient type
A trial close that links the product to a specific patient scenario makes the commitment concrete and clinically relevant.
Question 5: A physician in your territory is a high-volume prescriber of a competing drug but has never tried your product. This physician is best classified as:
- A loyal customer
- A prospect requiring conversion strategy (Correct answer)
- A detractor to be avoided
- An influencer requiring KOL management
Correct answer: A prospect requiring conversion strategy
A non-prescribing high-volume physician represents a significant conversion opportunity that requires a targeted strategy.
Question 6: When scheduling a lunch-and-learn for a physician's office, you must ensure:
- The meal is as expensive as possible to impress the staff
- The educational content is the primary focus and the meal is incidental, complying with PhRMA and company guidelines (Correct answer)
- Only the physician attends, not office staff
- The event is not documented to avoid disclosure requirements
Correct answer: The educational content is the primary focus and the meal is incidental, complying with PhRMA and company guidelines
Lunch-and-learns must be primarily educational, with meals that are reasonable and not used as incentives to prescribe.
Question 7: A physician mentions that their patients struggle to afford your branded medication. The most appropriate response is to:
- Suggest the physician prescribe a lower-cost therapy from a competitor
- Inform the physician about patient assistance programs and co-pay support options offered by your company (Correct answer)
- Advise the physician to stop prescribing to low-income patients
- Lower your product's price independently to help
Correct answer: Inform the physician about patient assistance programs and co-pay support options offered by your company
Patient assistance programs are a legitimate and important resource that reps should be prepared to discuss to remove access barriers.
CNPR Physician Relations 4
A physician says they are satisfied with the current standard of care and sees no reason to change.
This is an example of which type of objection?