Life sciences sales is a distinct arena with unique challenges. Unlike traditional sales, life sciences reps aren’t selling products with flexible pricing or negotiable terms. Rather, they’re influencing healthcare professionals (HCPs) to prescribe their drug over a competitor’s – a task that demands a different approach to sales rep training.
This is where the Situational Leadership Model can be a real game-changer. When used properly, it provides sales managers with a structured approach to effective sales coaching for their reps, enabling them to tailor their leadership style to the development needs of each individual.
For life sciences companies, where reps need to navigate regulatory frameworks, complex buyer motivations, and a highly educated customer base, this model offers a dynamic, human-centered way to boost performance and drive results.
What Is the Situational Leadership Model?
The Situational Leadership Model was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, and it proposes that effective leaders adapt their style to the ‘maturity’ or ‘development level’ of the individual they are leading. Rather than adopting a fixed leadership approach, managers flex between four styles.
- Directing (High Directive, Low Supportive) – For team members new to a task, the leader gives clear, structured guidance.
- Coaching (High Directive, High Supportive) – Used when the individual has some competence but still needs motivation and encouragement.
- Supporting (Low Directive, High Supportive) – Applied when the person is capable but requires confidence-building and autonomy.
- Delegating (Low Directive, Low Supportive) – For highly competent, self-reliant individuals who need minimal intervention.
In the life sciences sales environment, where every rep’s experience, skills, and motivators differ, the ability to shift between these styles is critical for sales managers. It helps to ensure that your field force gets the right balance of direction, coaching, support, and autonomy to meet their goals – something that’s non-negotiable in life sciences sales training.
How to Apply the Situational Leadership Model to Life Sciences Sales
The nature of life sciences sales creates a unique context for situational leadership. Sales managers aren’t driving negotiations in the traditional sense. Their goal is to develop reps who can handle objections, position the benefits of their product, and influence HCPs’ prescribing behavior.
Directing
New hires or those new to selling a particular product may need this level of hands-on guidance. They’re still learning the specifics of the product, the competitive landscape, and how to handle objections. Managers should provide step-by-step guidance on:
- How can the benefits of the drug be positioned, such as shorter treatment times or better patient outcomes?
- Handling common objections surrounding price, for example.
- Developing clear, consistent messaging for HCPs.
At this stage, frequent field visits, role-play sessions, and tightly structured development plans are essential. Managers should not expect autonomy from reps at this point.
Coaching
As reps become more familiar with the drug and start engaging with HCPs, they can often reach a stage where they’re building confidence but still need a little support, which is where coaching becomes pivotal.
A sales manager’s role here is to be a guide and a motivator. They provide feedback, suggest improvements, and encourage the rep to reflect on their performance. By using aCoach, managers can create a personalized development plan for each rep, track progress, and offer specific advice on:
- Improving objection-handling techniques.
- Identifying opportunities for HCPs to trial a drug for a short period.
- Refine pitch delivery and adjust it to suit different HCPs.
Regular feedback and joint visits to HCPs can be very helpful at this stage. The manager’s presence shows support while still enabling the rep to lead the interaction.
Supporting
At this point, reps are usually competent but may still benefit from confidence boosts or motivation. They’re beginning to operate more independently, but they might find a sounding board helpful
The supporting style of life sciences sales training is less about direction and more about encouragement. Sales managers can ask questions, provide constructive feedback, and offer the rep room to explore new ideas. With aCoach, managers can track progress on key development goals, ensuring ongoing alignment.
The focus here might be on refining the rep’s ability to:
- Build long-term relationships with HCPs.
- Adapt pitches to meet the preferences of different prescribers.
- Maintain motivation and resilience during challenging periods.
Delegating
This stage is for experienced, high-performing reps. They’ve mastered product knowledge, objection handling, and relationship management. This means that managers can step back and trust reps to operate independently.
While intervention is minimal, managers still get involved in goal-setting and accountability. With aCoach, managers can track progress remotely, ensuring reps remain focused on performance goals. Delegating doesn’t mean ignoring—it means knowing when to step in and when to step away.
This might involve:
- Managing their schedule and call lists.
- Building long-term relationships with key HCPs.
- Sharing their learnings with newer reps, turning them into informal mentors.
- How aCoach Supports Situational Leadership
While the Situational Leadership Model provides a theoretical framework, aCoach enables managers to put it into action. Life sciences sales managers can create personalized development plans, assess rep performance, and provide feedback directly through the platform.
Support Your Team’s Development with aCoach
aCoach is a unique, AI-powered coaching platform that empowers sales managers to develop and support their field teams. It’s a tool that enables continuous development through structured and effective sales coaching, tailored development plans, and performance tracking. Life sciences sales managers can focus on what matters most: guiding their reps from direction to delegation.
With aCoach, managers can utilize AI to get full visibility of individual progress, making it easier to personalize development, coach in real-time, and track performance. It’s flexible, tailored, and designed to meet the demands of life sciences sales training, where influencing HCPs’ prescribing behavior requires precision and skill.
If you’re ready to drive sales excellence in your life sciences team, see how aCoach can elevate your coaching process. Click here to learn more and request a demo today, or get in touch for further information.
