There are so many things that I wish I knew when I first started out in the field as a physician liaison.

I wish I had a mentor, a coach, or someone to guide me along the way.

So… I wanted to share a few things with you that I wish someone had told me when I first got started.

Here are 12 things I wish I knew when I first started out as a Physician Liaison:

1. It can get really lonely out there.

I thought, “Oh, I’m going to be out visiting people all day. It’s going to be great.”

I’m social, I’m extroverted, I’m going to be talking to people. What could go wrong?

What I didn’t understand is how lonely it can feel because you’re in the car all day by yourself, and sometimes you feel like you’re on an island.

So, gather your cheering section.

What does that look like for you?

Is that a coworker? Is that a favorite podcast? Is that your favorite pump you up playlist?

Whatever it is that keeps you energized and engaged when you’re in the car by yourself, driving around going to offices, or getting told “No” a lot, gather your cheering section and keep going.

What is your cheering section?

2. Your leadership team has absolutely no idea where you are, where you’re going, who you’re going to see, or what you’re doing unless you tell them.

So… if you don’t want to be micromanaged (most of us don’t), then communicate with your leadership team.

♦️ Where are you going? 

♦️ What are you doing? 

♦️ Who did you talk to?

♦️ What did you talk to them about?

It’s not your leadership team’s responsibility to ask what you’re doing all the time.

It’s your responsibility to tell them.

3. You never know when something’s going to hit.

The call that you felt like you bombed and walked away totally discouraged…You never know, if (or when) that will actually work out in your favor.

Story time (let me set the stage)…

I was a new liaison. It was in the middle of a hot Texas July afternoon. I was already having a rough day and dragging. 

I walked into an office, and everyone was on vacation except the front desk person. The entire office is shut down not seeing patients. Front desk girl is new, hasn’t even been there a week.

I introduce myself, tell her who I am, and share some of the benefits of our practice.

Her response: “I really don’t know who we refer to. I really don’t know anything about this. But, you know, thanks for the information.”

My thoughts after that visit: “That was a total waste of my time.”

Within 24 hours, we got a referral from that practice.

Turns out, a patient had called looking for someplace to go, needing the exact service that we offered.

And this girl at the front desk, there by herself, brand new, had no one to call and ask how to help this patient. But… Because I had just been there, she ended up referring the patient to our practice.

So, you never know when something is going to hit.

4. Not getting past the gatekeeper is just part of the job.

It’s part of the job, so there’s no reason to get discouraged or frustrated by that.

But… When you go in with the mindset that you won’t get past the gatekeeper, you’re setting yourself up for failure. 

I like to think of getting past the gatekeeper as a game, or actually more as a puzzle. 

“Hmmm… What is the next piece of the puzzle that this gatekeeper needs to trust me enough to allow me to speak with their physicians?”

🔸 Do they need more conversation?

🔸 Do they need more personal relationship?

🔸 Do they need more encouragement?

🔸 Do they just need the data and the cold hard facts?

Instead of being discouraged, choose to be encouraged that every step is another piece of the puzzle.

5. Being in the friend zone (meaning being friends with your referring doctors) is not nearly as cool as you think it is.

When you’re merely friends with a referring doctor, you can go in and shoot the breeze, have this great conversation and walk out feeling great.

But the reality is… Nothing changed. You didn’t move the needle in that office. 

Because… They still don’t understand what your practice can offer for their patients.

While being in the friend zone feels like you’re one of the cool kids, the friend zone is not a cool place to be. Bringing value to their patients and their practice is a cool place to be.

And ironically… If you bring enough value over a long enough period of time, some of your referring doctors actually do become true friends.

6. Giving your entire message at once is way too much.

We walk in with all these wonderful things we want to say, but sometimes your referring doctor just needs to know that one thing.

How do I refer a patient? Do you offer X, Y or Z service?

Too much information is overwhelming. It brings confusion, information overload, and then referring offices get paralyzed and don’t do anything.

Meet your referring doctors where they are and give them just enough information to take the next step.

7. Referral relationships aren’t instantaneous.

We always hope that we’re going to walk into a referring doctor’s office for the first time and immediately get referrals.

Sometimes that does happen, and it’s a great thing when it does.

But there are a lot of referring practices that need to build trust over time. Certain practices are a little bit slower or take longer to gain access.

Consistency over time is the name of the game.

It’s not sexy and it’s never something a competitive liaison looking for ROI wants to hear. But it’s real (and I’m here as your #1 hype girl to shoot you straight). Have patience and find the wins where you can get them.

Maybe you didn’t get a referral that day, but maybe you got past the gatekeeper or had a great conversation with the doctor that you can build off of next time.

Find the wins where you can get them, enjoy them where you have them, and trust that consistency over time does eventually bring results.

8. Every visit is an opportunity.

Even if it doesn’t result in referrals, every office visit is an opportunity to learn and grow.

After walking out of every visit, go back to your car and think through: 

Practice your message in the car when you’re driving, think through what you want to say next time, and learn from every visit.

9. Invest in a good raincoat.

I know this may sound crazy, but my coaching is nothing if it’s not real world and practical and an umbrella just won’t cut it during a downpour. 

Trying to hold an umbrella during a rainy, windy day while you’re getting brochures, treats, and whatever else out of your car isn’t going to be pretty. (You can find out how I know here. And yes, I learned this one the hard way.)

Make sure to have a good raincoat and keep it ready when bad weather strikes. 

10. When you don’t know, it’s okay to ask.

It’s tempting to think that you’re just in a referring doctor’s office to get your message out.

In reality, it’s okay (even better) to ask:

🔸 What do you need from our practice?

🔸 How can we best support you?

🔸 How can we help your patients?

🔸 What information would you like?

🔸 What information do your patients need?

These questions are what elevate your presentation to a conversation and guide you to bring value to referring doctors and their patients.

11. A territory call plan.

A really organized territory call plan is not optional.

Nine times out of ten we go in on Monday to figure out where to go for the week. The default is to stick to places where we have good relationships, requests for information, or practices we want to follow up with.

But that’s a missed opportunity (or lots of missed opportunities).

A consistent call plan allows you to see the right people, in the right places, at the right time.

Back in my day the call plan was all on a word document or in Excel. We had to build our territory plans by hand using a map. I’m not talking about the app in your phone map. I’m talking a real, paper, old fashioned map.

Today, there are apps such as Badger Maps and Physician Liaison Management that make it so much easier.

The #1 reason hardworking liaisons have flat or declining numbers is that they’re not following a consistent call plan. If you’re not following one, start today. 

12. Have your rest stop and your restroom plan in place.

I saw this suggestion in an article and unfortunately don’t remember where to give the author due credit. But it’s real.

This was never so important to me as my early pharma days when I was pregnant with my first child. 

I was so sick and sadly, didn’t have a game plan. It didn’t take me long to figure out where the best restrooms were in every doctor’s office. (Definitely not the ones right where patients are sitting or where doctors are going in and out.)

Where are the clean and private restrooms in your territory?

Have your plan in place for when you gotta go.

What do you wish that you had known when you were first starting out as a physician liaison? Or if you’re just starting out, what do you want to know?