In a sales interview, a salesperson seeks to obtain agreement from the customer. The AIDA Formula is a well known technique to carry the customer along with you. It can be used in conjunction with the 4P-S (PPPPS) technique for winning results.

The AIDA formula splits the selling sequence into four main stages -

A for Attention, I for Interest, D for Demonstration and A for Acceptance.

A - Attention
Choose your opening remarks carefully. These should be such as to immediately draw the doctor’s attention.

I - Interest
Interest can be aroused and sustained by steering your presentation towards the issues that are of interest to the doctor. Check the doctor’s viewpoint by suitable probing.

D - Demonstration
- of facts, such as published evidence and product benefits. The Demonstraion should be a Discussion or Dialogue rather than a monologue and should kindle Desire to use the product.

A - Acceptance
With a successful sales sequence comes acceptance.

The 4P-S (PPPPS) Technique

The 4P-S technique is a unique selling technique which combines the principles of empathy with the AIDA Formula for an effective presentation.

P (Problem) 			State a Medical Treatment Problem
P (Positive Response) 		Obtain agreement from the doctor
P (Proposal)			Suggest what the doctor would want  
				in such a situation
P (Product)			Name your product which will satisfy 
				the doctor’s needs
S (Selling Statement)		Features, Advantages, Benefits
				Discuss the products’ features, its 
				advantages and benefits as a part of 
				your main sales story.

Let’s apply the PPPPS technique to a specific product. As an example, when applied to a selective beta-blocker such as atenolol vis-a-vis a non selective beta-blocker such as propranolol, the PPPPS technique could be applied as follows:

MR    : 		When treating hypertension with a beta blocker,
			some beta-blockers can precipitate bronchospasm (Problem)

Doctor: 		That’s right! (Positive Response)
MR    : 		What you would want is a beta-blocker that 
			treats hypertension without causing bronchospasm.(Proposal)

Doctor: 		Yes!
MR    : 		XYZ - our brand of atenolol - is just the product 
			to meet your requirement (Product)

			XYZ is a selective beta-1 blocker which spares 
			beta-2 receptors and hence does not cause 
			bronchospasm. In addition, XYZ has the 
			advantages of 24 hour B.P. control and once 
			daily dosing convenience. Dosing  convenience 
			and better tolerability both facilitate better 
			patient compliance which in turn improves clinical 
			success rates. Don’t you agree that XYZ is the 
			right beta-blocker for your patients? (Selling Statement)
		
			(Please note that this is an example only and
			not a model detailing, which would vary 
			depending upon the situation)

But is the PPPPS Technique different from the AIDA Formula? How does PPPPS Technique correlate with the AIDA Formula?



Thus the AIDA Formula and 4P-S Technique keep the customer involved in the selling sequence through dialogue and constantly concurring with the salesperson. When used together they could be the winning formula for a successful interview.

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