The Not-So-Secret Secret: Unlock Your Potential Pharma Sales English with SMART Goals (With Examples and a Template!)

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” — Fitzhugh Dodson

The Importance of Goal-Setting in Pharma Sales

In life as a pharma sales professional, you know the importance of goal-setting. However, in my experience, very few apply this understanding to their professional English development. This could be because improving your English skills seems so vast that you don't know where to start or even what to do to make progress. What does 'progress' mean, anyway? How do you measure it?

That is why setting a goal is so important. So you can set your objective clearly and measure your progress.

So, today, let's look at goal-setting for English in pharma sales so you can make progress that we can see and measure, and have an end-point goal we can reach!

Characteristics of Effective Goals

I am sure you are familiar with the SMART approach to goal-setting. It is a very popular approach for a reason: IT WORKS. Let's review the SMART goal-setting approach.

Effective goals should be SMART:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Measurable: Ensure you can track and measure progress.
• Achievable: Set realistic and attainable goals.
• Relevant: Align your goals with your overall objectives.
• Time-bound: Set deadlines to create a sense of urgency.

Now, let's see how we can use this framework to set goals and a plan to achieve them in pharma sales English.

Goal-Setting Framework for English Improvement in Pharma Sales

1. Identify Overall Goal
2. Identify Improvement Areas
3. Set SMART Goals For each of the three improvement areas, set a SMART goal:
4. Plan Weekly Activities
5. Monthly Check-Points

Example Walkthrough

Overall Goal: "My overall goal is to get a new pharma sales job in a multinational company."

Improvement Areas:

1. Interview skills in English
2. Fluency (to communicate confidently in the interview process)
3. Listening (so I can hear the interviewer clearly and understand

SMART Goals:

• Interview Skills Goal:

Specific: Improve my English interview skills for pharma sales positions.

Measurable: Conduct 10 mock interviews with a mentor, coach, or ChatGPT.

Achievable: Schedule and practice 1-2 mock interviews each week.

Relevant: Enhances readiness and confidence for actual job interviews.

Time-bound: Within 6 weeks.

• Fluency Goal:

Specific: Increase fluency in speaking to communicate confidently during interviews.

Measurable: Participate in 15 English conversation sessions with colleagues or a mentor.

Achievable: Engage in 2-3 conversation sessions per week.

Relevant: Boosts confidence and effectiveness in interview scenarios.

Time-bound: Within 6 weeks.

• Listening Goal:

Specific: Improve listening comprehension to better understand interview questions.

Measurable: Listen to 8 hours of English-language interview podcasts and practice active listening exercises.

Achievable: Listen to 30 minutes of podcasts daily and summarize the content.

Relevant: Enhances ability to accurately understand and respond to interview questions.

Time-bound: Within 4 weeks.

Weekly Activities:

Interview Skills Activities:

• Conduct 1-2 mock interviews per week with a mentor, coach, or ChatGPT.
• Record and review mock interviews to identify areas for improvement.

Fluency Activities:

• Participate in 2-3 English conversation sessions with colleagues or a mentor each week.
• Practice answering common interview questions out loud and seek feedback.

Listening Activities:

• Listen to 30 minutes of English-language interview podcasts daily.
• Summarize the podcast content and discuss it with a peer or mentor to ensure comprehension.

Monthly Check-Points:

• Review progress on each SMART goal.
• Adjust activities if goals are not being met.
• Celebrate achievements and set new targets if goals are completed ahead of time.

Get Started with Your Own Goal-Setting Template!

To help you achieve your professional English goals in the pharmaceutical industry, I've created a free, downloadable goal-setting template.

This template will guide you through setting SMART goals and planning your weekly activities, ensuring you stay on track and see measurable progress.

Start your journey towards effective communication for pharma sales English today!

Comment Template and I will send it over!