By Patrina Pellett, PhD & Alex Palumbo, PhD

Disclosure Alex Palumbo, PhD:

This text represents my own views and not the ones from my former or current employer(s).

As an MSL, you’re at the heart of science and strategy, ensuring impactful collaborations with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and key opinion leaders (KOLs). But when it comes to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics, many MSLs feel overwhelmed. The numbers can feel punitive, controlling, confusing, and disconnected from the meaningful work you’re doing every day.

Here’s the truth: KPIs and metrics aren’t there to judge you. They’re tools to help you focus on the company’s strategy, show your value to your manager, and amplify your impact in the field for patients. This MSL survival guide to metrics and KPIs will demystify them, clarify their importance, and give you practical steps to turn them into opportunities to show your value.

KPIs vs. Metrics: Why are they used, and what’s the Difference?

Companies need to see how the medicines they created are helping patients and advancing science in the medical community. While commercial teams can show their value through prescription numbers, Medical Affairs must show how they improve scientific knowledge and medical decisions that lead to better care for patients.

Think of KPIs and metrics as tools that guide your company’s strategy. KPIs act as signposts, showing if you’re on track to meet your goals, while metrics provide the detailed steps to get there. In other words, KPIs are signposts showing if you’re on track to meet your goals. Once you understand how these tools work and the company clearly communicates their purpose, you’ll likely feel less pressure and more relief, knowing you have a way to share your on-the-ground insights with your manager to guide and improve strategic decisions.

Before you can start using KPIs and metrics effectively, you need to first understand what they are and how they differ:

• KPIs: Outcome-focused measures tied to the organizational vision. They answer, “Are we achieving our objectives for the state we want to be in the future?”
• Example: “80% of target KOLs educated on a new treatment.”
• Metrics: Detailed operational measures that track the actions contributing to KPIs. They answer, “What are we doing to reach our KPI?”
• Example: “Number of face-to-face KOL meetings held.”

How they work together

 KPIs measure the “route ”, while metrics track the “steps” you take to get there. Together, they ensure you’re moving in the right direction. For KPIs, think goals you want to achieve; for metrics, think data that tracks your progress toward those goals.

Tying Metrics to Vision: Understanding the Hierarchy

One of the biggest challenges MSLs face is truly understanding how their work fits into the bigger picture of the company. It’s not just about knowing your role. Tt’s about feeling connected to the company’s vision and values. When you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it gives you a sense of purpose that drives you every day. Without that connection, it’s easy to question the value of KPIs and metrics because you don’t see how they matter in your day-to-day.

That’s why it’s so important for companies to clearly communicate their vision, values, and how each role contributes to their success. MSLs need more than just an explanation. They need to feel this alignment. At the same time, companies have a responsibility to teach and reinforce these principles, using their vision and values as a foundation to explain objectives, strategy, and tactics. When this alignment is clear, every MSL can see the purpose behind their work and the role KPIs and metrics play in achieving it. Feeling that connection makes all the difference in going all-in and excelling in the job.

Even if you understand the company’s vision, objectives, strategy, and tactics, it’s important to know why these terms are distinct and how they’re used.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Vision: The “Big Why.” This is the overarching purpose—what everyone is ultimately working toward.
• Example: “Transform patient care by empowering HCPs with evidence-based insights.”
2. Objectives: Measurable and time-bound steps to make the vision a reality.
• Example: “Ensure 80% of KOLs are educated on a new treatment in six months.”
3. Strategy: The plan for achieving objectives—your route.
• Example: “Build strong, consistent relationships with KOLs to increase scientific alignment. ”
4. Tactics: The specific, actionable steps you take daily to execute the strategy.
• Example: “Conduct 15 face-to-face meetings with KOLs per month.”

Why this matters:

When metrics and KPIs are tied to this hierarchy:

• Your efforts align with the company’s vision and goals, ensuring your work supports the bigger picture.
• You can clearly show how your contributions drive outcomes and help achieve key objectives.
• Every action, from KOL meetings to follow-ups, has a clear purpose, supporting both the strategy and tactics.

KPIs and Metrics in Action

The purpose of KPIs and metrics is to help MSLs ensure their work impacts medical practice and scientific decisions. Measuring changes in beliefs or behavior can be difficult as these do not result from the number of meetings but from interpersonal skills. However, instead of measuring the action of MSLs in the field, companies may measure the reaction from HCPs/KOLs in response to the effort of MSLs.

Let’s take the example strategy and tactics from above:

• Strategy: The Example: “Build strong, consistent relationships with KOLs to increase scientific alignment.”
  • measurements:
    • How fast does the HCP/KOL respond to e-mail communication? 1-3 days? 3-7 days? More than 7 days? For each answer we may assign a score in an decreasing fashion. Higher score = fast reply, low score = slow reply.

This measurement may represent the “quality” of the interpersonal connection between the MSL and the HCP/KOL.

• How does the HCP/KOL evaluate meetings with the MSL? The questionnaire might contain questions about the relevancy to the HCP/KOL.

This measurement may show how good the MSL knows the needs of the HCP/KOL.

• Tactics: The Example: “Conduct 15 face-to-face meetings with KOLs per month.”
  • Proposed measurements:
    • How many times does the MSL visit the HCP/KOL?

This measurement may represent the “effort” of the MSL to meet the HCP/KOL. However, if those visits take place often, e.g. every two weeks instead of once a quarter, this might also represent a qualitative connection between MSL and HCP/KOL.

• Do these meetings take place proactively or reactively? The answer to this question might give an indication of whether the HCP/KOL recognizes the value the MSL can bring. Furthermore, the measurement of these questions may help the MSL and the company to recognize how their value is perceived and what can be strategically changed.

4 Tips to Shift Your Mindset and Overcome the Fear of KPIs and Metrics

Metrics often feel intimidating because they’re misunderstood. But when you reframe them as tools, not judgments, they become empowering. Here’s how to embrace a mindset that helps you use KPIs and metrics to demonstrate your value:

1. Reframe KPIs as Tools, Not Judgments

KPIs and metrics are not here to criticize you. They’re here to help you. They are tools highlighting what’s working, where you can improve, and how to demonstrate your impact. They’re like a roadmap guiding you toward your goals, not a performance review holding you back. When you see them this way, they become a resource for growth and success. If you’re struggling to align your efforts with KPIs, consider using an MSL Pre-Meeting Planning Checklist to make sure every engagement is purposeful.

2. Track Your Progress, But Start Small

Tracking your metrics is key to understanding how your actions align with objectives and contribute to your team’s success. But it’s important to start small to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Focus on one KPI and one or two supporting metrics for the month. For example:

• KPI: Improve actionable insights submitted by 20%.
• Metric: Number of insights aligned with strategic gaps.

Regularly tracking your progress, using tools like the Weekly Progress Tracker, can help you identify wins and areas for improvement. This practice not only builds confidence but also helps you create a habit of using metrics to guide your work.

3. Celebrate Progress—Not Just Perfection

Tracking metrics isn’t just about reaching goals; it’s about celebrating the small wins along the way. Every follow-up sent, every KOL meeting held, and every insight shared is part of the bigger picture. If you fall short of a target, don’t let it discourage you. Instead, reflect on what you’ve accomplished and use the results to adjust and improve. This mindset turns metrics into a source of motivation rather than pressure. To keep this process simple, use the Monthly Impact Report Template to log your wins and track areas for improvement over time.

4. Tie Metrics to Real Value

Metrics are more than numbers. They’re evidence of your impact. Don’t just focus on the quantity of your work (like the number of KOL meetings). Instead, highlight the outcomes: Did your meetings lead to new insights? Did those insights drive strategic decisions? Metrics that show tangible results, like “percentage of insights used in strategic planning,” demonstrate how your work contributes to the team’s success. By sharing these outcomes in strategic discussions, you ensure your value is recognized. If you need help framing these results, check out the Insights Review Template to organize and present your impact effectively.

Why This Mindset Shift Matters

Adopting this mindset transforms metrics from a source of fear into a powerful way to showcase your contributions. When you focus on growth, celebrate progress, and tie metrics to real outcomes, you’ll feel more confident and in control of your work. More importantly, your value will be clear to everyone around you.

Building a KPI and Metrics Routine: Planning for Impact

The key to making metrics work is integrating them into your routine. Use these steps to create a metrics-driven plan:

1. Identify Your Needle Movers: Focus on activities like:

• • Building KOL relationships.
  • Gathering actionable insights.
  • Giving talks.
  • Organizing events to facilitate exchange among HCPs/KOLs.

2. Break Goals into Milestones: Translate KPIs into measurable monthly tasks.

• Example: KPI: “During  KOL engagements, at the end ask whether the KOL felt supported by your visit and track the replies.”
  Milestone: “Schedule 20 KOL outreach emails to ensure follow-through.”

3. Schedule Metrics Time Blocks: Dedicate a specific time each week to track progress and adjust tactics.

4. Review and Reflect: Use tools like the Monthly Impact Report to evaluate what’s working and where to improve.

Avoiding Vanity Metrics

Not all metrics are created equal. Vanity metrics, like “number of HCP meetings” without context, can be misleading. Think of vanity metrics as measurements that feel good but don’t actually add value. To avoid them:

1. Ask, “What decision does this metric help me make?”: Focus on Quality, Not Quantity:

• Example: Instead of just counting meetings, track the “percentage of meetings that lead to insights or strategic outcomes.”

2. Tie Metrics to Strategy: Ensure every metric aligns with your team’s strategic objectives.

• Example: Get feedback from commercial colleagues to get an impression of how field medical work is perceived by the HCP/KOL. This will help you understand whether medical objectives are met and seen even by people outside of your bubble.