We talk about relationship-building in Medical Affairs all the time. We even want to use it as a KPI to help demonstrate the value of Medical Affairs. But what does the term relationship-building actually mean? How should it be defined? How can an MSL know if they are doing “relationship-building”? And if they are doing it right?

It’s hard to be good at something when it isn’t clearly defined. This article is going to tackle what is relationship-building for MSLs and Medical Affairs and hopefully, get you to think more critically about your own definition of relationship-building and how you approach it.

The Definition of Relationship-Building

When noodling on how to define relationship building, this is what my brain came up with:

It’s the process of getting to know someone and building trust.

ChatGPT defined effective relationship building as being, “Characterized by trust, open communication, and a genuine interest in the well-being and perspectives of others.”

What do you think of these definitions? How do you characterize it and how do you know if you are doing it well?

What is Relationship Building for MSLs and Medical Affairs

In the Medical Affairs context, relationship-building translates to understanding stakeholder needs and thought processes and effectively communicating needs between multiple stakeholder groups (KOLs and the company for example or the liaising part).

For MSLs, relationship building is a strategic process of establishing, developing, and maintaining connections with HCPs, KOLs, and other stakeholders.

Having clear definitions makes it possible to take more concrete actions because you know what you are working toward. Does your company have a definition for relationship building? Please share in the comments or by reaching out to me on LinkedIn.

The 3 Stages of Relationship Building

Relationship building can be broken down into 3 stages:

1. Establishing (the awkward how to get someone to talk to you/ respond to your email stage)
2. Developing (the we can try being friends stage)
3. Maintaining (the now we are besties stage)

The Establishing Relationship Building Phase

The establishing relationship building phase (or the awkward trying to get someone to talk to you phase 🤣) is all about making connections, networking, and understanding what the other person values.

For MSLs, this means introducing themselves to KOLs at congresses to discuss the keynote talk or other interesting data presented. It also includes pre-meeting planning and reading their social media posts and publications to identify what their interests and thought processes may be.

It also includes going out to dinner with cross-functional partners and getting to know them better.

The Developing Relationship Building Phase

The developing relationship building phase (also known as the building up your street cred phase) is all about building trust, clear communication, and showing genuine interest.

For MSLs, building trust can mean reliably following up with relevant, accurate, and unbiased information. Clearly communicating expectations is key in this phase. For example, outlining all the steps required to conduct an ad board and each party’s responsibilities helps develop the relationship. Lastly, MSLs who deeply care about the HCP/KOL as a person tend to build stronger relationships.

A rockstar MSL I know was telling me that she always starts the conversation with something she knows her KOL is deeply interested in. Whether it is related to the science and data or not. This helps her build the relationship and get the next meeting.

The Maintaining Relationship Building Phase

The maintaining relationship building phase (or the we are officially friends phase) is defined by consistency, regular engagements, and adaptability.

For an MSL, this can mean consistently following up on requests and starting to predict what the KOL’s needs may be. It also means getting a regular meeting cadence in place (such as quarterly touchpoints to review data and discuss what is new). As time goes on, preferences and needs change and an MSL may need to change his/her communication style to accommodate KOLs changing needs and preferences.

What Does Good Relationship Building Look Like?

Relationship building is hard to define, so defining what is good looks like is equally hard. The key is to develop your own definitions that align with your team and company culture. It is a good discussion to have with your manager and team. Ask what good relationship building looks like?

As a professional relationship builder for most of my career, defining what relationship building looks like has helped me understand how to prioritize activities at work. This will also help MSLs and Medical Affairs folks feel confident about their activities and if they are focusing on what matters.

Alongside the definition, I recommend having a set of actions to help you know that you are crushing the relationship-building part of your job. Something like:

• When I research my KOLs and do pre-meeting planning, I am working on relationship building.
• When my call with a KOL goes over, I am relationship-building.
• When I go out to dinner with my cross-functional partners, I am relationship-building.

Sometimes it can feel like these small things are not doing your job. I used to feel like when I spent an hour on WhatsApp chatting with a medical manager about what fun work activities he had coming, I was wasting time. That’s the wrong way to think about it. This is actually a pro relationship-building move!

Make a list of all the ways you build relationships and keep that handy to remind yourself how productive you are!

Conclusions: What is Relationship Building for MSLs and Medical Affairs

Relationship building is the process of getting to know someone and building trust. Defining what good looks like for each of the different relationship building stages will help you determine where you should focus your efforts and to demonstrate your impact.

I want to hear from you! How do you define relationship building and what does good look like? Do you agree with these different stages? How do you approach each?

Comment down below or share with me on LinkedIn.