FreeScore your brand plan before management does. Send me the scorecard
In short: a medical rep’s 30-60-90 day plan splits the first three months into three phases: learn (days 1 to 30), execute (31 to 60) and own (61 to 90). For each phase, write the goals, the actions that reach them, and how progress will be measured. Keep it to one page, base it on research into the territory and therapy area, leave targets as placeholders to agree with the manager, and include compliance. The same plan serves an interview and the real first quarter.
Many hiring managers in pharmaceutical sales ask candidates to bring or present a 30-60-90 day plan, often at the second or final interview. New reps who were never asked for one benefit from writing it anyway. Over two decades of working with field teams in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, I have found that the reps who settle fastest are rarely the ones with the best product scores. They are the ones who walked in with a plan and asked their manager to correct it.
This guide gives you the structure, a template you can fill in, and two worked examples. If you are new to the role itself, read the main guide to what a medical representative does first.
What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan for a Medical Rep?
Short answer: a short written plan for a new rep’s first three months, split into three 30-day phases, each with goals, actions and measures. It turns “settling in” into specific steps the rep and manager can check together.
The idea is general to many sales and management roles, but it fits the medical representative job especially well, because the first three months follow a natural order. You cannot run a good call before you know the product and the rules; you cannot own a territory before you have met its customers. The plan makes that order explicit and gives the manager a way to see progress before sales data catches up.
It mirrors the onboarding curriculum on the company side. A well-built pharmaceutical sales rep training program runs over roughly the same 90 days: classroom first, then field work with the manager, then supervised independence. Your plan is the rep’s version of that program.
Why Do Managers Ask for a 30-60-90 Day Plan in Interviews?
Short answer: to see how you think about the job before you have it. A good plan shows you understand what a rep actually does, that you can plan your own time, that you know how you will be judged, and that you did research on the territory and the therapy area.
An interview answer like “I am a fast learner and a hard worker” is impossible to test. A plan is not. When a manager reads it, they are checking four things:
- Understanding of the role. Do the actions look like a rep’s real week: calls, planning, CRM, coaching, pharmacy visits? Or like an office job?
- Priorities. Does the plan put learning before selling, and the most valuable customers first?
- Measurement. Does the candidate know what managers track, such as coverage and frequency of target customers, and propose to report on it?
- Judgement. Does the plan respect compliance, and avoid promising sales numbers the candidate cannot know yet?
What Goes in Each Phase of the Plan?
Short answer: days 1 to 30 are for learning the product, the rules, the customers and the systems; days 31 to 60 for running the territory with growing independence; days 61 to 90 for owning results and setting the next quarter’s goals. Each phase needs goals, actions and measures.
This is the core of the plan. Adapt the wording to your company and product, but keep the three rows of each phase: what you aim for, what you will do, and how anyone will know.
| Days 1 to 30: Learn | Days 31 to 60: Execute | Days 61 to 90: Own | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Know the disease, the product and the promotional code; understand the territory; meet the key customers | Run the full call plan with the approved materials; build relationships with priority customers; use the CRM cleanly | Work the territory independently; show early movement with priority customers; agree goals for the next quarter |
| Actions | Complete product and compliance training; study the territory’s customer list and sales data; shadow the manager or a senior rep; make first calls with the manager present | Segment customers and set call frequency; follow a weekly route plan; lead calls with periodic ride-alongs; build an objection log | Review results against plan with the manager; adjust segmentation; plan a small activity such as a pharmacy staff training or a clinic meeting within the rules; share one lesson with the team |
| Measures | Product and compliance tests passed; territory review presented; key customers met | Coverage and frequency of target customers against plan; ride-along coaching scores; CRM records complete | Commitments gained and kept; trend in priority customers; 90-day review signed with development goals |
Days 1 to 30: Learn
The first month is about readiness, not sales. Learn the disease before the product: a doctor will not discuss a medicine with someone who cannot talk about the condition it treats. Learn the promotional code in your market. In Saudi Arabia that is SFDA’s Saudi Code of Conduct for Promotional Practices, which limits what you may say and give; the SFDA marketing compliance checklist sets out the points a rep needs. Meet your key customers with your manager, and ask the manager what “good” looks like in this territory.
Days 31 to 60: Execute
The second month is when the plan becomes a routine. Rank your customers, set how often you will see each group, and plan routes so the most valuable customers get the most visits. Lead your own calls, with the manager joining on ride-alongs, and keep an objection log: every objection you hear, and the approved answer you gave or need. That log is the best input you can bring to your next coaching session.
Days 61 to 90: Own
By the third month you should be running the territory with little support. Look at your own CRM data before your manager does. Which priority customers have you seen as often as planned, and which not? Where are commitments turning into behaviour? Close the phase with a 90-day review where you propose your goals for the next quarter, rather than waiting to be given them.
A Fill-In 30-60-90 Day Plan Template
Short answer: copy the table below into a document, fill each bracket with your territory, product and customers, and leave targets as “to agree” until you have seen the data. One page is enough.
| Section | Days 1 to 30 | Days 31 to 60 | Days 61 to 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline goal | Be ready to call on [territory] customers for [product / therapy area] | Run the full call plan across [number to agree] target customers | Own [territory] results and agree next-quarter goals |
| Knowledge | [Disease area] guidelines; [product] approved information; [market] promotional code | Answers to the [top objections] in approved language | Competitor activity in [territory]; one new clinical topic |
| Customers | Meet [key customers / key pharmacies] with [manager] | Segment customers into [A / B / C]; set visit frequency | Deepen relationships with [priority customers] |
| Activity | Shadow [days]; first calls with manager present | Weekly route plan; lead calls; ride-along every [interval] | Independent territory; one [approved activity] |
| Systems | CRM training complete; first calls logged | All calls logged the same day | Weekly self-review of coverage and frequency reports |
| Measures | Tests passed by [date]; territory review presented | Coverage [to agree]; frequency [to agree]; coaching score trend | Commitments kept; priority customer trend; signed 90-day review |
| Support I need | [Introductions, materials, training dates] | [Ride-along dates, data access] | [Development goal, resources] |
The last row is the one most candidates leave out, and the one managers remember. Asking for specific support shows that you know a new rep cannot do it alone, and it gives the manager a concrete way to help.
FreeScore your brand plan before management does. Send me the scorecard
Example 1: A Clinic and Prescription (Rx) Rep
Short answer: a clinic rep’s plan centres on physicians and hospital pharmacies: learning the clinical evidence, meeting priority prescribers, running a disciplined call plan, and tracking commitments rather than promising prescription numbers.
Imagine a new rep promoting a prescription medicine for a chronic condition to internal medicine clinics and hospital outpatient departments in one city.
- Days 1 to 30, learn. Study the treatment guideline for the condition and the product’s approved information. Pass the product and compliance tests. Review the territory list with the manager and mark the prescribers who see the most relevant patients. Shadow the manager on visits to the main clinics; make first calls with the manager present. Learn how each hospital handles rep visits and its own rules on meetings.
- Days 31 to 60, execute. Segment prescribers by patient potential and openness to the product, and set visit frequency for each group. Run calls with one key message per visit, adapted to what each doctor says about their patients. Log every call and commitment the same day. Keep an objection log and take it to the medical department for approved answers.
- Days 61 to 90, own. Review coverage of priority prescribers against plan. Follow up on the commitments doctors made and note which led to trial in the agreed patient type. Propose, within the promotional code, one educational activity such as a clinic meeting with an approved speaker. Present the 90-day review with next-quarter goals.
Some of these calls now happen by approved email or video. If your company uses remote detailing, add it to the execute phase; the guide to HCP digital engagement explains how remote and face-to-face calls fit together.
Example 2: An OTC Pharmacy Rep
Short answer: an OTC rep’s plan adds the shelf. Alongside the pharmacist relationship, it covers stock, display, promotions and the counter staff who recommend products to shoppers, and measures those things directly.
Now imagine a rep covering independent and chain pharmacies for a range of non-prescription products.
- Days 1 to 30, learn. Learn the products, their approved claims and the category they compete in. Visit the main pharmacies with the manager. In each, note where the products sit, whether they are in stock, and who on the counter recommends them. Learn the rules for in-store material and any approval the chain requires.
- Days 31 to 60, execute. Rank pharmacies by sales potential and set visit frequency. On each visit, check stock, expiry, facings and price labels, and fix what you can. Agree promotions with pharmacy managers within the company’s plan. Brief counter staff on when each product is the right recommendation and when the shopper should see a doctor.
- Days 61 to 90, own. Track shelf compliance and out-of-stocks in your priority pharmacies over the period. Run a short training for pharmacy staff in one or two key stores. Present what moved and what did not at the 90-day review.
For the shelf work in the execute phase, the guide to pharmacy merchandising strategies covers planograms, facings and in-store material in detail.
How Do You Present a 30-60-90 Day Plan in an Interview?
Short answer: in about five minutes, from a one-page summary. Open with the headline goal of each phase, show the research behind it, explain how you will measure progress, and end by asking the manager what they would change. The question at the end often matters as much as the plan.
- Research first. Learn what you can about the company’s products in the therapy area, the territory’s main hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, and the treatment guidelines. Show this research in the plan; it is what separates yours from a downloaded template.
- Bring it on paper and on a screen. A printed one-pager for each interviewer, and the same page ready to share if the interview is remote.
- Walk through the phases, not every cell. One sentence per phase on the goal, then the two or three actions you are proudest of.
- Talk about measures honestly. Say which measures you would track and that you would agree the targets with the manager once you see the data.
- Mention compliance unprompted. A sentence on staying within approved claims and reporting side effects shows maturity.
- Close with a question. “What would you change in this plan for this territory?” turns the presentation into a conversation about the job, and gives you information you need anyway.
Common Mistakes in a Medical Rep 30-60-90 Day Plan
- Generic goals. “Learn the company culture” and “build relationships” fit any job. Name the customers, the product and the territory.
- Invented targets. Promising a sales increase for a territory you have never seen reads as naive. Use placeholders to agree.
- Selling before learning. A plan that starts detailing in week one, before compliance and product training, worries a manager.
- Too many priorities. Ten goals per phase means none of them. Three per phase is plenty.
- No measures. Every goal needs a way to check it at day 30, 60 or 90.
- Nothing about compliance. In pharma, a plan with no mention of approved claims and side-effect reporting is incomplete.
- Writing it only for the interview. Once hired, update the plan with your manager in week one and use it at each review.
Key Takeaways
- The plan has three phases: learn, execute, own
- Each phase needs goals, actions and measures, ideally on one page
- Base it on research into the territory and therapy area, and leave targets to agree
- An OTC pharmacy rep’s plan adds shelf, stock, promotions and counter staff
- In an interview, present it in about five minutes and end by asking what the manager would change
- Keep using it after you are hired; it is your first-quarter review
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 30-60-90 day plan for a medical rep?
A one- or two-page plan that sets out what a new medical representative will learn, do and deliver in the first 30, 60 and 90 days in a territory. The usual phases are learn, execute and own. Each phase has goals, the actions that reach them, and the measures the manager will use to judge progress.
Why do pharma hiring managers ask for a 30-60-90 day plan in interviews?
Because it shows how a candidate thinks about the job before they have it: whether they understand what a rep actually does, can plan their time, and know how they will be measured. A plan built on research into the territory and the therapy area also shows initiative, which is hard to judge from a CV.
How long should a 30-60-90 day plan be?
One page for the summary, ideally a single table with three columns, and one or two supporting pages if you are presenting it. A hiring manager should grasp the whole plan in under a minute. Longer documents tend to hide the goals in detail.
What should a medical rep do in the first 30 days?
Learn. Complete product and compliance training, learn the disease area, meet the key customers alongside the manager, understand the territory's data, and learn the CRM. The measure of the first month is readiness: tests passed, territory understood, and first calls made with the manager present.
Should I include numbers in an interview 30-60-90 day plan?
Include the kinds of measures you will track, such as call coverage of target customers, call frequency, and commitments gained, but do not invent targets for a company whose data you have not seen. Write them as placeholders to be agreed with the manager. That reads as realistic, not timid.
Is a 30-60-90 day plan different for an OTC pharmacy rep?
Yes, in its actions and measures. An OTC rep's plan adds the pharmacy side: shelf and stock checks, planogram compliance, promotions agreed with pharmacy managers, and training for counter staff. The three phases stay the same.
What are the most common mistakes in a 30-60-90 day plan?
Generic goals that could fit any job, invented sales targets, too many priorities, no measures, and nothing about compliance. The other common mistake is writing the plan for the interview and never using it again once hired.
What to Do Next
Copy the template, fill in one phase today, and show it to someone who has worked as a rep. If you are preparing for an interview, add one line of territory research to each phase before you present it.
If you work in Saudi Arabia, booklet 14 of the Field Booklets, “The First 90 Days”, covers this period in a short practical format in Arabic and English, and booklet 2, “Your Territory and Call Plan”, goes deeper into the execute phase. The first booklet is a free sample.
