A sales representative sits in a hospital lounge or office, suitcase in hand, waiting to speak to a physician. The rep may have called the office beforehand for an appointment or perhaps just showed up unannounced, hoping for five minutes alone with the physician to pitch the latest product.
Once face to face, reps will attempt to tease out the best strategy to engage, charm or influence a physician. A 2007 article published in PLoS Medicine detailed this dance (2007;4:e150). “Reps scour a