Even average medical sales reps speak a lot about meeting customer expectations. They also speak a lot about pre-call planning, asking for the business, and the importance of effective follow-up. The problem, is that just talking about these things, has little impact on your business. We are all consumers. We all have expectations for the […]
Medical sales reps are usually happy to have a job; at least they start out that way. As they delve deeper into their territories, including their competition, they sometimes realize that their competition’s product is better than theirs. Tough luck because you need to sell what’s in your bag, right? The answer to that question is yes, […]
It can be difficult to sell a technology, procedure, or product that is similar to one with past failures. Salespeople hate this scenario, especially in healthcare where failure is a dirty word. But what if you have a product or service that you know works and the customer believes otherwise. How do you change the […]
When medical sales reps hurl excuses at their managers and others (including me) as to why their sales numbers are flat, I tell them N-O-R-C. I like these four letters because they are easily text-able (today’s medical reps like to communicate with their thumbs, and that’s a separate issue I will address at another time) […]
If you sell medical devices, there are times when mistakes, oversights, and failures will have fingers pointing in your direction. Your company ships the wrong product or a defective product. You relay information to a customer that’s incorrect. You forget to bring something that a customer or patient needs. You fail to show for a […]
I used to think that pilots were men and women of almost super-human skill, until I learned how to fly. The truth is becoming a pilot just isn’t that difficult. There is a lot to learn, but it certainly doesn’t require extraordinary intelligence or coordination. It’s a learned skill, that’s all. There is no question […]
I answered my cell phone on a Thursday afternoon as I was driving between accounts. The voice on the other end said, “Mace, it’s Dan Adams, how are you?” I was more than a bit surprised to be getting a call from one of my top competitors. The words that followed surprised me even more. […]
The rules of medical selling have changed in most segments of the industry. Where it used to be possible to ingratiate a customer with a nice meal or a weekend at a resort, there is now little that you can do outside of providing a great product, providing great service and saying thank you. Or […]
In a time when discounts and contracts seem more important than clinical outcomes, don’t lose sight of the differentiator that allows you to hold onto business. I’m talking about stellar service, that which occurs behind the scenes for the most part and doesn’t require your customers to call you to make it happen because you […]
The First Rule of Account Penetration
by Mace Horoff • Blog, Competition, Medical sales attitude Tags: Know everyone •
I’m willing to bet that there is someone in each of your accounts that you don’t know, assuming you call on hospitals, clinics, outpatient centers, or doctor’s offices of significant size. I know, you wish you had the time to get to know everyone, but you just don’t because, well…you have to keep moving. You […]