People are often hired as medical and pharmaceutical salespeople because of their good looks. Most hiring authorities will deny this, but I’ve worked in these industries long enough to know better. Multiple times I’ve walked into rooms to deliver a sales program to a healthcare sales force, thinking I was on the set of a […]
Medical sales representatives are busy people. As a result, they sometimes take things for granted, which leads them to make assumptions that cause grief and lost business. The most dangerous assumptions are when you assume to understand a customer’s expectations or assume that a customer understands your intentions. In healthcare, unclear communications cost time, money, […]
This morning I read a quote from friend and fellow speaker, Terry Brock www.terrybrock.com, who was interviewed in this month’s Speaker Magazine. Terry discusses the use and misuse of the ever-present devices in our lives and one of his quotes really resonates with me: “When the person you’re with complains about his or her phone […]
As a medical sales professional, you’re probably looking forward to the Thanksgiving Holiday. It’s a chance to take a break from your hectic work life and enjoy time with family and friends—assuming you don’t have to work over the holiday weekend. But even if you have to take care of business over the next few […]
I am frequently asked, “What is the secret to success in medical sales?” The question is posed as if it’s one thing, just like Curly in the movie City Slickers with Billy Crystal talked about finding the “one thing” that will change one’s life. When I ask attendees during programs what the key is, the […]
Yes, you’ve heard me say it before…the biggest challenge that six figure medical sales rep wannabes tell me they have is getting in to see the doctor. Or the department head. Or anyone. Is getting past the gatekeeper a challenge for you? Why is this? It’s likely because you act like a salesperson—a stereotypical just-like-every-other-rep-who-walks-through-the-door […]
Many times I have heard a medical sales rep say something along the lines of, “I bend over backwards for that account and they don’t appreciate it!” My question to them is, “Do your customers know what you do for them?” A big part of medical sales is what you do after the sale to […]
One of the key things that savvy medical sales professionals are aware of is the perceived value of reducing risk for healthcare professionals. Risk is a broad category. Typically we think of risk avoidance in healthcare as preventing harm to a patient or obtaining something better than a suboptimal result. But healthcare professionals feel like […]
Guilty and pleasure are two words that should not go together, yet the phrase “guilty pleasure” has become part of our language. I was reminded of this the day after Halloween when one of my Facebook friends commented about the excessive number of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups she ate and how guilty she felt as […]
Scenario 1: Sales rep who has called on the account for 8 years receives news from department and purchasing that a directive was received from the C-Suite to buy a competitive product. Sales rep (let’s call him Bob) asks for directions to executive offices in hospital and goes there. He enters the suite where he […]