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The Differentiator in Medical Sales

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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 […]

Medical and Pharma Reps, if customers won’t talk to you unless you bribe them with food, answer this: “what the hell are you selling?”

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I wrote an article back in 2006,  What Happens When You Can’t Even Buy a Customer Lunch, that discusses the implications of the  AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association) Code of Ethics for Interaction with Health Care Professionals.  Effective since January 2004, it eliminated financial (or gastronomic) inducements (other than what is incidental to normal business) […]

Medical sales: Coasting is what you do when you’re going downhill!

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There is a mixed-blessing to earning commissions through recurring business.  The plus side is the continuous selling of product with the associated steady flow of income.  The potential downside is losing focus on expanding the customer base and product mix; in other words, you stop growing, become complacent and start coasting. Medical sales is hard, […]

What separates the “great medical sales reps” from a sea of “good ones?” Follow-up!

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When I ask a room full of medical sales representatives, “What is the part of the sales process that is almost guaranteed?” there is always at least one cocky, over-confident rep who responds, “Closing the sale!”  If that were true, you wouldn’t be reading this blog and I wouldn’t be writing it. Getting a healthcare […]

What medical sales reps can learn from a flash mob

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I thought I would share something with you in this post that is a little bit different, but very relevant. It’s a youTube video of a flash mob at a train station in Copenhagen.  Notice that it begins as something we have all seen in public…one or two people assembling to play music.  There are […]

Undercover Boss – Medical Sales

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I don’t like reality TV.  When I watch TV, I want to escape from reality.  There is a time to set aside and forget your problems and the way to do this, in my opinion, is not by living someone else’s. One reality show worth watching though, is Undercover Boss.  This is a show where […]

Medical Sales Reps…Your customers are hurting! What are you doing about it?

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An article headline in CNN Money should grab the attention of any medical sales professional: “Doctors Going Broke.”  Factors such as declining insurance reimbursements plus rising business and drug costs are creating a serious cash crunch for physicians in private practice.  These include family practitioners, oncologist, and cardiologists.  Many doctors can’t make payroll without tapping […]

The Best Gift to Give a Customer, Distributor or Salesperson is One That Helps Them to Succeed

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I am glad to say that reps who work in most segments of the medical products industry can no longer lavish gifts on their customers.  Up until a few years ago, a gift certificate, a bottle of wine, or even tickets to a sporting event were a way of saying thank you for the customer’s […]

From Hero to Zero: How to Fail at Medical Sales Even When You’re at the Top

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If there was a dictionary where you could look up the term “medical sales professional,” you would see John’s picture.  John was one of the best medical sales professionals I ever met.  He personified motivation in that he awoke at 4:00am every day to read journals, study product literature, and educate himself about the medical […]

What a Lousy Approach…”No Mary, I Don’t Want to Meet with You.”

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A few days ago, after speaking at a public event, a woman who I did not know came up to me, pressed her business card into my hand, and said, “My name is Mary. I enjoyed listening to you speak today.  Could we get together for lunch or a cup of coffee and maybe get […]

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