A question that medical sales reps hate is when their manager asks, “Why did we lose that customer?” The sad truth is that sales reps often don’t know why customers take their business elsewhere. Some reps make the time and effort to find out, while other just assume that some force or element outside of […]
In healthcare, the sales rep is part of the product. Customers depend on you to get it delivered, get the staff trained, and handle any problems that may arise. They need to have confidence in you, as well as the product. So you see, you’re not just selling a product or service, you’re also selling […]
Managers and distributors send their salespeople off to sales meetings and training seminars “hoping” that the salesperson learns something that will translate into more sales. The quote, “Hope is not a plan” comes to mind, but many managers don’t pay attention. Salespeople are like your customers–they don’t like change. My job when I speak at […]
Are you still selling in 1980? The information age has changed everything, including your ability to know important information about your customers before you ever make that first sales visit. If you’re calling on a physician for example, you probably have an opportunity to know key things about her practice, as well as […]
The most common challenge I’m asked to address during live presentations, workshops, and that I receive numerous emails and phone calls about is, “How do I get past the gatekeeper?” I’m happy to help. I’ve written about it. Shot a video about it. I often spend a couple of hours discussing it and addressing it […]
One of my closest friends had a friend named Lou. I got to know Lou over the years and there is only one phrase that comes to mind when I think of Lou—Piece of Work! Lou is a big guy, a former professional hockey player who often greeted you by lifting you off the ground […]
Last Wednesday, I called a friend of mine who is a medical products distributor up in the northeast. I said, “Charlie, did you hear about the commotion in the Emergency Room last night at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Rahway, New Jersey? Charlie acted concerned. “Did one of my salesmen skip checking into purchasing […]
American Airlines filed for bankruptcy this week. I live in an aviation community where many of my neighbors fly for American. Needless to say, they are worried about their jobs and their pensions and they’re not very happy. If you fly on American, you are likely to sense some of what the employees are feeling […]
I get frequent calls from students graduating from college who want to know how to land a job in medical sales. Recently, I had a call from a young man named Shane, who asked me some questions. I don’t think he liked my answers. Shane asked, “Where is the best place to send my resume […]
Aside from technology, I don’t change things much. I’ve had the same car for six years, the same house for thirteen years, and both the same watch and the same wife for 25 years (and the wife is much more dependable than the watch!). The last sales job I had in the medical device industry […]