In Medical Sales, The Strong Ask for Help

Many of the people I meet in medical sales have healthy egos.  I don’t mean that in a bad way. A healthy ego is necessary to sell to highly-educated healthcare professionals.  But ego can blind you and make you lose the sale.

Medical sales is a  job where most people work alone.  Even when salespeople work in a team arrangement, they are usually out in the field solo.  There seems to be a belief that if anything is going to happen in your territory, you need to make it happen, and you alone.

Most salespeople I know don’t ask for help with a sale.  Sure, they’ll borrow something for a presentation, but few will ask a colleague, “Can you help me close a sale?”  It’s probably because egoic people see asking for help as a sign of weakness.

Asking for help to achieve a worthy objective is not a sign of weakness.  Failing to close sales that can be closed, though, is.  Knowing your weaknesses and finding others who can fill in the gaps are signs of strength.

There are people in your sales organization, including V.P.’s of Sales, sales managers, marketing and product managers, field marketing specialists, and your fellow local reps who probably have skills and insight that you don’t. Only a fool fails to utilize the tools that he has at his disposal.

Selling is about getting the customer to say yes.  Don’t think it’s a solo sport, because it doesn’t need to be.