Sales reps know they should use questions during a sales call to identify needs and priorities as well as to control the flow of the conversation. Often though, sales reps ask questions that actually work against them. I listened as Gary, a sales rep who hadn’t been hitting his numbers, asked a couple of common […]
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 […]
During breakfast this morning, my wife C.J. asked, “Do you think corporations have the right to ask job candidates to reveal their Facebook page?” She was surprised by my answer. I said, “Yes. Companies have the right to ask. Job candidates also have the right to say no, but that may not be a good […]
The vast majority of the medical sales professionals I encounter are ethical people. I can tell by how they talk and act, where they focus, and how the occasional moral conundrum affects their sales decisions and activities. Ethical behavior has surfaced as a key issue in health care today, especially in terms of paying attention […]
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. […]
One of the challenges most commonly expressed by medical sales representatives these days is the issue of reduced access to customers. They cite a policy where hospitals no longer grant salespeople free access to employees. They also imply that physicians and other health care customers are dismissive by saying things such as, “Product selection is […]
Yesterday, I stopped to say hello to a surgeon who has been a good friend of mine for years. He motioned for me to have a seat in his office as he was rapidly going through his voice mails. I was impressed with the speed at which he punched the delete button to avoid wasting […]
People who sell in the world of health care have age hang-ups. That should be no shock, as people have concerns about age in most areas of life, both in terms of being judged, as well as judging others. Medical sales is no different. Sales representatives speak to me about the age issue more frequently […]
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 […]
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) […]
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, […]
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 […]