Things are always changing, but Dan Woods, field sales consultant for Henry Schein, is determined to find solutions for customers.
By Mark Thill
Do you want to learn how to get a really firm fix on your customers’ wants and needs? Try selling health and fitness aids to consumers. Dan Woods did it for three years at The Vitamin Shoppe in Pittsford, New York, and he’ll never regret it.
“Working for The Vitamin Shoppe taught me a lot about face-to-face selling and one-on-one selling,” says Woods, a field sales consultant for Henry Schein in Charlotte, North Carolina. “This was the position that confirmed my interest in selling in person. It was great connecting with different customers, learning what their goals are, and ultimately providing a few different solutions for them to reach their end goal.”
Strong communication skills
Woods was born and raised in Upstate New York, about 15 miles south of the Lake Ontario shore. At Fairport High School, he was on the varsity golf team, and he was varsity basketball manager for two years. In college, he majored in communications, and for a couple of months while at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, was an assistant producer for a couple of radio programs for Clear Channel Communications.
“I decided to go with communications as a major because I felt it could apply to many different professions,” he says. “In school, most communication programs are thought to be more for public relations professionals, media roles, etc. However, communications are also critical in the sales field, especially in the medical sales arena. Things are changing at lightning speed, and by having strong communication skills, it only helps me be the best I can be for my customer base.”
If sports and communication were in his blood from way back, so was sales. Growing up, he enjoyed seeing his father, Daniel, interacting with corporate customers, to whom he sold business process solutions. “There were never two of the ‘same’ day, and I can remember wanting to get into sales at a young age due to the ever-changing, fast paced lifestyle,” he recalls.
His mother, Christine, is a seventh-grade special education teacher. “In her position, she has the opportunity every day to change students’ lives for the better. I try to implement those same characteristics with my customers daily by teaching, tailoring and showing empathy throughout the whole sales process.”
In 2014 he became an inside sales representative for the PGA TOUR in Jacksonville, Florida, selling ticket packages at designated Championship Management events, conducting on-course appointments and tours, and generating leads among regional businesses and prospective customers. Ten months later, he became a sales representative for the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, one of the PGA’s oldest events.
“My leadership team really taught me the fundamentals of how to sell,” says Woods, referring to those in the golf industry. It turns out those fundamentals built upon the ones he had learned at The Vitamin Shoppe.
“Every sales call is like taking someone’s temperature,” he says. “You have to measure the ‘temperature’ of the customer, that is, his or her wants and needs, and base your solutions on that.” It’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition, he adds.
He did not take lightly the decision to leave Wyndham Championship for a career in medical sales with Henry Schein in April 2017. “It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made, but it was worth it for a few different reasons. When corporate objectives line up with personal ethics standards, and feature the opportunity to grow professionally, there is nothing more an employee can ask of its employer. Simply put, I feel lucky to rep the Henry Schein brand day in and day out. With this industry seeing so much change in such a short amount of time, there are endless opportunities to learn.
“When I entered this medical sales role, one of the biggest adjustments I had to make was learning/understanding the numerous product lines we sell and the different solutions we offer,” he continues. “To be completely honest, I was lost in the beginning, but over time, through customer interactions and numerous training modules, I was able to start putting the puzzle pieces together. After an insanely fast 3 years of working in the industry, it’s the people within Henry Schein that have helped me become the best I can be. Once I was able to understand our fully integrated sales team model, results started to show.”
Woods believes one of his customers’ biggest concerns is simply trying to stay ahead of rapid changes in healthcare. Those whose practices are owned or managed by healthcare systems are feeling some pressure to cut costs by, among other things, standardizing the products and equipment they use.
For some, it’s not an easy adjustment. “It can be extremely hard to navigate this space, but when it is done, customers are forever thankful,” he says. His communication skills help.
“Keeping the communication channels open, whether it be with in-person meetings, phone calls, or email (providing information in a fast and effective way), is how I am able to make sure customers can rely on us for their healthcare needs.
“I think the most effective way to address customer concerns is by being a student of the industry,” he adds. “Things are always changing, but we need to adapt to the market. By sharing best practices, communicating effective solutions when certain issues arise, and being a true partner to the practice, we can address customer concerns. It is important to convey the fact that we are all in it together.”
Woods is engaged to be married to Libby Lechner, a licensed practical nurse who is studying to become an RN.