Are you up for a challenge?
The year 2020 promises to bring a mix of the old and the new. Yes, there will be challenges – quotas, competition, customers who are squeezed by reimbursement cuts. But there also will be opportunities for medical sales representatives to hone their craft, improve their service, and simply get better. Repertoire posed questions about the year ahead to the following panel of experts:
- John Cook, vice president of sales, NDC.
- Mina Rezk, vice president, Medline Physician Office Midwest Region.
- Jos Roach, senior account manager, Concordance Healthcare Solutions.
- Richard Bigham, vice president, primary care markets, IMCO.
- Ben Roberts, Medline division manager, Texas.
- Elizabeth Hilla, senior vice president, HIDA Educational Foundation executive director.
- Thomas DeCarlo, PhD, Ben S. Weil Endowed Chair of Industrial Distribution, The Charles & Patsy Collat Industrial Distribution Program, The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
- Ashley Brust, physician office corporate sales, Medline.
What automated tools should reps be exploring to be more efficient and productive?
John Cook: An effective CRM is the most productive tool a salesperson can invest time in. This is a critical component of any automation, as it typically drives a salesperson’s next-step action items. While most times this is driven by the organization they work for, it is their responsibility to embrace and utilize CRM to the fullest potential. In today’s fast-paced and response-driven world, a salesperson cannot afford to forget to follow up with an opportunity or potential client. A salesperson should also look to automate mundane daily tasks by creating email templates, developing workflows and utilizing software platforms to generate proposal documents, just to name a few. Now I will add a word of caution when it comes to automation: You never want to automate every aspect of your sales process, as it can begin to feel robotic and soulless to your customers. As humans, salespeople add critical and irreplaceable elements to customer interactions and relationships.
Mina Rezk: Social media continues to be the primary form of communication today. We will continue to see an increase in marketing and social media presence to capture new business and validate current customers’ buying decisions.
In an Amazon world, we are seeing more online ordering than ever. Most consumers today don’t own a computer or laptop; instead, they pay $1,000 for a phone because it doubles as their PC. We will see more apps and platforms that will probably focus on ordering platforms, CRM/account management, route planning, virtual meetings, etc.
How will the rep of 2020 and beyond balance work and life?
Jos Roach: This is a question and challenge faced by myself and every successful rep I’ve ever known. How do you balance work and life in such a demanding environment? Each rep’s definition of success varies. For myself, I try and look at it from a perspective of priorities rather than balance. There are days and months where my balance is inconsistent based on the need of the customer. I always hold tight to my priorities, and it seems to have worked well over the last 15 years. Will the reps of 2020 and future be more or less successful than our mentors? Maybe we can be more successful if we listen and apply their experience.
Tom DeCarlo: As a business professor teaching college students and researching salespeople for over 25 years, one trend I have noticed recently is that more and more young people emphasize the importance of a work-life balance as compared to students a decade ago. While today’s young people value work and are willing to work hard, they also would likely forgo the corner-office position and more salary to gain more flexibility in their schedules. This is likely an extension of growing up with access to technology and being connected 24/7. They recognize the capabilities of new technology and the potential that working remotely provides more flexibility and the possibility of a better work-life balance.
Is it the rep’s job to sell or demonstrate change management to their customers? If so, how?
Tom DeCarlo: I believe it is the rep’s job to demonstrate change management to customers. Not only are reps closer to new product and management breakthroughs than medical professionals, but they have the business experience to identify how these new ideas can benefit customers. The key question is how?
As a business professor, I teach a creative solutions course to business professionals and students in which they learn how to develop and present new solutions in a way to maximize the chance of implementation.
There are a few principles to keep in mind when influencing people to gain their support. For example, when making a case for switching to a new product or process, the chances of success increase if the idea is pitched as an incremental improvement rather than as a transformative innovation (even if it has the potential to be).
Chances of success also increase when promoting a “trial” or “pilot” project for the new idea. Why? The “principle of consistency” states that once we have taken an action, we experience personal and social pressure to behave consistently with it. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision. As a result, once doctors/hospital managers have committed to the research or pilot project, it becomes difficult for them not to support the implementation that naturally follows from its success.
Finally, these decisions do not take place in a vacuum. Often there is an incumbent (or competitor) supplier that may also provide a potential solution (even after you have identified the issue!). In those instances it’s in the best interests of the rep to create an opportunity to be able to demonstrate how his/her new idea is superior. This helps break the resistance or bias that may occur due to the incumbent’s relationship with the customer.
Mina Rezk: Advancement in technologies now allow us to integrate data from multiple platforms into one. An ECG, BP, and vitals can be directly entered into the EMR file and tracked more easily. The biggest advancement is telemedicine, and it will continue to evolve. Much like an Apple Watch can monitor your vitals, there will be hardware that can connect directly with your primary care physician and allow them to better monitor your vitals or manage a disease state.
Reps shouldn’t be required to be the expert but should understand the impact on their customers and their patients. There are responsibilities on both sides, and the best reps know how to manage the details. It’s critical to establish a partnership with our customers and ensure they are fulfilling their end of the agreement to achieve our mutual goals; which is ultimately, patient care.
Face-to-face still counts, but how can reps integrate social media as well?
Elizabeth Hilla: Social media is an extremely valuable tool for connecting with customers, and reps who aren’t using it may be missing some opportunities. I personally use LinkedIn almost every day:
- It’s a great research tool for finding decision-makers.
- LinkedIn messages are very effective for getting in touch with folks I don’t know. I get a higher response rate from prospects on LinkedIn messages than I do through email or phone calls.
- It’s a strong (and free) marketing tool to get the word out about new resources or products.
- It’s a good way to establish your own personal brand and that of your organization. Sharing or even authoring articles, for instance, helps establish your areas of expertise.
Ashley Brust: Reps can’t forget to have a strong customer service mentality and show empathy to our customers. We are moving so fast every single day, and we have access to so much technology … but that face-to-face meeting with our customers, and just listening to them, is really important. Sure, customers appreciate a quick email or text when they ask you something, but showing up and just enjoying a nice conversation with them helps build trust and brings your relationship to a much stronger point. Today I sat with a practice manager who said, “I know you can’t always fix all of our problems, but we just appreciate that you hear us out, because it shows you care.”
Is it the rep’s job to help their customer improve patient satisfaction?
John Cook: One of the most important responsibilities of a medical sales professional is to understand the patient segment being served and make the most educated recommendation. Our landscape today is often, if not always, centered on patient satisfaction and the outcome of their treatments. As a healthcare representative, a salesperson needs to be more familiar with the products than the clinician so they can provide a recommendation that goes beyond the standard features and benefits. Everything needs to have the patients’ best interest and outcome in mind.
Tom DeCarlo: One way top distributor reps seem to be able to enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction is by providing the medical team with the support needed to be as efficient as possible. For example, for surgical products or equipment, the rep can pay a tremendous amount of attention to detail in preparing for a case, including providing multiple backup products and an understanding of what the surgery entails, as well as prepping the nursing team on the procedure, if needed.
Do people in their 20s still look at medical sales as being the right place to be able to make real money, get professional satisfaction, and get ahead?
John Cook: When you look at what currently motivates the young professional, it is the ability to feel part of something and to make a difference. The healthcare segment allows them to capture this sense of contribution by directly impacting patients’ lives and better well-being. I believe that most individuals see a sales position as an opportunity to work autonomously, be in control of their earnings (which is typically uncapped earning potential) and [seize an] opportunity for a balanced approach to work and life.
Tom DeCarlo: Our unique medical distribution program at University of Alabama Birmingham provides students with an understanding of what it takes to be successful in today’s medical business environment. They learn about the regulations, the level of effort required and the different types of medical sales positions available. Many of them select companies that offer a career that meets their goals.
Ben Roberts: The opportunity still exists to make a great living for someone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and work hard each day. But the 2020 rep needs to be smart and savvy about what they sell, how they sell, and who they sell to. They also need to use technology that keeps them active and not bogged down in the daily challenges.
I recently had lunch with a group of college students with big dreams. The thing that struck me is that while explaining their dreams, each had the intent to make money, but that was never mentioned as the primary reason. The overarching theme of each dream was doing something that makes a positive impact on their customers. They want purpose and to be passionate about what they do, how they do it and who they do it for. People buy from people they like, but also from people that care.
Regardless of industry, the generation we are referring to could be one of the greatest generations, because they see value in what actually matters to living a great life. They are willing to work hard to make that happen if they believe deeply that what they are doing matters. And that isn’t necessarily driven by the number of 0’s in their bank account.
How does a rep stay relevant in a contract dominated industry?
Jos Roach: Exposure, commitment, and extreme ownership. To stay relevant in today’s industry, a rep needs exposure to GPOs, manufacturers, customers, and the needs of the patient. Commitment to the relationships the rep forms with the representatives from these organizations continues to drive relevance and the need for quality medical sales representation. Extreme ownership of an issue, followed through to successful completion, also creates relevance. It’s the voice inside that never wants to quit until a solution to an issue is found.
Richard Bigham: Rep relevancy will be dictated based on their understanding of their customer and the customer’s strategic initiatives. As more providers move toward outcomes-based compensation, reps must understand the metrics that are important to their customers, as well as the tools reps have to support their customers’ goals. Rep should understand the end goal and work with customers to identify potential pain points and operational inefficiencies. Once identified, the rep can provide solution options. While products will still be a crucial element, solutions that improve process workflows, outcomes and patient satisfaction will be drivers maintaining rep relevancy.
What is the role of the rep in IDN-owned or -operated physician practices?
Elizabeth Hilla: IDNs have very few staff resources to devote to managing non-acute locations’ supply needs – and that’s something distributors can help with.
The primary non-acute distributor and the IDN customer will ideally work closely together to determine what level of “touch” is needed in these sites. The supply chain leader probably doesn’t want a rep pushing product at each practice, but they might well appreciate help in managing these locations. The rep’s role may evolve to helping these practices improve their ordering practices, identifying opportunities for logistics improvements, and supporting contract compliance, for instance.
On the other hand, if I were a rep for a small or specialty distributor, my strategy would probably be different. I would probably continue calling on those practices to create demand for innovative products from my key manufacturer partners.
In an age of “value-based healthcare,” how can the rep help the customer validate the performance or value of a new product before the customer invests in it?
Tom DeCarlo: Historically, decisions for new med/surg products or equipment tended to be made using three basic principles:
- Patient considerations. (Is it a good solution for the patient?)
- (Is it less expensive than what we already use?)
- Ease of use. (How difficult is it for the doctor to learn how to use it?)
Most would agree that the recent trend has been for health administrators and purchasing committees to place a relatively greater emphasis on the cost principle than the other two. This may be due to the perceived parity of competitive products in the marketplace.
Nevertheless, it suggests that reps need to be prepared to make compelling arguments for why a new product will be better for the patient or easier to use, which may lead to lower overall costs (e.g., quicker patient recovery, less chance of complications, etc.). Ultimately, connecting perceived added value to a new product requires a thorough understanding of a customer’s operations and an ability to communicate that knowledge in developing a case for a new product.