Providing the right solutions requires long-term-care reps to know their customers’ needs, and meet them.
By Laura Thill
One of the first orders of business for any sales rep is to give the customer what he or she wants. For long-term care reps, this is sometimes easier said than done. A range of challenges – including an especially large product base, multiple facility decision-makers to pursue and rising costs – call for careful evaluation and strategizing. “Every market is unique in its own way,” says Bob Miller, vice president of sales, Gericare Medical Supply. “With regard to long-term care, there is a vast amount and variety of products sold. In addition to the med/surg products, you may sell dishes, pots and pans, air conditioners, TVs, curtains, floor polish, therapy equipment and more.” The list is endless, he adds, and reps must “constantly study the many different products that cross their path.”
Not only that, often there are multiple decision-makers involved in the purchasing process, Miller says. Reps may begin by reaching out to the director of nursing, checking in with the purchasing director and following up with the administrator, a wound care nurse, a risk manager, the custodial staff or an in-service coordinator, he explains. The list can be endless. “On the other hand, there are more buying groups, IDNs and corporate contracts today,” he says. “In these cases, sales reps may have to focus on the director of nursing or the administrator.” Because fewer people are involved in the purchasing decision, reps really need to stay after these individuals, he adds.
Customer service
Challenges in the long-term care market are quite similar to those in other aspects of healthcare. Rising costs and expanded product lines can make any rep’s head spin, and frustrate customers as well. In his experience, Miller has discovered that, in sales, it’s important to go with the flow, while at the same time giving the customer what he or she wants.
“Show your customers quality, while emphasizing that you get what you pay for,” he says. “This approach, along with superior service, might just be what the doctor ordered. Of course, you need to know your customer. For instance, if cost is crucial to a particular customer, then you must give the customer the good, better, best approach, and let him or her select a product based on its efficacy. If all the customer needs in the way of dressings is a 4×4, so be it. If he/she wants a standard wound care product, fine. However, if he/she needs a stronger, more effective product for a sicker patient, he/she can go higher end. The good, better, best strategy hits all phases of care, depending on the residents’ severity.”
Understanding the customer’s need and providing excellent service is more important today than ever before, Miller continues. “Showing that you care and giving people the personal touch stands the test of time,” he says. “Who wouldn’t want to be paid attention to? Especially today, given there are fewer salespeople in the field and managers often live out of the state, it’s very important to communicate as much as possible with customers without being a pest.” Email, text, phone calls, and regular face-to-face visits can help strengthen the rep-customer bond, he notes. In-services, as well, are an excellent way to stay in front of the customers. “In my opinion, make it a point to get in front of the customer in person – no excuses.”
Given the rate at which products and trends come and go, sales reps need to ensure that they – and their customers – stay informed, says Miller. “For instance, make your customers aware that Triclosan in soaps is coming under tremendous scrutiny,” he says. “Provide studies and make them aware of what is being [discussed] so they can make a more informed decision. Make them look forward to seeing you as a valuable resource, not just another salesperson.”
And, how do sales reps remain on the cutting edge, and keep their customers there as well? For one, by reading magazines, such as Repertoire, he says. In addition, “stay active in HIDA and read their literature. Go to Medtrade and listen to educational seminars. Reps can’t be too educated.”
There will always be more acquisitions, more IDNs and more buying groups offering greater cost savings and government cutbacks in Medicare/Medicaid, says Miller. “Reps need to look carefully at the mix of patients in the nursing homes they visit and determine whether they should emphasize the good, better or best products to these customers. It’s a matter of different strokes for different folks.”