Christopher Hallmark
Account executive
Alere
Repertoire: What are the two or three most important things you can do for your distributor rep partners to enhance their sales?
Christopher Hallmark: Ask them to explain what the customer’s drivers are and why they sell what they sell into certain accounts. This enables me to focus on the customer’s needs and position product solutions accordingly. It’s equally important to understand their compensation model, so there is an understanding of product revenue differences and upsides, especially in today’s competitive market with newer technologies.
Repertoire: Name two or three ways distributor reps can help you add value to their accounts and increase sales.
Hallmark: A key area of best practice is to prequalify accounts. It’s essential to know the account’s needs and who the true decision-makers are, and have a pre-call strategy in place.
Knowledge of MACRA and the correlation that point-of-care testing has with adherence to certain quality metrics and outcomes-based incentives is important. An example would be to identify those customers who still send out lab tests, such as hemoglobin A1c. From a simple fingerstick, they could now drive better glycemic control with these same patients internally and achieve better outcomes. This makes both the distribution representative and the manufacturer a valued partner and extension of the practice.
The distributor representatives can identify those customers that are most in need of finding innovative ways to meet today’s quality objectives and at the same time improve patient lives by better managing their chronic and acute diseases through a better understanding of our entire portfolio. We have solutions for nearly every office they call on. Seeing and understanding all the nuances of today’s ever-changing landscape make them and us more effective in the eyes of the customer.
Repertoire: What is the biggest change you anticipate in medical product sales in the next five years?
Hallmark: We are seeing the emergence of value-based payment models, thanks to MACRA. Providers will no longer be paid for providing services to people, but for keeping people healthy. I think we should begin to see tremendous growth in the amount of usable data being generated by the current healthcare system. Combing through this data will definitely impact the way we identify clinical patterns and/or trends, which could eventually open the door to improving those outcomes by refining our best practices.
Repertoire: What do you like/dislike about ride-days with distributor reps?
Hallmark: Starting with the “likes”: Ride-days give the manufacturer’s rep a direct path to the decision-makers within an account, or at least to an established audience in which to present products. These days are absolutely more fruitful compared to the average cold call. The ride-day gives you much-needed time to build rapport with the rep and within the account. From there, it is up to you whether or not you can impress upon the rep your credibility and value to them.
I view ride-days as a path to building and gaining trust. With trust, ride-days transition into a steady diet of warm leads and teed-up meetings, to the point where you can go into accounts without the rep to demo your products on their behalf! He or she has given you full rein inside the account because of how well you have performed in the car and in front of customers. The ride-day is essential, as it provides you a stage in which to perform on. There’s no tougher audience than a distribution rep, as they can make or break your existence and longevity as manufacturer’s rep.
Now for the dislikes: First off, ride-days can be difficult to come by with reps, especially the more tenured reps with established books of business. It can be very frustrating to always ask for something and never get a call back or any inkling that you exist. This also can drive a wedge between you and the distribution rep, as your unanswered voice mails continue to clog up their phone and frustrate them even more.
Ride-days can be too planned. Translation: The rep may only be giving you access to a ride-day because he or she is being forced to do so by their manager or organization. These days usually end up as the dreaded half-day experience. The rep is simply checking the box, because they simply do not have anywhere to take you. This is discouraging, but can also pose as a test. The one silver lining with the half-day experience is, you still have time to build rapport and get to know the rep. The biggest frustration really comes from knowing that I have a product or solution that is a fit for my rep, but they don’t realize it. In the end, perseverance and patience wins.
Repertoire: Do you think distributor reps should embrace ride days?
Hallmark: Yes and no. If you come across a distribution rep that wants nothing to do with ride-days, or is simply too busy to give you the time of day, it is ultimately up to you to change this behavior. Bring them a lead, close a deal and push it to them – anything to create a sense of purpose and value. If they are not willing to work with you, give them a reason to consider it. I find those distribution reps who embrace the ride-day often walk away with some tidbit of knowledge regarding your product that they didn’t have before, or a newfound reality that was previously thought to be an obstacle. Again, I believe it is always up to me to bring value, differentiate my product and myself, and make working with me worth it. It has to be worth their time and energy, because after all, we are taking them away from their normal routine.
Repertoire: Do you have a favorite ride-day story?
Hallmark: It’s not so much a favorite ride day, but a favorite story regarding what I did one time to increase my chances of getting more ride-days from some reps. Long story short, I attended the dinner cruise portion of a regional meeting dressed as the actual captain of the boat wearing the hat, coat, ascot – the whole nine yards. I got to the dinner early so I could greet each team member as they boarded the boat. Some of the reps actually thought that I was the real captain. It was hilarious! Mission accomplished. The icebreaker worked, and I was able to gain some significant mindshare moving forward with this team, especially the ones that had been avoiding me.
Sure it was kind of embarrassing at first, but I wanted to make it fun and show that I was willing to do whatever to gain the attention of those reps who had for so long avoided my phone calls. I set myself apart, and sometimes that is exactly what it takes. Standing out in a crowded field is paramount to success!