Mark Tomchik
Acuity Medical
Representing Detecto
Repertoire: What are the two or three most important things you can do for your distributor rep partners to enhance their sales?
Mark Tomchik: Encourage timely and frequent communication, mutually beneficial co-travel days, forwarding turn-order orders and leads, participating in dealer meetings, and most important, always do what you say are going to do … plus a little extra. If a rep needs a 5-7 percent discount to get the business, get them 7-10 percent off. If they need a quote in a day or two, deliver it in an hour. If a dealer rep needs help getting into one of your top accounts, offer to make the introduction and then set up the meeting and invite them to join you. Dealer reps are grateful for the extra help and always recommend your talents to others in their business. They won’t forget how much you helped, and keep in mind it is often the little things that matter the most in the relationship.
Repertoire: Name two or three ways distributor reps can help you add value to their accounts and increase sales.
Tomchik: Distributor reps can help our mutual businesses by asking more customers about equipment replacement opportunities, invite manufacturer reps into customers’ new-construction or product-planning meetings, inform us about charity events and community outreach programs we can support, and simply get the manufacturer rep involved if a competitive situation exists. We can often secure demo units, offer white-glove delivery, equipment staging, local and custom pricing contracts including price protection, extended warranties, replacement parts programs, preventive maintenance programs, and more. We are very loyal to any dealer rep who brings us an opportunity, and commit to doing everything possible for them to secure the business.
Repertoire: What is the biggest change you anticipate in medical product sales in the next five years?
Tomchik: In five years I anticipate the biggest change in medical product sales will be the increase in end users and call points, as the aging boomers combined with the continued rise in life expectancy create higher utilization of disposables and spikes in medical equipment purchases. New construction due to the demand for more beds throughout the continuum will require medical product sales professionals to work closer with architects, equipment planners, and general contractors to be positioned for the capital equipment orders. Downward pricing pressure on commodities/disposables will become greater due to the increased utilization. Manufacturer and distributor sales professionals will need to be more organized, efficient, skilled, and diverse to handle the increased volume and customer base. Timely and effective communication between manufacturers and distributors will become even more critical to ensure mutual growth.
Repertoire: What do you like/dislike about ride-days with distributor reps?
Tomchik: Building relationships with a dealer rep is the minimum outcome, so there is no downside. The potential benefits include advanced product training, mind-sharing, developing new business opportunities, meeting new customers, developing friendships and more. Closing business is always the most enjoyable byproduct of co-travel, and I cannot recall the last time I or any of our Acuity Medical reps co-traveled and did not generate new business.
Repertoire: Do you think distributor reps should embrace ride-days?
Tomchik: Absolutely dealer reps should embrace co-travel days, and the management team at the distribution level should make it mandatory they ride with every manufacturer rep at least once. Key vendors, or those like Detecto who do not sell direct, should be invited to co-travel more frequently. While many support grabbing coffee or lunch, or meeting at an account, few look to spend half a day or more in the field together. If the manufacturer rep is not prepared or falls short in some way, then I certainly would not expect them to co-travel again.
Repertoire: Do you have a favorite ride-day story?
Tomchik: My favorite co-travel memories are bundled together, so choosing any one is hard, although I recall co-traveling with a McKesson rep in a high security prison in Baltimore as being quite memorable.
I would have to say my favorite memory over the years would be observing so many distributor reps develop amazing customer relationships. It is not surprising most of my early career mentors were from the distribution side of the business. Getting to know many dealer reps on and off the “playing field” has been a true gift and blessing. I look forward to many more co-travel days in the years to come, as the future is bright for all of us in medical product sales.