Any insights gained after a tough year?
In January, Repertoire published predictions from several industry people about the year ahead. When we checked back with them this fall, they reported that despite its many challenges, the year 2020 offered sales reps new insights into how they can approach their job better than ever. Do you agree?
| Ashley Brust, Vice president of corporate sales, West Coast, physician office Medline Industries | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| Our ability to show up for our customers every single day via computer screen has given us a chance to connect with everyone from the nursing staff delivering care, to the supply chain directors who will do anything they can to provide PPE, to their teams, and to the executive-level managers who work tirelessly to plan for the future. | |
| This has been the time to learn about the industry and keep up with all of the challenges our customers face in order to provide the support they need as they care for patients. | |
| The COVID experience has brought to light how important it is to be a consultant for our customers. Successful sales reps have learned a lot about lab testing and inventory planning, which ultimately has helped them support their customers in a deeper way. | |
| A good sales rep realizes it’s not just about shipping an item to a customer, but it’s about understanding the customer’s structure, goals, patient population and pain points. Understanding the ‘why’ behind a question can completely transform your response. | |
| Our ability to see our customers [virtually] and have them ‘step into our homes’ has knocked down barriers, and I feel closer to many of my customers because of it. |
| Elizabeth Hilla, Senior vice president HIDA | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| During the pandemic, distributor sales reps have had to focus on the absolute core of distribution – getting customers the products they need. They have coordinated with their sourcing teams as those teams vetted offers from thousands of suppliers to make sure customers received quality, FDA-approved products. They have helped customers and vendors manage allocations. And they’ve worked to make sure products got to the “hot spots” where they were needed most. | |
| The pandemic has taught all of us involved in sales to be more empathic than ever. In good times, we might occasionally rush the pleasantries and jump into our sales pitch. During the pandemic, we instinctively knew not to do that. We asked our customer or prospect how they were doing, and we really listened to their answers. We likely spent much more of our sales time – maybe 100% – addressing the customer’s most urgent needs. | |
| I never would have believed that you could forge strong customer relationships via video call, but experience has proved me wrong. I’ve learned that a Zoom meeting is still a face-to-face meeting – in fact, our faces seem closer than in a spread-out conference room. | |
| It’s much easier to share visuals and collaborate during a video call: Click to share the screen and everyone can read it without squinting. The customer wants to add something to the agreement? Just type it in. It’s also easier to get decision-makers together at one time, sometimes at short notice, because no one needs to commit to travel time. | |
| In the future, we’ll use in-person meetings more selectively. We’ll find that sales reps are more effective than ever because they spend less time in airports or behind the steering wheel and more time face-to-face with customers. |
| Mark Zacur, Executive vice president and chief commercial officer Owens & Minor | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| On-site meetings with customers became less frequent in 2020, but communication between reps and customers actually increased. This flexibility and collaborative approach to doing business will continue as we navigate the next phases of our collective response to COVID-19. | |
| At the very beginning of the pandemic, Owens & Minor took swift action to protect our teammates and ensure business continuity for our customers. This included implementing product allocation protocols that ensured we were able to maintain continuity of supply for our customers. |
| Jos Roach, Senior account manager Concordance Healthcare Solutions | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| Because of COVID-19, I have become better at challenging suppliers a bit differently. What we thought were the main sources of a lot of these challenging products, e.g., PPE, were not necessarily the owners of the supply channel. It forced me as a representative to be open to finding any and all supply chains necessary to keep hospitals supplied. | |
| During the pandemic, many providers have lost tens of millions of dollars due to the reduction in elective surgical cases. They will be looking at their distributors and manufacturers for answers. The challenge will be finding cost-savings in an environment where margins have already been reduced over years of cost-savings initiatives. | |
| Regarding work/life balance, sales reps have to consider their own mental and physical health. If they don’t, they’ll potentially end up reducing their ability to serve their customers. |
| Mina Rezk, Vice president, Midwest, physician office sales Medline Industries | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| 2020 has allowed all of us to improve in our professional and personal endeavors. [Virtual calls] are a culture change for many of us who are accustomed to in-person interactions, but with proper time management, we can reach more customers, expand our product knowledge and become a more vital resource to our evolving market. | |
| I don’t believe [virtual calls] will permanently replace the need for physical interactions, especially during consultative appointments or product demonstrations. While a video can help communicate the use or need for a product, many customers prefer to physically see, measure and test certain investments. | |
| COVID-19 may present more opportunities for physicians to manage their patients’ vitals remotely. There is always the question of compliance and accuracy, but that will continue to improve. |
| Richard Bigham, director of sales Atlantic Medical Solutions | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| Most reps have been required to become adept at communication skills other than face-to-face. Adoption of technology along with increased urgency have drastically altered established routines. | |
| With the onset of product allocations, account management skills proved more valuable than selling skills. Successful reps truly understood the needs of their customers and sought products to meet those needs, many times suggesting alternative solutions to them. Communication skills, whether delivering good or bad news, have become more important than ever. | |
| Rep efficiency will continue to improve with the reduction of travel time. Concise communication will boost productivity while improving customer satisfaction. | |
| Face-to-face time with customers will focus on sales rather than account management. Successful reps will evolve to much more of a consultative sales role. |
| Mark Morauske, Advanced Product Specialist McKesson Medical-Surgical | |
| Comment/Observation | Agreed? |
| In the environment of COVID, reps have had to pivot and more frequently use technology like Webex, Zoom, etc., as many customers don’t want in-person visits. | |
| 2020 has been a very fluid year, and reps have had to learn how to quickly operate in an environment where new products and testing devices/solutions for COVID have been hitting the market at a rapid pace. | |
| Because most products around testing and PPE have been in short supply, reps have had to hone their customer service skills. Dealing with allocations, keeping customers informed, and helping them find alternative solutions have become a way of life over the last 7 months. | |
| Moving forward, reps will be much more proactive with their customers and help them plan how they are going to keep critical supplies stocked. |