July 21, 2025- This month’s column in Repertoire Magazine focuses on selling hematology instruments. We have been down this path before, but owing to the importance of testing for complete blood counts when needed (often in the physician office) – as well as emerging healthcare issues including antibiotic stewardship, the growing incidence of sepsis and how fundamental hematology is to the successful physician office lab – I will provide a mix of some time-honored and some new information.
I want to address two elements of the hematology sale: first, some recommendations on how to set the stage for the sale, including the questions to ask to qualify the customer; and second, some insight on the importance of the white blood cell differential as a key reason to perform hematology tests in the physician office. There is a lot to know. The most important thing to understand is that this is a team sale involving you as the distribution account manager and your key hematology system manufacturer.
Experienced sales professionals use a variety of terms to describe the first critical phase of the sales process, which is learning about the customer’s current and past viewpoint on hematology and lab in general. I prefer “discovery” to describe this important element of the sales process. It seems less intrusive than some other terms and more about learning than about getting just enough positive customer responses to pounce and ask for the order.
Continue Reading in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.