The timeless tenets of medical sales success.
By Brian Sullivan
It was 1990 and I was a young, naïve salesperson, working fresh out of college for Welch Allyn. After spending several months working on the factory floor, stuffing boxes in shipping and taking orders in customer service, my marching orders came. “Sully, your sales territory is ready. You’re moving to Kansas.” Now, as a kid who grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut who had never been on an airplane, my first reaction was, “Let’s go!” My second reaction was, “Where exactly is Kansas?”
I am often asked by rookie salespeople who attend my sales seminars how have things changed in sales, specifically medical sales, over the last 30 years. While much has certainly changed, I prefer to talk about what has NOT changed – nor will ever change.
No. 1: Hard work is rewarded
Truth is, I would rather hire a new salesperson who has demonstrated grit and hustle than the one with the fancy college resume. Give me the rep with the “door-to-door salesperson” mentality who understands that if you want to double a commission check, double the number of prospecting calls you make. Double the amount of people you know within a customer account. Double the number of presentations you deliver. Because there is no sales process, marketing plan, or CRM tool that is more effective than simply busting your hump to be amazing at selling/serving others. The hours and energy you invest come with an ROI.
No. 2: Relationships still matter
Ask any successful sales leader who has been in this industry for three decades and they will tell you the same thing. The friendships that have been and can be made (whether working on the distribution or manufacturing side) are priceless. They not only lead to a ton of laughter and bonding, they also lead to warm introductions to customers, potential business partners and tons more.
Let’s not over complicate it, friends help friends. But these friendships/relationships don’t just happen. You need to work on them. Which means you can’t be that manufacturer rep who says, “There’s no use reaching out to that distribution rep. He never wants to ride with me or even meet for coffee.” Or don’t be that distribution rep who says, “I don’t need to return that manufacturer rep’s call. I’m too busy.” Treat everybody great, whether you see a short-term benefit or not.
Be likeable. Ask for help. Do people a favor. Send them a lead. Make them an introduction. Buy them a beer. GIVE first and receive second. WORK for the friendship.
Two of the greatest mentors of mine (and so many others) were Welch Allyn legends John Moran and Tony Melaro (both in the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame.) While there are a ton of qualities that made them sales pros, the quality that glued them to their distribution (and end-user) customers was just how genuine they were with others. I have often said in my seminars that the by-product of being a selfless, loving, and genuine person is you sell a lot of stuff. And if you are like Moran and Melaro, combine that with a little bit of humor, energy, and fun, and you become unstoppable.
No. 3: Healthy sense of urgency is good
Industry legend Pat Kelly (PSS) used to say, “When you’re ripe, you’re rotten.’ Whenever he reached a goal, there was always a bigger one ahead. That’s urgency.
Whether you have been in sales for three decades or three weeks, you know that nagging feeling that you have at the end of the day that you didn’t get everything done. It’s a bit like that feeling you had back in school when you had a big test/exam coming up and you felt like you didn’t study enough. Except for sales champions, that feeling never goes away. And that’s OK. Because it’s that urgency that forces you to make the extra 10 sales calls, follow up with that client more quickly, and study that new product your company just started selling.
No. 4: Knowledge and skill separate champions from the average
In healthcare sales, you need to have a thorough understanding (knowledge) of the product, industry, and competition. Skill, on the other hand, equips you with the techniques and strategies required to navigate sales interactions, handle objections, and ultimately close deals. In essence, knowledge provides the foundation for successful sales interactions, while skill allows salespeople to execute and capitalize on that knowledge. If you want to be a top performer, you need to carve out 30-60 minutes each week to do nothing but study. Your brain is a stock price, and its value is either going up or down. But you control that stock price.
No. 5: Create amazing experiences for others
Industry legends Scott Fanning (Midmark), Rob Saron (Bovie/Symmetry), Cindy Juhas (CME), Bill Sparks (MedPro Associates) and some elite others will tell you that to be successful, you can’t look, act and sound like every other salesperson or company. They understood/understand that the market is competitive, and often the only thing separating one solution from the next is the interaction and trust built with the salesperson.
So, look at every interaction as “showtime.” Which means if you are putting on a sales meeting or training session, doing a live product demo, or delivering a virtual presentation for a potential customer, it needs to include passion, pride, and enthusiasm. And when appropriate, humor and creativity are icing on the cake. Do this better than your competition.
Conclusion
Remember, we are blessed to be salespeople in this industry. Each day we have an opportunity to present and sell products/services that create healthy businesses and more importantly, healthy, and happy patients. Call it cheesy but the world needs us. Keep that in mind, and if you are lucky enough to be in this industry for 30-plus years, you will be able to look back on your career feeling a sense of pride and appreciation that you not only were able to call yourself a medical salesperson, but a damn good one.
As Founder of PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan, CSP creates top performers in sales, customer service, negotiations, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. He is also the author of the book, “20 Days to the Top – How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less”. To learn more, go to www.preciseselling.com.