medicalsalesschool.com Blog

Business is good in medicine!

Administrator — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:16:08 +0000

These days, everyone is complaining about the economy and using the “R” word. You’re probably not feeling it if you are selling to the medical industry. I’m telling you — I feel so blessed to have chosen this industry for my career. My training and speaking business is exploding and the companies that I’m consulting with have no shortage of business.

If you’re still trying to break into this field, don’t give up — there are a lot of jobs out there. There are also many people competing to fill those jobs from some of the industries that are feeling the crunch such as the automobile, mortgage, and construction industries. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again — what is getting people hired in medical sales is taking a direct approach that differentiates them from all of the competition. What are you doing? If it’s the usual recruiter, resume thing, you’re wasting your time. Start thinking out of the box and why any company that is hiring should even look at you.

If you work in medical device sales, ladies and gentlemen, “Life is Good!”

Can Your Medical Prospects Say “So What?”

Administrator — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:48:16 +0000

Here is a simple test suggested by medical sales performance improvement expert Mace Horoff that you can use BEFORE you are in front of your prospect to test if the elements in your presentation are valid.

Again, if you are trying to land your first medical sales job, you might want to use this same test on your resume and in any statements you make in your telephone or live interviews!

Medical Sales Pros Know How To Get The Doctor’s Attention

Administrator — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:17:37 +0000

No doubt about it — selling in the medical environment is different, especially when it comes to doctors! In this video, medical sales performance improvement expert Mace Horoff discusses one reason that makes it difficult to capture the doctor’s attention and hold it during your presentation. Are you sure you have the doctor’s attention when you present, or are you talking to the wall? (BTW, if you’re trying to get hired, you might get a question or two about this on your interview!)

Formulate A Medical Sales Strategy Before You Start Selling

Administrator — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:25:38 +0000

In his book, “The Audacity of Hope,” Barack Obama says that “hope is not a plan.” But “hope” is often the only plan that medical sales reps have when they make an effort to sell a product or service. Listen as Mace talks about the importance of having a clear sales strategy before that first sales call.

The Problem With Your Medical Sales Resume

Administrator — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:34:44 +0000

If your medical sales resume doesn’t get your phone ringing, there’s a problem. Mace discusses what the most common problem is and what you need to do to fix it.

Handling objections in medical sales Part 2

Administrator — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:20:35 +0000

If you watched part 1, you know how to acknowledge the objection, and question the objection to see if its real or the whole objection. Your next steps will answer the objection and verify that your prospect is satisfied with your response.

Handling objections in medical sales — it’s easier than you think

Administrator — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:53:15 +0000

Objections make some medical sales professionals uncomfortable. Why? Because they view their healthcare customers as experts (which they are, at least in their field — hopefully!) and don’t feel comfortable challenging the opinions of experts. My advice — DON’T. Instead, learn how to explore your prospect or customer’s feelings and use that information to steer your sales approach.

This video is part one of handling objections. If you have any questions or comments — please submit a comment in the box below, or click on the comment link to see the box.

If you’re new to medical selling, you don’t know what you don’t know…

Administrator — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:42:43 +0000

If you have never worked full-time as a medical sales rep, I guarantee you there is much you don’t know. It’s hard trying to communicate that to some medical sales candidates, however. Every now and then, I get an email or a phone call from some hopeful, telling me that he or she just wants to get hired — don’t try to motivate me or teach me how to sell. Gosh, it’s one of the most challenging sales jobs in the world — why would you want to be motivated or better at selling (if you’re even any good at it to start with!).

I understand that there are many “cocky” types that are attracted to this vocation and some of them seem to think that they know it all. These poor souls don’t know what they don’t know. Their competition will be waiting for them to enter the territory and will take great pleasure when these know-it-alls screw-up…and they will screw-up. The medical sales environment is a very unforgiving one. Medical professionals guard their time jealously and have little regard or patience for sales people who present anything less than real value for the professional and their patients. While this seems like a simple concept, I assure you it’s not at all intuitive as demonstrated by the throngs of poor-performing sales people in the industry.

What could make a difference? Taking advantage of any and all of the resources that are available to you. If you shy away from solutions such as training courses to advance your career because they are too expensive — you won’t make it. Medical sales requires that you continually invest in yourself and your business. Trust me, the successful competitors you will be facing are doing this and you are not going to unseat the loyal relationships they have developed with just your cocky confidence. Knowledge is power, and if you are new to this game, you have very little of either.

The learning requirements for the medical sales professional are in many ways as demanding as the learning requirements for physicians and other medical professionals. Even if you have not been hired, you need to start learning now. Learn how to sell like a true medical professional. And if you think you won’t need motivation when you are rejected by the tenth customer that day because he or she needs to stick with the product that is on contract (and yours is not!), we’ll see how long you last without motivation!

Look at it this way — it’s good that there are people getting into medical sales that don’t have good selling skills or knowledge — as long as they are your competition and you’re not one of them. But if you’re new to medical selling, odds are that you’ve got much to learn. You can do it the hard way, or the easier way (it’s never easy — get used to it).

Take a real assessment of your skills before your customers and managers do. Believe me, they won’t be as kind!

Getting Hired or Working the Territory – Medical Sales Requires Practice

Administrator — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:35:39 +0000

An actor would not dream of going on stage without rehearsing his lines. Professional golfers spend time on the driving range before teeing off on the course. Concert pianists don’t go in front of an audience until they have practiced the recital piece to where it is second nature.

What about medical sales representatives and those who are trying to get hired in medical sales? From my experience, too many people from the two groups that I just mentioned don’t think that preparation is necessary. For those representatives who have been in the field for a while, complacency develops that causes them to believe that they can just “wing it” and close the sale. Medical sales candidates frequently make the mistake of believing that there is nothing to be done to prepare for a job interview other than cosmetics — get a haircut, brush your teeth, and put on a business suit.

What is the outcome from this lack of preparation? I am talking sales performance and interview performance far below that which brings the desired results.

The sales presentation that you stumble through with a bunch of “aaahhs” and “ummms” as you are searching for the right words to describe your product or service usually falls flat. The sophisticated medical buyer senses what seems like insincerity and a lack of knowledge making you someone they won’t want to do business with.

Medical sales candidates who have endured a few interviews understand that these are often more than casual conversations. Situational questions will be asked and answers that are anything less than clear, concise, and relevant allow you to continue your job search. I don’t care how much charisma you think you have — you need to prepare for each interview in advance and doing it properly will take you many days of practice. If this is news to you, you may have just learned why you’re not being offered a job.

How can you tell if you are ready for the sales presentation or the interview? Rehearse with a sales colleague if you’re already working a territory. If you’re a job candidate, find someone who has experience with medical sales interviews. Go through the presentation or mock interview from beginning to end and invite honest feedback from the other person. Keep it real — no laughing, no breaks, and no saying, “let’s rewind and try that again.” I highly recommend that you record these sessions with some type of audio recorder or better yet video yourself so you know what you look like as well as sound like. I promise you that you’ll be surprised by how you look and sound, and be prepared to be unimpressed unless you have really practiced.

Professionals practice before they go “on stage.” When you are in front of a customer or in front of the people who are doing the hiring, this is not the time to be learning where you need more work. If you want the prestigious medical sales job, and you wish to earn the income that medical sales professionals earn , then do what professionals do before they go on stage – practice!

Are Your Sales Efforts Being Thwarted By A $10 Per Hour Employee?

Administrator — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:14:51 +0000

The receptionist in a healthcare practice is usually the least-skilled, lowest paid employee. We’re talking someone who probably earns $10/hour on average.

Compare the medical sales professional to the receptionist. The sales rep often has a college or graduate degree and earns many times what the receptionist earns. The medical sales rep has excellent sales skills, relationship skills, and expertise combined with products or services that offer solutions to the healthcare provider. That is, if the sales rep can figure out how to get past the $10 receptionist.

Don’t misunderstand me – I mean no disrespect to the receptionist. These are often hard-working, nice people that are just doing what they are told to do – “not to let any sales people into the office to waste the doctor’s time.” If you, as a sales person, are there just to waste the doctor’s time, than you should allow your life to be controlled by the receptionist. However, if you bring value in the form of solutions and innovations that can improve the doctor’s practice and the lives of his or her patients than you need to start earning your money.

Always treat the receptionist and everyone in the doctor’s practice with courtesy and respect. But part of the reason you entered medical sales is to earn a professional-level income and that won’t happen if you can’t get past the lowest-paid employee in the practice. The reps that are making the money that you want to make know how to do this.

Don’t you think you should learn how?

Here’s a hint: what information could you communicate to the doctor that would make him or her want to speak with you? Here’s another hint: What’s in it for the doctor and the patient? Final hint: It’s not about you or your company – the communication should not start off with “I” or “my company.”

One last thought – How could you get the receptionist to help you get in to see the doctor?

Are your sales efforts being thwarted by a $10 per hour employee? Think about it…