Most sales people are eager to get the best results they can, to beat the competition and earn the biggest bonus.
Medical
sales is no different, but sometimes it's that eagerness to achieve,
the desire and sometimes desperation to eclipse your peers that can
be your downfall
The
temptation is to look for short cuts, that one killer technique that
nobody else has found that will rocket you to the top. In practise,
this is unlikely to deliver what you want. After years of medical
sales management, my conclusion was that it was simply the ones who
followed a few basic rules with discipline who came out on top.
Here's some tips I think you should consider.
Appointment booking. Always book every
appointment available on your territory all of the time. We all
know that sales is related to the volume of quality activity.
Appointments are usually good quality calls available for free that
minimise the time you have to spend speculatively looking for calls.
Never leave an appointment without booking your next one.
It's so easy to be in too much of a
hurry to get to your next call, but then you are out of
that appointment cycle and it may be
weeks before your back. In reality you'll waste no more
than a minute re booking your next
one before you leave. Even better, use the wait before
the call to get it out of the way. Do this
religiously and you'll make more quality calls, and make
more sales as a result.
Always get individual call backs after a group
meeting. In medical sales it's sequential calling that sells, not
one off calls or group meetings. When you conduct a meeting, create
a reason to call back on each individual attendee, and book it there
and then. It could be to deliver a relevant clinical paper, or a
freebie that's due to arrive soon, or it could be to individual's
feedback on your products use and performance. Ask them to sign a
register for attending and add a column 'Date/time when I can call'?
If you're buying them lunch, they're going to have to be rude to
avoid giving you an appointment. Do this religiously and you'll
make a lot more sequential calls, you'll sell more as a result.
Don't take a lunch break at lunchtime If
you're looking for extra quality calls lunchtime is the time to do
it. After morning surgery most Gps are milling around the reception
area picking up post and messages. All the other medical sales reps
are in Sainsbury’s getting their lunch and the Gps are relaxed and
breathing a sigh of relief after surgery. Now is the time to chance
your arm on a few extra calls. Make sure you have a reason for your
call, an interesting new clinical paper to show them, or perhaps a
free item to give them, or call to book an appointment and ask to
see them while your there. Do this everyday and you will pick up
several extra calls per week.
Never give up on surgeries that say they don't
see reps. Always schedule a visit to reception every time you visit
the area, things do change, a new GP arrives, and old one leaves,
the practise manager changes, or even a rep they didn't like
retires. Unless you stay in touch, when a surgery does open back up
you won't be on the scene to benefit, and your circle of surgeries
will only be getting smaller.
Keep a record of appointment times in all
areas and speculatively call in if you have a gap. this is cheeky
trick that works really well. When medical sales reps are under
pressure to activity targets, appointments are assumed to be certain
calls, consequently, reps are often late trying to squeeze extra
calls in elsewhere. If you happen to poke your head around the door
at the appointment time on the 'off chance the rep didn't turn up as
you have something of the Dr' I reckon you will get at least an
extra 2 to 3 calls a week from this trick. You may no make friends
with your fellow reps, but then they shouldn't be late should they!
Be
disciplined with these tips and you'll not work any extra hours but
you will make more calls, and sell more of your products.
