What has the pandemic done to your business? What
has the pandemic done to the referral community where you get
your business from? How has all of this changed and have you
changed with it? As we move to an endemic state and begin to “Live
with COVID,” how does sales fit in?
If these past few years have shown us anything, it has revealed
that sales and that of sales encounters are still a critical part of our
business. Sales remain at the top of the funnel and our connection
to the market. We adapted well and implemented strategies that
would afford us to get in front of the referral community and some
to simply keep us top of mind.
This is no secret; we will never go back to a pre-pandemic sales
process. Too much has changed, and new variables have entered
the market that were once considered temporary but now have
found permanence in the referral community.
So, we must remain flexible in our approach with a calculated
and rigorous process for the foreseeable future. We have all been
waiting for the “new normal” but must settle for a “new environment”
for now, as we continue to migrate to whatever that new
normal will be.
We must stand firm and move to process over randomization,
content over calories, and accountability over uncertainty. It is time
to change!
So, where do we begin, and how do we execute in this new environment?
First, we must realize and admit that the way we previously
performed sales must change and that maybe we did not apply
the appropriate emphasis to this area as it required and deserved.
It is time to move forward with a new and fresh approach and
purpose and no longer settle for the old ways.
Moving Toward Dynamic Sales
To begin with, we must avoid harmlessly vague and hopelessly
accommodating sales calls and processes. A harmlessly
vague approach to sales has no place in this new environment.
Competition is stronger than ever before. The referral community
has pivoted, and our words and actions must count every time we
get in front of them. This does not mean we cannot be social or
build relationships. After all, this is phase one of the sales funnel.
But we must not camp in the relationship-building phase forever.
One way to accomplish this is to move toward a dynamic sales
process over the randomized sales pattern we once employed. A
structured sales call process, account ranking, territory management,
and sales call targets must be our new approach.
This process will guide us as we move low-, medium- and high-level
accounts to greater referral numbers.
We move these accounts from the relationship phase to partnering
for outcomes by bringing content over calories. This year,
2022, is the year of outcomes. We have read, heard, thought about,
and discussed outcomes for decades. It is time to move into the
realm of partnering with our referral community with outcomes
that drive compliance and change patient behaviors. This must be
beyond box data.
For many years we enlisted a hopelessly accommodating sales
approach, one that deepened the referral community relationship
but only scratched the surface of potential business. We know the
referral community has changed, and moving to an outcomes-driven
approach will move us past accommodating to accomplishing.
The process will provide the structure needed. Partnering for
outcomes is the message to be delivered and moves us beyond being
caterers to contenders. Incorporating an outcome-driven sales
approach will differentiate your business from the competition and
etch your brand in the marketplace.
Accountability is Key
The process plus outcomes will be driven in the market through
accountability. The level to which we hold our sales professionals
accountable does not and should not be void of trust. But as Ronald
Reagan once said, “Trust, but Verify.”
The verification of the sales process is easier today than ever
before. With the addition of both a CRM (customer relationship
management) and market data, the sales professional will have a
clear understanding of the key prescribers/referral sources that are
in a given market.
As stated previously, we are not going back to a pre-pandemic
sales approach. That ship has sailed, and the new environment
requires this level of accountability.
Accountability can be measured through a CRM but can only be
used for accountability if leadership adopts, engages, and executes
its implementation and use. These applications will provide clarity
in our approach in the marketplace and assist in the prioritization
of sales calls, in-services, structured presentations, and market
share growth opportunities.
This poses a trifecta for sales success: process, partnering for
outcomes, and accountability.
The facts are clear; the referral community will continue to
restrict access. The competition will not let up. The market has
changed, and while providers might be similar in number, the
names are consolidating. Our reaction to this must be decisive,
strategic, planned, and executable. With certainty, we know that
patients will continue to need our products and services. We are the
best at what we do and just need to pivot for the future.