The National Sales Meeting: Will You Boost Your Career or Trash It?
Don't be this guy at the National Sales Meeting
When you go to National Sales Meetings, don’t forget about your family at home.
Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t put your job in jeopardy for any reason, especially in this economy…it’s a difficult time to be without a job looking for one, and you don’t want to be having that discussion in your next medical sales job interview. Just a warning: Don’t drink too much, don’t talk too much, and don’t do anything your mother would be ashamed of. There are lots of ways to raise your profile at work and impress the higher-ups, but misbehaving at a national sales meeting isn’t one of them.
Of course, you can drink a glass of wine here or a beer there, or whatever, but you should not be inebriated at the meetings. You should always have your head about you, pay attention to what’s going on around you, and look for the big guys in the company to have conversations with them….it’s a great opportunity to boost your career. You’ll learn more about the health care products you sell, your company, and what’s going on in it. They will notice you one way or another, and it’s up to you to determine how they see you. Make sure you impress them.
LinkedIn Group for Medical Sales Reps
What LinkedIn Sales Group should you join?
Ours!!!
Sales Café: Sales Rep Careers
This group is all about the sales representative. We will provide cutting edge tips, tools and information about the sales rep and how they can take their career to the next level. Our topics will include training, tools, jobs, interviews, career management, and more.
Here’s the link:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2416658/
I look forward to connecting with you there!
Use the 80/20 Rule to Boost Your Sales Performance
80% of you won’t agree with this. 20% will:
100% – 20% = Failure for a medical sales rep
How can that be?
If you are a field-based medical sales, laboratory sales, medical device sales, or pharmaceutical sales rep, don’t you always have more tasks to accomplish than time to do them?
Hello 80/20 rule!
Simply stated, the 80/20 rule says:
- 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your accounts.
- 80% of your problems will come from 20% of your accounts.
- 80% of your peers will try, 20% will succeed.
- 80% don’t understand your technology. 20% do.
- If you make 10 prospecting calls, 2 or 3 are usually decent prospects. Which means 80% are “not worthy”, 20% are.
- If you attend a “cross silo” meeting within your company, 80% of the people will be players, 20% will be losers less than winners.
- If your organization notices a small problem with a lot of reagents they manufacture (not a deal breaker–the reagent still works, it just doesn’t work as well as it should), 80% of your customers won’t notice or require help, but 20% will.
As a rep, you may not even question the rule. After all, in most territories, the top 20% of accounts produce 80% of the revenue. From the first day on the job, you are trained and driven to make you sure you exceeded the needs and expectations of those top 20% accounts because they controlled the success of your territory. Focusing on the other 80% of your accounts while neglecting the top 20% will ensure you don’t meet your sales plan. Even if the other 80% love you and your offerings, they normally aren’t big enough to be able to buy more to make up for the loss in your largest (the 20%) accounts.
Here’s the management application of the 80/20 Rule: “Feed the eagles and starve the turkeys.” A manager should spend the most time feeding the eagles: traveling, training and working with the reps who are doing the best–the “high flyers”, the eagles, the top 20%. Starving the turkeys refers to the other 80%. They either have to move up with the eagles through positive actions and better performance, or they probably will perish.
So now that you understand the power of the 80/20 rule, how can you use it to your advantage as a field-based sales rep?
- Any marketing or sales promotion you design or implement should be geared/designed to appeal to your top 20% of accounts. They usually have the financial ability to buy what you are offering–if they want it. Many of the smaller accounts may like what you are offering and the special “deal”, but they don’t have the financial wherewithal to buy, even if they want to. Marketing departments normally look for feedback from the field prior to designing and launching new marketing programs. Have the marketing gurus come out and travel with you in your 20% accounts so they will understand the needs of your largest customers.
- When you are setting your scheduled calls for the week, make sure you spend at least 80% of your time in the field. Back in the day, we used to call it “belly to belly” selling (I think that actually may be a Tom Hopkins saying). Out of 5 business days, you should spend at least 4 (80%) in front of customers. There aren’t too many sales you can make if you aren’t in front of the customer. Don’t even think about going off on the “Well-what-about-telesales,-they-aren’t-in-front-of-the-customer tangent”. You get my point. 80% of their time should be spent on the phone, which, for them, is in front of the customer. That is their “belly to belly selling”.
- If you make 5 presentations in a week, only one is likely to be a real possibility. Now you could argue that a 20% closing ratio is pretty poor. That may be true in some applications, but in others, closing 1 out of 5 would be a great closing ratio–what if you were selling airplanes or some other really high-priced item? Maybe 2 or 3 out of the five proposals you met will close. That would be the exception, but still, with the 80/20 rule in mind, it will make you “prove” to yourself that they are a real prospect, even if you have a dose of skepticism (because of what you know about the 80/20 rule). This mindset can really help you when you are forecasting and trying to assess the probability of closure in a certain time period.
33 Sales Tips for Medical Sales Reps
Here’s a terrific (long, but really worth it) Mark Hunter article on sales call best practices filled with sales tips you can use to be an outstanding sales rep in medical sales, laboratory sales, medical device sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotechnology sales, imaging sales, or pharmaceutical sales:
Sales Call Best Practices:
33 Sales Tips
1. Early Morning Voice Mail:
Leaving voice mail messages is not a very effective way to develop new customers, but it is a great way to keep in contact with those customers with whom you already have a relationship but may not deal with on a frequent basis. The entire process takes less than 5 minutes per day between 7 and 7:30 AM. During this time the majority of people are not at work; calling them almost ensures you’ll reach their voice mail, which allows you to make 3-5 calls in the span of only 5 minutes.
Your big objective here is to not let the person you’re contacting forget about you. The way you do this is by merely stating that you haven’t heard from them lately. You can compliment them on their business or simply suggest that the two of you should talk later. Should you reach someone at this time of morning, all the better. The person you reach live will be impressed that you’re also at work before most people, and chances are the person will talk for at least a minute. Remember, the objective is not to sell anything–it’s simply to raise the other person’s awareness of you, thereby opening the door for future sales.
2. Learn the Customer:
Every time you’re with a customer, make it a point to learn something personal and professional about them. Don’t allow your time together to be so focused on the immediate business opportunity that you don’t gather some additional, long-term information. It’s the long- term information you gain that will help you retain the customer, and the longer you have a customer the more likely they are to refer others to you.
When you’re gathering information about the person, look for items that are of common interest to you– these are the items that will help you propel the business relationship to the next level.
3. A Perception is Worth a Thousand Words:
Recently I stopped by a computer store to have my PC worked on and the clerk proved to be anything but customer-friendly. When she did finally speak to me she told me I would need to leave my PC at the store for at least 3-5 days and that I should be prepared to have everything wiped off the computer. Her comments were not very reassuring, and as I left the store, I mulled over my decision to leave the PC with them. Within an hour I returned to the store, picked up the PC and took it to another store where I received the personal service I was looking for.
It’s ironic to think that the first computer store probably would have done the same repair as the second store, yet the second store got my business (and all my future business) based strictly on the personal service of the clerk.
Have we stopped to think for a moment about the perception we give people when we talk to them? Next time you enter into a conversation with a potential or new customer, think about how the other person sees you; do they see you as an expert–a professional who can provide them with the confidence they need? In today’s business climate we all have numerous competitors who can provide service or products similar to ours. The difference lies in the confidence we provide the customer. Before you begin the next conversation, think “confidence” not just in what you plan and say, but in how the other person will perceive you.
4. Opening the Sales Call:
Always start off a sales call by covering three things: 1. Gain a clear understanding of the amount of time the call will take. 2. Make sure the customer knows what the objective of the call is. 3. Relate the reason for the current sales call to the previous sales call you had with the person, or to information you may have sent them.
Connecting the current sales call to something previous gives the customer the comfort of knowing you remember fully everything that may have already occurred. This also gives the customer the comfort of knowing you respect their time and that whatever is decided in this current meeting will be acted upon by you.
5. “Your Price is Not High Enough”:
OK, so you’ve never heard that line, but wouldn’t it be great to hear it? A price can never be too high; it’s only too high when we haven’t taken the time to find out what the true benefits are of the item we’re selling. Remember, there is no such thing as “too expensive;” there is only the belief that the potential gain from something is not worth the cost. This principle explains why one person might be willing to pay only $10,000 for a car while the car might be worth $100,000 to another person. Both cars supply the same thing-transportation, yet the cars vary dramatically in terms of price because they vary dramatically in terms of perceived benefit.
Next time you’re about to buy or sell something, think in terms of the benefits the customer can gain from using it and not the price you’re asking. When it comes right down to it, there is nothing that is too expensive-it only lacks sufficient benefits to warrant the price.
6. Celebrate Your Customer’s Anniversary:
For sales people who have retained customers for a period of years it’s special to recognize them and their relationship with you. It’s also a great way for your customers to realize how much you think of them and a great way for you to take the relationship to an even higher level through this personalized type of communication.
7. Hand-Written Business Cards:
Next time you’re about to give someone your business card take a moment to personalize it. If you take a moment to jot on the card your cell number, a home phone number, or some other piece of information that is not already on the card, you will suddenly make the person you’re talking to feel very special. Chances are the person will never call you on the hand-written phone numbers, but simply writing them on the card gives the person the feeling that you are placing them in high regard compared with others that you meet.
8. Speak With Your Face:
I’m constantly amazed at the number of times I run across salespeople who clearly don’t believe what they’re saying. It is easy to spot in the person’s face and body language-they take on a whole host of non-verbals, ranging from non-expressive smiles with tight lips to eyes that lack any sense of direction. When we’re selling to a customer in person or on the phone we have to make sure our entire face reflects the enthusiasm and excitement of our words. Why would we expect a person to buy from us if we’re not connected to and excited about what we’re selling?
9. Umbrella Questions:
Don’t forget to use “umbrella questions” on every sales call. Umbrella questions are questions that work in any selling situation and are designed to provide you with additional information.
Examples of umbrella questions include: Why? Tell me more. Share with me another example. Explain further. Are there some other examples you could share with me? You get the idea, umbrella questions are ones that get the customer talking more about what they’re looking for. On your next sales call challenge yourself to ask at least 5 umbrella questions.
10. Customer’s Goals:
Do you know what goals your customers have? Just think how much more effective you could be if you knew the goals of the person you’re selling to. Find out what their personal and business goals are for 2004 by asking questions and listening to their answers. In addition, let them know that you have set goals for yourself. Explain your belief that it is essential for you to help your customers achieve their goals in order for you to achieve your own.
11. Prospecting Timeline:
With only a couple of months left in the year, most people are working hard to make their numbers. Yet, at the same time, many have no idea how long it takes to turn a prospect into a profitable customer. Creating a “prospecting timeline” can help benchmark past experiences and streamline future ones. Begin this process by examining a few recent customers, and then break down the key activities you went through. Your goal should be to determine the specific activities that were the most time consuming, and then figure out a way to shorten the time spent on that particular step. Most people are amazed to find that a couple of activities take the majority of time. By knowing this, they can work to alter their selling process. Plan now and 2004 will be your best year ever!
12. Holiday Networking:
As we near the holidays, it’s a great time to begin preparing your schedule for making phone calls to people you rarely talk to. There’s no better opportunity than during the holidays to call someone you haven’t spoken to recently and wish them a great Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. If you make 5 calls per day, just think of how many people you can network with by the time December 31 rolls around?
13. Holiday Selling:
Often the holiday period becomes a very difficult time to sell when you’re in a business-to-business environment. If this is the case for you, use the holiday period to sell yourself and your knowledge. Send your customers information about your industry, the economy, or other points of interest. Although they may not read the information, they will notice that you took the time to send it to them. Use these months to deepen your relationship with your customers. When business gets back to normal after the first of the year, you’ll have new things to ask them about and, more importantly, you’ll be viewed as a salesperson who is interested in more than just money.
14. Know Your Customer’s Customer:
How much do you know about your customer’s customer? It doesn’t matter if you sell B2B or B2C, the question still demands an answer. I work with too many sales people who, when asked this question, have only a shallow answer. Take the time to find out all you can about what motivates your customer’s customers. Spend time with them, talk to them, and, most of all, get to know what drives their decision making process. When you can identify this information, you can then provide your customer with even better service.
15. New Year’s Resolution:
Start the New Year off right by developing the habit of recording the questions you ask on a sales call. Create a complete list of all the questions you ask to open a conversation, explore facts, close a sale, etc. Along with recording the questions, make a note of the type of responses you receive. Within a few months, you will not only have documented your questioning skills, but also developed your own personal list of questions you feel very comfortable asking.
16. Have you Learned Something New? :
There is always something new you can learn about your customers, whether they are newly acquired or long-term accounts. Use each sales call as an opportunity to be teachable. It’s amazing how customers change! Unless you keep up-to-date knowledge about them, you will soon find they’ve changed and you haven’t. After each sales call, ask yourself what you learned about the customer and, of course, make sure you record it in your customer profile.
17. Benchmark Your Sales Goal:
At the end of each day and each week, compare your accomplishments to your overall sales goal. If you achieved the volume you needed to hit your goal, congratulate yourself! If you didn’t, identify at least one thing that did go right and might help you achieve your goal in time. Always find something positive to end the day with. Before you leave, don’t forget to set up the next day or week! The last thing you want to do is use those very productive first minutes of the day doing anything but selling.
18. “Google” A Customer/Prospect:
Looking for a reason to contact a customer or a prospect? Search their name on Google.com to see if there are any listings for them. You’ll be astonished at what you can find concerning your customers/prospects or others with their same name. Regardless of the outcome, the search should give you some interesting antidotes you can use on the next contact. When that contact is made, the customer/prospect will be amazed you took the time to do the search, and if you do find something in reference to them, you’ll have the perfect subject to talk about.
19. Agree on Something:
Never end a sales call without having agreed with your customer on something, even if it’s not the close of a sale. The objective of coming to an agreement, no matter how small it might be, is to demonstrate to the customer that you’re able to move the sale forward. If possible, gain agreement on one particular aspect of the sale and use this as a building block for the next time you meet. However, if you can’t see eye to eye on a particular aspect, you may at least be able to concur on the items you intend to follow up on or a time to get together again. The important thing is that you agree on something and use whatever it is as a “next step” towards a future sales call.
20. Reduce Your Selling Time:
In each day, make time to not do any type of selling. Rather, use that time to reflect upon recent sales contacts and identify at least one thing you did well in each. Think of the questions you asked, the body language you used, and the information you shared. After you’ve pinpointed the best of the best, take the time to plan how you can do that same activity in every other sales call you have.
21. Don’t Present All Your Information:
Never plan to present all of your information on a sales call. If you do, you’ll have nothing left to show the customer should you reach the end of your presentation without a sale. The keys to a successful sales call are to know your information so well and to be so prepared that you do not need to present everything to gain the sale. “The best sales presentation is the one never given.” – The Sales Hunter
22. Add-On Sales:
Every time you make a sales presentation, always be thinking about what the add- on sales may be. If you wait to think about this until after you close (as is commonly done), you tend to be too rushed and forget the whole add-on process. Thinking about these sales during the presentation will enable you to be ready when the time comes to ask for them. In addition, many times, the suggestive sell of the add- ons can help close the sale of the first item. By using this technique, you increase the potential for the total sale, and decrease the amount of time you would use if you were to sell each item independently.
23. Never Give 100%:
The customer should never hear your entire sales presentation! If you have to deliver the whole thing to make a sale, you either haven’t developed a very good presentation or you shouldn’t be selling. The purpose of the sales presentation is to assist you, the salesperson. It is not so you can assist the fancy, glossy sales materials or the super-slick PowerPoint presentation. Great sales people never have to deliver their entire presentation because they’ve taken the time to over-prepare. They’ve built sales materials around any type of concern they may face and are ready to deal with an objection should it arise.
24. Expertise in 30 Minutes a Day:
No one has the time to read everything they need to in either their professional or personal lives. This general shortcoming creates a magnificent opportunity for us as salespeople to become experts in our industry. A universal lack of reading time means that all it takes for a person to be viewed as an expert in his field in less than a year is a commitment to read for 30 minutes a day about their trade (not counting medicine, engineering, etc.) For the vast number of industries that sales people are involved in, this simple one-year reading commitment can quickly make you an authority.
25. Using Time to Sell:
Frequently, sales people think the way to control the amount of time needed for a sale with their customers is by offering them a special deal if they buy now. When this is done, the salesperson is usually only giving away profit, while thinking he’s speeding up a sale. We leverage time best by selling to the customer’s time parameters, not our own. When we sell to their parameters, we are selling at a higher value and a higher profit.
26. Know the Influencer:
With many sales, it appears there is only one person involved in the decision making process. Yet, more times than not, another person is behind the scenes influencing the decision. When you make your sales call, always assume there is an influencer and expect to deal with him or her. To find out who that influencer is, using probing questions with the customer such as: “Who else in your organization is typically involved in decisions such as this?” “When decisions like this have been made in the past, what are some of the things others have said?” “Where does a decision like this rank in terms of other decisions you typically make?”
27. Price Discussion:
When faced with resistance to price, offer the customer an example of where they spend considerably more money on something else. By doing so, the customer will begin to put into context the amount you’re asking them to spend with you.
28. Universal Questions:
There are six universal questions you can ask almost anytime and anywhere in a sales presentation. They are: “Who?”, “What?”, “When?”, “Where?”, “Why?”, and “How?”. A perfect place to ask one of these is when you’re not sure where to go with the discussion and/or are afraid of losing control.
29. Sales Advocates:
The best way to make a sale is to have someone else make it for you. You do this by creating sales advocates. These are people who are so impressed with what you offer and/or the way you sell that they tell others about you even without you asking. If you haven’t obtained any sales like this, then you don’t have any sales advocates and, more importantly, your sales process and/or service may not measure up to what people expect.
30. Uncover New Benefits:
After people have had time to experience the product or service you’re selling, they often begin to realize benefits they weren’t expecting. Talk to your long-term customers and find out what additional benefits they’re experiencing. You may find it advantageous to use these in your future sales presentations.
31. Quiet Time:
Block out 30 minutes a day (or 2 hours a week) to move to a quiet location with nothing but a blank piece of paper. During this time, ask yourself how you can secure more sales from your existing customers and make notes of your thoughts. Your best ideas will always come when you step back from the business long enough to examine how you can take your customer relationships to a higher level.
32. Is It Your Product or You?:
It’s important to understand why people do business with you. Have you ever asked your customers why they chose you? Have you ever asked those who chose your competitors why they did not decide to do business with you? Find out if there’s anything about your sales process that needs to be modified. The information is free, and it may wind up being the best feedback you’ve ever received.
33. Your Head:
Tilting your head slightly when you are listening to someone speak communicates that you are giving them your undivided attention. It’s amazing how this simple type of body language can convey a powerful message!
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007
Applying Good Sales Skills to Great Job Interviews
Here’s an article from Mark Hunter with some more sales advice for you. Practicing these sales tips will certainly improve your selling and closing skills, but here’s a good way to apply it to your job interview skills: It’s true that you probably don’t want to limit your talking during the job interview to 20% of the time, but you do want to remember that your job interview in medical sales, medical device sales, laboratory sales, pharmaceutical sales, imaging sales, or other health care sales is a conversation. Have some prepared questions to ask your interviewer–about the job, the company, goals, and more. First of all, that will help you to relax (which makes it easier to project confidence), and secondly, drawing out information from your interviewer will help you give better answers to interview questions. And, asking questions during your job interview impresses hiring managers–asking the right questions shows your knowledge, strategic thinking, and confidence. It sets you apart as an outstanding candidate.
| Communication Skills: Shut Up and Sell! |
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Contrary to popular belief, to be a successful salesperson, it doesn’t matter how much you know about your product or service. It also doesn’t matter how much of an industry expert you are. It doesn’t even matter how great your mother thinks you are. The only thing that really matters to be successful in selling is your ability to shut-up and listen. On numerous occasions, everyone in sales has heard how important it is to get the customer talking, so it’s imperative that they have an arsenal of great questions to ask. Despite trying to follow this guideline, every salesperson seems to overstate the amount of time they believe they allow the customer to talk. The many interviews I’ve conducted over the years with customers and salespeople alike confirm this reality. Therefore, salespeople need to take a step back and consider their sales presentation. To talk less means you have to ask questions that truly engage the customer. However, this doesn’t mean you need to develop complex questions. Instead, the best tactic is to ask shorter ones. Long questions tend to result in short answers, while short questions will generally result in long answers. An example of a great short question is, “Why?” In my opinion, there isn’t a better follow-up question you can ask after the customer has shared with you some information. Consider how your customers would respond to other short examples like, “Can you elaborate on that?” and “Could you explain more?” These shorter questions elicit detailed responses and that’s just what you want. On the other hand, asking complex questions often tends to perplex customers. Because they are not sure what you are looking for, they respond with the universal answer representing total confusion, “What did you say?” Questions should not be your means of showing your customers that you are an expert. Save that for your statements. When preparing your sales presentation, a guideline I subscribe to is to limit yourself from talking for more than 20 seconds at a time without asking a question. The question you ask should be one directed at the comments you just made. By doing so, you’re checking with the customer to see if they understood what you just shared with them. Again, this is something many salespeople overlook. They get caught up in sharing with the customer their expertise and the features of their product or service and forget all about what the customer is thinking. Even if your product or service requires a complex presentation, you should still follow this rule. Whether you’re selling software, high value medical equipment, or technical tools, it’s essential to check your clients understanding by asking a question every 20 seconds. Your goal on any sales call is to talk only 20% of the time. To help ensure that this takes place, you have to plan ahead. Before you start developing your sales presentation, create your list of questions. This is contrary to the pattern of most salespeople who often spend a substantial portion of their time developing their presentation and, at the last minute, develop their list of questions. Consider that if you’re expecting to have a 20 minute presentation, you should have 40 questions (2 questions per minute). Even though you may not use all 40, you’ll definitely be more prepared. In addition, you’ll be able to pick and choose which ones you want to ask. If you’re following the rule of asking short questions, you’ll ensure that the customer is doing most of the talking. You’ll learn valuable information that will help you better understand the customer’s needs. If you want to move your questioning process to the next level, make half of the questions you ask be ones that help the customer see and feel the pain they have. By doing so, they will be much more open to receiving your solution. For example, if you’re selling computer back-up systems, you might ask, “Can you explain to me what happens when data is lost?” This short, concise question is designed to get the customer thinking about the risks they face. Furthermore, the beauty of this type of question is that no matter what the customer’s response is, some good follow-up questions will naturally arise. By adhering to these guidelines, you will be able to see dramatic results in the number of sales you are able to close. As simple as it sounds, the more you shut up, the more you’ll sell. And, the easiest way to achieve this goal is by asking more, short questions. So, shut up and sell! |
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007
Networking Event Tips for Medical Sales
Mark Hunter is a sales expert. He has some networking tips for you to use if and when you go to a networking event. These are great:
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Networking:
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Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2008
Phone Sales Tips: Use Phone Skills for Medical Sales Job Interviews
Mark Hunter has some great tips for you when contacting customers by phone. I’m reprinting them here because (1) they’re good sales advice; and (2) I want you to think about them in terms of phone interview skills for your medical sales job interviews. Sales calls and interviews require very similar skill sets. Get good at one, and you should be good at the other.
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Phone Sales Tips:
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Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007
The 80/20 Rule Applied to the Sales Manager Role
Rest in peace Joseph Juran. Inventor of the 80/20 rule.
Your 80/20 rule saved many careers.
How can that be?
If you managed for any period of time and were an effective manager, you have used the 80/20 rule.
Simply stated, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.
If you have 10 people on your team, 80% of your results or production will come from your top 2 reps (20%).
If you own a restaurant, 80% of your revenue will most likely come from 20% of the time you are open.
If you have 10 accounts 80% of your revenue will come from the top 2 (20%) of your accounts.
The beauty of the 80/20 rule is that it applies in a myriad of industries, settings and applications. When you first hear it, you may be a bit skeptical, but is really true.
How can I get 80% of my revenue from 20% of my accounts? As many times as you challenge and question the rule, you’ll find it still holds true. Sure there may be a few exceptions, but it most cases it rings true.
Ok great, I understand the rule, how does it apply to line management?
I already mentioned the rep application. You have 10 people in your region and 80% of your revenue will come from two reps. Wouldn’t that mean that it would be wise to spend your travel time with your top performers, the 20% producing the 80%? The obvious answer is yes. You may have heard this rule stated another way “Feed the eagles and starve the turkeys”. The eagles represent the top 20% of your team and the turkeys the balance.
What about looking at the 80/20 rule from a time perspective?
You spend 80% of your time on 20% of your tasks. To make the math simple, let’s think of a week (5 working days).
The rule says that you will accomplish 80% of what needs to be done that week in one day. Does that mean you get to take the other four off? Not really.
Look at it this way.
The most important task you have as a manager is to achieve the corporate goals. These goals are normally a mix of performance/financial goals and MBO’s (Management by Objective) set by your boss. If goal attainment is your top priority, then most of what you do should be directed towards achieving that goal. I am a strong believer in weekly check in/funnel update calls to keep a pulse on the reps mindset, expand my relationship with that rep and update the sales funnel and forecast. Every week, that time with the reps was a priority.
Back to the example with your region and ten reps. Doing check in calls (budgeted at about an hour each) will take all of one day and some of the next morning. So doesn’t that work out to you spending 20% of your time (one day) to accomplish 80% of your goals/objectives? Yes it does.
I know you could split hairs (as you can with most rules or theories) about the exact numbers, i.e. , is it really 20% or it is closer to 25% and if I did that would that really reflect 80% of my productivity or closer to 60%? The answer is all of the above. Kinda.
As a manager meeting production goals and hiring and developing future leaders for the organization are your only goals. All of the other things you do in pursuit of those goals are a “means to an end”. Certainly, the things you do on the other four days of the week are important and contribute to your success, but if you did all of those other things without spending 20% of your week on check in calls, would those other things you did they other four days of the week put you 80% of the way on the path to success?
The answer is no.
By spending 20% of your time you will put yourself 80% of the way “there”.
Phone Sales Tips = Phone Interview Skills
Here’s another great article for you from Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter. They’re great sales tips for you to use when contacting customers over the phone, but I want you to also look at these as great tips you can use in phone interviews for medical sales, laboratory sales, pharmaceutical sales, imaging sales, biotech sales, medical device sales, or any health care sales job. Think of your job interview the same as you would a sales call–only here, the product you’re selling is you. You want the customer (the hiring manager) to buy your product (hire you). Keeping this kind of perspective is extremely effective.
Phone Sales Tips:
Phone Sales Tips When Contacting Customers
Never ask if it’s a good time to talk. This gives the other person a perfect excuse to end the call. If you are unsure if the person has time to talk, then state up front that the phone call will only take 3 minutes. When you give the person an exact time be sure you time the call. After the allotted time, tell the customer you’re at the end and ask them if they would like to continue or reschedule. Using this practice allows you to demonstrate how much you respect their time.
Ask questions. People will never hang up on themselves.
Use the person’s name at least 3 times in every phone call. Who doesn’t like to hear their name said?
When greeting people on the telephone, avoid using their last name. It makes the call seem too formal. Your objective should be to have a casual conversation, in the same way you would talk to a good friend.
Use visually descriptive words to help paint a picture of what you’re saying. A phone conversation doesn’t have to be boring and stale.
When starting a new telephone conversation, always give your first and last name. Never assume the person you’re talking to is going to recognize your voice or think you’re the only one with your first name.
Watch your facial expressions by placing a mirror in front of you when you talk. It’s amazing how they come through over the phone.
Add energy to your phone calls by standing up. Nobody likes talking to a “blah” person. People who have good posture tend to come across more enthusiastic than those who don’t.
When you end a conversation, always summarize it in the same way you would end a live meeting. By doing so, you can prevent misinterpretation of your discussion.
Always allow the other person to have the final comment or question. Just because you’ve asked all your questions doesn’t mean the other person has asked all of his.
Avoid negotiating over the phone, use it as a means to introduce information and to follow up or confirm information. It’s impossible to truly read body language over the phone and thus you lose a major negotiating tool. A phone call however can be an excellent way to introduce a new idea you would like to receive some feedback on. Many times it will allow feedback to be gained in a less threatening manner than if it were to occur in a traditional sales call.
Never use a speaker phone with a customer even if they say it is fine with them. Speaker phones add to the perception the conversation is not important enough to capture 100% of the person’s attention. (Only exception of course is if there is a group involved.)
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007
Questions to Ask Your Medical or Healthcare Sales Force
Mark Hunter has a great set of questions for you to ask your medical, laboratory, biotech, medical device, clinical diagnostics, imaging, pathology, or pharmaceutical sales force to get them to think about the strengths and weaknesses of your sales process, the sales team, and your reputation with customers and competitors that will improve your company’s bottom line:
| Sales Development Training:
Questions to Ask a Sales Force |
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007 |
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