Tips to increase sales
1. There are three useful sources you can use to get the information when it comes to your targeted HCP (Health Care Professional). They are Database, Environment and Support Staff.
2. Getting on to their side is essential. People readily open to you when they feel that way. It shows your understanding and empathy.
3. Successful selling, more often than not, revolves around effectively managing HCP perspective and attitudes that spring from it.
4. The primary purpose of planning is to anticipate what you might encounter during a real sales call. It's to get you ready.
5. You probably would not meet your expectation from a single visit. That's why it's essential to have a long term view of things. You can incrementally work towards achieving your objectives, as long as you're clear of what they are.
6. What makes an objective meaningful? It must, at least, have three things - specific, result oriented, and realistic.
7. Look at what's going on in the HCP's current practice and working environment:
- what are they prescribing for your therapeutic area?
- what problem exists?
- any opportunity you can spot?
- any unmet medical needs?
9. Have a clear call objective. Answering these questions helps:
- what do you expect from your call today?
- what is your long term expectation?
- does your objective specific, result oriented and realistic?
- did you record it?
- what message are you putting across your HCP?
- what are the key points?
- any visual aids to use?
- any clinical reprints you need to reinforce your statement?
- what else do you need to get the message across effectively?
12. Don't be taken by surprise. Prepare ahead of time for possible resistance. These questions help you to be better prepared:
- what could possibly stop you dead in your track?
- what could be the roadblock or possible roadblock?
- what stops them in the past?
- what's stopping them now?
- what might stop them later?
- what problem you can ask to qualify your HCP?
- what can you ask to manage their perception?
- what can you ask to bring their attention away from roadblock to your key message?
- what could you ask differently to move towards commitment?
- what did you learn from the request?
- can you see something palpable?
- did you have to assume things?
- what did you get from the environment and support staffs?
- was it helpful?
- what else do you need to know to make better sales call?
16. The relationship is critical in long term business. The good thing is, it merely starts with rapport, which in turn developed over time to trust.
17. Rapport should start the minute you approach the HCP's office.
18. Developing rapport depends on - respect, empathy, and common ground.
19. Credibility as medical sales reps could come from many sources. For example, from the Pharma company you represent and from the product you promote.
20. There are cases where HCPs like you, as a person, but that becomes a disadvantage because they do not take you seriously enough to grant a commitment.
21. Credibility is not a stand-alone subject. It is based on three components:
- knowledge
- confidence
- integrity
- confident body language
- good grooming
23. Product presentation is a crucial aspect of the whole medical sales job description. The key is to be the super focus and relevant to the HCPs.
24. The tool for effective product presentation is already available at your disposal - your words and more importantly, how you deliver them.
25. Opening statements with impact zoom in on the most critical benefit to HCPs. From the info gathered, you have determined or predicted what could be valuable and beneficial to them, offered through your product.
26. There are times when you can use attention-getting opening statements together with question or comment about HCP's practice.
27. It has proven to be very useful and practical when reps can create an image of a specific patient when introducing a need for HCP.
28. 5 main benefits capture HCP interest:
- product efficacy
- patient compliance
- product safety
- tolerability
- cost-effective
- emphasize benefits, benefits, and benefits
- list as many as required to gain HCP interest
- HCP looks for solutions, not products
31. Proving statement involves using clinical reprints from relevant publication, for example, scientific journals. Visual aids add more impact. They reinforce what you've said and established credibility.
32. Reprints are simply copies of articles published in medically related publications. They refer to studies showing the efficacy of products. It's a huge advantage to be familiar with them before using.
33. HCP remember what you said. When verbal info is combined with visual reinforcement, retention is increased up to 6 times!
34. Building a relationship with HCP and their support staffs employs skills that you might already have at your disposal.
35. It is speculated that we spend 70% of our waking time listening. But hearing and listening are different. Few people really look. Most people hear. It is also a distinct skill.
36. Part of listening well is noticing clues - verbal and non-verbal.
37. Show to the speakers that you are paying attention to them. It can be done through body language and verbal reinforcement.
38. Listening behavior shows that you empathize with the speaker. It encourages them to continue and clarify the message being communicated.
39. You clarify what was said through questions and paraphrasing. Paraphrasing doesn't mean repeating words for words, but repeat the gist of what's being said.
40. Checking for buy-in is natural after you have to present your product and prove the sales message. It requires you to pay attention to the HCPs - their body language and responses.
41. As equally important, you need to pay attention to your own body language - your use of questions and verbal encouragers.
42. How the message is delivered/spoken, and what is not verbalized often communicate more.
43. Questions are easy to ask. What could be tricky is asking questions to steer the conversation to find out about a subject without being too straight forward.
44. Design questions you can use when interacting with your HCPs to probe for more info.
45. Once you get the signs of how receptive your HCPs to your presentation, the moment has come to be more direct and move them towards commitment.
46. Once a positive comment is reinforced, you can increase HCP enthusiasm by presenting essential benefits.
47. Usually, a trial close is as simple as asking for an opinion.
48. Two of the most common objections - technical and competition.
49. When facing objections, it is very tempting to point out where the HCPs are wrong, in short, to argue with them. A more desirable approach is redirecting the conversation to something more positive.
50. In closing a sales call, reminding HCPs on products' benefits and asking for commitment are what you want to do. Once you have touched on one product, you move to the next one. After you have completed everything, you want to record and analyze the call before making the next one.