The Single Biggest Mistake that medical Sales Reps make
Ok, first up – let me call this out. I know that this is a massive cliché.
And I also know that you can twist the narrative of any ‘mistake’ to best fit the argument that you’re trying to make – thus making it ‘The Single Biggest Mistake …’ etc.
But I’m sticking to my guns here, because I think this particular issue has such a huge knock-on effect to all other elements of the sales process, that it stands out as being the undisputed #1 heavyweight champion!
And if you get this wrong (which a huge proportion of Sales Reps do), then winning business is going to become extremely problematic!
I know this, because I’m living proof of it. This issue plagued me in my early years as a Sales Rep (as it does with many of those who are new to the game), and was probably the biggest limiter in my success for the first 2-3 years of my Medtech sales career.
But it’s not just the ‘Rookies’ that suffer from this affliction. Again, I know this because I’ve seen it. I’ve been out in the field with experienced colleagues and seen this very thing still happen. I’ve seen it in the training sessions that we run here at Tenacity, across a diverse range of experience and knowledge.
And most damningly of all, despite having spent 20+ years in the sales industry, and completely understanding the pitfalls of this issue – there are sloppy occasions when I still do it myself !!
So here it is, the single biggest mistake that most Sales Reps make :
WE JUST DON’T LISTEN
It really is that simple. We don’t listen to what our customers are saying. We don’t hear their needs, and if we don’t understand what their needs are, then there is no way that we can possibly solve their problem! Which is essentially what selling is all about.
Now, there are 2 different aspects to ‘not listening’.
The first comes from a place of ‘Unconscious Incompetence’ Basically meaning that we go into a ‘conversation’ with our customer/surgeon, with no intention of listening to what they’re saying – simply because we don’t know any better.
We hit them hard up front with what we are trying to sell to them. Heavy product knowledge, features & benefits, design philosophies, why our product is so much better than ‘Product X’ etc.
We push our own agenda, because we’re sales people, and our company expect us to pro-actively sell the products, right ?
The second aspect of not listening is a little more evolved. Here, we understand the huge importance of asking questions, trying to uncover the ‘true need’ of our customer. And we go into the conversation with a well thought out plan, and a list of appropriate questions to ask.
We plan these questions out, to hopefully move the conversation towards a point where we can subtly showcase the benefit of our product, to best solve their problem.
Sounds great on paper …
But we can become so pre-occupied on asking these specific questions and moving the conversation in the direction we want it to go, that we don’t actually listen to the answers that are coming back from the customer!!
Or more specifically, we either don’t physically hear what they’re saying (because we’re so focused on our next question), or we do hear what they’re saying, but choose not to take it in, as we want to steer them back onto our own agenda! (Because our plan is so well thought out and structured)
This sounds crazy doesn’t it? We go to all that effort of thinking up intelligent, searching questions that will allow the surgeon to open up, but we simply don’t listen to their actual answers!!
Well it happens. Often.
Here at Tenacity we have video clips from surgeons saying that this happens, all the time! And we also see it in role plays during every single Sales Training session that we run.
As Sales Reps, we try and control the agenda because it’s more comfortable for us! We keep it tight to product knowledge and what we know for sure, because that’s our safe space – the one area that we can be truly certain about.
But to be in the Top 5% of sales reps, we need to be prepared to step out of that comfort zone. We need to :
- Talk significantly less (it can be harder than it sounds!)
- Ask a series of open questions that will allow the surgeon to continually expand on their needs/problem areas
- Truly LISTEN to the responses that we hear
- Ensure that our subsequent questions are related to answers we’re hearing, rather than based on our own agenda
- Let the surgeon guide us down their path
The fantastic thing here is, that if you truly listen to your customer and fully understand their needs – then you can’t lose!
Of course, the hope is that you can position your product(s) or service to provide the solution that will enhance their practice, and the life of their patients. In this scenario, EVERYBODY WINS!
But ultimately, if you aren’t able to provide the correct solution at that time – at least you won’t be trying to push a sale on them that they don’t want, and don’t need. Because nothing puts a surgeon off more, than a pushy sales rep who is clearly just after a sale.
We want an ongoing relationship and repeat business, not just a single transaction. And the only way to achieve this is to truly understand what is important to them – which is why it’s critically important to simply listen to what they’re saying.
So wherever you are in the sales process – let’s have a focus on actively listening to what is coming back from our customers.
Initial greeting and introduction? LISTEN
Comments during a workshop/presentation? LISTEN
An objection? LISTEN
We need to be listening WAY more than we’re talking!
I know this sounds simple, and blatantly obvious – and that’s because it is!
But this is why I think it’s the single biggest mistake we make as Sales Reps, because it’s such an easy thing to do – but we just don’t do it OFTEN ENOUGH or WELL ENOUGH.
So please, stop pushing your own agenda. Stop trying to force your product onto the customer.
Take the time to LISTEN to them, truly understand what is important to them – and then look to provide a solution that gives a mutually beneficial outcome.