You didn’t go to school to be a salesperson, you went to school to be an Otolaryngologist! How are you expected to be great at selling products within your private practice?
When you picture a salesperson you may think of a telemarketer or a used car salesman. Rather than thinking of sales as pushy or impersonal, think of selling as “offering” your products or services that your patients need.
You will never need to force your products on your patients, and don’t try to sell products to anyone that doesn’t want or need them. Selling is all about mutual benefits. If your patient has a problem that your product can solve… Educate him/her on the product and how it will solve their problem. If they buy the product, their needs have been met and you have just made some extra cash. It’s a win-win!
See? Being a salesperson isn’t a bad thing. Sales is a necessity when you provide products and services to the public. Embrace it! Your patients (and your wallet) will thank you!
Here are some great tips to help you become a great salesperson:
Ask questions
We’ve all been in an awkward situation when a pushy salesperson is rambling on and on about a product that we don’t even need. The problem is they didn’t ask you what you’re looking for or what your needs are. Therefore, they can’t sell you on their product because they don’t even know if it’s something you need or want.
Ask your patients what problems they have. What do they enjoy doing in their free time? What are they hoping they will gain from their treatment with you? Then, decide if your products will help them get better faster, or help them get back to enjoying the things they love. Listening is the most important thing about selling.
Sell the value
When it comes time for you to give your “sales pitch,” sell the value of the product. What that means is, if you have a patient having trouble sleeping and it’s causing her to spend less time playing with her grandchildren—offer her a product that will help her sleep better. Just don’t forget the important part: having more energy to play with the grandchildren!
Sure the product will help her sleep better. That’s great and all but she may not be sold on why the product is going to help her that much. Remind her that she needs good sleep to enjoy her life and spend time with her grandchildren. The value of spending time with family and living a more active life will make the product much more important to this patient.
Find out what is important to your patients and help them see the value in what you’re offering them.
Be an expert
You can’t sell anything if you don’t know every detail about the product. You have to be an expert at whatever you’re selling.
Learn all the ins and outs of the product: where it came from, how it’s made, what it does, its special features, any risks, how to use it, etc.
If you’re an expert on what you’re selling, your patients will notice. Your expertise makes you a trustworthy. And people buy from those they trust.
Highlight the benefits, rather than features
The product may have all kinds of fancy bells and whistles, but, none of it matters unless the patient understands what benefits the features provide.
Put most of your emphasis on the benefits rather than irrelevant details about the product. Sure the product has a new and improved design but what is it about the design that will help the patient achieve their goals?
Add-on, upsell or cross-sell
Any great salesperson can add-on, upsell or cross-sell. Often patients need more than one product, or may need a product for one thing and a totally different product for another.
Find out what else you can help your patients with! Just because they want to purchase one product doesn’t mean you need to stop there. You can sell them an additional add-on for the product they want, or if you know of another issue they need help with, address it!
Follow up
Following up with your patients not only makes you great at sales but also great at customer service.
If a patient bought a product from you, call them after a few days and ask them how things are going with the new product. Do you like the product? Is it helping you? Is there anything else that could make it even better? Did the product meet your expectations?
This follow up will show the patient that you really care about improving their health and not just about selling to them. If the patient has any confusion or questions about the product, this will give them the opportunity to talk to you about it. You can then assist them further if needed.
Increase your sales IMMEDIATELY…
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