Starting a new account can be an incredible challenge. There is so much information pertaining to an office that you don’t know when you first walk in. For most reps, learning is trial and error. That’s why I’ve put together four important tips for making the most of a new account you can skip straight to success.
The more information you can gather about your new accounts, the more efficiently and thoroughly you will be able to serve them.
Competitors
One of the first things you’ll want to research, before you even set foot in the door of a new account, are your competitors. This is an essential step when it comes to selling. If you don’t know who your competition is, how will you know how you are better?
When doing this research, there are three things you want to take into account: quality, access, and cost. These are going to be your stable data points with which you will be able to compare your product or service. Does your product or service have something the competitor lacks? Write it down. Do you cater to a wider demographic? Write it down. Is your cost much lower? WRITE. IT. DOWN. This is all information that you will then be able to utilize when you see an account.
Once you have made note of your strengths and weaknesses, you will be able to drive the conversation when you visit accounts. If you know that your product or service is considerably cheaper than a competitor’s, that’s an important point to bring up as it will influence an office’s decision to select your company.
That being said, don’t discount your ability to sell. I’ve seen reps show an inferior product, but the sales pitch was so convincing and the rep so personable that the office chose them. Likewise, I’ve seen reps with amazing products be turned down because they just couldn’t sell. Take the information you gather, and use it to your advantage.
Doctors’ Schedules
This is a little nugget of information that I wish people had told me when I was first starting out as a healthcare sales rep. When you get to an account, ask about the doctor’s schedule. When do they see new patients? Existing patients? When are the most prescriptions written? Does the doctor make hospital rounds? What this information will do is allow you to make the most of your territory schedule.
Let me give you an example. The office tells you that the doctor sees new patients on Wednesday. So when would be the best time for you to visit? Tuesday. Most prescriptions are written for new patients as they typically require more tests to be done. Therefore, visiting your account on Tuesday allows you to be top of mind for that doctor when he or she sees new patients.
Patient Demographics
The patient demographics of the office are important to your selling strategy. What are the average ages, health profiles, or common ailments experienced by patients? What this will allow you to do is figure out how your product or service could be of use to the account.
For example, if you sell a product to help people with type 2 diabetes, but the office tells you that most of their patients are fit and don’t have any form of diabetes, then your product may not be a good fit. This information is crucial so as to not waste yours and the office’s valuable time.
Ask Questions
As I’m sure you’ve noticed so far, being a great and efficient rep means asking plenty of questions. Though we’ve covered some so far, I wanted to touch on a few more that can help give you more information to better inform your selling choices. Check out this video on the top 5 questions you need to ask your new account.
Conclusion
Overall, what’s going to make or break your selling experience is your level of service. The more questions and research you do, the better you can provide to new accounts, and ultimately, patients in need. I hope this gives you a framework with which to begin creating your own new account protocol. Click here read about how training can can be the key to your success and check out our Sales 101 course, designed for healthcare reps, by healthcare reps.
What was your favorite tip? Leave a comment below!
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