| I heard it on a regular basis for years - "I want to | | | | a car. Of course, nothing is further from the truth. |
| get into medical sales. I can do what you do." And | | | | No one would dream of getting into an airplane |
| I would always say, "Of course you can." Anyone | | | | without the proper training and verification of the |
| can get into medical sales and succeed - if he or | | | | necessary skills. Why? Because there is a good |
| she has the right skills. The truth is, most people | | | | chance that you will crash and burn and probably |
| don't have the right skills. But they can learn them! | | | | kill yourself and other people as well. |
| One of the constants of training medical sales | | | | What happens when someone gets hired for |
| people, that is people who have already been | | | | medical sales and doesn't have the necessary |
| hired and are representing medical companies, is | | | | skills to perform in the demanding medical |
| when I ask, "How many of you feel that you | | | | environment? Metaphorically speaking, the same |
| have professional sales skills." Usually, the majority | | | | ugly thing that happens in the airplane without |
| of the class will raise their hands. I then asked the | | | | proper training happens in the medical sales |
| question, "How many of you use questions to | | | | environment - crash and burn! |
| control a sales presentation?" Again, several of | | | | What is the effect of blowing valued opportunities |
| the salespeople will raise their hands. Later that | | | | in this business? You won't die of course, but the |
| day, as a benchmark for assessing where each | | | | business opportunities that exist at the start may |
| person's selling skills are at the time, I will have | | | | take a fatal turn if you're not fully prepared in |
| the salespeople engage in sales presentation role | | | | advance. Often, opportunities occur only once |
| play. Usually, the people who claim to have | | | | with a customer and cannot be fixed if they are |
| professional selling skills and claim to control the | | | | damaged due to mismanaging the sales situation. |
| sales presentation with questions don't ask a single | | | | Getting hired for medical sales is not as difficult as |
| question. | | | | most people make it out to be. In fact, if you |
| What I have learned is that one's perception of | | | | know what you are doing you can achieve |
| selling skills and the ability to demonstrate those | | | | predictable results in your quest for a position in |
| same skills are two different things. I believe this | | | | medical sales. So congratulations, you've been |
| is true for several reasons. First, while many | | | | hired. Now what? |
| people have had sales training or have read books | | | | You better be able to perform and please don't |
| about sales techniques, very few have gone | | | | make the mistake that many neophytes make in |
| through a structured curriculum that teaches | | | | this profession. That is, that the new company will |
| them how to use the techniques in a realistic | | | | teach them everything they need to know to |
| environment. Consequently, these skills are never | | | | succeed. Some companies do indeed have |
| really learned. The other issue that creates the | | | | phenomenal training programs that cover selling |
| chasm between perception and reality of one's | | | | skills as well as product skills, but many don't. |
| true sales ability is that selling is often assumed to | | | | Remember, during the hiring process you are |
| be an easy task as long as you can speak. Thus | | | | selling yourself as a professional. If you do not |
| the salesperson assumes a false sense of | | | | launch from day one operating as a pro, there will |
| competency. | | | | be many people who will notice. This is a very |
| In any endeavor, professionals always make | | | | unforgiving industry for sales people who don't |
| whatever they are doing look easy. Selling is no | | | | perform. The flip side is that it is a very lucrative |
| different. In fact, the best salespeople lead their | | | | industry for people who do. |
| prospects to believe that they are doing nothing | | | | The take home message: Make sure you have |
| more than having a conversation. and certainly | | | | the skills you are going to need and don't assume |
| anyone can participate in a conversation. | | | | that you already have them just because selling |
| Therefore these pros make selling look easy. So | | | | seems simple. Selling skills can be learned easily |
| easy in fact, that many of the prospects will say, | | | | enough, but they will only work if you commit the |
| "I can do that." | | | | time to practice them in a realistic environment. |
| Flying an airplane looks easy. Since most people's | | | | Remember, the pros make it look easy. Invest in |
| familiarity with flying an airplane comes from the | | | | whatever is required to become a true medical |
| movies, many people think it is as easy as driving | | | | sales professional, you'll make it look easy too. |