Watch My Back
The other day a friend of mine ordered a grilled sandwich. When it came out it was burnt. He pointed out to the server that it was burnt and she replied, “I know. I didn’t think you would want it like that. I can’t believe the chef would let it come out like that.”
So, why did she bring it out? Maybe she should have gone to the chef or the manager and said, “This is unacceptable. Our guest will either send it back, or worse, he may not ever come back.”
How often at work does someone notice something is wrong, but lets it go? The strategy is simple:
Watch each other’s back.
In our office, it is the job of everyone to find the mistakes before they leave the office. A simple example is that my assistant almost always finds mistakes in the letters I write to clients. One of her responsibilities is to catch them and fix them. If anyone spots a mistake or problem, related to anything, it is part of everyone’s job to get it fixed before it gets in front of the client.
When it comes to taking care of customers, we are all on the same team. Watch for opportunities to make things right before they are discovered to be wrong.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. As a professional speaker and author, Shep helps companies develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep’s speaking programs and books, please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com Web: www.hyken.com. For information on customer service training, go to www.TheCustomerFocus.com.
In a time when discounts and contracts seem more important than clinical outcomes, don’t lose sight of the differentiator that allows you to hold onto business. I’m talking about stellar service, that which occurs behind the scenes for the most part and doesn’t require your customers to call you to make it happen because you stay a step ahead of them.
Think about the service providers in your own life. Let’s take your internet provider, for example. How often do you think about them? Do you ever say, “I wonder how Bob, who hooked up my modem is doing.” Or perhaps you might utter, “I haven’t heard from Allison at Verizon customer service in a while. I hope she calls to say hi.” The truth is you’re happiest with your service when you don’t have to think about the people behind the scenes who keep it all running smoothly. When you do, there’s usually a problem. It’s the same with your customers.
Success in medical sales is partly based on your ability to stay visible, but not top of mind. Ideally, your name comes up either when there is an opportunity to solve a customer’s problem not caused by your product, or the customer wants to place an order or schedule the use of your product. If the customer is thinking about you beyond that, then your product or service is not doing what it’s supposed to do… or they have a crush on you, and either is bad for business!
Your job is to sell. In the medical world, quality, price, and customer service are a given. You shouldn’t ever be talking about those things as features that you offer because none of them are differentiators anymore. The term customer service is cliché. And if your customers think about “customer service” it’s because either you or your company are not providing it. Problems make you top of mind and the only time you want to be top of mind is when the customer is ready to buy.
Want to differentiate yourself today? Convince your customers that you can stay off their radar screens, except when you’re offering or providing a solution. Assure them that you’ll be delivering the best kind of service, and that’s the kind they probably won’t notice because few people notice when things work as they should.
If your customers only think about you when they see you, or when they want to buy, you’re doing a great job. Stay visible, but not top of mind.
– Mace Horoff is author of Mastering Medical Sales: The Essential Attitudes, Habits & Skills of High-earning Medical Sales Professionals, Award-winning finalist in the “Best Books of 2010 Awards” by USA Book News. Visit www.MedicalSalesTraining.com
As you make your way through the January issue of Repertoire, take the time to read the stories about two of the industry’s great influencers, Cindy Juhas of Hospital Associates and Claflin Company’s Ted Almon. They are this year’s inductees into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame. Each has had a great impact on our industry. I have known both for a number of years and can attest that they are richly deserving of the honor.
What struck me most after reading the articles was the contrast not only in the type of people they are but the difference in their respective contributions to the industry. Both are true pioneers. Most importantly, both will have left a legacy for all of us.
As many know, Ted’s career has always been centered on the acute care side of the business. From his days at Baxter through his acquisition of Claflin, Ted has made it his business to thoroughly understand the channel in which he operates. From the early days of GPOs and the changes that impacted the supply chain, Ted took the lead in introducing and implementing innovative processes and programs that streamlined the supply chain. I have always been impressed with Ted’s ability to make complex issues understandable. As someone noted in the article, Ted was usually the smartest guy in the room. There is a lot of truth in that statement.
Cindy’s career prior to her acquiring Hospital Associates had been centered on either the lab or physician side of the business. But Cindy’s ability to recognize and focus on niche opportunities has been one of the keys to her success. No matter where she is, Cindy always brings with her a passion for what she is doing, and that passion is contagious to those who know and work with her. Cindy’s body of work in the industry is unparalleled. At each stop along the way, she has brought her passion, principles, and maybe best of all, her laughter.
Ted humbly attributes part of his success to luck, and I know Cindy would give credit to good fortune for much of her success. Luck indeed plays a role in our lives. But isn’t it interesting that one who prepares as thoroughly to a cause as a Ted Almon does, or one who exudes as much passion for endeavors as a Cindy Juhas does, seems to be abundantly fortunate?
I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2012 than to congratulate the industry’s newest members of the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame and feel lucky that they crossed our collective paths.
– Brian Taylor, Publisher, Repertoire
Do you want to know the one thing that will make every single one of your relationships significantly better?
It’s easy. If you think a kind thought, say it. Out loud.
How many times have you thought, “Wow, my co-worker is really great with customers” or “Gee, I love to hear my kids laugh,” yet kept the thought to yourself?
Here’s the big secret. We’re all constantly trying to figure out what other people think about us.
In the absence of someone telling us directly, we draw our clues from their facial expressions and body language.
Someone may be thinking, “That’s a great presentation.” But if their face is fixed in a grim look, even if it’s a look of concentration, we’ll assume they don’t like what we’re saying.
Let me spell it out even more directly. If you are thinking nice thoughts about the people around you, yet your facial expressions and body language continually reveal how tired you are in your own life, people will interpret your mannerisms as a reflection of how you feel about them.
In the absence of positive words, people will assume that you don’t like them or care about them. This is true in a work environment and in our personal lives.
Without positive language, our thoughts err on the negative side.
Fortunately there’s an easy fix. Just say it!
If there was ever a moment when you looked across the room at your wife and thought, “Wow, she’s beautiful,” say it.
If you ever looked at your boss or co-worker and thought, “He’s really smart.” Tell him.
If you ever looked at your kids and thought, “Wow, I sure am lucky.” Let them know.
The payback is immediate and enormous. As Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
When you make someone else feel fabulous, it circles right back to you.
You get the immediate win of elevating the current conversation. You also get
the long-term win of having your kind words echo in their heart when you’re not around. Which not only makes them feel better about themselves, but they’re more predisposed to feel better about you.
If you’re still stuck in the camp of “Why should I have to tell my employees they’re doing a great job, isn’t their paycheck enough?” or “Why should I have to tell my spouse I love them, I’m still here aren’t I?”
Get over yourself.
I can’t say this more plainly. By not verbalizing positive words, you’re not only cheating other people out of a great experience, you’re cheating yourself.
I’ve coached executives around the world, and I can tell you the real reason people don’t share their positive thoughts is because of their own discomfort with anything that hints of emotional engagement.
But this isn’t emotionally risky; it’s emotionally easy. You don’t have to make anything up, you don’t have to wax eloquent or worry about choosing the perfect words. Just verbalize what you’re already thinking.
I promise, nothing bad will happen to you when you share kind thoughts.
If you’re still on the fence, ask yourself what would happen if your boss or spouse did this for you?
And what are you missing out on by not doing it for them?
Lisa Earle McLeod helps organizations win the hearts and minds of customers and employees. She is the author of three books included the best-seller, The Triangle of Truth: The Surprisingly Simple Secret to Resolving Conflicts Large and Small, A Washington Post Top 5 Book for Leaders.
She is an international keynote speaker and consultant who has been seen on The Today show and featured in Forbes, Fortune, CEO Read and The Wall Street Journal. You can reach her at www.LisaEarleMcLeod.com.
It is so easy to do that which is comfortable and easy as opposed to that which is smart. It’s a common temptation to which every salesperson succumbs at least some of the time. This applies most dramatically to the fundamental decisions that every salesperson makes over and over again every day:
- Where should I go?
- Who should I see?
- What should I do?
Those salespeople who consistently make those decisions most effectively rise to the top of the sales profession, and those who don’t, well, don’t.
Potential over comfort
Here’s an example. It’s Monday morning, and you must make those decisions. You could attempt to see a high potential prospect, or you can go see a small customer. You know the customer will probably see you – he likes you. And you’ll spend an hour or so in friendly conversation. You also know that the likelihood of increasing the business with this customer is next to nothing. But, since it’s comfortable and easy, you choose to see the customer. You rationalize it by claiming to be “building relationships.”
Or, you are all set to visit that high potential, but challenging prospect, when you receive a call from a “C” account who has a question. You are not too distant from them, so you change plans and drive to see the “C” account. Why? Because you know that he’ll see you, and you’ll be able to answer a question, and that makes you feel important, and gives you a sense that you are actually accomplishing something.
In both cases, you chose to do that which was comfortable and easy, as opposed to that which was smart. You succumbed to the temptation.
This is such a common thing among B2B salespeople that those who “focus on spending the greatest amount of time with the highest potential” stand out on the basis of this one best practice alone.
That doesn’t mean that you totally neglect smaller customers. But it does mean that you define, with some rigor, the highest potential customers in your territory and you then, with discipline and willfulness, spend more time with them. My recommendation? Fifty percent of your time with the top twenty percent of your territory, and fifty percent of your time with other eighty percent. Note that the definition of the top twenty percent is based on potential, not necessarily the amount of the current business. So, in other words, an “A” account is a high potential account, even though they may spend nothing with you now.
This is such a crucial practice that it is a part of almost every seminar and training session that I do. Those who consistently implement it routinely report dramatic increases in sales. Most commonly, they report tripling their business in two years.
While that sounds almost too good to be true, it isn’t. It is predictable and almost routine for those who consistently practice it. That’s why it’s a best practice.
Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of distributor and B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He’s authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. Sign up for his weekly Ezine at www.davekahle.com. For a limited time, you can purchase his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, and receive $534 in FREE bonuses.