How to Sell Your Services
How to Sell Your Services
What makes a good salesperson? The same skills that make good administrators and clinicians, says Carol Stillman, MS, PT, president of Health Creations, a consulting firm in New York City that trains health care professionals to promote their products. Those skills include problem-solving, self-discipline, knowledge of the product and competition, listening ability, and intuition. Stillman, a clinician with a sales background, offers these tips:
· Be persistent. A survey of 2,000 salespeople showed 80% of all sales occurred after the fifth call. But 48% gave up after the first call and 42% after the second. Only 10% continued after the fourth.
· Don't leave messages. It's more effective to call again. You're more likely to get through early in the morning or at the day's end. Some physicians and attorneys answer their phones during lunch.
· Find out as much as possible in advance about the referral source you're calling.
· Have an objective in mind when you call. The objective of your first call to referral sources might be to ensure they know about your program or to find out who they see as your competition.
· Take a variety of selling tools. You never know what will click with the person you're seeing. Include outcomes data, testimonials from patients and referral sources, photos of patients and your facility, and articles on the benefits of rehab. "You won't use all of these on every call, but they can help you overcome objections."
· Avoid the "telling trap." Instead of talking a lot, ask questions and listen.
· Find out what your referral sources want and show how you can meet their needs. It doesn't matter that you have the latest equipment if the source is more interested in timely reports.
· Don't just list programs. Instead, talk about how patients will benefit. This is where outcomes data and patient testimonials can help.
· Keep your formal presentation short. Let much of what you say come from the questions your contact asks.
· Compile research on the benefits of rehab. Primary care physicians who are the gatekeepers for managed care plans tend to think rehab services are expensive and take too long. To overcome those objections, arm yourself with data showing the cost-effectiveness of rehab services and how they compare to other options.
· Don't get defensive when referral sources question the need for your services. Instead, say something like: "Let me share with you a recent study that shows significant cost savings from early intervention."
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