Focus Magazine - Fall 2017 - 24

FEATURESTORY

This methodology not only
sharpens the influence
for tenured reps, but it can be
utilized with new hires.

practices that we can incorporate into
our openings.
* I've noticed a trend in the industry
with how practices are handling...
* I followed up with some other
practices regarding our
conversation from last week to get
some diﬀerent perspectives...
We become an expert resource of
what some of the best practices are
doing regarding patient management,
marketing their practice or even
eﬃciencies in scheduling. Many
times, we're so focused on our
message or the sale that we lose an
invaluable opportunity to listen and
learn. Just by observing and asking
questions we gain valuable insight not
only in the immediate sale with the
customer but we can gain valuable
insights that can be utilized with other
accounts that doctors will value.
Also of note, the higher the quality
of the third-party reference, the higher
the credibility you receive.
e next step in constructing your
opening is just as crucial as the thirdparty reference. is is where you can
gain control of the conversation right
from the beginning.

Step 2
You choose the topic or subject to
be engaged in, which may include
anything from patient outcomes,
reimbursement, industry insight or
new technology.
In the bestselling book e
Challenger Sale, authors Matthew
Dixon and Brent Adamson discovered
that top performing reps not only
teach and tailor, but they take control
of the sales call. e question is how
do you take control of a sales call
within the 8 second window?
Aer Step 1 of introducing a thirdparty reference, you finish the opening
statement by referencing a topic or
subject that can lead into your call for
action. We've been trained to ask
questions, but by starting with a
statement, we choose the topic of
conversation and then we engage in
questions.
Let's put this all together:
* Dr.: "What's new?"
* Sales Rep: "I was at a national
conference and one of the keynote
speakers was highlighting their
protocol in ruling-in or ruling-out
atrial ﬁbrillation with cryptogenic

stroke patients. How does your
practice currently diagnosis atrial
fibrillation in your cryptogenic
stroke patients?"
Credibility and control with one
sentence in less than eight seconds.
From this platform, you can weave in
your studies, statistics or messages.
is methodology not only
sharpens the influence for tenured
reps, but it can be utilized with new
hires. Early in my career I flew in to
meet with a noted key opinion leader
(KOL) within our field. He was a
highly-regarded physician and was
frequently quoted in studies and was a
featured keynote speaker at
conferences. I was only six months
into my job when I met with him.
We were walking down the hallway
of his prestigious institution and I
could tell he was sizing me up. He
asked, "So, tell me about what you do."
I stated my title and said "My role
aﬀords me the ability to observe
multiple practices and gain valuable
insights into what the best practices
are employing about treating patients
with challenging disease states. He
said, "I bet you're not willing to share
them with me." at 8-second
statement gained me access to sit
down with the leading KOL in the
industry for a 30-minute discussion in
his oﬃce.
Take control of the conversation
and increase the impact your field has
with their physicians by incorporating
the principles of preplanned
spontaneity. ■

Blaine C. Stephenson is sales training manager for Medtronic. Email Blaine at blaine.c.stephenson@medtronic.com.

FOCUS | Fall 2017 | www.L-TEN.org

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