During A Joint Sales Call, Are You A Potted Plant?

Before we started a recent training program on Sales Call Planning and Execution we asked the participants to tell us what they would like to achieve from the training. There was one question that arose from several of the participants. It was as follows: “How do you avoid having people from your organization go on […]

Why Most MedTech ROI Tools Don’t Work!

In the consulting portion of our business we are often shown an exciting new ROI model that has been developed by a medical equipment manufacturer to enhance their ability to close more deals. Its purpose is to show C-Suite level executives why they should purchase their product by quantifying the financial benefits. Each ROI model […]

Negotiating the Complex Sale: What Hospital Procurement Knows About You!

If you sell to hospitals, it is imperative that you understand there is a new normal in hospital strategic procurement. We will use this as a generic term to also include hospital supply chain management, materials management and purchasing. Each of these terms are often bantered about and while they are not synonyms for each […]

How Marketing Can Help Sales Win With Cost Crusaders!

You know who we are talking about. The Cost Crusaders are Strategic Procurement, Purchasing, Materials Management or Supply Chain depending upon the organization. While many of these professionals also focus on value there is a significant portion that are blinded simply by their desire for the lowest cost and they are relentless in this pursuit. […]

Selling to the Executive Suite: Unlocking the Executive Mindset

There is an abundance of excellent articles on selling to the C-suite or the executive management team. It’s strong evidence of the continued professional growth of our global sales community. You can find data-driven supportive research documents, testimonials and interviews, books and case studies. It’s a topic that creates a high degree of interest in […]

Are You The Ideal Sales Representative?

Over lunch during a recent sales training seminar we were asked a question that normally arises in discussions with sales executives or HR managers: “From both of your experiences in managing sales teams and consulting on sales productivity, what are the attributes that embody the Ideal Sales Representative?” Here is how we responded. The best […]

Check List for Handling Discount Demands

Recently we were asked by a client to develop a brief but interactive negotiation workshop that provided insight into handling the objection “your price is too high…we need a lower price.” In preparation for the session we developed a detailed case study that outlined the exact business scenario that their sales force was experiencing daily. […]

MedTech Sales Strategy: The Top 10 Competitive Tactics Used Against You!

Every deal has competition. In some, it is the pressure to “do nothing” and maintain the current status quo. On other occasions, it’s to use internal resources instead of investing in external solutions. In many situations it is a direct alternative to your product, service or solution. Competition is about winning and winning requires a […]

Strategic Procurements 10 Commandments for Managing the Hospital Buying Process

As strategic procurement gains more power, authority and influence within hospitals and health care systems they are gradually educating non-procurement personnel within the hospital on how “to engage and not engage” with sales professionals. We call this education performed by procurement within their hospital “Procurements 10 Commandments for Managing the Hospital Buying Process”. These are […]

Best Practices with Strategic Accounts

For every sales organization there are very large accounts that require extensive company resources. Whether you call them “key, national or strategic accounts” does not matter. Loss of even a single important account would create a significant revenue or profit shortfall that would be difficult and time consuming to replace. For many sales executives, effective […]