Crafting a Powerful “Green Field” Sales Strategy
While many account managers are quick to voice their desire to become a “trusted advisor” or “valued partner” to their key customers, they are mistaken in believing that periodic, well defined and publicly completed sales opportunities will serve as effective pathways. Savvy account managers don’t strive for incremental growth year-over-year, they are obsessed with developing […]
What Is a “Green Field” Sales Strategy?
In many regards, account managers—especially those charged with managing large, revenue generating account teams—have to adopt two very different mindsets. On one hand, they must develop a powerful defensive strategy to insure the competition doesn’t gain a foothold that compromises existing business. On the other hand, they must craft an offensive strategy that will grow […]
My Company’s Cross Selling Program is Driving Me Crazy!
In healthcare and many other industries, consolidation of competitors (i.e., mergers and acquisitions) has made cross-selling a logical strategy for driving growth and improving sales productivity. Even within organizations, companies have implemented cross-selling efforts to introduce new products and expand their footprint within an existing customer base. From the outside, the development and implementation of […]
“Message from the Front”: Best Practices for Handling Price Demands in Healthcare Negotiations
Over the last several years, we have had the opportunity to work with a number of companies servicing the healthcare industry. While our discussions with sales managers and executives have spanned a broad range of topics, one of the most frequently asked questions is: “What guidance can you give our frontline sales representatives when faced with […]
Have You Heard the One About the Sales VP Who Went In for an Eye Exam?
A friend tells a story that may seem familiar to many of us. Several years ago—before GPS systems were commonplace–he was traveling by car with one of his sales representatives to visit an important customer. Although our friend had been to the account on numerous occasions, it had been several years and the landscape had […]
Do You Know the KPIs of the Hospital Strategic Procurement?
As a sales professional, your performance is under scrutiny. Management has key performance indicators (KPIs) that they measure daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly on you and your counterparts. The most common KPIs are revenue versus plan, achievement of the assigned product mix, percentage of gross margin, win rates and expenses versus plan. Buyers in hospital […]
Value Creation: The I-10 Parable
This story first surfaced in the early 2000s about a 21-year old salesman named Chris. A recent graduate of Arizona State University, Chris was having difficulty getting a job in his chosen field when he stumbled across an opening as a sales representative for a marketing firm that—among other services—sold billboard space to gas stations, […]
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 […]
Now That the NFL Draft is Over, What Did It Teach You About Selling?
While both of us are fans of professional football, it’s tedious and confusing to wade through the myriad of articles and blogs on NFL draft predictions. Fortunately, the process is over for this year and every team has declared themselves a winner. By their own calculation, the much-heralded predictions by sport writers, channel talent experts […]
Why Hospital Procurement Matters!
Many domestic US sales professionals are surprised at the growing power and influence of hospital procurement in the purchasing process. They shouldn’t be. If they compared notes with their counterparts in Canada, Europe or other countries they would better understand the increasing importance and expanding relevance of hospital procurement. In this blog we are going […]
