Sales Acceleration Tools

sales-acceleration-software-e1456244475698

Your Sales Acceleration Formula: Pt. 1

ProSellus Debuts “The Sales Acceleration Formula…Part One”

We mentioned last month that we would be debuting a two part blog series on the ultimate sales acceleration formula. Since we are growth engineers of our word, we have the first part of the sales acceleration formula right here, right now.

Are you ready to hack your sales strategies?

Part One: Know Your Audience Like You Know Yourself

This may sound like a fluff phrase, but seriously: it’s one of the biggest parts of the sales acceleration formula. You cannot get to part two and part three without it. Period. So, how do we execute part one? You need contacts.

One of the biggest tenets of sales acceleration is having well-maintained and solid customer relationships. Now, if you are scratching your head at this, let’s recap some of our other blogs on how sales acceleration works.

Cultivate Relationships Based on Need & Demand

You might remember from one of your intro business classes the term “value proposition.” It is how you establish value in your sales pitches to customers. Of course, I’m tweaking the definition just a bit because I’m focused on medical device sales. But you get the idea.

As we have covered before, establishing value for repeat customers requires a deft hand and an open ear. You can’t just go in there throwing around free dinners and boring presentations. People don’t respond to traditional sales pitches like they used to. You have to establish REAL value by establishing a relationship first.

In an effort to increase the success rate of your customer relationship attempts, check out this blog on the type of sales rep NOT to be. People can debate all day long about the kind of sales rep you SHOULD be. But I’ve found that it is much easier to know what tactics and behaviors to avoid instead.

So, What’s the Trick? Where’s the “Easy Button”?

The “trick” to managing customer relationships isn’t really a trick either (by the way). You can build a referral network simply by being actively engaged in the lives and well-being of your customers.

One physician customer is overloaded with patients (or more realistically, doesn’t have enough patients). Do you know someone who can help? Do you know physicians that can either help with the overload or more importantly send patients to your customer? Make a recommendation. Set up a dinner, lunch or happy hour and watch your value increase 10x. You can leverage your contacts to further your success.

Try to avoid getting caught up in just the features and benefits of your products. Physicians can read; they know the features and benefits of all the products. Listen to what they NEED.

That’s what sales is about!

It might take an extra five minutes on a call or a few texts or emails here and there. But investing in your customers and the well-being of their patients means that they will invest in your medical device sales business. True Story.

More to Come….Stay Tuned

This is merely part one in a series of three parts to this sales acceleration formula. Parts two and three will be coming down the pipeline in the coming months. But if you are hungry for more now (which…if you are a sales rep always trying to dominate your market, you are always hungry), email me.

I’m available at Scottwalle@prosellus.com anytime for questions on sales acceleration, sales enablement, and our all-in-one tool for sales reps designed by sales reps.

Business / Sales Acceleration Tools / Strategy - 01/03/2018

Newly Launched “Desktop” Dashboard & Management Module for Sales Teams

ProSellus originally aimed our product at medical device sales reps, whether you were an independent rep or working for a large corporation. Being a veteran sales rep myself, I wanted to design a product for a vastly underserved market, the actual salespeople. In our last blog we covered why sales people loathe CRMs so much, so if you need a primer on why and how ProSellus came to be, there ya go!

While planning and developing our new functions and features, we wanted to expand our audience from individuals to teams and businesses. Every salesperson should have access to a tool specifically designed for their success, don’t you think? (And quite frankly, the big box CRM’s don’t really “fit” this market…)

From the Palm of Your Hand Right to Your Desktop

The best part of our desktop version: you can access ALL of the features from our original mobile app + streamlined analytics and reporting!

While it is helpful for your average sales rep to have a powerful all-in-one tool on-the-go, integration is the name of the game in 2018. With the added capability to track your individual territory or your entire team on a desktop, you can more aggressively approach new areas with a more strategic mindset.

The move to cross-platform also informs our expansion to include the “management module” for sales teams and their leaders.

The Best of CRMs, Social Media, & Data Management

One of the biggest headaches I had as a sales rep was how many damn programs and tools I needed on a daily basis. Even as part of a team, I had to use upwards of 10 things a day to track sales, project new sales, connect with clients, etc. (It was a nightmare!)

Interestingly enough, I spoke to a large biotech company just last week that used FIVE (yes FIVE) different software tools to do the following:

1) Track interactions with customers

2) Find new customers

3) Schedule (Calendar) events

4) Record & Track Revenue

5) Have Marketing Information or Clinical Cheat Sheets available and viewable

Seriously, why would you use and pay for FIVE tools when you can do all with just ONE?

The management dashboard of our ProSellus sales enablement tool employs everything from our base model, along with several additions:

Network views
Tracking team quotas, sales forecasts, and actuals on a month-month basis every year
Productivity tracking
Custom reporting (finally!)
Access to data to find the right physicians at the right time
Organization of and access to valuable relationship information

This is just a short list off the top of my head. Custom reporting has to be one of the most exciting parts though. No need to sift through mountains of data, spreadsheets, or sales reports. You can pull it up with a few quick clicks or short swipes.

Interest in a more in-depth demo? Email Scottwalle@ProSellus.com and let’s talk all things medical device sales. Or we can just complain about CRMs some more…

P.S.: Coming soon (like… real soon)

Phone Integration… (Full utilization + Call, email, and text from the app)
Calendar Incorporation…
Actual and Scheduled Revenue including PO Management and much more…

CRMs / ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools - 12/12/2017

Is There a Sales Acceleration Formula?

Is There REALLY a Holy Grail for Sales Techniques?

As early as 2014, sales acceleration generated buzz in the sales world. Many people thought it was yet another scam and fly-by-night concept. But others saw the potential in the fledgling sales strategy.

We have discussed sales acceleration here at ProSellus a few times. It’s a must-have all-in-one technique for any and every sales rep. But it requires the right tools and attitude (doesn’t everything?). It could be your “Holy Grail”, but only if you know which cup to look for — just like Indiana Jones.

One Size Fits Most….Right?

Mark Roberge penned the book “The Sales Acceleration Formula”. Fun fact: he also got his very own Google Talk thanks to this little book.

Roberge details how to go from $0 dollars to $100-million USD by using sales acceleration, data interpretation, and technology leverage. The former Hubspot Chief Revenue Officer elaborated on a few key facets of sales acceleration including the following:

Value of role-playing
Buyer experience
Effectiveness of competitive contests
New-hire onboarding

Along with a few other concepts, these lessons from Roberge’s philosophy translated very well into corporate and large company settings. And, truly, the profits of sales acceleration technology and software are in the billions now.

But does Hubspot’s Holy Grail work for your individual or small medical device sales business? Would it work better if there was a holy grail built specifically for your industry?

No Code Necessary: How to Hack Sales

A “One Size Fits All” approach is the antithesis of sales acceleration. What are some of the keys to developing value for customers? Connection, relatability, accessibility, and usability. So those facets of sales acceleration that work for Hubspot won’t necessarily work for your everyday medical device sales representative.

How do you translate these lucrative sales techniques into something tangible that works for YOU? Simple: you hack it with sales acceleration that works for your business specifically.

If you want faster sales cycles, bigger deals, increased revenue, and higher close rates, you need sales acceleration. But you can’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on software and data interpretation tools in order to do that.

That’s where ProSellus comes in. Our all-in-one data management and sales acceleration tool works right from your tablet or desktop when you need it. Connect with physicians, build networks based on specific healthcare data (aka knowledge!), manage your territory, explore new information and review old information; the works.

While we’ll be revealing more of the sales acceleration formula in November, you can always email me Scottwalle@Prosellus.com with any questions. I can teach you how to hack without a computer.

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools - 10/24/2017

Sales Acceleration is Your Turnkey Sales & Marketing Strategy…But What Is It?

Turnkey solutions are fantastic for enterprise and small sales businesses. They’re lean, often affordable, and — ideally — extremely effective. ProSellus offers such an all-in-one-tool in the form of a service that combines the capabilities of LinkedIn (hunting) and Salesforce (contact and revenue management). It also utilizes a little known sales strategy that could be the one thing you need to boost your sales numbers and improve your medical device sales business.

Customer Management Meets Inter-connectivity

As a medical device sales rep, if you could do more with leads, you would jump at the opportunity right? As a medical device marketing person what if you could find the hottest opportunities to feed to your reps in a matter of seconds? Sales acceleration offers the unique fusion of customer management with the inter-connectivity of the 21st century. You can house and access client information, manage relationships, find new opportunities in your territory, and more all from the palm of your hand with ProSellus. The trick to sales acceleration: you.

One of the best weapons a sales rep has in their arsenal is their ability to establish value of a product/service based on personal interactions. Establishing a rapport with a client or prospect is just as important as understanding the product/service you are selling. Sales acceleration is a combination of tactics and approaches that utilize your best tool and extrapolate sales skills into actionable intelligence.

One of the best weapons a marketing person has in their arsenal is data intelligence. Having access to valuable healthcare data within an easy-to-acquire solution is a medical device marketing person’s dream. Finally, something that marketing can DO to effectively help sales – find quality leads and fast. No more wide-net fishing.

Don’t Get Bamboozled

Many companies offer sales acceleration tool packages, but at a cost or with confusing and difficult-to-understand interfaces. (Trust me, I’ve been where you guys and girls are. My former companies would provide “great” software platforms that quite frankly my sales counterparts and myself would give up on rather quickly. They were simply un-intuitive and impossible to use.) It’s understandable as the business of sales acceleration has reached more than $12-billion. It’s hard to ignore the numbers — especially when they indicate that you could be doing something better, but you don’t have to spend beau coup bucks to do it. ProSellus offers this turnkey solution right from your mobile device. Imagine it: having all the information you need on-the-go and more organized than any cabinet could ever be.

Optimize or Fall Behind

If you want to learn more about how sales acceleration can improve your sales & marketing business (and I know you do), email me. Scottwalle@prosellus.com. I want to personally help your business grow using my expertise and knowledge of medical sales gained over more than a decade of experience in the industry. So what’s it going to be — are you going to adapt to the modern age or stick with the dinosaurs?

Sales / Sales Acceleration Tools / Strategy - 08/14/2017

How to Make a Sale 2.0 (for the new age)

For medical device sales reps, the process might get a little stale. Establish contact, build rapport, make your pitch and close the deal. Rinse. Repeat. Pro-tip: if you aren’t closing every time, don’t sweat it (but you should be able to close 95% of the time – this is where proper targeting is key). ProSellus Growth Engineers are always searching for ways to improve and streamline the sales process, so what is the latest news? As it turns out, one of the biggest changes to the sales process has been the shift from selling a product or service based solely on its value in the operating room or patient room. Want to know more? Keep reading.

Bye Bye Broseph…Hello Data

About prosellus A long time ago, you used to be able to “schmooze” your way to victory. Of course, you still have to schmooze, but today, it’s known as “networking” and “resource management.” Despite the fact that establishing value means establishing a relationship, you cannot close a deal on pure charisma and physician wooing anymore. You have to incorporate something else into the sales process: everyone else.

Extending the sales process and your mentality beyond the operating room requires a stamina not many sales reps can develop. You have to engage beyond the physician and establish a connection with administration of the hospital or ASC, or Operating Room Coordinator. So while you may only give your elevator pitch to a physician or small group of physicians, those unfamiliar with general medical processes or devices may require a more thorough education….which means that you may have to educate yourself a bit more. Either way, it’s your product or service. You SHOULD know that thing inside and out.

Also – if you haven’t caught up with the latest and greatest on sales & marketing tools and tactics today – it would be helpful for you to understand how DATA can help drive you towards better decisions that you can THEN turn into deeper networking relationships. Folks, data is power and it’s all around us now. If you don’t know how to harness it – then you might as well go get a job at Starbucks.

Build Trust to Build Your Business

One of the biggest mistakes sales reps make is focusing too narrowly on one aspect of a product or service instead of the broader meaning of the product or service in the context of the market. If you are selling a new piece of equipment for the OR, how does it affect the patient? The nurses? The Chief of Medicine? The EMTs or the administrative staff? By showcasing the fact that you have taken the time to consider the perspectives of people other than YOURSELF and the PHYSICIAN, you will not only establish value for the product or service you are selling, you will establish yourself as an effective and trustworthy sales rep, thus increasing your potential sales market.

Data can also help you achieve this trust. I am not just talking “statistics” – I am talking using raw data to UNDERSTAND your customer BEFORE heading into the practice to make that pitch. Data would help you understand what the customer’s perspective actually IS. What if you knew who your top 5 pain physicians to call on in a day were? Think of how much more effective and efficient you would be if you knew and could plan it out. Think of how much less time would be wasted schmoozing the wrong prospects for your device. Making sense? Read on…

The One Thing You Need Most

If you follow the steps in some of our previous blogs about the sales process, you will achieve success (we practically guarantee it). Of course, increasingly, you may encounter THAT client: the one who asks for extreme discounts, preferential treatment or things you simply can’t provide – even if that just means your time…which is arguably more valuable than your knowledge of all things medical device related. Rather than 100% blowing them off, consider that word we mentioned earlier…you know….”perspective”. Educate yourself with the data then try a different approach first.

“The key here is to understand the reasons behind the request. Is the materials manager asking for a discount because they are concerned about the impact of reduced reimbursement for the procedure? Or, is the materials manager primarily concerned about meeting their cost reduction goals? How would you know what their motivation is? The simple solution to this problem is to ask.” – PM 360

Remember all those blogs about establishing value through establishing relationships? Guess what: the biggest part of any relationship is communication. If you try to understand why this person feels entitled to or is asking for what you think is preferential treatment, don’t try to guess. Don’t try to “fill in the blanks.” ASK (relationship) and LEARN (data). You can improve your trustworthiness and potentially sell them on another product or service in one fell swoop. Boom.

Another big mistake many sales reps make? Not knowing what the heck ProSellus Growth Engineers does for their sales & marketing business. If you don’t know what actionable intelligence or sales acceleration are, you are in the weeds and behind the times. Email me at Scottwalle@prosellus.com . Let’s talk shop, sales, and growth hacking. Show me your perspective.

Sales Acceleration Tools / Thought Leadership - 07/18/2017

ProSellus Announces New Sales Enablement Tool for Medical Device Sales!

We are proud to announce that ProSellus, Inc. has released a new fully loaded sales enablement tool, designed by healthcare sales reps for healthcare sales reps. This new tool includes a multitude of functionalities specifically designed to support the requirements of the always-on-the-go healthcare sales rep while making calls out in the field. These functions include: targeted physician & facility searches based on tens of millions of healthcare data points; the ability to forecast and track sales revenue, build referral networks for physicians and facilities, track sales call activities with physicians and much more. I am personally thrilled to offer up this un-paralleled solution to my former medical device peers. When I was a rep, we needed the ability to generate sales at lightning speed and there were no tools that enabled us to do that effectively. Now both sales and marketing professionals can access (EASILY) robust healthcare data in a mobile, easy-to-use actionable format that points them to the hot opportunities in seconds.

Do yourself and your team a favor and set up a quick demo here and now.

Whether it’s targeting physicians based on specialty, prescriptions or procedures, ProSellus can serve up a targeted list, in any geography in the country, in a matter of seconds while a rep is in the field. While this tool crunches complex healthcare data on the back end, it’s easy enough for a 12-year-old to operate. As a former sales rep for a major medical device company, I was given tools to use that were clunky, complex and difficult to use. Those literally were a waste of time and company money. This tool was developed as an alternative to those dinosaur applications and spreadsheets. It actually impacts revenue for the sales rep immediately and is simple to use. ProSellus carries similar features as a CRM tool but with less complexity and more intelligence. It’s like having a healthcare database expert on key things device reps need to know (and normally don’t have easy access to) in your pocket at all times. It is also designed specifically for the healthcare sales industry, although plans to apply the product to other industries are in the works.

As always if you have questions, please email me at scottwalle@prosellus.com. You can also check out our two new eBooks: one for Sales Reps and one for Sales and Marketing Directors/VPs – to learn tips and tricks from the pros on how to set your quotas on fire!

Get to hunting and don’t waste anymore time!

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools / Uncategorized - 07/10/2017

10 Things All Medical Devices Reps Should Learn in Training

Training sessions are often rehashes of what we already know, but, improving sales strategies should always be on your goals list. You don’t need to spice up training or even make it more complex; you need to focus the message and distill key elements from it. Basically – trim the fat. Here are 10 things all medical device sales training programs need in an easy to access list from ProSellus!

Start With The Basics

#1 and #2: Client Schedules & Mobility

Your first concern when crafting a new training program for medical device sales reps: respect for client schedule. After all, without your client base, your business wouldn’t exist! Listen to your clients’ needs, understand their needs, and be firm, but flexible. Next….you have to consider something mostly everyone takes for granted: mobility. The best part about smartphones is that you literally have a computer with you everywhere you go. You can access email, send texts, Skype people, and even access documents on your phone (and locate the nearest Starbucks). Can your training program work anywhere at any time for anyone – including you?

#3 and #4: Transparency & Snackable Information

Third up on the list is something many companies from “Mom and Pop” shops to massive corporations practice: honesty and transparency. Forbes argues that both of these factors are increasingly important in conducting any client based business. If you want to make sales acceleration techniques work best for you, ProSellus Growth Engineers recommend this path, too. Fourth on the list? Digestibility. And yes – information works just like food. Have you broken information in your training program into bite-sized pieces? Pro-tip: doing so allows trainees to more easily and effectively process information. It also gives you breathing room.

Protocols? Specialties? Vernacu-what?

#5 and #6: Documentation & Word Choice

HR (or human resources) gets the fun job of parsing things like employee handbooks along with administrative duties such as hiring and firing. Of course, if you’re a self-employed sales rep, you are your own HR department, accountant, chauffeur, etc. Adhering to documentation protocols might seem like it comes second fiddle to closing deals, but if you don’t practice good documentation, it could come back to bite you in uncomfortable places. Notice that I didn’t say a more common phrase that starts with “bite you in the…” there. That brings us to our next point: vernacular. That’s just a fancy word for the types of words you use, but it can drastically affect how clients interact with you. Consider the connotations of words and not just the dictionary meanings. Can you tell me the difference between “plot” and “plan”? The difference is probably a sale versus. a fail.

#7 and #8: Strong Sells & Specialization Knowledge

Our seventh piece of advice might seem counter-intuitive, but trust us – it makes sense. You need to avoid strong sells. It’s the 21st century. Everyone has internet access, curiosity, and common sense….or all of the above. No matter how much of a smooth talker you think you are, there will be clients who disagree. Read the room and have your facts handy. Speaking of facts, knowledge of adjacent specialties to a client’s industry and where patient populations come from will impress current and potential clients. It also works hand-in-hand with sales acceleration techniques. If you’re drawing blanks when we say “sales acceleration techniques”, keep reading.

Make Sure The Bow Looks Nice

#9 and #10: Repeat-ability & A Secret Weapon

What’s the last part of any gift you give? The bow! The ninth step to complete any medical device sales reps training package includes a key step: repeat-ability of training. You want complete strangers to be able to understand 100% of your training, but you also don’t want to expend every ounce of energy you have during training all the time, every time. All medical device sales training programs need to be easily repeatable, portable, and wrapped up in an attractive package that has evergreen information. Hint: “evergreen information” is information that never gets old and is always useful – like this list!

That brings us to number 10: ProSellus. Email me at Scottwalle@prosellus.com for more information on how our tool can enhance your business, improve efficiency, and put all that big data to work for you. In the meantime, check out our other blogs like Improving Your Bottom Line in 3 Steps or Learning the Market: A Beginner’s Guide

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools / Thought Leadership - 06/20/2017

Is Technology Rewriting the Marketing Handbook for Medical Devices?

The World of Marketing Is a New Wild West

You might have noticed a trend in all of those seemingly innocuous Facebook and Instagram ads you see every day: they relate to your recent searches. Marketing companies have been using curated ad campaigns for individuals for a few years now to better serve potential clients. Instead of seeing a random ad for something odd like the best preschool in your neighborhood, marketing algorithms will curate ads specifically for you. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. It’s the new gold mine for sales.

No Followers Allowed; Leading Is The Only Option

Here at ProSellus, we talk a great deal about the life of medical device sales reps, as well as the changing industry with which we have to keep pace. But we also talk about the future. The truth is, the future is now. This article, written by the founder of Shift Thinking, unpacks the reality that technology has catapulted the medical industry into the future.

Not only are we seeing extreme advancements in medical technology, but the way we, as sales reps, can harness data for our own business growth strategies. Again, we work ourselves ragged maintaining and expanding our territories and cultivating relationships. However, in order for us to be the badass, successful reps we know ourselves to be, we have to keep up with, if not anticipate, technological changes and how they sway the market. This also means – yep, you guessed it – we have to adapt our marketing & sales strategies along with this. I don’t mean keeping up with the latest demo of a product or marketing collateral on your mobile device type of advancements – I mean adapting your thinking to outside of the box. It’s not difficult, actually when you get it – it’s a light bulb moment. Keep reading.

What’s With the Sanctimonious Tech Talk?

You might be thinking, “My business runs mostly on relationships and my reputation. I don’t need to keep up with this Pokemon GO crap.” That’s where you’re wrong…again. Pokemon GO utilizes a budding technology in the medical industry: augmented reality. This is similar to virtual reality, but utilizes the user’s current world and adds virtual elements to it.

“…these virtual experiences can be delivery across a variety of platforms: on websites, sales laptops, mobile devices and high-definition touch screen appliances. Sales & Marketing teams can present any time and anywhere…”

Mark Bonchek, Shift Thinking

The beauty of harnessing augmented and virtual reality technologies for medical sales reps is that you can make your business that much leaner, efficient, and effective.

Embracing Data Can be Quite Simple Actually

3D Technology, other interactive technology, and Big Data also play a vital role in this movement from products and services to mindsets. Changing the way people approach purchasing medical devices requires knowing what the focus of the industry is now: storytelling. Your clients care about things like: their patients, costs, emotional labor, etc. New technologies require new perspectives. Your job is to market these perspectives thereby instigating the correct value proposition which leads to a sale. Can you keep up? There is an entire world of data out there that can help you understand what your customer cares about. How do you access it?

(Let’s take a break here for a second, I need to vent… Data? Really? Me, as a sales rep, am supposed to use Data? Like Google? I Google docs all the time; the results usually leave me with more questions than I originally had. Sure, my company knows how many widgets my doctors implanted or prescribed and that’s helpful, but every time I get data from the Marketing team I can’t read ANY OF IT! Why can’t you get me this “so-called” valuable data in a format that I can actually do something with?!?! We typically just delete it. We don’t use Excel or CSV, especially in the field! It needs to be easy if you want me, or us, to use it. Why is that so hard to understand? Ok. I’m done with my tirade.)

Now, how do you access this data? We can show you how and we have the technology to help. The light bulb went off for me and now we are giving it to you.

Sales Strategy is a Mindset…Time to Giddy Up

Being a medical sales rep is a little like being a cowboy in the wild west: every day is a new adventure. You have to adapt to the unforgiving heat and the cold, cold nights. Technology is your best bet on thriving so says Mark Bonchek:

“…digital innovation and technology is revolutionizing this by equipping Sales & Marketing to create compelling experiences, increase audience engagement, and build credibility and context.”

Technology and data are the key to getting ahead as a sales rep and as a sales manager. What if you could have all of this in your pocket while you were out in the field? If you are ready to transition from cowpoke to bona fide cowboy, email me Scottwalle@prosellus.com. Let’s begin exploring how you can incorporate new technology and metrics to bolster and enhance your medical device sales business.

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools - 06/13/2017

How Can I Become A Thought Leader in Medical Device Sales?

Many self-proclaimed gurus and experts will sell you all kinds of tools, fancy words, and ideas that amount to bupkis. As a medical device sales rep, you know how to determine a good value proposition from a swindle, so how can you transform this savvy into leadership? As ProSellus approaches a huge milestone, our team began to ponder: “How do you go about becoming a thought leader in medical device sales?” Is it all about following the “right people” on LinkedIn and sharing, linking, or reposting things? Is it solely about letting your work speak for itself? As with most things, the ProSellus team found that it’s somewhere in between those extremes.

First Step: Have Patience & Fortitude

Everyone expects the first step to be some huge declaration of philosophy or self, but that’s not the secret sauce guys. Just take a look at a very brief snapshot of how Bill Facteau transformed Acclarent:

“Under Bill’s leadership, Acclarent went from concept to acquisition in 5 ½ years, raised over $100M, created jobs for approximately 400 employees, grew revenues to $100M and became profitable.”

MedInsider Interview with Bill Facteau of Acclarent

It took 5 and a half years yes, but look at all of those results. Folks, it takes time! Develop your business identity and hone in on what goals matter most to you. Diluting your vision is the biggest misstep you can make on your journey to becoming a thought leader in any industry. You might also want to list thought leaders you admire or want to emulate, as well as an action plan with long and short term goals.

There are many people who’ve been in an industry for years and think they “know” it all, but the reality is, unless you go further than your peers, you’re not really learning more right? I don’t mean further as in, “being promoted,” or “climbing the corporate ladder.” I literally mean you need to learn more about your business than everyone else.

Instead of knowing about your business, learn how other businesses impact your business and vice versa. If you have an innate knowledge of the flow of business and how yours will be impacted, you have tremendous insight most others don’t even know to look for. NOW you can speak at an entirely different level than your peers.

Now, THEY begin to look at YOU as a thought leader because you understand the business in much greater detail.

Next Step: Focus on The Message

Developing a consistent and resonating brand and message is tricky enough without the added stress of trying to become a thought leader. One unfortunate aspect of this journey: sometimes, you’re just not meant to do it. We can’t all be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. Steve Jobs once asserted that the most important thing he created was the company Apple – not the iPad or the original Macintosh. A true thought leader doesn’t concern themselves with the product or service their company represents. A true thought leader knows that the message is what matters and how that message interacts with and impacts others.

Of all places to expect advice on how to develop powerful messages, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (literally….NACCHO) offers great, straight-forward advice we just can’t ignore:

“Communicate clearly to the audience”
“Specify your request”
“Provide a reward that your audience cares about”
“Make the reward believable by providing evidence to back it up”
“Use vivid and appropriate images”
“Choose the right moment”
“Choose the right messenger”
– NACCHO Media Outreach

How do these platitudes apply to the medical device sales industry? GREAT question. Your audience is obviously your clients – WRONG. Your audience is your fellow salespeople and other medical device sales experts. For certain messages, your audience may even be the medical device companies themselves. Be sure to check back next month when we further explore this list and how it applies to medical device sales thought leadership techniques!

Final Step: Rethink, Not Repeat

The final step (which you do repeat often) is not about repackaging a message using synonyms and new graphics. It’s about approaching your message from an entirely different angle. By seeing how this might affect a different audience or how a different audience might view the message, you gain more understanding. Then, you can communicate the message more effectively to a wider variety of people, thus expanding your market.

Want to know more? Email me at Scottwalle@prosellus.com and let’s talk thought leadership, sales acceleration, and all things medical sales. What can the ProSellus Growth Engineers do for you?

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools - 05/22/2017

How Can Sales Acceleration Become Your Ultimate Sales Solution?

As a Healthcare Sales Rep, you are always on the look-out for ways to improve your bottom line; or at least….you should be. If you aren’t, you may find yourself falling behind your competitors and fellow salespeople. Can you list on one hand how many tools you have just for data recording? (I laugh at this question because in my experience the company you work for probably wants you using a specific one, however there are 7 at your disposal and only 1 that you use as regularly – as you can remember. Interestingly enough, the one your company wants you to use just so happens to be the hardest, non-intuitive, non-helpful one of the bunch.)

What about techniques you use in your sales pitches or in client management? We talk a great deal around here about staying ahead of the technological curve. You may have heard of a thing called “end to end solutions”, but that’s old news. Turn-key solutions are the new black and sales acceleration is your turn-key tool for your sales business.

“Wait….What is Sales Acceleration?”

Think about it: what if you could harness the client management aspects of Salesforce with the connection powers of Facebook and LinkedIn? Not only can you more easily and effectively connect with your clients, you have tons of data and insights at your fingertips to improve your business. Sales Acceleration, as we’ve talked about before, focuses on the relationship development aspects of being a sales rep. Don’t just be organized; be smart. Growing your client base by flexing the connection muscles you already have is the next logical step, isn’t it? (Let’s put some context around this for a second… Think about it: You work with numerous customers and there is always the push from your manager and company to have MORE customers, doing MORE business right? If you’ve been in the business for any length of time, you’ll know it’s much easier to grow your business with current customers than it is to go and flip a competitive customer right? So, why wouldn’t we leverage our loyal customer’s relationships to grow our business? After all, that’s tremendously easier, less expensive and less time consuming to do!)

“This Sounds Complicated…”

Nothing worth having comes easily. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to work like a dog to get results. Like we said, turn-key solutions are where it’s at. Though medtech is pushed toward end-to-end solutions, Healthcare Sales Reps need something more efficient than that. We often also don’t depend as much on hardware beyond our tablet or our all-consuming smartphones. In fact, your smartphone and tablet are examples of turn-key solutions. Now, what if you could employ those sales acceleration techniques we talked about in an all-in-one ultimate sales tool from your smartphone or tablet? This is the best news you’ll get since your company decided to keep your quota flat for the upcoming year?! (I know, I know, not realistic, but it’s a good thought!!!)

ProSellus Can Help You Turn the Key of Success

We’ve talked before about how all-in-one tools can greatly improve performance and profits. Combine the technique of sales acceleration with the ProSellus mobile software solution to really amp things up. Don’t worry – we have enterprise and individual versions of this ultimate sales tool available! Email me at Scottwalle@prosellus.com and let’s tap into your true potential as a sales rep.

ProSellus / Sales Acceleration Tools - 05/15/2017