Physician's Practice and the Sales Rep - Part 2

Monday, April 15, 2002 | 0

We've talked about some basic premises of professional marketing and the differences between an agency and sales reps. This brings us to the next point: what, exactly, will a sales rep sell?

The economists continually tell us that we are ever evolving into a service economy. Nothing is more exemplary of the service economy than workers' comp. In order to sell service, you need to provide service that will develop trust in the service that is being sold. In short, this is called follow-up.

Secondary, and even primary, sources like to buy "products", or a package of services that will specifically meet their needs. Let's say you are presented with a large corporation that has a disproportionately large number of carpal tunnel syndrome cases. The package a medical practice would tailor for that corporation would be a combination of prevention and treatment options designed to take care of the corporation's unique issue: i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome. Occupational hazard protocol would be established, prevention and treatment courses put in place, and then the work of the sales rep really starts.

Appropriate follow-up will establish an ongoing, relationship by providing such things as statistical measures of the success of the program, offering training and other educational or service add-ons that will continuously update the client. Not only does this develop a sense of trust - that the physician and practice are responsible for this aspect of the corporation's operation - but it keeps the physician's name before the decision makers.

Another follow-up technique is to look for new ways to make the client's job easier. The more needs the physician can fill, the more sales that will occur.

Our next article will review appropriate sales rep compensation.

Author Lynn Hartzell is the owner of Lynn Hartzell & Associates, and specializes in marketing physicians to the workers' compensation community. She can be reached at 626-331-7027, or by e-mail at lynn_hartzell@workcompcentral.com.