The YellowTelescope team, however, is passionate about sales and believes it is something you do “for people, not to people.” Sales is not the other “S” word. In fact, it’s not a dirty word at all. We teach our attendees about this very topic every year at our annual YellowTelescope Training Seminar (shameless plug – you should join us this October for our best event ever before we sell out – and visit us at our booth or hear us speak at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery in June), where we’ve been handing out paradigm shifts since 2008. In this newsletter, we don’t simply “re-sell” you on why sales is a great career and necessary process for any successful company, but we give you a few key tips and mindsets to help guide your team and you throughout the slower summer months hiding around the corner…

IASM – I Am Sold Myself

Counterintuitively, if you truly believe in what you are selling, it is important to realize you are failing your clients and patients every time you do not make a sale. Most who are reading this either work for a doctor or are doctors themselves. Would you argue that your doctor or you are among the best in your area? Would you agree that if the patient you see later today chooses a competitor they have a great chance of a worse outcome? If not, change jobs as you do not believe in your results. If you do believe you are among the best in your area, you are also saying that choosing a competitor will not give the patient the best chance at the best possible outcome, which means you are doing a disservice to the patient by not winning their business. Wouldn’t a patient be better off having their procedure performed with your doctor instead of Dr. Discount down the street? Sometimes “sales” means you must save patients from themselves and prevent them from ordering “25-cent lobster.” Remember to remind yourself before every consult, “IASM – I Am Sold Myself.”

Remember What You Love – Remember Who Sold It To You

Do you love your house? Your car? A cashmere sweater or a pair of fancy shoes? A mountain bike? Your vision post-LASIK or your tummy post-liposuction? Who sold it to you? Are you angry with that person for “selling you”? Your patients love their results and don’t you forget it! When you have a rough start to a day, take a moment to remember all the things you have bought from ethical and honest salespeople and remind yourself to be one on your next consultation, whether you are a doctor, PCC, or Practice Administrator. A doctor mentioned to us the other day that they don’t let patients book on the spot because they don’t want the patient to have “buyer’s remorse.” This does not exist based on our research, which spans hundreds of clients nationally and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. The facts are that around 3-10% of patients cancel surgery in most offices from what we have seen whether they call back to schedule or reserve a date with a refundable deposit the same day. We remind doctors and staff that it is their own mindset, not the patient’s, that contributes to post-selling guilt. Again, believing in the product or service you represent and ensuring you know the alternative is less likely to create a happy patient is what provides the necessary confidence for a practice to sell and do so in an ethical fashion. In these moments, remember that they came to you asking for help with a particular concern that they have likely had for a while. Help them.

Practical Applications for Medical Practice Sales

Summarily, while we wax poetic about being personally sold on your services, getting your mind right to start each day, and remembering why you are helping people when you sell, these concepts have practical implications within your practice to improve results in real-time:

  1. Daily Meetings – PCCs and Doctors who pow-wow for 5-10 minutes before each consultation day improve booking ratios by improving job morale, belief in the team, and the services being sold. We believe that “sales is a transference of feeling” so by getting your “check-up from the neck up” each day before seeing patients, booking ratios improve.
  2. Coaching and Education – Doctors need to ensure they personally believe in all new services and products (lasers, machines, injectables, etc.) before buying or carrying them. Further, they must, before selling them, ensure all PCCs and nursing staff are sold themselves, which means investing in training as well as teaching why the doctor personally believes in the product or service.
  3. Read and Share Philosophy – great books on ethical selling are everywhere – read books as a team to reinforce your belief in sales as an ethical and valued career. Ensure your team is reminded of the “Why’s” behind where feelings of guilt build so your team can reset and regain confidence. Society teaches through entertainment, incorrect assumptions like “used car salespeople are all pushy,” and a general societal lack of understanding that permeates American culture, so take time to peel back the layers to reinforce your team’s belief in sales as a positive.

For more information about why all of our long-term trained clients average 60-90% in-office booking ratios (sold ethically and honestly) contact us at (305) 455-0720 or info@yellowtelescope.com.