Increasing the efficiency of your healthcare sales team  

  “Proficiency is doing things right, efficiency is doing the right thing”- Peter Drucker  

Over the last decade, the healthcare industry has seen a tremendous amount of change.

Information has become easier to store and to access.

As such, salespeople are now able to conduct thorough research before speaking to or connecting with a specific lead or customer.  

Successful businesses understand that to achieve their goals, they must combine effectiveness with efficiency – in proportionate measures of course. 

With the rise in market competition, salesmen must find a way to influence their clients in a convincing manner that separates them from the rest.

Here are some of the biggest challenges that most salespeople face: 

• Encouragement
• Dealing with objections
• Retrieval of information

Encouragement

Selling has always been a high-pressure profession.

And it takes a toll on even the most experienced of salespeople.

This can affect morale, and productivity.  

Stay on the lookout for new approaches and technological innovations that could relieve some of that workload pressure off your salespeople.

Assure your sales teams of rapid personal and professional growth.

Offer generous incentives and bonuses for achieving their monthly targets.

This will ensure that they aim to work to the fullest of their potential, even in the face of inevitable pressure.  

Also Read: How to effectively improve your employee productivity

Dealing with objections

Objections are part and parcel of a sales process.

How well the rest of the sales cycle goes will depend on how your salespeople deal with high-pressure situations.

Presence of mind and clear communication are the most useful skills needed to handle such situations.

These traits will not only help in resolving your potential client’s problems. It will also convince them buy your product or services.   

Retrieval of information

Getting access to information about potential clients will make your salespeople more confident and successful in closing a deal.

Without buyer information, your sales team will struggle to hit their targets.   

Even so, addressing these challenges and getting your salespeople involved in the solution process will help them stay on top of their game, at all times.

Given below are 12 steps that will help increase the efficiency of your sales teams and allow you to achieve success through your sales campaigns: 

1)Arrange and track realistic goals	2)Explain roles and assign specific tasks
3)Automate your team’s monotonous work	4)Implement mobile tools for your sales team
5)Connect with your team	6)Get your team familiar with industrial jargon
7)Appreciate a job well-done	8)Provide adequate training
9)Collaborate with your sales and marketing teams	10)Be honest with your clients
11)Keep your team motivated	12)Understand your client’s business chart

 1. Arrange and track realistic goals   

Assign a project to your sales team with realistic deadlines.

Break down the assignment into stages, and track its progress on a regular basis.

Motivate your employees through the progress they make.

Ensure your end-goals follow the S.M.A.R.T. doctrine (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely) 

2. Explain roles and assign specific tasks  

The next step is to assign each member of your team a specific task.

Communicate your expectations to them, and lay down specific targets and deadlines.

Demarcate roles and responsibilities, and ensure that your team knows full well what you are expecting of them.  

This increases their accountability and dedication to ensuring they complete tasks with precision.  

 3. Automate your team’s monotonous work 

 Did you know: Salespeople spend only 33% of their day conversing with prospects? The remaining 21% of their day is spent composing messages, 17% on gathering information, another 17% prospecting and exploring leads, 12% going to internal gatherings, and just 12% making calls.   

Salesperson’s waste more than half of their working days on administrative tasks like data entry, report generation, and record creation. Instead, they can automate these routine tasks and spend more time achieving their sales targets.

4. Implement mobile tools for your sales team 

Salespeople spend the better part of their day in the field. This makes it hard for them to juggle their other responsibilities.

Thanks to advances in technology, it is now possible for them to access a CRM application from just about anywhere.

As a result, they can work with real-time data, instant updates and information at the drop of a hat. 

 Some useful apps for sales reps include Citrix, DocuSign, and Lua.         

5. Connect with your team 

Communication is a pivotal factor in the success of your sales teams.

Consult with your employees on important matters, and make sure they feel that they’re listened to.

Take their opinions and feedback seriously, and ask them to recommend changes where necessary.  

A lack of communication, on the other hand, can slow down your progress.

This can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and conflict within your team, and jeopardize your campaign in the process.

This is why timely and regular communication with team members is crucial. 

6. Get your team familiar with industrial jargon

Ensure that your salespeople use language and tone that is appropriate for your business’ environment.

Healthcare professionals, in particular, are favorably biased towards salespeople who communicate with them using healthcare-specific terminology and jargon.

The reason – it implies an individual’s well-rounded understanding of that industry. 

Your sales team should be well-versed with the industry and familiar with its inner workings. This will allow them to reach out to its respective professionals more effectively.  

  7. Appreciate a job well-done     

Professional encouragement and feedback helps to improve performance and results.

With more motivation, your salespeople are likelier to put in more effort and get things done. Even when members of your team underperform, offer support and constructive criticism.  

By keeping team morale high, productivity consequently increases, and your sales team will repay you with efficient, effective work in the next cycle. 

8. Provide adequate training

Did you know:  79% of salespeople forget new information within 30 days?  

Even if you were to hire the right candidates for your team, they still need training, constantly!

Conduct training sessions through business conferences and workshops.

Educate them on topics such as analytics, technology, and other relevant subjects.

By giving them a better understanding of their work environments, you equip them with the necessary tools and experiences that will help them with their respective jobs. 

 9. Collaborate with your sales and marketing teams  

Sales and marketing are the resulting yin and yang of a business’s success.

More often than not, an organization’s sales and marketing teams lock horns with one another.

By reminding them that their departmental goals ultimately overlap and by showing them why it’s necessary to cooperate, you can minimize conflict between the two factions. 

Involving them in the strategizing process and taking their opinion at every stage, will give them a greater sense of value. 

 10. Be honest with your clients 

Healthcare professionals are quite different from those in other industries.

They are always busy, and rarely have the time or patience for detailed information.

When conversing with them, ensure you don’t beat around the bush.

Be direct, upfront and polite.

Only provide them with the information that they really need to make an informed decision.

 11. Keep your team motivated   

Despite their best efforts, your sales team may not be able to achieve their targets.

In healthcare, a sales cycle often takes months and can sometimes end without yielding any results.

While low morale and confidence are commonly expected outcomes, it’s important to remind your salespeople of the bigger picture.  

Keep motivating them by providing incentives for exceeding their targets.

Organize regular team outings, and ensure that they get enough time off to return to their jobs refreshed. 

 12. Understand your client’s business chart 

The healthcare industry is remarkably different from others in terms of procedures, buying processes and most importantly, its clients.

Each client has his/her own specific requirements, depending on the scope and scale of the business.

For example, you could have medical practitioners who run their own clinics and those that consult at established specialist hospitals in your list of clientele, both of whom have wildly different requirements.    

Identify key players and decision-makers in the sales process, and focus on them from the onset.

With the right strategy and tools, you will be in possession of adequate information to easily connect with them.

As a result, the sales cycle moves along quicker, and accordingly, your organization will be able to close more deals.  

Conclusion  

Selling a product in the healthcare industry isn’t a straightforward process, least of all for the B2B sector.

As an industry that is responsible to the public, it ensures that each decision taken, is with much thought and preparation.

This makes it a difficult industry for salespeople to thrive in, but with persistence, even the most skeptical client will yield.

 With the help of the right tools and tactics, your sales cycle will be up-and-running smoothly in no time.

Provide additional training to your salespeople if you find it necessary.

Ensure that more time is spent on activities to do with actual selling, than tasks that can be automated.

Remember to keep your team morale and spirits high.

Know your clients’ and their requirements thoroughly, and prepare well for meetings in advance.  

By following these tips, your sales team will be well on their way to closing more deals and bringing in even more revenue for your organization.   

Guest article written by: Kate is the content marketing manager at ReachStream and is responsible for driving traffic to the website. Her extensive knowledge of our industry has allowed her to precede over the editorial department. When not voraciously devouring her next favorite book, she likes to spend her evenings by the river.