Is the Way We Sell Still Relevant?
July 30, 2012The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2013
August 6, 2012
In the face of significant changes needed to incorporate the initiatives of healthcare reform, the apparent inaction of healthcare providers in regard to making the needed decisions to alter the processes, and to acquire the innovative technologies needed; I am compelled to note the obvious: The urgency to make the noted changes and utilize the needed innovations is approaching a crisis situation…or in other words, “something has to happen, and soon!”
For example, the penalty phase (reductions in reimbursement) for two of the CMS Medicare Payment Initiatives will start in hospitals on October 1, 2012. This and the “stack-ranking” of hospitals based on the quality scores (the list will be published by September 1) is having a direct impact on major project decisions in hospitals in the second half of 2012 and all of 2013. Yet the work flow changes and the labor-saving technologies needed to improve quality and reduce costs, are being delayed as we read this note.
WHAT IS A SALES TEAM TO DO?
One answer is to empower the sales-marketing team with the capability of engaging the hospital-provider clients with specific and credible challenges to the CxOs most likely move….to delay the decision to do the acqusition…again. The further delay feels good to the CxO in the moment, however, they are giving up competitive ground, especially if their competitor is moving to leverage the advantages presented in this market. How do you help your reluctant customer to see this?
A sales-marketing team equipped to engage and challenge a client senior manager regarding their inaction has been trained in:
- Business Acumen – understanding the providers business on a C-O-F basis (clinically, operationally, and financially)
- Applying a “trusted advisor” sales process that builds credibility and trust with the client’s senior management
- How to utilize Business Intelligence to determine the C-O-F hurts of the organization and how to assemble a credible Business Case for your solutions
Even if you limit the program development to a “special team”, that team can bring the skills of “Selling the Value” to the customer-facing discussion and impact their decisions now.The opportunity to utilize your company’s brand strength, plus the knowledge to know what to do in this “new normal” terrain, to engage the “reluctant” customer and measurably impact their decision, without caving to a pricing play or significant concessions, becomes more significant day by day.
How would the TIGI Training Series Challenge to Win® empower your sales-marketing team to engage your reluctant customers?
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