One on One...
How much one on one time do you spend with each member of your sales team?
If the answer is "not much" you might want to reconsider. One of our primary functions is to serve as "personal sales coaches" to the reps we are hired to mentor. That is, we work one on one with each rep, each week...generally for an hour or more. The focus achieved in these meetings, and the strategy that comes from them are the key drivers to sales success.
Why?
In your general sales meeting (you're having those....right?) you impart information and training that should be of interest and benefit to the entire team. It's kind of like shaking salt over your entire dinner plate....some of the food needs it, but some of the food doesn't. You are limited by the specific focus you can give each sales team member based upon available time. If you ARE giving every member individual attention during the meeting, you are probably wasting the time of the rest of the team....and time is sales, money, patients, census, and outcomes....
So...even though you do meet as a group, a weekly one on one is imperative in the post acute world. You should be focusing on the following:
1. Accounts where you are losing market share or access to key decision makers
2. Accounts where you have access but the sales and referral process has stalled
3. A weekly goal of activities (sales, prospecting, follow up)
4. Discussing or role playing thru anticipated challenging calls
Professional athletes get coached every day during their season...why should your reps be any different? They don't have all the answers (or they would have your job...or your boss's job) so this regular interaction and redirection help them stay the course to success.
One of my larger clients had me work with almost every member of their sales team in 2015. The reps were spread out in 2 month increments with me taking on a few at a time. Since they are very adept at keeping records they were able to share the before/after results of the reps I had worked with. Annualized Medicare revenues jumped $7.4 million dollars based upon my efforts with their reps. This doesn't include other organic growth not attributed to coaching. That's a huge gain....and one that any agency sales director can mimic (to one degree or another) if they are simply willing to put in the time.
My wife used to come home from work after a long day of running a health club...exhausted....and mentally worn out. I'd ask her how her day went and she'd reply "I got a lot done, but I still have a bunch of reports to do". I remember vividly replying to her "There will always be reports sweetie.....you'll never finish them....so don't sweat it. What did you do to develop your staff?" She quickly saw how the administrative tasks of any job can rob you of the chance to develop your people.....the lifeblood of any company.
So...I ask you, what are you going to do to develop your team this week? This day? This hour? There could be 7.4 million reasons for you focus on that this week......if you truly can't manage it, give us a call...we'll take care of it for you.
Because remember.....there will always be reports.
Good Selling,
Michael Giudicissi
