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You are a Doctor, not a Salesperson

January 29th, 2007 | Author: Matthew Lampros | Permalink

Studying sales processes in diverse industries, to me, is like watching game reels before the big match. I love to do it and find creative solutions in every industry I study.  The process that intrigues me the most and the one I’ve studied the most intensely during my career is the ‘sales process’ the doctor uses to sell you a cure.

Isn’t this interesting…

  • A doctor is important enough for you to go to them.
  • Generally a long wait is worth your time to get to see the doctor.
  • The more important the problem you have, the more important the doctor becomes.  And, by the way, you don’t try to go the least expensive route.
  • Doctors don’t sell you – they diagnose you using data points you provide.  And you believe them and act on it.
  • Doctors can tell you about a problem you don’t even know you have.
  • The diagnosis and recommendations you get from doctors always trump those you get from a friend or family member … or even a website.
  • The ‘sales cycle’ is very short.
  • Doctors are always going straight to the decision maker for the decision.
  • Every time you have a problem you go back for another consultation.

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    We tell our team, “You are not a salesperson, you are a DOCTOR”.  When we find ourselves working with prospects to DIAGNOSE their problems we seem to end up in a doctor-like situation.  Our prospects buy more quickly, they trust our recommendations, the decision maker is involved early and often, and they appreciate our advice and come back for it often.
     

    Do you have something to learn from doctors?  Would your quota achievement increase if even a few of the nine items above were true for your sales process?
    I’ll be spending more time on this interesting topic in the coming weeks and months.  In the mean time spend some time looking at your current process.  Are there a few things you can do to tweak your sales process to be more diagnostic and less persuasive?  Try them out and I think you’ll be astonished at the results.

    Share your thoughts and feedback using the [add a comment] link below.

    2 Comments

    1. Perhaps. Doctors have the worst customer service reputation possible. I deal with and train docs every day who feel their patients owe them something…. gee. I guess you to have an accurate analogy.

      jeff barson January 30th, 2007 at 7:07 pm

    2. I agree with the process. I am in real estate and usually when I am sitting at someones kitchen table because they want the service. They have already decided to do something and I have to determine what exactly their wants and needs are. Then I will present a cure for it.

      Rob Aubrey November 8th, 2007 at 10:49 am

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