Well-executed handoffs still dictate successful equipment sales
But subtle shifts have occurred in roles of the territory rep, equipment specialist and manufacturer rep.
Dentists are better-informed than ever. Territory reps and equipment specialists are busier than ever. And manufacturer reps are doing their best to keep up with the rapid technological changes in their companies’ equipment offerings. With all this going on, is it any wonder that equipment-selling in the dental market is undergoing some fundamental transformations?
Where the sale starts
One thing that has stayed fairly constant over the years is the starting point of the sale. Typically, it’s still the territory or merchandise rep. Indeed, that person retains the role of quarterback in the equipment-selling process.
"It’s almost always me who uncovers the opportunity," says Don Copeland, field sales consultant, Henry Schein Dental, in San Francisco. "I keep my eyes and ears wide open. I literally do the Exorcist thing. I spin my head around and see everything in the office. It takes a lot of effort, but I do have to keep myself aware of new products."
Prior to joining Henry Schein four years ago, Copeland spent two years in the field for an equipment manufacturer. That experience helped him crystallize in his mind what the role of an effective territory rep should be. "I’m seeking out the doctor’s best interest," he says. "Once the doctor starts talking - once we start talking - I help him flesh out what his wants and needs are. Then I help find or bring him the information he needs, whether it’s through the manufacturer rep or calling other dentists for referrals."
As a manufacturer rep for a relatively small company, Copeland spent much of his time trying to establish the credibility of his company before he could even present the product. "You were always trying to get the deal and close the sale, get the deal and close the sale, over and over." But as a distributor territory rep, "I want the invitation to come back next time to sell [to the dentist]. So my approach is to ask a lot of questions. I try to help them solve their problems or grow their business. I really want to help them get what they want and need. I can’t stress that enough."
One more thing about Copeland: He always carries a tape measure and pocket camera with him. "It saves a lot of time and effort getting information back to our equipment people." And he keeps parts manuals in the trunk of his car. "I’m not afraid to take a unit apart and see what’s up with it." But he doesn’t presume to be a service specialist, and that’s one reason why he takes good care of his company’s service technicians. "They’re wonderful," he says. "I go on important service calls with them. I’ll go to the hardware store for them, I’ll buy them coffee or pick up parts at our branch." Those technicians help Copeland sell a lot of equipment.
Nor does Copeland pretend to be an equipment expert. He depends on his company’s equipment specialists to help the dentist - and Copeland himself - understand what the dentists’ needs are and which manufacturer(s) could best fill them. In most cases, he accompanies the equipment specialist and the manufacturer rep on their calls to his accounts. And that applies to after-sales service calls, too. But to a certain extent, he plays it by ear. "It depends on the personalities of the customer and the manufacturer rep," he says. "Some doctors and customers aren’t going to do well without me there; some will do fine. And some manufacturer reps might do fine with some [territory] reps, but others might not. So I analyze each situation."
Equipment specialists’ role
Lakeville, Ind.-based Midway Dental Supply has always been an aggressive equipment-selling organization, says President Roger Abigt. In fact, in most years, the company sells more equipment than merchandise. And with good reason. "We’ve always had good customer service," says Abigt. "Our customers have confidence that we carry good equipment; and [they know that] if there is a problem, we will take care of it." It’s a simple formula, and it works.
An equipment sale can be initiated any number of ways, says Abigt. In most cases, it begins with one of the merchandise reps. "He is at the doctor’s office every two weeks, or every week. If the doctor has an issue with a piece of equipment or something of that nature, he’ll say something to the merchandise rep, who will call the equipment salesman." In other cases, the equipment rep may approach Midway’s merchandise reps and ask which of their customers might be good candidates for a particular piece of equipment, which, perhaps, the company has obtained on some kind of special.
Like many with whom First Impressions spoke, Abigt expects the manufacturer to be the expert on the nuts and bolts of its equipment. "I look at [the manufacturer’s] first job as being the education of our equipment reps," he says. "That way, if the doctor has a question about
X-rays, [our equipment rep] can tell him about the different brands we carry."
Manufacturer as product expert
Indeed, given the growing sophistication of dental equipment today, dental distributors are relying on manufacturers more and more to be the product experts. "Technology is changing so fast, it’s difficult for distributors to stay up to speed," says Brian Broncatti, marketing and service manager, PaloDEx Group, Milwaukee, Wis. "It’s difficult for our own people, for that matter." PaloDEx is the holding company for Soredex and Instrumentarium Dental.
The pace of technological change has forced dentists to change their expectations too, says Broncatti. "Dentists are looking to buy a product to last 10 or 15 years. In the past, it was 25 or 30 years. And technology has really changed that." In the X-ray market, for example, the lifespan of equipment has shrunk to 10 years or less, largely because of technology advances. Everyone has adapted, including manufacturers. "In the past, the development time [for a new piece of equipment] was five years. Now it’s 18 months," he says. "A lot of that is software."
All of these changes have forced territory reps and equipment specialists - as well as the equipment manufacturers whose products they sell - to adopt a different sales mindset, says Broncatti. "If you go back 10 or 15 years, everybody had a piece of literature, and the bullet points could handle 90 percent of the doctor’s questions. That’s not the case anymore." Literature remains beneficial, because it can highlight features and benefits. "But now doctors want to know how they can integrate all this technology into their practice. Now the questions are, ‘How does this integrate with my billing system?’ ‘How can I view these images in multiple workstations?’ ‘How do I refer these images out?’ ‘What if other dentists don’t use the same software technology I have?’ It’s nearly impossible for distributor reps to stay up to date on all this."
Companies such as the PaloDEx Group have adapted by creating technical departments, which field questions from both manufacturer and distributor reps, says Broncatti. "Whoever comes up with a better mousetrap in answering doctors’ questions will win the sale," he says.
The equipment conversation
Over the years, David Brunn, Northwest regional sales manager for Newberg, Ore.-based A-dec, has noted the same phenomenon to which Broncatti refers, that is, the transformation of the manufacturer rep to the product expert. And that has changed the way that an individual works with distributors to sell equipment.
"Twenty years ago, my expectation was that [distributors] would become intimately knowledgeable and able to make classically thorough presentations on our equipment," says Brunn. Today, though, he looks to the distributor to begin what he calls "the equipment conversation" with the dentist, beginning with a simple question: "Doctor, have you considered purchasing any new equipment, or are you considering doing so in the next 16 or 18 months?" That could be the beginning of a multi-step process, involving the distributor equipment specialist and the manufacturer, which ultimately culminates in a sale.
Accordingly, A-dec has changed its approach to training in a couple of ways, says Brunn. "Rather than us lecturing to a group of territory people and showing them how much information we have, we’ve turned it around and asked, ‘How much information do you need to know?’ ‘What do you need to know to become equipment conversational?’" If territory reps use their own words on their sales calls instead of those of the equipment manufacturer, those calls will probably be more productive, he says.
In addition, A-dec is spending more time today training distributors’ territory reps on how to identify the best candidates among their customers for equipment purchases. A well-thought-out approach to qualifying and profiling customers results in higher-quality leads, says Brunn.
A good relationship ... and more
One thing that hasn’t changed in the formula for better sales is the importance of a good, trusting relationship between manufacturer and distributor rep, says Jim Aycock, director of sales for Midmark. "They have to believe in each other’s mission. They have to want to see each other succeed." But while such a relationship is necessary, in today’s environment, it’s not enough to ensure success.
"The manufacturer has to bring products that can be differentiated and that provide a better clinical environment," says Aycock. "Midmark wants to be connected to the doctor, whether the equipment is about to be installed tomorrow, or whether it’s 10 years old," he says. "The Midmark rep wants to be involved with that. To that point, it’s incumbent on us to make products that are simple enough and good enough, and that the durability is there, so the local sales rep can handle [situations]. But I firmly believe it will forever be a shared responsibility."
Manufacturers must do what they can to help the territory rep introduce and initiate a discussion about equipment, says Aycock. After-sales support is crucial too. "Today, when you get into the need for networking all this equipment and making sure the doctor is getting the clinical results he needs, support after the sale has never been more important." Inservicing and training are key components of such support. "Setting realistic expectations of the product is part of it," he says. It’s up to the vendor to help the customer understand there may be trade-offs associated with his new piece of equipment. For example, it may save the practice on materials, but not necessarily time.
A broader perspective
There aren’t any secrets to selling equipment. But it does seem to call for a broader perspective on the process and the roles of those in it. "I can’t emphasize enough that it all comes back to helping your customers get what they want and need," says Copeland.
"You used to go in [to the dentist’s office] talking about buying a room of equipment," says Abigt. "Now you say, ‘This is what this equipment will generate for you, this is the tax impact, this is the end result.’ You’re not just selling a chair, but you’re selling how it will change the practice. So we look at the doctor’s goals and try to show him how to meet them. We didn’t have that kind of relationship before. Sales reps have to be more educated on [this aspect] than on the equipment itself." [FI]
Sidebar:
The ‘On-purpose’ Call
Focus and preparation are the keys to success in joint calls
The joint call, involving the territory rep, equipment specialist and manufacturer, remains an effective selling tool for distributors and manufacturers. But in today’s environment, such calls need to be well-orchestrated and, above all, goal-oriented.
"Midmark is a big fan of the joint sales call," says Director of Sales Jim Aycock. "We believe we bring each other credibility and expertise. When those two things are brought together, we can’t help but be successful." Without the distributor, manufacturers such as Midmark would lack credibility, not to mention access. And they would also lack the distributor’s understanding of how the office works.
But joint calls are no guarantee of success. "The unsuccessful calls all have one common theme - both parties went in without a goal," says Aycock. "So we make every call with a goal in mind, even if it’s just to help the distributor understand the product and to learn firsthand the questions that will be raised. If you don’t have that discussion [about goals] before the call, everybody walks in with a briefcase and laptop and waits to see what will happen. Ninety-five percent of the time, nothing will."
‘On-purpose’ calls
Says David Brunn, Northwest regional sales manager for A-dec, "In the old days, detailing meant you met the rep at 7 and had coffee; then until 5, you called on every dentist that person had on his route." But today’s equipment calls need to be more focused. "The dentist needs to know why the A-dec rep is there. So in my mind, I’ve refined it down to two to five or three to five ‘on-purpose’ calls, where the dentists knows you’re coming. The territory rep may have said two weeks ago to the dentist, ‘You realize you’ve had these lights 20 years. Would you mind if I brought in the A-dec rep with me?’ And the doctor said, ‘Yeah, maybe it’s time.’ Then the A-dec rep makes the call with the distributor. That’s what I would call an on-purpose call."
Roger Abigt, president of Midway Dental Supply, Lakeville, Ind., also believes in the value of joint calls. But he prefers that such calls occur only after the distributor rep has had an initial discussion with the dentist about a potential equipment acquisition. "I may think A-dec is the best deal for the doctor. But if I go in with the A-dec rep and tell him that, the doctor will think I’m pushing A-dec because the rep is with me." Instead, Abigt prefers that his reps discuss various equipment options with the dentist, then make a recommendation as to which one might suit the dentist best. Only then should the rep ask the doctor’s permission to bring the manufacturer’s rep with him or her.
Though that may be the ideal approach, today, it might not always be possible. "With the Internet, dentists now are doing more research online," says Brian Broncatti, marketing and service manager, PaloDEx Group. They can go online, select multiple manufacturers’ units and do comparisons of features and benefits. Now it’s no longer the distributor coming in and saying, ‘What are you interested in? Let’s talk about it.’ The dentist is now saying, ‘I want to look at these two or three products.’"
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