Defending Your Turf: How to Grow Your Book of Business

Good afternoon.

Let's discuss defending your turf, some key aspects to developing relationships and selling strategies with Supply chain.

I've met many reps that don't understand Value analysis or how those of us in the role can help you grow your Business. Having been in sales and now in a Value analysis role, I hope this presentation can help guide you.

When I first started in sales, I was taught to sell to the end user, the surgeon. It was my management team that focused on selling to Supply chain through quarterly Business reviews, emailing new opportunities, and at one point when I had emailed um a divisional clinical resource director, I had stepped outside of my box and I didn't understand why. And it was because I didn't have the relationship with the DCRD to email her.

And what I wasn't privy to at the time was understanding how all the variables were deeply connected because I was a new rep. I knew I had a book of Business and a monthly quota with a stretch goal, but how was I going to achieve that without a true understanding of the process and how Supply chain could help me?

Having an awareness that Supply chain teams have goals just as reps do is the first step to the 10,000 ft view of how to grow your book of Business. Without this awareness, Supply chain goals are unrecognized, and your book of Business may not grow. Not taking the time to understand how Healthcare supply chain works can hinder your Business relationships and create unintentional roadblocks for you.

So the 2nd and most crucial step is getting to know who the Supply chain team is, that each of your accounts, and work to nurture those relationships.

One of the questions I asked my rep is, what's their monthly quota if they're falling a little short? Is there an opportunity to partner together for facility savings while helping them grow their sales? It's the right step towards building a solid team. We are always looking for savings just as the rep is always looking for the next PO, so integrity and transparency is key to building the team.

This partnership doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to sell the product for the rep, but will assist in opening the right doors to initiate conversations. Once those doors have been opened, it's the rep's responsibility to be the subject matter expert, speak to the clinical value of their product, and try to close the deal. Partner with your Supply chain team to work on strategies to achieve your monthly quota while providing them savings.

Focus discussions on additional potential discounts and rebates on a consistent basis.

Let's spend a minute discussing the Supply chain team. Many Supply chain teams are comprised of Supply chain directors and Value analysis directors, sometimes known as clinical resource directors, OR materials managers, nursing supply coordinators, Supply chain techs, and the list goes on. It takes many in Supply chain to support an entire facility, and this requires thinking about each personality you need to interact with.

How well do you know each individual in your accounts or what their goals are? How well do you know of everybody within the Supply chain team that you should be interacting with?

How often do you call on them or how quickly do you respond to their emails? As a rep, I answered all of my emails in the same day. Now that I'm on the admin side, I still answer my emails in the same day because every email is an opportunity to provide customer service.

A few aspects to note about those of us in the Value analysis role is that, uh, while many of us have a clinical background, we're not experts in all service areas.

As an example, my expertise is in the ICU. So considering our backgrounds can vary, it's important that reps help educate us to products used in areas we may not be familiar with. When I first started in this role, I had an ortho rep bring me Knee implants to teach me how each piece was used to perform a Total knee arthroplasty. This was invaluable and provided me an opportunity to grow my knowledge. The next step is watching a few cases.

The point is to help sell your product, we may need some education. Keep in mind, some in these roles have no clinical background, so it's even more important to help those without any clinical knowledge understand the value of your product.

Aside from aligning financial and operational goals, give some thought to our backgrounds. Assist your Supply chain team by providing education to the end users, whether it be surgeons, scrub techs, nurses, etc. Meet with the team to understand how the conversion is going. Are there any challenges that we're facing, how much existing product needs to be used up, whether it's in our warehouse or a distributor's warehouse or on our shelf, and is there anything you can do to ease the process?

Owning the process is a valuable key takeaway for all reps. Simply converting a product doesn't fall squarely on the Supply chain team. It's the rep's responsibility to ensure the conversion is as smooth as possible because it's your number and your reputation. It's providing excellent customer service. Many times conversions require product or equipment education. We rely on the reps to provide this education and be available to answer questions or concerns.

Give thought to limitations such as trying to convert an on-contract product to an off-contract product.

Pitch contracted products versus off-contracted products to provide the most value.

Get to know the ancillary Supply chain team that manages warehouses. These folks are valuable resources that can assist you in understanding when you'll start to see sales tracings. Hold quarterly Business reviews with your customers, and if you notice your numbers slipping, reach out to them to understand why.

The Supply chain team is multitasking with many projects, especially right now during this Pandemic, and we may not realize when savings are decreasing in a product category.

If there's anything you take away from this presentation, let it be this.

Show up in your accounts. We have the ability to see how often a rep signs into an account. We need our reps to show excellent Leadership skills by being present and supporting their products and their customer. The lack of visibility is not lost on the surgeons, nurses, and service line leaders. Showing up speaks to a rep's integrity and how serious they take their work performance.

Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have the support of my reps.

And

I'm sure it pleases them knowing that they have my support.

So some key takeaways here. Understand how to analyze your book of Business and increase your sales. If you're a new rep and you don't know how to do that, I suggest you reach out to your peers, and if they can't help you, reach out to me. I'm more than happy to assist.

Know your customers, their expertise areas, and where they need your support. Recognize that your customers have an annual savings target as well. Know your products, educate yourself on your competitors' market moves, and continue to stay in front of your customer. Value our Supply chain process to ensure you are staying on target to hit your number and following um our processes.

Don't be a good rep. Be an excellent rep because you never know what doors may open in the future for you. Thank you.