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Advice You - Assumptions - The Hidden Sales Killer
Assumptions can kill a sale. In my sales training workshops, I frequently discuss the importance of not making assumptions about a person before, during, or after the sales process. Participants frequently nod and tell me tha
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
t they NEVER make assumptions. One person (Doug Maquire, www.MaquireMarketing.com) sent me this story of a situation that occurred in a department store he worked in many years ago.
“I was the 'young kid' who had signed on t
“I was the 'young kid' who had signed on t
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.
Examples of combination products may in
Examples of combination products may in
o take the 9 month Management Training course for a department store chain. Sales people were generally assigned specific areas to cover within the store but being a 'management trainee' I had to learn all departments.”
One
One
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.
ay, a rough looking middle aged fellow entered the store. He was dressed in well-worn workpants, work boots, and a soiled red and black plaid shirt just like you'd expect a lumberjack to wear. No one approached him (I guess h
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
e didn't look like a good sales prospect) and he didn't move from the front entrance; he just stood there surveying the store from left to right. I walked up to him and asked if I could help. He said, “I need a pair of wool s
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.
Combination pro
Combination pro
cks. No nylon, no cotton, just wool socks.” We went to the Menswear Department and both watched as the sales person assigned to that department walked away from us so he wouldn't have to waste his time going through the full
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
selection of hosiery just to find a single pair of wool socks.”
I then started asking questions about style, colour, size, price range, etc., to help narrow down exactly what the customer needed. “It don't matter.” he replie
I then started asking questions about style, colour, size, price range, etc., to help narrow down exactly what the customer needed. “It don't matter.” he replie
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
d, “Just wool socks. I work back in the bush and we only come to town every three weeks. Nylon makes my feet sweat. Cotton's okay but it don't last long. I need socks I can wear at work everyday and that's wool.”
So, I check
So, I check
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
d the content label of every style and colour of sock that we had in stock and eventually found a pair of 100% wool socks. “Good”, he said, and we walked up the checkout counter to ring in the $3.95 pair of wool socks. The ma
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
n left and I got a bit of ribbing from the sales person in the Menswear Department about my 'big sale of the day' and how ‘not to spend my commission all in one place!’”
Three weeks later the customer returned. He then walke
Three weeks later the customer returned. He then walke
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
over to me and said, “I need more wool socks like that last pair”. This time he decided that he'd take 6 pair. We took the socks up to the checkout counter and rang in the six pair of $3.95 socks. The customer paid cash, sai
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.
Following aspects would a
Following aspects would a
d thanks, and walked away with his purchase. This time I didn't get quite as much ribbing from the sales person in the Menswear Department.
Exactly three weeks later the customer came back. He walked through the front door a
Exactly three weeks later the customer came back. He walked through the front door a
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
nd made a beeline for me. “I need more of them wool socks”, he said. “The boys at camp want to know where I got them and want some too. How many have you got?” I checked the display area, the stockroom, and our new stock ship
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
ent and told him I had 58 pair. He paid cash and bought them all.
I never found out exactly how many people he worked with, but every three weeks he'd show up at the store and ask what I had in the way of tee-shirts, long jo
I never found out exactly how many people he worked with, but every three weeks he'd show up at the store and ask what I had in the way of tee-shirts, long jo
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
hns, plaid wool shirts, work boots, gloves, caps, toques, coveralls, work jackets, etc., and each time he arrived, he'd walk right up to me for service and we'd both go to the proper department and select what he needed for h
t?
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
mself and for the guys he worked with. He always paid cash and always thanked me for my help.”
If Doug had made the mistake of following his coworker’s footsteps and made the same assumptions about the customer, he would hav
If Doug had made the mistake of following his coworker’s footsteps and made the same assumptions about the customer, he would hav
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
e lost thousands of dollars in sales.
It is easy to make assumptions about our customers and prospects. A person’s appearance, age, gender, nationality, or role within the company, often influences us. I have made this mista
It is easy to make assumptions about our customers and prospects. A person’s appearance, age, gender, nationality, or role within the company, often influences us. I have made this mista
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
ke when speaking to companies in the past. Upon learning that they only had a few salespeople, I made the assumptions they would not be willing to pay my standard fee. I later learned that this assumption was completely inacc
.
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
rate and that they were fully prepared to invest in their teams’ development.
As a consumer, I have often noticed that most sales people will approach well-dressed customers before they talk to people who are attired in jea
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
ns or casual clothing. Avoid this fatal mistake and go into every sales interaction with an open and clear mind. This will definitely have a positive impact on your sales.
Copyright 2004 Kelley Robertson, all rights reserved
Copyright 2004 Kelley Robertson, all rights reserved
tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products
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