Selling products to existing customers is only one part of the medical sales process. In order to keep the sales flowing, thus meeting those quotas and goals, medical sales reps need to generate leads. These leads, which need to consist of medical employees who have the authority to make purchases for their clinics and hospitals, need to be chosen carefully.
Thankfully, there are some ways to successfully generate medical sales leads that can help you get closer to meeting those goals. What are they? Here are five of the best to utilize.
1) Generate Medical Sales Leads by Getting Referrals
There’s nothing like being referred to other potential customers by your current ones. Not only does this give you an automatic “in” with the potential customer, since you can name-drop the person who gave you their contact info, but you’re being handed a solid lead that will more than likely end up becoming a sale. If you play your cards right, you’ll end up with plenty of referrals, so your sales will keep on coming.
With that said, even though you’re being referred to a lead, you’ll still need to treat them like every new potential client, doing your research and putting together a customized sales pitch for them. You just have a bit of a leg up because you know someone in common, so the introductions will usually go more smoothly.
2) Do Some Searching with a Customer Profile
Spend some time putting together a profile of your ideal customer and then use that profile to search your location for possible matches. Think about who is your ideal customer and create a profile around it you can utilize when looking at people to reach out to. What are the most crucial parts of a customer profile? They are:
- Geographic Area – Where are your ideal customers located? This is an easy one because they should be within your sales territory. You don’t want to go outside of your territory, as that could lead to you stepping on the toes of your co-workers who have that area as their own. Start listing all of the cities and towns in your area and begin matching them up with hospitals and clinics.
- Healthcare Type – Who is interested in the products you sell? For example, items aimed at senior citizens, designed to make caring for them easier could be sold to nursing homes and related facilities. Surgical products obviously would be sold to hospitals and possibly outpatient surgery centers. Use this information to start narrowing down your list.
- Revenue Numbers – Next, consider how much the hospitals and clinics make annually. A higher amount means more competition from your fellow sales reps, but it also means they can afford to purchase your products.
- Position or Job Title – Finally, who is able to make a purchasing decision? This is who you want to connect with because they are the ones who will actually become your customers.
Once you have your customer profile in place, go over the healthcare locations in your area and find the people who fit it. At that point, it’s time to reach out to them.
3) Generate Medical Sales Leads with Cold Calls or Emails
Cold calling is the bane of every sales rep. No one wants to be the person who randomly calls and tries to connect with potential customers they don’t know and who have no idea who they are. However, cold calls can work and a newer alternative, cold emails, can help you make those connections as well. It all comes down to how your short elevator pitch goes and whether or not you manage to make your point clear in the small amount of time you have with them.
4) Utilize Your Social Media Accounts
Social media can be a good way to find medical sales leads. You should use your hashtags carefully and consider putting together a LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feed that relates directly to what you’re selling. Then, find people who fit your customer profile on social media and follow their accounts.
5) Create a Website Using SEO Tactics
While you don’t want a website that will outright compete with the one run by your employer, you should have a blog with an “about me” page that contains your contact information. Your blog posts should be industry related and contain localized keywords that will bring potential customers to your page. This provides you with an influx of potential contacts and makes it seem as though you’re an expert in your field because you are!
