Now’s the time for real-time relevance

2022 IMDA/HIRA Conference

Now’s the time for real-time relevance.

The main job of the sales rep is selling. Who would argue with that? But the question is, What’s the best way to do

it? Author, trainer, podcaster and speaker Mace Horoff summed it up at the 2022 IMDA/HIRA Annual Conference this summer in suburban Chicago: Be. Relevant. Now.

Keynote speaker, Mace Horoff.

Horoff was the keynote speaker for the 2 ½-day conference for members of the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association (IMDA) and the Health Industry Representatives Association (HIRA), as well as for manufacturers of innovative medical products looking for specialty representation.

Horoff called for sales reps to step out of the “sea of sameness” into the “pool of distinction.” It’s done by talking to the customer or prospect about what’s important to that person AT THAT MOMENT. He called it “real-time relevance,” that is, demonstrating to prospects how your product intersects with the issues they want to solve or address NOW. It could be time-savings, risk reduction, cost reduction, revenue generation, improved patient outcomes or satisfaction, or simplifying work processes in the practice.

There’s only way to attain realtime relevance, he said: Ask questions. Horoff shared an anecdote to demonstrate the point: Years ago, as an orthopedic salesperson, he needed a minivan to accommodate the cases and trays needed for the day’s procedures. He approached one dealer who, upon learning Horoff’s desire for a minivan, immediately demonstrated the luxury features and other amenities of one model. But another salesperson, at another dealer, first asked WHY he was looking for a minivan. Was it for comfort, traveling, cargo? When Horoff told him his need, the salesman focused on the ease with which Horoff could easily create space in the back of the van by folding down seats, etc.

Space was what was relevant to the customer. That salesperson knew that, and that’s what he addressed. And the sale was made.

Value analysis: The intersection of cost and quality

Some of the most important things happen at intersections, that is, those places where people, things, ideas and objectives come together. In healthcare, value analysis professionals stand at one of those intersections – where best outcomes meet lowest overall cost, said value analysis and materials management experts Barbara Strain and Dee Donatelli at the 2022 IMDA/HIRA conference.

Value analysis professionals work at the intersection of clinical operations, high-cost procedure areas, nursing, materials management and operations. They know what contracts are in place at their health systems and what objectives suppliers can realistically achieve within the contract parameters. After a contract is signed, they can aid the supplier in conversions, and further down the road, they can help address issues such as recalls or backorders. With the supplier, value analysis can monitor contract compliance to ensure that the contract is a “win” for both sides.

Working at the intersection depends on communication, said Donatelli and Strain. Unfortunately, even now, two and a half years after the beginning of the COVID pandemic, many value analysis professionals are still tied up resolving product sourcing issues. They may not answer suppliers’ calls promptly. “They are inundated,” said the two speakers. “But they do care.” Their advice to suppliers with innovative technologies? Keep calling.

Sales training and personal growth

How can sales management encourage reps to truly grow? It starts with a mindset. For IMDA member Sovereign Medical, Hillsborough, North Carolina, that mindset goes something like this: “We never fail. Instead, we learn.” And it is an integral part of sales training and everyday interactions.

New things (case in point, COVID-19) are continually happening, and reps must adapt accordingly, Sovereign’s Jennifer Lynch and Chris Lowry told attendees at the IMDA/HIRA conference. Obstacles are opportunities. The manager’s challenge is getting everyone in the company to think in those terms. They can do so through education, collaboration and celebration.

“We are looking for a marriage of old and new sales practices,” they said. Persistence and the willingness to try new things bring results. And successes are to be celebrated. “That’s the fun part,” they said.

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The people at Sovereign believe that writing down and referring to a cultural philosophy is important for any successful business and can be an integral part of the mindset of growth. It facilitates clarity and focus, and answers vital questions, such as: “How do we want our company to be perceived by the public, our customers and our own team?” “How do we want our people to feel about being part of this company?”

Even for CFOs, it’s about more than numbers

Healthcare is a risky business, particularly now, given inflation, monkeypox, COVID-19, labor shortages of epic proportions, ransomware attacks, supply chain backups, and shrinking operating margins. To today’s healthcare CFO, almost every move forward is a bet, a gamble, speaker Todd Nelson, chief partnership executive for the Healthcare Financial Management Association, said at the IMDA/ HIRA conference. But it takes uncertainty to shake things up, and that could be an opportunity for specialty dealers and reps.

For CFOs, the bottom line has always been about minimizing the cost of delivering optimal health outcomes, he said. It’s bigger than trying to lower the purchase price of supplies and equipment. After all, social determinants of health – poverty, food deserts, violence, inadequate housing – contribute an estimated 60% to health status, compared to health services, which contribute about 20%, and genetics, another 20%. So as providers work to address their own labor and non-labor costs, they’re also questioning to what extent they should address the economic stability of the patients in their communities, including education, transportation, housing and more.

Given all that is on the minds of CFOs, specialty dealers need to keep the following in mind, said Nelson. First, it takes time to develop a relationship with a CFO. So be patient; understand and acknowledge the pressures facing the CFO and the health system. Second, respect the time of the CFO. (Be brief!) And third, be ready to articulate how you, your company and your products create value, e.g., quality, cost, availability, time-savings, etc..

Finally, specialty dealers should be ready to identify the nonfinancial benefits of their company and technologies: ʯ Will their technologies contribute to community health wellness? ʯ Will they enhance the image and reputation of the health system? ʯ Can they help the health system increase market share? ʯ Will they help lead to improved outcomes? ʯ Can they contribute to physician and clinician satisfaction with the health system? ʯ Will they contribute to the provider’s risk-reduction efforts?

Sure, numbers are important to CFOs, said Nelson. But so are intangibles.

Strategic accounts, strategic selling

Providers are reconsidering their mission and focusing on their role in the prevention of disease, wellness, and disease management, said Maria Hames, partner, Healthcare Links, a national accounts consulting firm, at the IMDA/HIRA conference. And suppliers need to step up. She listed some of the changes of attitude that COVID-19 has precipitated among supply chain executives to which specialty dealers and reps should be attentive. They include: ʯ A more serious look at “made in

USA” technologies (while balancing cost with risk mitigation). ʯ Concern about sole-source or limited-source relationships. (Given the product shortages of the past two years, providers are wary of getting burned again.) ʯ Redefinition of the traditional relationship between sales rep and customer. (Zoom calls are probably here to stay, and reps must hone their on-screen skills.

That said, it’s unlikely virtual calls will occur as frequently as they did at the height of

COVID-19.) ʯ Labor shortages among clinical and non-clinical workers alike, which are taxing processes and people – i.e., customers and potential customers – in the health system. ʯ Skepticism about “just-in-time” programs, which is leading supply chain executives to take another look at consolidated service centers. ʯ A serious look at taking inhouse some of the “non-core services” providers outsourced over the past decade. ʯ Continued emphasis on reducing variance in the medical procedures their clinicians perform and the supplies and equipment they use for them.

For sales reps, it’s an opportunity to distinguish themselves through strategic selling. But they must produce evidence to prove the value of their products and services.

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