#MedicalDeviceIndustryInsider

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Are you focused on the problem or the solution?

We all face obstacles on a daily basis - be it at work or in our personal lives. But how we approach these obstacles depends on our attitude when faced with multitudes. 

If you are focusing on the problem then you’re focusing on weakness, inadequacies and user error. If you dwell too long on the problem, your client might get increasingly more nervous about the situation, because you’re giving them the vibe that they’re doing something wrong. This creates an unresourceful state that doesn’t help in solving the problem at hand. Avoiding focusing on the problem is especially important when you’re advising your customer on finding a solution to their issue; be more aware that the quality of your questions will determine the quality of response from your client. 

Problem-focused facilitation approach:

Centers on reducing the “problem”

Looks at what clients are doing “wrong”

Emphasizes what clients don’t want

Highlights what could be done better

Interested in “why” the problem happens (e.g., what “causes” and “maintains” the problem

If you’re focusing on the solution then you’re focusing on strengths, competencies and what can be done. By being solution focused, you move your client in a more resourceful state of thinking. They are able to explore opportunities or strategies that they might have used before to get results. The client’s confidence in solving a situation improves, because they realize that they have more choices available to them. They're able to think of solutions to the problem, rather than allow others to suggest it for them; they feel that they own the problem. The key assumption here is that you build up on your client’s existing resources, strengths, and problem-solving skills, therefore it’s not necessary, nor is it always preferable, to know the cause of a problem in order to create a solution.

Solution-focused facilitation approach:

Centers on enhancing the “solution”

Looks at what clients are doing “right”

Emphasizes what clients do want

Highlights what is already being done well

Seeks to accentuate positive client strengths

Interested in when the problem doesn’t happen (e.g., exceptions to the problem)

Think of it this way: while both approaches are interested in resolving client problems, the difference between these approaches lies in the manner in which the solution is achieved: focusing on the problem presents a challenge (negative connotation for the client), while focusing on the solution presents an opportunity (positive connotation for the client).

In the solution-focused process, facilitators go through a series of progressive steps to acquire information concerning solutions for the client’s problem: positive pre-experience changes, actual exceptions to problems, hypothetical exceptions to problems, client change areas, and asking clients what they would like to change. Once this information is obtained, accentuating "what is working" can lead to the development of the solution. 

Solution focused facilitation techniques flowchart (based on de Shazer and Waller & Peller):

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - part XLVIII: HIPAA Compliance

What is PHI?

Protected health information (PHI) is any information in the medical record or designated record set that can be used to identify an individual and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a health care service such as diagnosis or treatment

List of 18 PHI identifiers

Name

Address (all geographic subdivisions smaller than state, including street address, city county, and zip code)

All elements (except years) of dates related to an individual (including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death, and exact age if over 89)

Telephone numbers

Fax number

Email address

Social Security Number

Medical record number

Health plan beneficiary number

Account number

Certificate or license number

Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers

Device identifiers and serial number

Web URL

Internet Protocol (IP) Address

Biometric identifiers, including finger or voice prints

Photographic image - Photographic images are not limited to images of the face.

Any other characteristic that could uniquely identify the individual

What is HIPAA Privacy Rule?

The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.

Who do HIPAA rules apply to?

Covered entities:

Health plans

Health care clearinghouses

Health care providers who transmit claims in electronic form

Medicare prescription drug card sponsors

Business Associates:

A “business associate” is a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use of protected health information (PHI) on behalf of, or provides services to, a covered entity.

What is a Business Associate?

Any individual or entity that performs functions or activities on behalf of a covered entity that requires the business associate to access PHI is considered a business associate, according to HHS. This individual or organization may also provide services to a covered entity. Covered entities may disclose protected health information to an entity in its role as a business associate only to help the covered entity carry out its health care functions  – not for the business associate’s independent use or purposes, except as needed for the proper management and administration of the business associate.  Once a covered entity has identified their applicable business associates, it is necessary to ensure that these third-parties will only use any provided PHI in a secure and established manner.

The Privacy Rule requires that a covered entity obtain satisfactory assurances from its business associate that the business associate will appropriately safeguard the protected health information it receives or creates on behalf of the covered entity (HHS).

What constitutes a HIPAA violation?

A HIPAA violation is when a HIPAA covered entity – or a business associate – fails to comply with one or more of the provisions of the HIPAA Privacy, Security, or Breach Notification Rules. Many HIPAA violations are the result of negligence, such as the failure to perform an organization-wide risk assessment. Financial penalties for HIPAA violations have frequently been issued for risk assessment failures.

Top 10 most common HIPAA violations

Keeping unsecured records

Unencrypted data

Hacking

Loss or theft of devices

Lack of employee training

Gossiping / sharing PHI

Employee dishonesty

Improper disposal of records

Unauthorized release of information

3rd party disclosure of PHI

HIPAA violation classifications

Category 1: A violation that the covered entity was unaware of and could not have realistically avoided, had a reasonable amount of care had been taken to abide by HIPAA Rules

Category 2: A violation that the covered entity should have been aware of but could not have avoided even with a reasonable amount of care. (but falling short of willful neglect of HIPAA Rules)

Category 3: A violation suffered as a direct result of “willful neglect” of HIPAA Rules, in cases where an attempt has been made to correct the violation

Category 4: A violation of HIPAA Rules constituting willful neglect, where no attempt has been made to correct the violation

HIPAA violation penalty structure

Category 1: Minimum fine of $100 per violation up to $50,000

Category 2: Minimum fine of $1,000 per violation up to $50,000

Category 3: Minimum fine of $10,000 per violation up to $50,000

Category 4: Minimum fine of $50,000 per violation

The fines are issued per violation category, per year that the violation was allowed to persist. The maximum fine per violation category, per year, is $1,500,000.

Criminal penalties for HIPAA violation

Tier 1: Reasonable cause or no knowledge of violation – Up to 1 year in jail

Tier 2: Obtaining PHI under false pretenses – Up to 5 years in jail

Tier 3: Obtaining PHI for personal gain or with malicious intent – Up to 10 years in jail

All staff likely to come into contact with PHI as part of their work duties should be informed of the HIPAA criminal penalties and that violations will not only result in loss of employment, but potentially also a lengthy jail term and a heavy fine.

Employee sanctions for HIPAA violations

Not all HIPAA violations are as a result of insider theft, and many Covered Entities and Business Associates apply a scale of employee sanctions for HIPAA violations depending on factors such as whether the violation was intentional or accidental, whether it was reported by the employee as soon as the violation was realized,  and the magnitude of the breach. Some Covered Entities also apply employee sanctions for HIPAA violations on employees who were aware a violation (by another employee) had occurred, but failed to report it.

Employee sanctions for HIPAA Violations vary in gravity from further training to dismissal. The decision should be taken in consultation with HIPAA Privacy and Security Officers, who may have to conduct interviews with the employee, investigate audit trails and review telephone logs – including the telephone logs of the employee´s mobile phone. Because of the expense and disruption attributable to applying employee sanctions for HIPAA violations, it is worthwhile dedicating more resources to initial employee training in order to prevent HIPAA violations – whether intentional or accidental – from occurring.

www.pacericd.com

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XLV: Sales reporting with Power BI

Ah, sales reporting...… In my past field sales experience, many of us looked only at a very small set of sales data, usually only our own performance, and didn't quite utilize the power of sales data reporting especially in identifying areas of opportunity. Fast forward 10 years and data mining is everything: from keeping an eye on the performance of your accounts, to establishing trends in the usage of your accounts, to drilling down to the very last bit of analytical data - all at your fingertips, all visualized and easily understood. Nowadays sales reps don't have any excuse for not using sales reporting, gone are the long and cumbersome Excel spreadsheets where it took forever to find what you need.

Power BI is Microsoft’s interactive data visualization and analytics tool for business intelligence (BI). You can use it to pull data from a wide range of systems and create dashboards that track the metrics you care about the most, or drill in and (literally) ask questions about your data. You can create rich reports or embed dashboards and reports into reporting portals you already use. But, thankfully, as a sales rep you don't have to do that - someone at your company's IT has created your dashboard for you already, so all you need is to learn how to use it by actually using it - as simple as that.

In my current training role I was introduced to Power BI and other data analytical tools used by sales and customer operations organizations. By getting the actual numbers sales reps can make an informed decision on where they should focus their effort in order to secure higher dollar transactions. It’s a question of “Do we focus effort on developing existing customers, or should more time be spent prospecting into new ones?”.

How to boost your sales performance with Power BI

It’s easy to use. Microsoft Power BI makes turning data into meaningful visualizations  possible by the drag and drop system of creating visuals, pick the visual, choose the data you want in it and boom you have an interactive way of looking at your data.

It’s easy to share. Once you have a report or dashboard that you are happy with it is super simple to share with people both in and out of your organization.

It’s easy to understand. Usually your company’s IT team would create a specific dashboard to match your division’s needs and all you have to do is pull your reports and stats - now your data can help you boost your productivity.

It’s everywhere. Once you have a dashboard created you can access it from just about anything. The web app is excellent for both displaying and editing reports from the desktop. The iOS and Android apps allow you to use your reports on the go. And then there is the Microsoft Power BI Desktop, where you can model, transform, and visualize your data to your heart’s content

Beat the competition. With Power BI, you can monitor how you stack up against the rest of the company, your sales team, your individual quotas—whatever motivates you to stay on track and know when to put it in overdrive.

Eliminate manual reports. Power BI takes the data you have already put in across systems, and automatically consolidates it into your reports. You don’t have to dig up your numbers and re-enter information to create manual reports. Better yet, your RM can just access Power BI directly so you don’t even have to lift a finger. 

Know where to spend your time. Power BI lets you segment your prospects and opportunities by region, stage of lifecycle, product - nearly anything you want. As they say "time is money", you want to make sure you can clearly see where that time is going to yield the biggest gains.

While Power BI is very easy to use and learn with a little training, it does take some time to setup properly for your specific needs. Depending on the setup in your company, the data is usually synced (with SAP, etc.) about twice a day. I like the visualization of the data - it makes it way friendlier and pleasing to the eye, and most importantly, you don’t have to be a CPA to interpret it and understand what the data really tells you. Also, visualization makes it much easier to spot trends. But, it has a bit of a learning curve, so the more you use it, the faster you will learn how to utilize it. 

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Consistency and Reliability of Service and the Value of Training Transferable Skills

When companies talk about talent development, retention, and succession planning, words like “cross-training”, “knowledge transfer” and “redundancy” tend to crop-up. Performance quality determines the success of an employee. One of the key drivers of quality is the consistency of an employee’s skills over a period of time. The performance of an employee is determined by the reliability and redundancy of their skills. Reliability increases their performance efficiency while redundancy increases their current capability and growth expectations. Each organization sets a goal of achieving service efficiency and ability to operate at an optimum level at all time. Duplication in the human system is one of the best ways to mitigate risk and ensure success. Cross-training is the most efficient way to achieve consistency and reliability of service; it’s also the best way to keep employees engaged and teach them transferable skills..

By developing a workforce this way, companies create employees with overlapping skill sets, skills that may be applied intra-departmentally or inter-departmentally. Almost no one at an organization will argue that this kind of overlapping is a bad thing. It doesn’t create “fat” in an organization but rather the opposite - a fail-safe. 

So why is it that when it comes to the training process, too many companies seem to overlook the value of transferable skills? Encouraging the development of transferable skills within your existing team will help fight employee burnout and boredom. 

According to Bridge by Instructure’s research on employee attitude towards both management and learning and development, 45.1% of managers are ill-prepared for the role and 25% of employees say their manager doesn’t have the right skills for effective management. 53.4% respondents think managers need more training to perform as manager, and 45% think managers need to be given time to operate as a manager rather than having those responsibilities bolted on to their existing role. When it comes to performance reviews, 6 in 10 employees are surprised by their manager’s assessments of them, with 29.7% saying they are unfair. 25.5% of employees consider looking for another job after a performance review. 30% say that unfair treatment by their line manager has led them to leave a position. Yet 6 in 10 employees say it is important that their employer help them learn new skills as part of their ongoing personal development, suggesting that today’s workforce is willing to learn new skills in their current roles. This research points to an underlying trend of skills redundancy and employee apathy: 36.5% of employees saying they don’t feel their skills are being properly used by their company. A vital part of staff retention is, for many, the loyalty that comes from understanding how employees are contributing to their employers’ business. But this research demonstrated that 52.8% of employees saying they don’t know how they contribute to their company’s purpose.

Cross-training is every company's best defense against indispensable employees and most importantly: it provides consistency and reliability of service and learning a new skill will keep your employees more engaged and productive. Today’s businesses can’t risk failing because they lose a key player at a critical juncture. It’s essential to cross-train employees so losing one won’t mean the end of your service consistency and reliability; instead, your company has the flexibility to respond to fluctuating workflows. It can also include training for different skill sets in the event a key employee leaves, or simply as a way to prepare a lower-level employee to move up in the organization. 

CEO Tim Brown describes two types of individuals: I-shaped and T-shaped. I-shaped individuals are experts in their area and have an extremely limited ability to collaborate across disciplines. T-shaped individuals, on the other hand, have deep expertise in one area and a working understanding across disciplines, which gives them insight into the bigger picture. Most companies have lots of people with different skills. The problem is, when you bring people together to work on the same problem, if all they have are those individual skills - if they are I-shaped - it’s very hard for them to collaborate. What tends to happen is that each individual discipline represents its own point of view. It basically becomes a negotiation at the table as to whose point of view wins, and that’s when you get gray compromises where the best you can achieve is the lowest common denominator between all points of view. According to Brown, T-shaped people have two kinds of characteristics: The vertical stroke of the “T” is a depth of skill that allows them to contribute to the creative process. The horizontal stroke of the “T” is the disposition for collaboration across disciplines. It is composed of two things. First, empathy. It’s important because it allows people to imagine the problem from another perspective - to stand in somebody else’s shoes. Second, they tend to get very enthusiastic about other people’s disciplines, to the point that they may actually start to practice them. T-shaped people have both depth and breadth in their skills. Brown believes that if your organization consists of mostly I-shaped people, bringing in “integrators” or professional facilitators can help stitch together a conversation without necessarily contributing to it. But if you have a company full of T-shaped people, you don’t need the facilitator, because everybody can do it anyway. 

How to implement successful cross-training:

Create a culture of collective success - For some employees, being indispensable is a point of pride. Make it clear that your organization values people’s ability to support each other and that single points of failure are a company-wide weakness. Show employees that their capacity to help their co-workers in times of need will benefit them when they need additional support.

Set formal expectations - Require employees to have at least one person who can step into their role at a moment’s notice. Make it mandatory, give clear instructions, and provide time for people to cross-train effectively.

Test your success - Run simulations to ensure cross-training meets your expectations. See if you can commit a key employee to another project and make sure he/she isn’t pulled in to help the person performing his/her role. If someone is able to step in in this person’s absence, you’re covered.

Develop a feedback mechanism - Give employees an opportunity to give you feedback on the impact of cross-training activities, and use this information to continuously improve your efforts.

Teaching Empathy?

Empathy is a commonly used, but poorly understood, concept. It is often confused with related concepts such as sympathy, pity, identification, and self-transposal. According to Edith Stein, a German phenomenologist, empathy can be facilitated. It also can be interrupted and blocked, but it cannot be forced to occur. What makes empathy unique, according to Stein, is that it happens to us; it is indirectly given to us, "nonprimordially."  When empathy occurs, we find ourselves experiencing it, rather than directly causing it to happen. This is the characteristic that makes the act of empathy unteachable. Instead, promoting attitudes and behaviors such as self-awareness, nonjudgmental positive regard for others, good listening skills, and self-confidence are suggested as important in the development of employees who will demonstrate an empathic willingness.

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XLIII: How To Sell Successfully

When selling to medical professionals, one of the biggest obstacles comes before you even speak to a decision maker - it’s working your way into their busy schedule. Physicians’ time is very limited, so being prepared with a powerful message is critical. 

The question is: how  make the most of every precious minute with your customers? These simple tips will help you do just that.

Develop a strategic selling process - consistency and persistence is the goal as you sell medical devices. 80% of sales require five follow-ups. When formulating your selling process, create a clear vision of your product and how it stands out from other medical devices.When doing consultations and building customer relationships, be sure to feature products in a hands-on or creative way so that customers can fully experience what they are anticipating to buy. Medical devices can be complex and tricky to understand, so it’s important to have a clear explanation of your product. Customers should walk away feeling like they will be missing out if they don’t purchase your device.

Get to know decision-makers - one of the challenges of selling devices in the medical industry is figuring out who is in charge of decision making and purchasing. Often times, field reps have to consult with physicians or other medical professionals who are extremely busy. This means reps need to be convincing from the start so practitioners don’t think that their time is being wasted. A major hurdle for medical device companies is group purchasing organizations. GPOs work to find the lowest prices for hospitals and health care providers, and work as middle men between medical devices and medical sites. They play a large role in negotiating contracts and purchasing medical equipment - your selling strategy should convey why your product is better than the competition’s and why they need it.  

Create a territory management strategy -  knowing the territory you’re covering is a must. Having strong territory coverage means that there are enough reps evenly distributed throughout the field, that they are busy but not overworked, and are making meaningful interactions. 

Get to the hospital before your doctor - physicians  work long hours, so you may have to as well. Getting called in and showing up off hours will establish credibility in the eyes of the customer, because it shows you’re willing to help them whenever it’s needed. That’s a valuable means of differentiating yourself from the competition. Arriving early to the hospital or office will give you a bit of extra time to get set up and pitch the value of your product before your contact gets too busy. Cases may take much longer or shorter than expected, so having a backup plan is always important. If the case takes much longer than expected, make sure to stay in contact with other customers you had scheduled  to visit and let them know you might have to postpone. Keeping them in the loop is crucial to maintaining the relationship and making sure they don’t feel forgotten. If the case doesn’t take as long as expected, have a list of numbers that you can call while you have some downtime.

Don’t take a break at lunchtime - lunch is better spent selling than eating. Physicians typically take breaks during the lunch hour, so you should make sure to stay available throughout the middle of the day. Try catching up with your contacts in the cafeteria. Come armed with a few value-driven talking points that will catch their interest early and make them glad they spent their break chatting with you.Casual lunch meetings can also be invaluable for building rapport. If you’ve already established a friendly connection with a practitioner, chatting over lunch can be a great way to keep the relationship alive.

Get to know the lay of the land - hospitals can be incredibly confusing the first time you arrive. Tap on managers, clinicians, and other sales reps to familiarize yourself with the floor plan before you make your first visit. Not only do hospitals differ from one another in their physical layouts, but they all operate differently as well. Get to know the different policies and procedures of the every hospital you visit to make sure you don’t step on any toes or enter zones of the hospital open exclusively to staff.

Always keep the patient in mind -  while you might sell directly to physicians and hospital accounts, there is a third party you should always keep in mind: the patient. Whether it’s your product or a competitor’s, always suggest the solution that will be best for the patient, because they are the ones affected. Even if you have to recommend a competitor’s product doing so will build credibility in the eyes of your customer.  

Commit to expertise -  The better employees are trained on a product, the more likely they are to convince a customer to buy. 73% of consumers are looking for product knowledge. You should be able to educate customers on the product and customize the product to each customer's goals and needs. Arm yourself with up-to-date knowledge and skills, so you can reach customers with more success and confidence.

Know your products like the back of your hand -  physicians are hands-on with your products every day, making them some of the most knowledgeable customers you can sell to, therefore, it's critical you know your products backwards and forwards. The more helpful the information you give them and questions you can answers, the more likely they are to do business with you in the future. Knowing the product in-depth is also going to help you give solid advice to the physician and also provide options when things don’t go smoothly. If you can reduce the amount of work and frustration it takes to use a product, you can remove obstacles to ordering.

Track inventory -  having a general idea of a product’s lifespan and knowing the trends in the market’s movement will help you optimize your sales process in terms of timing visits and predicting orders. Plus, monitoring inventory can highlight specific areas where products do well and where territories have and haven’t been saturated.

Be responsive - while your company’s pricing, customer service, and product quality may be out of your control, you can always take it into your own hands to be more flexible and responsive -  hospital administrators and physicians would simply do business with the person who was easiest to work with.  Try reserving an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon every day to focus exclusively on client communication. Not only does that ensure you never take more than a few hours to respond, but it also frees you up to focus on the task at hand during the day and not worry about who might be trying to get a hold of you.

Follow through - get organized by writing down every commitment you make as soon as you verbalize it. There are dozens of mobile apps that integrate with your alarm or calendar to give you active reminders when tasks have been left idle or their due date is approaching - Evernote, Microsoft To-Do, Alarmed, etc. There are countless other more robust systems that help you sort notes by customer and even location, making it especially easy to keep track of your commitments by client.

Use mobile CRM software -  customer relationship management software helps sales teams collect, maintain, and organize data about their customers and products. A CRM is critical to maintaining efficient operations, especially as technology in the industry advances. Mobile CRM software standardizes data collection and improves consistency, helping sales reps formulate an outlook to guide future adjustments to the sales process.

Prepare for the negatives - hearing bad things about your device, company, or other employees is never pleasant, but as a sales rep it comes with the territory. As uncomfortable as it may be to stand in front of dissatisfied customers, your response can make or break your relationship with them.When customers start airing their complaints, it’s important you let them express their mid fully without interruptions - even if you have the perfect response to their objection. Not only does that help customers feel that they’ve been heard, but saying it all out loud will help relieve their stress, which in turn makes your job much easier.Before you move on, make sure you fully understand their problem, and ask questions if you don’t. If there is a solution that you can implement, do so - but if not, find out who can help and reassure the customer that person will do something about it. Finally, follow up to see if unhappy customers’ problem were resolved.

Emphasize economic benefits - Healthcare costs are rising much higher than inflation, due in large part to the ballooning price of drugs, medical devices, and hospital care. To stay competitive, hospitals are looking for ways to avoid passing these costs on to their patients. The easiest way to do that is by improving efficiency wherever possible. Whether you’re selling  defibrillators or knee implants, bring attention to the ways your products can help reduce costs (long service intervals, bulk pricing, long shelf life, etc.).

Try upselling and cross-selling -  while upselling and cross-selling are similar in that they make existing accounts more profitable, they vary in their execution. Upselling refers to opportunities reps have to add units of a certain product to an order. When cross-selling, reps suggest new products that complement an account’s existing order. Medical devices generate constant demand, giving sales reps plenty of opportunities to try out these techniques. Customers don’t want to hear about additional services or products unless the offer is of value. Whether by finding special pricing offers or adding additional services and products, do your best to make every single offer impossible to refuse.

Think ahead -  the only thing changing as rapidly as the regulatory landscape is technology. The medical device industry is one of the most fast moving and inventive fields - products have an average life cycle of just 18 months before they're replaced by something even better, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Think ahead about upcoming products so you can shift your selling strategy to accommodate future product releases. Educating customers about forthcoming updates can help your reps upsell accounts as well, so make sure they stay in tune with what's coming up on the horizon.  

Never give up on offices that don’t see reps - physicians and hospital policies are always subject to change, so when an office updates its policy you should make sure you’re the first to know. Give the office a call every time you’re in the area, and send emails every so often to check in, even if you’re not actively selling. That way you’ll stay in the front of their mind, securing first mover advantage if they eventually start seeing reps.

Happy selling !!!

www.pacericd.com

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XXVI: What’s In My Business Plan

During my time in the medical device industry, I have been blessed to have worked with some of the best sales representatives in the field. Starting as a new clinical rep at Guidant (now Boston Scientific) was easy for me on the clinical side since I had already worked with medical devices in the device clinic, but had no idea of the business part of the job - how to be the brand ambassador of my employer; how to promote my products in a way that was not intrusive and “car-salesman” like; how to retain my customers’ interest in my products; how to compare my products to the competitors’ in a way that was always favorable to my products; how to convey all these messages to them in a professional manner.

Needless to say our region was one of the top regions in the country in sales and my sales rep had the biggest part in it. I followed him everywhere and I learned a lot; we worked crazy hours and he never ceased to impress me with his energy levels and his love for the job. He taught me the fundamentals of how to do this business on the field; coached me on the process, showed me the initiative, and made me believe that one’s integrity is the reason why customers keep coming back for more.

What I’ve seen on the field was that when time comes for the submission of business plans, almost all sales reps, experienced and new, struggled with it. There are many reasons for that, but this is not the scope of this post; instead I’d like to give you the outline that will help you craft your business plan based on your vision for your territory. The medical industry is unique in that a sales rep must be sufficient both in his/her clinical and business knowledge and most of them struggle with one or the other; it is extremely rare that you see a sales rep to excel in both fields as it requires dedication and persistence above and beyond what most people are willing to commit to, hence the necessity for clinical specialists in the medical; devices industry.

There are several types of Business Plan, the scope of this post is to talk about the business plan that concerns field sales reps. In general, on the field, sales reps have to deal with short term goals - usually quarterly/semi-annual/annual goals depending on the company goals and major business objectives.

In general, the upper management usually determines the long term goals and objectives, that is the vision where the company’s development will be in the future 5+ years and longer, based on the mission of the said company. Then middle management (area management) would determine how to get there in the shorter 3-5 years term. The regional managers would then determine the 1 year term business objectives and goals for each territory within the region. These goals will be discussed with each territory manager, usually at the beginning of each quarter, and strategies will be outlined to reach these goals. Then it comes to the individual territory managers to implement these strategies in order to achieve the quarterly goal, using tactics, projects and tasks that are specific to the territory they manage. 

Territory manager’s business plan must include these key elements:

Goals - What do you want to achieve?

Strategy - How are you going to get there?

Tactics/Actions - What activities am I going to commit to?

Obstacles to Success - What obstacles will keep you from succeeding?

Personal/Professional Development - What are you going to do to grow in your career this year?

The business plan has objectives that are always repeated, such as:

LEAD - research potential new contacts; in person visits; research potential new prospects based on purchasing history, equipment, information from other employees

PROSPECT - establish relationship by highlighting the value of your company and products, offering continuous education, forging relationships with “gatekeepers” building the trust of the personnel at the facility

OPPORTUNITY - provide case studies and product performance reports; deliver product specific presentations highlighting how these products will make a positive cgange

CUSTOMER - provide exceptional customer service that turns your one-time customers into repeat customers. Keep relationships, customer service and maintenance active; provide scientific papers and other tools that foster professional development; assist implanters in case planning; ensure everyone on your team know the products inside and out.

REPEAT CUSTOMER - demonstrate how your brand differentiates itself from the pack; gain competitive intelligence and use it to better position your products; follow-up with your customers as often as necessary.

The rest of the business plan is focused on the specifics of the sales territory (accounts, customers, sales initiatives and strategies, etc.) as well as personal/professional development goals and objectives of the sales representative.

If you are a new sales rep, your business plan may include some additional points:

Develop company and product knowledge

Create territory management plan

Develop sales strategy

Build personal knowledge base

Focus on customers

To get you started, here’s three files that give you the essentials to business planning in the medical devices industry:

90 Day Sales Plan PDF      Sales Process PDF      Account Management PDF

Even if you’re not expected to prepare a business plan, doing so will keep you in focus and help you track your performance over time and identify trends that have positive or negative effect on your business, thus making adjustments to your strategy as you go. 

And remember: Luck is when good preparation meets an opportunity. Opportunities don’t happen, you create them. Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. Developing a business plan is only the first step in this process.

Happy selling !!!

www.pacericd.com

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part VIII: What’s In My Vocabulary

Medicine is a language of its own and knowing medical terminology is the foundation of practicing any healthcare-related career. Medical terminology is the standardized means of communication within the healthcare industry. The importance of fluency in medical terminology, which applies to all hospital personnel, including allied healthcare professionals, cannot be overstated.

Medical terminology eases clinical proceedings and enables everyone involved in the process of treatment and care to perform more efficiently for the patient’s benefit. Very often within the clinical environment, medical terminology is composed of abbreviations and understanding them makes documentation much faster and easier.

In my experience as a trainer, proper communication using appropriate language is the one thing field representatives struggle the most with. Many times reps struggle speaking on the same level as the customer/physician using the proper medical terminology when describing things. And then many reps use way too complicated terminology when talking to patients, which makes it difficult for them to understand and provokes unnecessary anxiety. One of the reasons for the discrepancy is that manufacturers don’t focus on teaching medical terminology during training, not even as a self-study or a prerequisite. Those of us who have graduated from nursing school remember that Medical Terminology was taught during the first semester. Another reason is that many reps don’t necessarily read medical publications on a regular basis in order to keep improving and enriching their use of medical lingo.

Based on many conversations with my customers on the subject of customer-representative communications, I have concluded that customers in the medical field (physicians and other medical staff) don’t appreciate the use of typical sales terminology by their representatives and prefer conversations using medical language when talking about new products, features and services. On the other hand, hospital administrators don’t mind the use of more targeted sales language.

Although it seems scary at first glance, medical terminology is not rocket science. The majority of terms are derived from Greek and Latin and the science-based vocabulary follows a systematic methodology; each term contains two or three components and can be broken down into parts.

The best way to learn medical terminology is to become familiar with the structure and the most commonly used components.

Here are some tips for mastering your vocabulary skills:

Make flash cards - Medical terminology is usually taught by body system, so for each system make flash cards that can help you study.Write the medical term on the front of the card and its definition on the back.When you look at a particular term, you can guess the definition and then check if it’s correct. The final goal here is to get to a point where you won’t have to check if you are correct.This repetitive study method will help you learn the medical terminology through visualization.The process of making the cards will be as valuable as studying them. You can also buy ready basic medical terminology flash cards online.

Use the Medical Dictionary - Using the medical dictionary will enrich your vocabulary and deepen your understanding of the meanings and use of medical terms. Look up each new word and see what language it comes from and how it is pronounced. Do some further research and see how else this particular word is used other than the examples given in the context of medicine. The American Heritage Medical Dictionary is one of the best sources.

Use your company’s approved nomenclature - this is crucial for properly describing products, features and services to your customers. Don’t use other companies’ nomenclature when describing your products as it doesn’t look professional and it may leave the impression that you’re not familiar with your employer’s nomenclature. It’s ok to compare different manufacturer’s nomenclatures to clarity differences/comparisons in products, features and services.

Get familiar with your competitors’ nomenclature - this is crucial as your customer might be familiar with your competitor’s nomenclature, but not yours (there’s nothing wrong with that), so it’s upon you to be able to make it easier for your customer by being able to clarity the similarities and differences between products, features, services and especially nomenclatures as most of them are trademarked.

Use apps - Nowadays, there are plenty of software applications for Android and iPhone smartphones that are designed exclusively for students to help them learn and practice. My favorites are Quizlet & Brainscape for making flash cards, and the Dictionary app (includes The American Heritage Medical Dictionary)

Medicine Vocabulary Workbook - you can download it here and learn at your own pace

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part IX: What’s In My Body Language

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said. (management guru Peter F. Drucker)

Non-verbal communication is critical to understanding human behavior. Comprehension of body language provides insight to how a person feels despite their verbal responses.  Specific non-verbal behaviors include posture, facial expressions, head and limb placement, movement, and gestures.

Your gestures, voice tone, rate, and volume can all have a profound effect on the success of your negotiations, job interviews, and sales meetings. You only have seven seconds to make a first impression and establish credibility, trust, power, status, warmth, and empathy. Getting body language right when selling is a tricky business.

Here are some tips to help manage your non-verbals:

Lean forward - Not only do we need to lean in, we also need to lean forward. Leaning towards your conversation partner signals commitment in the conversation and shows you’re engaged and paying attention.

Open your arms - Crossing arms is a defensive approach across many contexts and cultures. With arms crossed, you look defensive and closed, or worse yet, that you're ignoring what your conversation partner is saying. Keep your arms open so that you seem to be fully involved. Data shows that you retain 38% less information when your legs and arms are crossed. Open up your arms, and your mind! 

Don’t point - Your mother was right: pointing can be rude. Take a cue from politicians and soften your gestures with a full hand point or chop unless you are actively trying to convey aggression. 

Smile - A purely social smile is just the mouth, but a genuine smile uses the eyes. There is nothing more powerfully addictive than a genuine smile. It can melt hearts and soothe nerves. 

Positive eye contact - Making good eye contact can build trust and show that you are engaged and interested. Choose to use a video chat rather than email when you anticipate tensions may be high, and you will boost your chances of positive communication. Studies say that people are less hostile and negative when they look into your eyes. So, use those baby blues to disarm your opponents. 

Use fewer gestures - Notice when some famous people are being interviewed, they don't fidget or distract with too many gestures? The focus stays on them. Let your hands rest naturally at your sides or on your lap, depending on whether you are sitting or standing. Avoid doing things like cracking your knuckles. Rubbing hands can also be an indicator that you think you have closed the deal. 

Don’t touch your face - Slightly covering your mouth, rubbing eyes, scratching your nose or touching other parts of your face when you talk is an indicator that a person is lying. Picking your nose, now that’s a whole other story. 

Use lower vocal range - Especially for women, bring your voice down to an optimal range. Do this by saying, “um hum, um hum, um hum” before a big talk to bring voice down to optimal range. And speak more slowly - match the speed you are speaking to others in the room. If you speak too fast, the other person will feel pressured. Too slow, and they will think you are lazy or talking down to them. You should also make sure to nod once in a while as you listen to someone else. 

Strike a pose - Powerful people with high status aren't afraid to take up space in a room. Research shows that if you do a “high power pose” -- think  Wonder Woman -- and hold it for two minutes, your testosterone level raises and Cortisol level lowers. You feel more confident and perform better. 

Embrace the power of touch - Did you know if you reach out and touch someone, they are more likely to say yes and comply with your request? Touching on the arm creates a human bond within milliseconds, as long as it is done in combination with other honest communication. 

Watch the feet - Feet hold secrets, because they are the least rehearsed. Did you know that feet point to a person they prefer? Feet positioned close together can be seen as a timid stance, while wide apart feet display confidence. Use this tip to read someone else's body language or stay in control of your own. 

Body angle - Standing toe to toe with another person can appear confrontational. Creating a slight angle between your body and your counterpart presents a much more accommodating nonverbal signal. Defuse tension or acrimony by positioning yourself next to the individual, so that you are facing in the same direction. 

Put yourself on equal footing - When it comes to handshakes, it’s all about the pressure. If you apply too much pressure, you are perceived as domineering or ignorant, but if you are too weak, people will think you have no self-confidence. You want to aim to mirror the other person’s handshake, which will put you both on the same page. 

Practice these subtle moves:

Raising eyebrows or tilting head slightly to show questioning or surprise.

Pausing with held breath after question to wait for an answer. 

Pressing lips slightly together with light frown to show disagreement. 

Gently smiling to show liking of the customer and comfort with the situation. 

Slow and deep breathing with relaxed face to show confidence. 

Slight wince when they mention things that are outside your intent. 

Gesturing with open palms to show openness (not with lecturing finger or aggressive fist).

Regular soft eye contact that shows caring (not looking away nor staring at them).

Even if you're not aware of  your body language, customers are. You may be doing a great verbal sales presentation, while your body language is ultimately killing the deal. You’ve worked hard to get that important interview or new client meeting. You’ve honed your slide presentation to be pitch perfect, and your resume is a work of art. At critical moments like this, don’t let sloppy body language place an invisible, unspoken barrier between you and success.

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part VI: What’s In My Car

If you are a field representative, you already know that you car is not only your means of transportation, but also your inventory storage, your office and your place to relax between appointments. So what you have in your car becomes crucial to be able to be most efficient on the road and on top of your game.

COMPANY INVENTORY - this is the inventory you need on daily basis in order to do your job. It includes the product you sell as  well as demos and marketing materials such as brochures, articles, books, etc. Be careful with the marketing materials as rules of the game have changed (AdvaMed) and we are no longer allowed to distribute pens, coffee mugs, wall clocks, writing pads or any of the sorts. Always check your company’s policy on marketing and hospitality in order to adhere to the rules. Your inventory is usually stored in company issued sales bags that bear the logo of the company and your name. I advise you to get small padlocks to lock your bags while they’re not being used or left unattended at hospitals. And keep your bags clean, there’s nothing worse than selling medical devices out of a dirty bag.

THINGS THAT HELP TRANSPORT YOUR INVENTORY - these will help you be efficient and resourceful while looking professional carrying stuff arround

Foldable document cart with lid - perfect for transporting the materials you need for your in-service

Foldable mini dolly - useful when you have to carry boxes or other extra product

Bungee cord with hooks - perfect for securing boxes to the dolly or attaching additional items to your main bag

THINGS THAT HELP YOU AVERT BAD LUCK - HALO Bolt ACDC, the tool every sophisticated field rep should have in their car

Portable charger with jumper cables, micro USB charging cable, AC adapter, 14V USB car charger, and carrying pouch

58,830mWh power

One-button starter: provides jump for cars, trucks, boats, and lawn mowers

120V AC outlet to charge your laptop, power a heat pad, etc.

Two USB ports to charge smart phones, pads, cameras, etc.

Bright LED light

THINGS THAT HELP YOU RECHARGE - these are essential for surviving long working hours on your feet, 14hr long days, or any time you’ve got a few minutes to put your feet up (in your car). When I have some time between appointments or my case is being delayed a couple of hours, I don’t like to wait around at the cafeteria - I don’t want my customers to see me hang around and think I’ve got nothing else to do, it looks bad and it looks like you don’t have enough business to keep busy. Instead I go to my car, charge my laptop, take a drink of water to hydrate and maybe put down my seat and just relax for a few minutes while my phone is charging. Of course you can go sit somewhere else, but sometimes I just prefer the quietness of my car to do some work.

TAL 32oz. stainless steel water bottle - keeps liquid hot for up to 12hrs and cold for up to 24hrs; condensation free, double wall vacuum insulated, leak proof lid, BPA and lead free

Electric heating pad - for those moments when your back needs a little TLC; plug it in the Halo Bolt

MISCELLANEOUS

Windshield sun shades

Disposable gloves (for when you need to put some air in the tires, etc.)

Cleaning wipes

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part V: What’s On My (Company) Laptop

Organizations have been giving away laptops, smartphones, tablets and other handful gadgets to their employees for enhancing their work efficiency. These devices have preset one’s login information and a bunch of useful and necessary applications that would be required for accomplishing the work.

These gadgets and devices have been provided for work and not for fun. As the devices are taken away at home, they are used as a personal device at home and for the professional purpose at work.

In the Medical Devices industry, all field personnel as well as all support personnel and management get a company laptop upon hiring. There are several reasons for that:

Information security - protecting patient’s personal data and proprietary corporate data

Uniform use of applications - ensure all employees use company approved and licensed software

Corporate records and compliance - sales & inventory records, hospital implant records, customers records, company marketing and educational materials, communications, tracking features, compliance maintenance, etc.

Customer presentations - customer education, presentations, promotion of company products, features and services

Light personal use - continuing education, other light personal uses

All of us have heard about the co-worker who was caught with inappropriate material on their company laptop that resulted in their termination. And that should not surprise anyone - since the laptop is a company property, there should not be any expectation for privacy, so if you don’t want to get caught, then don’t do it. Employees not only change the settings according to their personal preferences (I’m one of them), but also add up social networking apps to remain in touch with family and friends while off work time. Some employees tend to store personal information on it such as pictures and videos; some use it for other works such as a second or a part-time job assignments, etc. 

Well, not only it is unethical to do so, but is also unsafe - it puts not only the person at risk but also the organization; it is a risk that one takes without even knowing it. There are several things you should never ever do on a company laptop:

Never save passwords - it seems convenient to save a password on your work laptop since you’re using it all the time. But many of you are unaware that most organizations have the policy to examine the internet history of equipment they have provided. The e-mails and other electronic communication made by such devices are neither personal, nor confidential for the employee regardless they’re made in the office or outside of it. Most organizations have all rights reserved to view, examine or monitor them. Keep in mind that the laptop hard drives are encrypted and have privilege policies, so even if you delete something, you don’t really delete it.

Don’t use the laptop for personal chatting - anything that you don’t want to be made public is actually being recorded by your organization and can be retrieved at anytime by them. Don’t use your company laptop for chatting, gossips and off-color jokes you don’t want to be made public.

Don’t make use of Public Wi-Fi - one can open up to a fraud while using a public Wi-Fi. You should not access your official work, personal e-mails, online bank accounts or any confidential material while using a publicly opened Wi-Fi - you may face the so-called ‘evil twin scam”, i.e. it may look real but isn’t. (This is exactly how Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chief John Podesta’s e-mail account was breached and confidential e-mails leaked to the public)

Never allow anyone to access your work or use your laptop - keep your work personal. Don’t allow your friends or non-IT colleagues to access any of your work. If you have to step away from your laptop, always log off first and never give away your password, even to your spouse or kids.

Avoid saving personal information - this laptop is the property of the organization, not a device for storing personal information. Store all your personal data on a USB or portable hard drive. Just imagine you get fired and your laptop is taken away that same moment - now you’ve lost all personal contacts, pictures, videos, bank and tax records, chat history, browser bookmarks, etc. And not only lost it, but now you made it available to your company to see and there’s no guarantee what happens to your information as most companies use third parties to dispose of used equipment.

Don’t use work laptop for off the office work - your laptop has been allotted for official work and it’s unethical to use it for any sort of non-official work. Be careful with the internet browsing - many of us travel for work and it may get lonely at night at the hotel. Just as you wouldn’t want an adult on-demand movie to show up on your hotel receipt, the same way you wouldn’t want an adult website to be stored in your browser history, or anything else that might be perceived as inappropriate. It is considered an act of violation of the company IT policy if you use your work laptop for non-official work and you could be terminated as a result. 

Most company IT policies would prevent you from installing personal software on your work laptop for security purposes and depending on your position you may need to use additional software to what has already been pre-installed. As a trainer, I needed to use Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat on a regular basis in order to be able to create my training materials, so I requested this software be added on my laptop and was approved by my superiors. Many companies require that you sync your laptop once daily - think of it as two-way communication: you receive/download but you also transmit/upload information, so you may be transmitting stuff that could get you in trouble, so just don’t do it on your work laptop. Most of us just sign the IT policy upon hire without paying much attention to it, but in a world where technology controls our lives, you must at least know what the boundaries are if you plan on keeping being employed - it doesn’t take much.

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iOS Wi-Fi Issues After Update - How to Fix Your iPhone/iPad

I usually don’t update my iPhone right away, because I know from a personal experience that there are always issues after an update. The reason I chose to go ahead and update was I had noticed my iPhone dropping my home Wi-Fi quite often. 

I tried the most popular troubleshooting hacks to no avail. There was one thing that became apparent though: my iPhone 6+ Wi-iFi connection was more stable at 2.4GHz than at 5GHz. This wasn’t good enough for me as I’m always trying to utilize the fastest connection my device would allow, so  performing the iOS update was a no-brainer. What a mistake this was: as soon as I updated, my Wi-Fi issues became even more apparent. Now connecting to the 5GHz network kept giving me a “password error” even though I was using the same password connecting with my Surface Pro and it worked every time. I tried changing the password of the network, but that didn't resolve the issue for my iPhone either. I read somewhere online that apparently there was some “confusion” with the Wi-Fi antennas in the iPhone 6+ model, but there wasn’t any sophisticated explanation as to why this was happening, so at this point it didn’t matter. The only thing left for me to do was to either perform a systematic troubleshooting until I find a solution that would stabilize my Wi-Fi connections OR buy a new iPhone. The second option was out of the question given the fact iPhone 8 is coming out in September and I’m not going to pay over a grand for a new phone - I upgrade my iPhone every 4 years and I still have another year to go before I’m due for another one, plus I just replaced my phone’s battery with a fresh one. So troubleshooting it is. 

First: what is the issue?

iPhone is unable to connect to Wi-Fi network.

iPhone keeps dropping Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi won’t turn on.

Wi-Fi would give a password error.

Speed of Wi-Fi connection is slow.

Wi-Fi Keeps forgetting hidden network.

Second: I’m going to give you step-by-step troubleshooting guide, and then I’m going to let you know what worked for me. I advise you to follow the the steps because your issue might not be as complex and it is possible that you fix it after the first couple of steps.

Backup your iPhone.

Reboot Router or Modem -  Usually, when your iPhone drops Wi-Fi constantly, the first thing you need to check is your Wi-Fi router or modem. If your router doesn’t work properly, you can reset the router to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity issues. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Force Restart Your iPhone/iPad/iPod - If you are using iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo. If you are using iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.  If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Reset Network Settings -  Resetting network settings is one of the most effective ways to solve iPhone Wi-Fi problems as well as cellular not working properly issue. To reset your network settings, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that this will erase all save Wi-Fi and passwords and you need to re-add Wi-Fi network after resetting. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Forget & Rejoin Wi-Fi Network -  When your iPhone Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting or iPhone won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network, you can go to Settings > Wi-Fi, enter the information page of this Wi-Fi, and then choose Forget This Network. After that, rejoin this network. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Change to Google’s DNS -  Sometimes, the problem with your DNS servers may cause slow Wi-Fi connection with your iPhone, and you can change the default DNS to Google DNS with these steps: go to Settings > Wi-Fi. Tap your Wi-Fi and enter the information page of this Wi-Fi > change DNS to 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Turn off Location Service for Networking Service -  Sometimes disabling Location Service for Wi-Fi Networking service can fix the issue: go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. It will not disable Wi-Fi entirely but stop location service for Wi-Fi networking. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then

Restore Your Device -  Finally, if none of the solutions above fixes your iPhone Wi-Fi problems, you can restore your device with iTunes. To restore your iPhone via iTunes: Connect your iPhone/iPad to computer > Open iTunes > Click the iPhone icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window > Choose Summary and then click Restore iPhone.

What worked for me: I diligently went through steps 1-5 with little to no effect. I have done many experiments with my iPhone, especially with the networking part, so I suspected my issue was probably more complex. So I went back to step two and changed the 5GHz network’s channel to a different one (you might have to experiment with different channels as some are more stable than others); then I went directly to step 7. After that I returned to step 6: first changed the IP address from DHCP (dynamic) to Static; then I changed the DNS to the one of my ISP (instead of the default router IP address): then I rebooted my phone. These steps seem to have solved my problem for now. If my phone becomes unstable again at 5GHz, then I can always switch back to 2.4GHz network, my backup plan that is. I’m hearing Apple has received many complaints about this issue, so I’m hoping there will be some sort of a patch coming out soon. I’m beginning to lose patience with Apple - for the last couple of years, every time there’s a new update there are always a bunch of issues attached to it. Apple is looking a lot like Microsoft these days …

If you have your own hacks resolving the Wi-Fi issue, please don’t hesitate to share with me at pacericd@gmail.com.

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XLII: Attributes of a Successful Medical Sales Rep

As a device rep, I have to be available to work the same hours as my clients (doctors and nurses who have an uncommon commitment level to their careers). I’m expected to work a minimum of 10 hours per day, five days per week, very often even on weekends, and my job requires me to travel up to 80% of the time (and on short notice). It is not uncommon for a medical device rep to leave for work at 4 AM and not return home that same day until 11 PM. I’ve only known a few people to pull a full 24 hour shift (and I am one of them), but if you think that you’d like to be a coach for your kids’ soccer team or enjoy going to the gym during lunchtime, then this might not be your cup of tea. Medical device sales is a commitment of your life like few other jobs are. Although the days are long and stress is high, at least the rewards are superficial and short lived..... 

Medical device sales takes certain skills to begin with. Other skills will come with time. Let’s take a look at the skills you need to have to be successful in medical device sales. 

Great with people - As a sales rep, you’ll be dealing with people from all walks of life. It’s important that you can treat everybody with respect, not just the doctors. You’ll need people to trust you, like you, and genuinely want to be around you. It’s also important that you not be easily intimidated or easily offended. You’ll be working with lots of personalities and egos, and you can’t let your own get in the way. 

High Integrity - This is almost a “throw away” word nowadays, but to be in this  industry, you really need to practice this habitually. Integrity needs to be a part of who you are. There will be opportunities to take shortcuts and abuse the situation, and you need to rise above that. Many reps leave the industry in disgrace. If you aren’t a person of integrity, it’s definitely better to pursue a different industry. This is called an “ethical industry” for a reason. 

Competitive - If you are someone who loves to win and hates to lose, you’ll do well in sales. Competitiveness is a good characteristic to possess because there are a lot of strong sales reps, and you can’t back down. With a lot of dollars at stake, people are willing to fight for a client. They are willing to work harder, longer, and smarter to win the account. This is one of the reasons device companies like to see people with collegiate or professional sports in their background. Winners make a difference! 

Highly Persuasive - It is one thing to work hard and to provide great service to customers, but it is yet another thing to drive sales growth. You must have a way of evangelizing people. If you are able to constantly persuade others that you have the best solution, you’ll do very well. Persuasion is a skill that many salespeople forget. They try to convince, argue, or demand. Device reps need to persuade. 

Successful - A track-record of success is a good indicator that you’ll do well in medical device sales, too. You need to learn how to reach goals and think outside the box. Success in school, previous jobs, and other areas will be a nice feather in your cap as you begin a career in medical sales. 

Positive Attitude - I can’t stress this enough. There will be times when everything looks bleak, and you don’t see any glimmer of hope. You need to have a positive attitude or you will sink with the ship. A positive attitude will help you deal with doctor’s egos, the long hours, and the fierce competition. 

Charismatic - You need to stand out in a crowd. There are other device reps that will try to move in on your territory. This is a competitive industry, and while it may seem silly, medical device sales tends to be a bit of a popularity contest. Personality alone will not cut it, though. You’ve got to have depth and a blend of all the other attributes as well. But charisma will set you apart when all other things are equal. 

Punctual - If you are a chronically late person, you need not apply. There is zero tolerance for tardiness in this business. It is a very fast way to be locked out of a doctor’s office or even a hospital. Besides, news travels fast and has a way of following you in this small world. 

Clear Communicator - There will be times when you will need to make your point quickly and concisely. One example is if the surgeon is in the middle of a procedure and you notice that they are about to make an irreversible cut or something similar. You’ve got to have the frame of mind to halt the surgical team in their tracks and make your point effectively. I have used the term “economy of words” to describe the need to make your point efficiently and effectively. Seconds count! 

Assertive - You cannot be one who will allow people to steamroll over you. Without being obnoxious, you must be noticed. You have to “wear well” on people, or you won’t do well. 

Strategic - You need to have a fairly well developed strategic capability in order to be successful. You have to know where and when to apply the right effort in the right amounts or you will be very busy with very little result. The “shortest distance” between you and a sale isn’t always a “straight line.” 

Creativity - Things don’t always go as planned in medical sales. If you can’t be a problem solver, you won’t last long. Creative thinking will land you clients and help you gain the respect of every- one in the industry. 

Strong Work Ethic - Device sales isn’t for everyone. If you want to be able to coach little league and have time consuming hobbies, its likely not for you. Your job is an extension of your life. People I’ve known who compartmentalize their life too much end up failing. I understand the adage of “Family First,” but just like doctors have an enormous obligation to their patients, so will you.

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XVII: What’s In My Corporate Training

Consider this: is corporate training worth the investment?  Hire for experience or offer additional training?  For many companies, training is worth the investment as retaining employees is often a long-term benefit due to turnover decreasing the level of productivity when new employees come on board.  Over time, all employees, even the experienced upper-level ones, will need further training to keep up with advances in their industry. In the Cardiac Rhythm Management industry, on average every 18 months each company has a new device or feature/service that requires some corporate training. Other medical device companies have similar time line in rolling out new products. Considering the fact that we are the product experts who introduce and train physicians at the proper us of our products, corporate training then becomes an integral part of the implementation strategy of each company. 

Corporate training has evolved a lot for the last 15 years. One significant reason for that is the increasing cost for training employees in multinational corporations. In our industry, operating a business in each state means thousands of field and in-house employees go through training usually done in one centralized location (likely the USA HQ), which is a serious multifaceted logistical challenge on it’s own. This is why corporate training has embraced proven new learning methodologies that were developed in order to facilitate more efficient and cost-effective education. 

1) Corporate Policy Training - this includes training on all in-house governing policies such as: HR policies, Travel and Expense policies, IT policies, Advamed / Code of Business Conduct policies, HIPAA policies, Career Development policies, other orientation and workplace policies. During the policy training you will be expected to sign these policies which then become part of your personnel file with HR. Policy training is usually conducted right at the beginning of your employment. 

2) Corporate Products and Sales Training - Product and Sales training takes on different forms depending on your role with the company. Here I’ll discuss field personnel training. 

Self-study - Once you’ve had your orientation, you’ll be given some materials to begin your self-study. Usually these materials vary based on your degree of knowledge about the industry prior to your hire. For novices, self-study would involve the fundamentals the job is based on, while for experienced hires it may involve some refreshing. The self-study is important because it will level up the fundamentals knowledge of newbies and experienced employees prior to their arrival to in-house training, which is essential for the equal participation during training, and ensures better outcome from the in-house training especially in the cases where it’s not logistically feasible to separate new to the industry from experienced hires during training (such as in countries outside of the US). The self-study involves knowledge that is absolutely necessary for performing your job, but may not directly relate to your company’s products and features - it’s more like generalized industry fundamental knowledge. This is usually the part new to the industry employees struggle the most with and should not be eliminated from the training curriculum. Most of the time the self-study is done via CBT (computer based training).

In-house training - This is the most important part of your training. This is where you’ll be given confidential materials outlining details of your company’s products. You must not share any of these with anyone, including customers, no matter how important for your business this might be. If a customers asks you about materials, you first check in with marketing and legal departments. before you can distribute. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve found strictly confidential information from my competitors lying around in doctors’ offices; I have been even given some of it by my customers. Anything you give to a customer can find itself in the hands of your competitors, so just keep in ming how important it is to guard your company’s know-how. I strongly encourage you to ask all questions that you need to ask during in-house training - for us, the trainers, there’s no stupid questions and I have been amazed many times how difficult and out-of-the-box some questions can be. Your in-house training is usually conducted on each specific product category and you will need to certify in each category. At the end of each training there will be an exam. During the week or two you’re training in-house, you won’t have any time for fun stuff, because the training is very intensive and you will go through a massive amount of information, so make sure you’re well rested before you arrive for training. 

Field Experience - The best way to conduct field training is to pair the new employee with a mentor, someone experienced that they could trust to introduce them to the job. It is also important that trainees venture out of their area and do training with different members of the team (even out of state), different accounts and customers. This will prepare them to fill in on a minute notice and feel comfortable working with customers they don’t know. The goal here is to have consistency throughout the entire team, so customers are not disadvantaged by working with someone they are not used to. Companies can’t avoid turnovers and by maintaining a consistent level of competence throughout, the transition from one representative to another is much more smoother. In order to certify for a product category, once you’ve passed the in-house exam, at the end of your field experience (when you’re ready), you’ll have to do solo implants and follow-up clinics proctored by a trainer. It is very often that during your proctored solo cases and clinics, your customer would test your ability to troubleshoot issues on the spot and may deliberately sabotage you in order to test your ability to handle crisis. My advise is to not hurry to get certified, because once you’re certified, you’re on your own on the field and you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where your competence is questioned by a customer and even worse, when your lack of knowledge and/or experience contributes negatively to a patient’s clinical picture. 

Certification - You’re expected to certify in each product category by taking in-house tests and performing solo on the field while proctored by a trainer. Having been certified gives you legally the right to operate independently only for the product category you’ve certified for. For product categories you haven’t certified for, you must be supervised by a coworker who is certified. Sometimes managers forget that formal certifications are an essential part in order to prevent litigations from patients and customers and they should not allow employees who are not explicitly certified to operate no matter how “short” are they on staff or how much the trainee “knows” about a device. I know this is going on for a fact, because when I was training brady I was repeatedly asked by my superiors to turn off and on ICD’s for procedures even though I was not certified for ICD’s, this behavior has the capacity for a potential disaster and should be avoided. The role of the trainer is also to educate managers on the potential problems with employees servicing devices they’re not certified for, and work closely with management to ensure the integrity of the training process.

Annual Competency Evaluation - This is needed because many times field reps get rusty and rely on outdated knowledge and can potentially misuse features due to their failure to maintain the established level of competence. Annual competency review may involve exams, proctored solo implants and follow-ups, troubleshooting sessions, etc. As a trainer, every time I schedule in-house training, I also make sure I open it to the entire field and invite employees to refresh their knowledge (better than to single them out during competency eval) - you’ll be surprised how many of them come for a refresher.....

3) New Product Development and Launch Training - Your company releases new products and features on average every 18 months, so you are expected to learn the new products and features in a timely manner. Usually you will receive launch packs filled with different information pertaining to the new products. You might also receive some field training by your trainers as well as their help with first implants and follow-ups. Keep in mind customers are very keen to know everything about new and unique features your company’s new products offer and your knowledge may mean the deference between your customer supporting your company’s new products or not. 

4) National / International Credentialing - There are several international credentialing institutions and usually each industry has at least one of them. In the past these institutions were truly about evaluating and equalizing the level of knowledge across the board, but unfortunately this has evolved more like a membership-type organizations, more like paying-your-dues-to-keep-your-license type of deal. For Cardiac Rhythm Management and Electriphysiology industry, the main licensing bodies are the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE) and the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). They both administer qualification exams - IBHRE is more accepted for corporate representatives, while CCI is more accepted in the hospital setting. They both have different requirements about yearly dues and CEUs (continuing education units) as well as different recertification periods. 

5) Personal Professional Development - This is needed on yearly basis in order to maintain your national credentialing, as well as pass your yearly competence evaluation. There are many resources online that you can utilize in order to acquire and maintain your knowledge. Keep in mind that the resources you’re using for building up your CEUs need to be approved by the credentialing institution. Most of them are paid sources (surprise, surprise), but there are also free ones. A good way to quickly acquire the needed CEUs is by attending a congress or a conference where you get certificate for participation. Many resources are offered for free by your company and you may also be able to expense for classes/courses you’re taking as part of your professional development. Please make sure you check in first with your superiors on your company’s policies about expensing personal professional development.   

6) Vendor Credentialing (USA & Canada) - Many hospitals in the USA are protecting themselves from litigation by requiring that vendors operating on their territory be cleared by a third party credentialing body such as SEC3URE, symplr, Vendormate Credentialing, Healthtrust Workforce Solutions. To find out which credentialing provider is used in your state (USA only), please click here: http://bit.ly/2kCyz2b.  Hospitals that use vendor credentialing won’t allow you on their premises until you’re cleared from their credentialing provider. Once you’re cleared, you’ll receive a badge and you’ll be required to sign in/out either in the hospital or on the credentialing provider’s app every time you enter and exit the hospital. Failure to comply will result in you being banned from the hospital and there also may be a fine issued to your company. In order to keep your credentials in good standing, you will have to pay yearly membership fee for the service and to take annual training (online mostly) on HIPAA, Pathogens, Safety, Code of Conduct, etc., as well as provide record of your drug test, background check, corporate policy training and product certifications , other required training such as CPR & ACLS, and other current professional credentials such as state licenses and certifications, etc. 

I hope this long post gave you a good understanding on what’s involved in terms of training in a medical device company. One thing I can tell you for sure - once you get employed, you’re expected to continuously keep learning for the duration of your employment; you can’t survive on outdated knowledge no matter how long time have you been working in this industry - it’s just the nature of the job. 

www.pacericd.com

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Are you a Narcissist?

I work in an industry where I’ve observed very often how success at work can cause people to exhibit huge egos and become narcissists. I’m sure many of you have had to deal with such colleagues. But how do you know if you are a narcissist? After all, we all strive for success and dream to be the one. Narcissists and people in powerful positions tend to be over-confident and that could lead to serious lapses of judgment with catastrophic consequences.

Researchers Robert Raskin and Howard Terry from the University of Georgia have developed a  Narcissistic Personality Inventory test to assess people’s level of the trait for their research.  'When individuals who score relatively high on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory are in an elevated state of power, overconfidence is significantly higher than for individuals in a low state of power,' the researchers wrote in the study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.  

The test consists of 40 questions with only two possible answers. The average American has a score of 15.5, and the quiz's authors say 17 or above is 'flirting with narcissism'. The researchers advise that when answering the questions,  If both answers resonate, then choose the one you can relate to the most. For the record my total score was 9 (there’s a reason for that, 9 is my lucky number) - it means I’m not narcissistic at all. What is your score?

To take the tests, click here: http://bit.ly/2kyIcyI

If you are interested in other personality tests, click here: http://bit.ly/2kq5hjT

To read the entire study, click here: http://bit.ly/2juMe9I

www.pacericd.com

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part XLIV: What Are My Sales KPIs

KPI is the acronym for Key Performance Indicator. Every business activity is measured by KPIs: R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, etc.  Measurements improve performance and are essential to success, but performance improvement comes only when we focus on the same metrics over time.

There are tens of KPIs that can be measured in a sales organization, but in order to get a clear picture of your business performance there are four metrics that are essential for improving sales productivity and performance:

Sales Activity

Conversion Rates

Retention Rate

Revenue Performance

It’s very important that a sales representative not only knows what’s being tracked, but also the criteria and definitions associated with each metric - this is especially important for reps who have transitioned from the clinical to the sales role and don’t necessarily have business degree.

SALES ACTIVITY - accurate activity data helps you understand whether benchmarks are achievable and which activities are helping to close sales.

Types of sales activities tracked may include:

Number of appointments set - how productive you are could be correlated to the number of legitimate appointments you have with prospects each week where you are uncovering needs and presenting solutions.

Number of client meetings - this is an area where you can service clients (implants, follow-ups, in-services, etc.), upsell, get testimonials, check in on business, and further provide value - all critical to renewals and building new business.

Calls per opportunity - are the calls (visits) made by you result in opportunities?

Sales velocity - tracks the size, progression, and speed of your sales pipeline over time.

Activities per sales win - track the number of calls (visits) or meetings needed to close a sale.

Revenue per conversation - How calls (visits) translate into sales?

CONVERSION RATES - this kind of data can help you identify the types of activities in which you have been engaged, the results of your activities, which of these activities are converting leads to opportunities, and follow-up activities. It can also help you identify changes in your performance and analyze reasons for underperformance.

Some of these may include, but are not limited to:

Lead to Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) - how many prospects or leads that have been identified actually turn into a truly sales qualified lead?

Sales Qualified Leads to Discovery Meeting/Needs Analysis - are you able to turn highly qualified leads into an actual meeting?

Discovery Meeting/Needs Analysis to Opportunity/Proposal - if you have 10 needs analysis meetings, how many will, on average, turn into a proposal? By knowing this, you can start to determine how many meetings you need to reach your revenue goals.

Lead or SQL to Customer - how many prospects (or SQLs) must be identified in order to get one new customer, on average?

Opportunity to Customer - how many proposals must be presented in order to get a new customer, on average? 

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) -  a prospective customer that has been researched and vetted -- first by an organization's marketing department and then by its sales team – and is deemed ready for the next stage in the sales process.

RETENTION RATE - Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is the percentage of your customers, that return and purchase again. If your customers buy repeatedly or on a regular schedule, an important metric to track is what percent of your customers buy again compared to how many drop off.

CRR = ((E-N) / S) x 100   where E - number of customers at the end of a given period; N - number of new customers acquired during that period; S - number of customers at the start of the period

Some other variables to look at include:

What happens to the customer after the contract is signed?

How much are they contacted during your partnership vs. when you’re just ready to renew them?

Do relationships play a big role in renewals and how?

Are you delivering on your promises and providing recaps?

Are expectations being managed well from the beginning and throughout the entire process?

Do you provide outstanding customer service from every department that touched the client?

REVENUE PERFORMANCE - Tracking revenue performance is vital to the success of any business. In tracking sales, it’s important to go beyond measuring in terms of whether sales are better than the sales for a previous period. A more useful metric is to track sales against goals or budget.

% of Revenue Goal = (Actual Sales Revenue / Goal for Revenue) x 100

Every sales organization know their sales revenue performance, as well as that of their individual salespeople and teams.

Here are 14 KPIs every field sales rep should strive to improve:

Individual sales numbers by sales rep - knowing how much each team member is selling is important to know how they compare to the others. This is also an easy metric to create some healthy competition between reps.  

Rate of new contacts - if you want to make sure you are contributing to the business growth in your team’s territory, this metric is key. The contact rate will tell you whether you’re meeting the quota and in what percentage. If your contact rate  is low, there might be a problem with your goals or you may be spending more time than necessary chatting with existing customers.

Number of new opportunities opened - when you see an increase in new opportunities, this is a telltale sign that you are contributing to a healthy team. Landing new opportunities puts your product in front of more people and boosts market saturation.

Opportunity to win ratio - you are visiting prospects, but are you turning prospect visits into new clients? If this number looks a little sad, you might be great at getting a foot in the door but might also need a hand with closing deals. By looking at these details, you’ll be able to quickly tell you’re killing it and smashing your goals and whether you might be falling behind.

Average deal size - when it comes to the deal, size matters when you compare the average of closed won deals. You want to make sure you’re skilled at managing your time efficiently, and this could highlight if you’re closing deals that aren’t really worth pursuing. You may also learn that you may be deliberately going after small accounts because you find them quick to close instead of pursuing a larger, more complicated opportunity.

Event rates - this metric will detail how many calls, appointments or tastings you've scheduled. From here, you can track which events are the most successful and shift your focus based on what’s working.

Rejection codes -  track the reasons your accounts are walking away so you can keep an eye out for any trends and focus on areas where you see the same codes pop up repeatedly.

Engagement with current customers - relationships are king, and growing them with existing clients is important for building trust and for your long-term success. Track the number of interactions you have with each customer, then you can compare each interaction with the average length of a customer relationship to check your effectiveness.

Number of additional placements secured -  are you upselling current accounts? are you landing additional sales with current customers?

Which marketing materials you use - how much of your company marketing materials go untouched? Track which materials you reference during site visits to find out which ones are resonating with you, your colleagues and clients. This could clue you in on some opportunities for educating yourself, and focusing on materials that have the highest effect on close rate.

Follow-up contact rate - persistence pays off. Do you follow-up with leads once, twice, or 18 times? Since getting a “yes” on the spot isn’t all that common, most sales close in a follow-up conversation. Dig into how often you’re contacting a lead over time. You’ll want to see lots of interactions after the initial contact.

Activity goals vs activity results -  this metric identifies how you are performing over a period of time compared to your activity goals. This could give you insight into how attainable or aggressive your monthly or yearly goals were. You can also use this data to clue you into when you might need additional training or coaching to help you reach more of your goals.

Job satisfaction -  sales job can be taxing. One of your biggest challenges with a remote management is keeping yourself motivated. This can be tricky if you feel disconnected from the team and from management. Give your feedback regularly and address any concerns immediately. Happy rep means healthy businesses.

Social media activity - having a polished social media presence can help you attract new business in the form of introductions through your network and sharing and engaging in conversations online that your connections would find interesting.

While you might be tempted to change your KPIs as your business goals change, try to resist it. The real value is in the data you get from tracking the core set of KPIs over time: Sales Activity, Conversion Rates, Retention Rate and Revenue Performance.

www.pacericd.com

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Tips & Tricks of the Trade - Part VII: What’s In My Professional Communication

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines communication as the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.

This is very broad definition but it does manage to encompass everything that makes up the concept of communication. Every time you convey information to another person, whether it’s the order taker at your local drive through or your supervisor at work, you use communication.

Communication skills, by definition, are slightly more refined applications of the concept of communication. These skills consist of the ability to convey information both efficiently and effectively. A good communicator will have good verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills. What does each of these entail?

Verbal communication consists of delivering your information by the use of the spoken word. If you can give clear and easy to follow directions over the phone, then you are a good verbal communicator.

Non-verbal communication includes the use of body language and facial expressions. Actors are masters of this style of communication; because they have been trained to portray emotions or deliver whole messages simply by the way they hold their body and position their facial expressions. 

Written communication is simply the conveyance of information or instruction by utilizing the written word. This type of information exchange is often the easiest, especially for people who are uncomfortable with face to face encounters.  

To be an effective company representative and team leader, you need to be fluent in all three forms of communication. Communication is becoming more and more difficult to master, because so few people actually utilize the three forms. While people are constantly connected, they are also detached by their heavy reliance on smart phones and other mobile devices.

Here are the top communication techniques and strategies designed to help you learn to communicate properly:

Make a good first impression - The first impression plays an important role in communication. This is one of the most fundamental one in many tips on professional communication skills given on the Internet. A poor first impression could be made in a few seconds, but could have a significant impact on how the other person view you afterwards. Try to smile and make eye contact with people, while appearing approachable.

Do not monopolize - Many people, especially extroverts, can monopolize a conversation, particularly with introverts. So, if you are a person like that, try to take breath, give a minute of silence, let the other person collect his or her thoughts and get a word in edgewise. There are many people who usually monopolize the conversation because of their motor mouths. With them, the first thing they need to do is to reduce the number of words flowing from their mouths by at least 50 percent.  

Think before talking - Having a clear idea of the information that you are talking will enable you to present in a well-structured and trustworthy message. This advice also prevents you from saying something you are not supposed to say or from passing a confusing message to the receiver. 

Take it slow and smooth - Do not slur your words together or mumble. If you speak too fast, then you will lose your audience. Use words only if you are sure of their meaning. Make yourself easily understood. Speak more smoothly so that both you and those to whom you are speaking feel relaxed, tuned in and focused. 

The silent treatment - Surprisingly, remaining silent can be one of the most effective strategies for communication, especially if are trying to entice someone to share more information with you. Instead of immediately answering after your partner’s completed statement, remain silent but attentive. This can actually encourage people to volunteer more information than they would have done otherwise. Practice this by pairing off, and simply discussing current events in your life. 

Ask questions - No matter how much information is readily volunteered, you will never learn everything you need to know without asking a few questions. What type of questions should you be asking?      Closed-ended questions are designed to get a simple yes or no response. This can be a good tool if you need to gather basic information quickly, or want to obtain an answer without a long or drawn out explanation.      Open-ended questions will provide you with a broader and more comprehensive answer. Instead of asking “Can I help you?” (Which is a closed ended question because it can be answered with a yes or no) ask “What brings you to our clinic today?”

Listening - Communication is effectively useless if you don’t listen to and comprehend the responses that you get in regards to your message. Listening isn’t just using your ears to collect sounds. You need to understand the things that are said to you in such a way that you can form a coherent and knowledgeable response. This is the first tip that cannot be overlooked. You cannot become a good communicator unless you are good listener. Most of the people are not aware of the important role of listening and they do not pay much attention when listening and eventually it leads to misunderstandings and assumptions. Understand what you want to achieve through the communication. By making the right judgment you will know what to say and what not to say. This self-control technique will ensure that you do not fall into any emotional arguments. In fact, people often think that they are listening, yet, they are really thinking about what they are going to say next if the other person stops talking. If you hear them, then you’ll understand them better and they will be more willing to listen to you. So, in order to be a good listener, you need to do some following things:         Avoid interrupting         Concentrate fully on the speaker         Do not judgment         Show your care 

Don’t overwhelm the other person - When communicating with others, it’s important for you to express your opinion without trying to manipulate the conversation. People like to express their opinion and points of view and if you are spending all your time controlling the conversation, you may end up overwhelming the other person and losing his/her attention.Besides, you also can offer words and actions of encouragement, as well as praise, to the other person. Make other people feel wanted, welcome, valued and appreciated in your communication.

Feedback - Feedback is an important part of communication, both from your intended recipients and from you. You should be able to convey your information in such a way that your targets can offer feedback or criticism on your information. They should also be able to form direct questions if anything is left unclear. To practice giving and receiving feedback, pair off and try to convey some form of information to your partner. Once you have conveyed this information to your partner to the best of your ability, he or she should offer feedback on your technique and the quality of the information. This exercise is also a good way to learn how to accept criticism easily and well.

Observation - This is a good tactic if you have really poor verbal or non-verbal communication skills. Find a way to place yourself in or around a large crowd of people. These don’t have to be people that you know, and in many cases it may be better to use people that you are unfamiliar with. The only requirement is that these individuals need to be skilled communicators. Once you’ve selected your group, the purpose of this exercise is to observe. Use your eyes and ears to learn how these skilled people communicate. Once you’ve gathered enough information, you should try to implement some of the tactics you have learned via your observation.

Open a book - People don’t read as much as they used to and this is easily seen in poor written communication skills. Young people who were raised on computers and mobile devices are often most at risk for this, because they tend to convey their thoughts via shorthand and text speak which is not appropriate in a business setting. Not only does reading keep you informed, it can help you to adapt and improve your written communication skills. Your verbal skills may also benefit because you will have new and exciting things to discuss with your coworkers or customers.

Stress management - Communication can be very stressful, especially if your skills are not up to par. Problems only begin to arise when you cannot mitigate this stress and begins to interfere with your ability to deliver coherent information. If you find yourself overly stressed by a situation, remove yourself from it for a few moments. This could be any situation that causes stress or anxiety, such as an argument or disagreement with a boss or coworker. Simply step away for a moment and take the time to compose yourself. Once you have done so, you will be able to approach the situation with a clearer head and communication will become infinitely easier. Stress can impact your communication in negative ways, it can disrupt your possibility to think creatively and clearly, and act properly. Some communication scenarios are, by their nature, stressful. Stress also can be a major barrier to effective and fluent communication. Once you are stressed, you tend to misread others and send confusing non-verbal signs. So, relieve stress can help you have effective communication. All parties in the conversation should try to remain calm and focused. To solve with stress, you can:        Look for the fun in conversation or situation        Be willing and ready to compromise        If necessary, agree to disagree        Do physical movements or find a quiet place to take your energy back and decrease stress If you stop your nervousness or stress, you will feel more self-confident and help to put the other person at ease.

Empathy - Empathy and/or emotional awareness are also essential for a clear transfer of information. You can easily recognize when your own emotions are causing issues with your communication. Being empathetic gives you the ability to discern when the emotions of others are likely to cause a problem. In a conversation, the majority of people primarily want others to be heard and understood. They usually tend to talk a lot about themselves, their thoughts, their conception, etc. They seem to get the other person see things in their ways. Ironically, if they all do this all the time, there is little concentrate on the other person’s point of view, and of course, nobody feels understood. Try to listen to the other side with your real ear, and then you can better explain yours. Also, you need to empathize and see things from the point-of-view of others. When communicating, try not to be judgemental or biased by preconceived ideas or beliefs – instead response from the other person’s perspective and their view situations. Just stay in tune with your own feelings to help you understand the emotions of others. Empathy is one part emotional awareness, and at least two parts body language translation. You can often discern the emotional state of a person by simply looking at how they hold themselves. A happy person will walk with their head up and shoulders back. They will make eye contact and will smile, or respond easily to an offered smile. A sad person, on the other hand, will often walk with their shoulders hunched and head bowed. They will not often respond to an offered smile, and if they do it will not reach their eyes. Learning to read these intricate emotional cues can make you a more effective communicator.

Enthusiasm - One of the easiest ways to get someone to respond to you in a positive manner when you are communicating is to appear enthusiastic in regards to what they are telling you. No one is going to want to talk to you if you sigh, roll your eyes, or seem otherwise impatient or bored while they are trying to convey their information.This can actually be as simple as maintaining eye contact, and modifying your body language to appear attentive and interested. Emphatic positive responses can help to magnify this feeling of enthusiasm. As a result, your speaker will be more interested in talking to you and will end the conversation with an overall positive outlook.

Language choices - The words you choose to use to describe yourself or your coworkers can have a dramatic effect on their overall receptiveness to your communication skills. If you are trying to foster a sense of solidarity and cooperation, use pronouns like “we” and “us” to refer to the group. This will help them to consider themselves part of a team, rather than as an individual. Alternatively, if you are trying to set yourself apart, as a leader or boss, using pronouns like “I” and “me” can do that effectively.

Keep a sense of humor - Keeping your sense of humor, even when things are looking bad, can be a great way to augment your communicative skills. Everyone likes to laugh, and laughing relives stress and releases endorphins, which can help to improve the overall mood of the conversation. Make sure your humor is appropriate to the situation, though. Using common sense and discretion where humor is concerned is often the safest bet.

Smile - Nothing sets a nervous team member at ease better than a friendly smile. A smile is your best tool and your best weapon rolled into one. A genuine smile can often entice an otherwise quiet or reserved person to be more open and willing to communicate. They are invaluable for setting nervous or apprehensive individuals at ease.Your smile also makes an effective communications weapon. Where a genuine smile can encourage feelings of warmth and safety, a dangerous smile can create apprehension or even fear. This can be a boon if you find yourself facing a particularly unpleasant client or coworker. This sort of smile usually will not reach your eyes, but leaves no doubt as to who is in charge in the current situation.

Honesty - Honestly is often one of the largest barriers to effective communication, but it is one of the easiest to overcome. Effective communication is largely based on trust. You have to trust the person you are speaking with to provide the correct information in an easy to understand manner. You put your absolute trust in this person not to lead you astray. Honesty should be paramount in every single thing you do. In this case, it really is the best policy. Furthermore, you need to be open in communicating. That means talking about things you might have never talked about with another human being before in your life. If you feel the need to lie, for whatever reason, take a step back and remove yourself from the situation momentarily. Determine why you feel like you need to lie to your coworker or boss, and from there, you should be able to easily determine the correct course of action.

Speak equally - It is necessary for you to to communicate on an equal basis and avoid patronizing people if you want to become a perfect communicator. A good verbal communicator can speak to an auditorium full of people and have each one leave feeling like he or she was spoken too individually, or that the presentation was designed especially for them. This is the sort of skill level that you should strive to attain. The first step to doing this goes back to observation. Do not talk about others behind their backs and try not to develop favorites. By treating the other person as you’re equal, you will be able to build trust and respect. After saying something, you can check that people understand what you have said in order to avoid negative feelings and confusion. Then, do something to encourage honest and open feedback from the receiver to guarantee your message is understood and to avoid the receivers feeding back what they think you want to hear. If there confidentiality is an issue, make sure that its boundaries are known and guaranteed.

Use non verbal communication - When communicating, people use both verbal and non-verbal communication. Wordless communication can be considered as the effective way to show off your emotion and feeling such as facial expressions, eye contact, body movement and gestures, tone of the voice, and even the muscle tension and breathing.  Therefore, improving the ability to understand and take advantage of non-verbal communication can assist you in connecting with others, expressing what you really mean, and building better relationships with colleagues, friends, and people around. Also, non-verbal communication also is used to stress the verbal one.  You can develop your non-verbal communication by:         Practicing observing others         Being aware of the differences between individuals who come from different countries, and cultures.         Gathering non-verbal communication signs as a group         Match your non-verbal message with verbal-messages         Changing the non-verbal signals based on the context         Making use of body language such as facial expressions, arms uncrossed, nodding, etc to convey positive emotions 

Never stop learning - This is often the biggest mistake that people make when learning to properly communicate. They think that after they have become an effective communicator, there is nothing left for them to learn. There are new breakthroughs in the fields of communication every single day, as people discover new and more effective ways to do things. If you refuse to continue to learn, you will be left behind and you will find yourself unable to compete with those who have leaned the new techniques.

There is no skill on this Earth that can replace the ability to effectively communicate. All of these techniques and strategies will take some time to learn, but once you have mastered them, there is nothing you can’t do. 

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