Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008 - (Page 10)

SALES STRATEGY [By Sharon Yoon] A SITE FOR SATISFIED EYES Take full advantage of this critical closing tool over 20% in a market that has only grown about 3%. When Sherman started with the company three years ago, only a handful of hospitals and imaging centers in his West Virginia territory had Toshiba systems (about 10 installations total). Today his installed base has more than tripled. Sherman credits at least part of that growth to frequently taking his customers on a clinical site visit, followed by a visit to the company’s headquarters in Tustin, Calif. Sales site selection criteria There are many details that help make for a successful site visit. Here are some recommendations that can help make your own program a success: One of the most critical aspects of the site visit process is, not surprisingly, selecting the sites. In the case of medical sales, hospital, imaging center and group practice sites can become an extension of your company, helping to form the company’s reputation. Given that, it’s critical you have a strong relationship with the sites and know they’re committed to your success. Look for customer sites with strong, credible reputations. It does no good to have a site visit at a location that is not viewed positively by prospects. National sites should be on a plan for system upgrades—their equipment has to be the most advanced and always maintained in premium condition. The local physician (if in the medical industry) or customer needs to be available to speak with visiting prospects, and the support staff must be articulate, well-educated in system protocols, and able to demonstrate the technology and answer questions thoroughly. Location of the site is also critical. Because customers may frequently visit your headquarters, it’s important to develop local partners so the site visit is conducted in a reasonable amount of time … and so customers don’t spend the majority of their visit traveling from the headquarters facility to wherever the site is. Toshiba’s sites in Southern California include the University of California, Irvine and Methodist Arcadia Hospital. Across the country, sites housing Toshiba equipment include Beth Israel Deaconess, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Institute of the Sharon Yoon is director of education and sales support at Toshiba America Medical Systems. W hen it comes to closing sales at Toshiba America Medical Systems, the company has a secret weapon: its show sites and headquarters visits. That’s because when hospitals and other healthcare facilities are looking to buy new medical imaging equipment—for instance, CT scanners and MRI systems— they first want to see the system in action, in a clinical environment similar to that in which they operate. And they want to meet the senior executives of the company from which they are purchasing. It’s important these prospects know, understand and feel confident about the company they’re doing business with when investing anywhere from $200,000 to well over $1 million in the purchase. This sales strategy has become so successful that Toshiba has a team of people working with the sales department to arrange, on average, 20 to 40 site visits per week. According to Toshiba sales executive Steve Sherman, the site visit process has been a huge boon. Toshiba is the smallest of the four major companies in the diagnostic imaging market. Only during the last few years has the company enjoyed considerable growth, expanding SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 10 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT istock photo www.salesandmarketing.com www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008

Sales &�Marketing Management - September/October 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Brian Tracy University Smart Sales Sales Strategy Smart Marketing Marketing Strategy Smart Management Management Strategy The Low-Cost Sales Leader Why Sales Process Gets the Shaft Training Q&A Technology Making the Case for Travel (Part II) Travel/Meetings On the Road The Way I See It

Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008

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