My whole theme for this blog is predicated on the notion that salespeople are, or at least should be, like doctors. Great salespeople cannot be commoditized. They offer unique solutions that the client cannot get anywhere else. Salespeople don't sell products or services; they sell help. Salespeople are master helpers. Salespeople, then, are to clients as doctors are to patients. Patients have an illness that the doctor can treat. Clients have illnesses too and salsepeople, if they are doing their jobs, will be qualified to treat those illnesses. Clients have problems and salespeople are hired because they have solutions. To help qualify my metaphor, below is a list of ways that salespeople are like doctors.
1. A salesperson is trustworthy. When we move to a new area, my wife and I spend a great deal of time seeking out a new physician. We don't just go to the closest one. We don't just accept the first name on the list of preferred physicians from our insurance. We seek out referrals. We ask people at church. We look online. We want to know that the doctor we end up with is trustworthy. Patients will not trust their information and well-being to just anyone. In this same way, great salespeople are trustworthy. They are sought after. Their reputation proceeds them. Clients know that, when they visit such a salesperson, they are in good hands. Trust is key.
2. A salesperson is knowledgeable. It's great to have a doctor that we can trust, but sincerity isn't enough. The doctor has to know what he or she is talking about. A patient places great confidence a doctor's medical knowledge. A doctor's expertise, when it all comes down, is why we hire them. They possess unique knowledge about their field that we don't have the time or ability to find out for ourselves. Salespeople should be the same way. We should possess unique expertise that the client respects. That's why we are hired. We know something that the client doesn't. We are professionals. They know that we possess the business acumen they need to solve their problems.
3. A salesperson asks questions. Whenever you go to the doctor for the first time, chances are you have to fill out paperwork. You have to answer questions about yourself, your insurance, your medical history, and the reasons for your visit. A good doctor will not see you without such questions being asked because they help the doctor to understand your problems. A salesperson is the same way with her clients. She needs to know the client's basic information, her background, and the reasons she is seeking (or should be seeking) help. Without asking questions, there can be no good answers.
4. A salesperson listens. There is nothing more frustrating for a patient than a presumptuous doctor. You walk into the office. The doctor takes one look at you. Then, he begins writing the prescription. This behavior does not fly with most patients. We like to know the doctor is cognizant of our concerns. Even if the doctor is so good that he can merely glance at us and diagnose our problems, we like to be heard first. The same is true with salespeople and their clients. Whatever we tell the client, whether it be true or not, it falls on deaf ears if we will not first listen to her side of the story.
5. A salesperson diagnoses. Patients expect the doctor to have an opinion about the their problems. We go to the doctor because, first and foremost, we want to know what's wrong with us. We want to know what is at the root of our symptoms. We want a name for what we have. Clients are the same way with salespeople. They look to salespeople to help isolate the root of certain problems. Issues with productivity, human resources, advertising, etc. arise from somewhere. Before selling his product or service, the good salesperson will help the customer understand the root of her problems.
6. A salesperson prescribes. A patient gets medication. Typically, that's the last thing that occurs before a patient leaves the doctor's office. The doctor has investigated the condition of the patient, isolated the problem, and now comes the time that she proposes the best possible solution. The doctor writes a prescription. The salesperson does the same thing for her clients. Once she understands the client's issues, she is able to propose the best-fitting solution in the form of her product or service. This step is synonymous to 'closing the deal.' It's not just writing the prescription; it's asking the patient to take the medicine.
7. A salesperson follows up. I have never left the doctor's office without setting a date for a check-up. The doctor always wants to check-in on my progress with the medicine that she has prescribed. Salespeople are the same way. Their greatest opportunities are after the sale. Just like a doctor wants his patient to see him as his 'regular physician,' a great salesperson will want his client to see him as his 'regular salesperson.' A doctor is relentless about following up with her patients. A salesperson should show the same level of concern for her clients.
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