When it comes to medical sales, competition is fierce. Sales reps, both those new to their respective role and veterans in the field, are vying to sell their product and searching for a way to stand out among the muddled crowd. So how can you differentiate your selling point and stand out from the competition?

Know the Customer

Medical sales is all about relationship-development, so it’s crucial that you learn all about your customer, both professionally and personally. By learning about them professionally, you’ll be better able to provide what they need, and be a long-term resource.

Learn all about your customer’s goals. If you can understand your customers wants and needs, you can sell towards solving any problems that they are having. Who wouldn’t want you to fix their problems?

On the flip side, by learning about your customer personally, you’ll be able to develop a relationship with them, strengthening your ability to grow the professional partnership.

Often in the medical world, your customer already needs your product – so to them it isn’t so much what is being sold but who is selling it. Understanding your customer personally can help you sell yourself, and that can be the ultimate closer. Additionally, if they like you, they will be more likely to refer you to colleagues and friends.

Related: 3 Keys to Influencer Marketing in the Healthcare Industry [GUEST POST]

Personalize Outreach

When competition is stiff, sending out a bulk email or request for an appointment is not going to cut it. You have to make each prospect feel that you care about them and want to solve their specific problems.

Whether it’s personalizing a business card for the prospect or customer or simply sending out targeted, personalized emails, taking this extra step can go a long way. Consider leveraging email marketing automation to streamline outreach and follow up tasks without losing the personalized touch.

Remember, if a prospect can get the same product from everyone, then it is the personalization and service that can be a deciding factor in winning or losing the sale.

Related: Top Healthcare Marketing Trends to Expect in 2017

Use Umbrella Questions

When you’re trying to collect as much information about a customer or prospect as you can, specifically relating to their wants, needs, and challenges they’re facing, rely on umbrella questions.

Umbrella questions are open-ended questions intended to get a response that’s more than a simple “yes” or “no.” Examples of helpful umbrella questions include “what are your specific pain points currently,” “can you share an example?” and “What do you wish you could do more efficiently.”

If you’re going to be on a sales call, these types of open-ended questions are a must if you hope to learn as much as possible. Let your prospect speak and concentrate on listening, not selling. Listen to specific issues they have that your product or service can fix, and once they bring it up, explain what you can do for them.

Related: 3 Keys to Influencer Marketing in the Healthcare Industry [GUEST POST]

Set daily goals

For most professionals who work in medical sales, there’s a strong sense of autonomy, or the ability to set a schedule on your own.

The medical sales reps most likely to succeed in this type of work environment establish daily goals and strategic scheduling to sell their product.

Before even starting your work day, have an idea of what your day will look like. Which clients will you be visiting? Who will you be reaching out to? What goals are you hoping to complete by the end of the day? Week? Month?

Once you’ve established some ground rules for the day, you’ll be much more equipped (at least mentally) to tackle the day’s challenges.

Related: Lead Generation: The Main Road to Success in the B2B Healthcare Industry

Learn from “No” and Adapt

In sales, being able to accept failure and the loss of a sale is crucial. It’s going to happen to you, no matter how skilled a medical sales rep you think you are, you will always have to deal with a lost sale.

It’s always disheartening to miss a sale, especially one you had high hopes of getting. Being able to mentally handle the negatives and the “no’s” of the job is a must.

Another must? Learning from your failures. Some of the most important lessons you can learn in sales will come from the rejections you receive. Work to identify what went wrong, or a specific excuse you couldn’t overcome, and work on a pitch to overcome it next time.

Author Bio:

Jon Zimmerman is the Director of Marketing at WorkWise, the provider of OnContact CRM software and has over 25 years of experience in customer relationship management.

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