Some people are created to be surgeons and some are created to be salespeople. Throughout my career, I have seen very few cases (if any!) of high-level surgeons who are just as capable of selling their own services. But I have also met quite a few surgeons who realize, perhaps midway through their careers, that they are naturally business-minded, better sellers than surgeons, and have gone so far as delegating the surgical work to someone else so they can focus on sales and business development.
This arrangement is a good business model, but it’s not always possible for the surgeon in question. The majority of surgeons working in the private sector are forced to be salespeople at the same time – selling their services to keep their practice afloat. But while they may continue to provide the highest standards of surgical excellence, they underperform in the sales department.
My experience shows however that a surgeon can become a capable and successful salesperson. And this doesn’t even require the hiring of extra staff or the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. A simple approach can allow you to focus on your surgical strengths without having to rely on traditional selling techniques.
First we must focus on sales versus non-sales in the patient communication process.
In everyday life, selling refers to convincing another person to spend money on a product or service. From the consumer’s perspective, if they don’t need the product or service, this interaction can be an irritating process. When it comes to a product or service that is needed, however, it’s an altogether different experience. It still involves a certain amount of “pushing” from the seller. But consumers – especially patients – don’t want to be pushed. And in most cases, the surgeon doesn’t want to be pushy either.
What if I told you that you don’t need to do any pushing whatsoever?
Despite appearances, patients are not actually looking for the best IOLs that they can afford; they’re looking for the best solution for their visual needs to live the life they want. To achieve this, they want a doctor who will be fully dedicated to their individual preferences – one who, by understanding what their visual needs are on a daily basis, can elect the best, most tailored clinical solution to match those needs.
If you conduct your patient communication process around the idea of “What does this mean for you?” you will win that patient’s trust. And trust is the turning point in every single sale, no matter what you are selling.
