How to Get Your Customer from a NO to a YES
When a customer says no, how can we turn that into a yes?
In sales, the goal is always to convince customers to choose your product or service over others, and the key to successful sales is understanding why people say no in the first place.Today, we share a crucial strategy to shift your customer from a no to a yes. We look at this process specifically within the context of medical devices, which requires knowledge, a deep base of understanding, clear thinking, and resilience, explaining how to identify what drives your customers’ decision-making and how to guide them toward a positive response.
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Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: When a customer says no, how do we change this to a yes? The most important thing is to uncover what is behind that no. In other words, what is driving that person's decision? Today, we will discuss the one thing you can do to get your customer from a no to a yes.
Welcome to the secrets and medical device sales. I am Annalisa Rhodes, and I am Cynthia Ficarra. Together, we are the Girls of Grit, two professional women bringing you over 40 years experience as top performers, top earners, and leaders in the male dominated medical device industry. Tune in as we give you the keys to unlock the secrets to success in medical device sales.
Good morning, Cindy. Good morning to all of our listeners out there. Good morning, Lisa. Good morning,
Cynthia Ficara: everyone. And I do apologize for my rather lack of voice today. I think I've had such a busy work week. Clearly, I've talked too much. Then again, in medical device sales, we certainly do a lot of talking. It helps when our talking actually is focused and makes sense for real.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yes, we do do a lot of talking. Maybe this week, Cindy, you got a lot of doctors from no's to yes's. so much. Oh, that was what you were doing. Talking hard on that. That is for sure. So on that note, that is exactly what we're going to talk about today. And I think sales as a whole really kind of circulates right around that from a no to a yes.
Every company, every brand out there wants you to buy their stuff over somebody else's brand, running their shoes over somebody else's shoes. X, Y, Z, we can go on and on. Today, we're going to talk about what this looks like in medical devices, because for us in the medical device industry, it can look a little bit different.
I feel like you need more knowledge. You need more base. You need thick skin. You need to really be able to think clearly. And so we're going to go through what this looks like in terms of getting your customer from a no to a yes. And really, what drives that decision? How do you get them there? So I have a really great story.
Um, it reminded me of, so this happened, I don't know, maybe 10, 12, 15 years ago. It was a long time ago. So I was really close with this one surgeon. We had worked together in the past and different medical companies, well, me and different medical companies. And he and I really became good friends. I got him to learn how to use a new product.
And, uh, Yeah. Yeah. So it really formed a good bond. I mean, we were pretty tight. I loved his wife. I even went over to their house for like parties and stuff. So anyhow, long story short, I switched jobs and I will never forget Cindy. This was literally like, it was so hard for me now looking back. I wish I had had this episode to realize how I could have changed the whole way this turned out, but.
I changed jobs and I went in to go meet with him and I expected this doctor to basically say, Oh my gosh, Lisa, no way. I'm so excited for you. I can't wait to use your new product. Yeah, no, that's not at all what happened. Not at all. He basically, yep. He basically looked at me and said, I love you, Lisa, but I don't love the company you're working for.
I don't trust them, I've never trusted them, and I honestly don't even care if your product cures cancer. I'm not going to use it. That to me, Cindy, was such a gut punch because, man, I was banking on the fact that I had built up this relationship with him. We were super good friends. I was a very credible, accountable, loyal rep.
The whole nine yards. And he looked at me in one word and said, I'm never going to use your product. And so of course I'm like, Oh, yes, you will. And so I spent a lot of time trying to think about ways that I was going to change him and he never, not once used my devices and it really hurt. And I think, you know, if I had known now, would I, if I had known then when I know now, I think I absolutely probably could have made a difference with him or some of his partners.
But I can tell you it completely killed a relationship. So I think today what we're talking about is really important because yes, it's important to get your customers from a no to a yes, but it's also to understand why and how, and really what drives them to make their decisions.
Cynthia Ficara: That is such an excellent example.
You just said about, he said, I will never use this product. That's a very strong, stern statement. So clearly there was something either that happened, some conversation he had, you know, there was a reason he felt that way. And so, yes, as representatives, we, we come across these big obstacles, and it's our job to uncover these reasons why, and then also to step back and, and separate personal and professional, as you said, you know, it hurt.
And sometimes that can even be a personal driver for you to say, well, I love the relationship with this doctor. I want. This relationship back. So now it's a matter of looking at, well, what is different, laying everything out on the table to see why he has such a strong feeling. So when a customer says no, we really need to know how do we change this to yes, or based on your story, is there a window for this to even be a possibility?
So the most important thing to do is know what drives that decision. So many, many different factors can be part of this. It's about what motivates them, what inspires them, and then what encourages them. Is it about patient outcomes? I mean, there could be something so ridiculous, like, Maybe the doctor had a cousin whose friend invested in a company and the guy was head of it and then they, they did some fraud thing or something.
I mean, there's sometimes there is something that doesn't even factor into you, the product, and your job. Yeah. And if you take the time to ask, there could be a personal reason that doesn't even make sense, but to him it makes perfect sense. And we always have to, our customer's beliefs are their beliefs for a reason.
If there's a clinical window to change the mind, help progress patient care, that's what we are here to do. So there are those barriers, you know, and different motivators that stop these decisions. So we decided today to kind of organize the thinking in. What drives our customers to make decisions? So, yes, we have broken it down into three segments.
And we're just going to talk about three different types of factors that affect a customer's drive to make a decision. And the first one we're going to call functional. The next one we're going to dive into is emotional. And the last one is more about their experience. And what factors
Anneliese Rhodes: into that? Yeah, absolutely.
I think functional, you know, diving right in functional can be pretty simple if you want to make it pretty simple in the beginning. So like, is your doctor target actually going to use your product, right? Like, are you going to an orthopedic surgeon and you're trying to sell them a heart valve? Well, that's not going to work.
So, I mean, I know that's pretty obvious, but like sometimes are you even targeting the right physicians and do they actually even need your product? Like, does it solve? The issue at hand and then, of course, once that answer is yes, then we're going to talk about those features and benefits of the product.
What are the what are the things that make your product stand out? Maybe over the competitors product again, more of a function of your product versus other things that we're going to talk about later. I think those are really key things that drive certain customers because what if your product solves a problem that the product that they're using now does not?
So let's just say, for example, you're selling a heart valve or a heart valve is a heart valve, right? Maybe in most circumstances, but some are made up of different types of tissue. Some are mechanical. Some may work a little bit differently than others. And then, are they solving the overall problem of AI?
Yes, they are, but what else about that specific product can maybe solve an additional problem that the competitor's does not? So, again, I think that's more of a functional thing because you're talking about the specifics of the product. The features and benefits, the specifics, the way that it works, all of that.
Cynthia Ficara: That is really well said. Something about everything that you said has an underlying factor that can be involved in all three of the categories that we mentioned, and that's assumption. You know, you said don't overlook the obvious. Go to a, you know, orthopedic surgeon for a heart valve. Even in our own specialty of what we are selling, we sometimes overlook the obvious.
Why? Because it's our complete world. We know everything about what we're selling. Then again, the doctor has ninety seven. different things he's doing. You're the expert on the one. That doesn't mean your doctor is as well. So you have to begin to uncover what their knowledge is. And, you know, functional factors can make or break.
But where I see one major assumption to people's fault is price. I can't tell you how many times people will think, oh, well, they won't buy it because it's expensive or it's, You know, we have to go in at price. It is amazing. And maybe we need to do an episode just on that, about how much price can be very high at times.
But maybe there's another reason their decision is impacted, but I find many people either hide behind that and we can go into that later, ultimately the functional factors. The actual product itself, what it's made of, what it does, is all about establishing that you're in the game. Do you even meet the criteria for this discussion?
And then once that is established, then I think the other part in decision making falls into a whole complete other category. And that's the emotional factors in what drives a decision for a physician.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, my story in the beginning, honestly, didn't really apply to functional because he absolutely could have used it.
I was absolutely targeting the right physician for that, but I think mine really went towards the emotional and maybe even the third experience as well. But man, he was super tied to the emotional and you know what I didn't do Cindy? I didn't uncover why he may have told me about a loyalty issue, but I didn't go any further.
I didn't ask any more questions. I didn't bring anybody in from my company to maybe say, Hey, this company is no longer like the company you remember 20 years ago. It's totally different. We have a completely new set of CEO, VPs, you know, all of the people that are running the company. I didn't do any of that and shame on me, but also that was 15 years ago.
You know, I think we live and we learn, and that's why we're doing this podcast, is to help everyone out there live and learn from our, our experiences, both positive and negative. And for me, that was something that I think if I had gone down that avenue, I probably could have uncovered a little bit, maybe made him feel more comfortable with the company and maybe, maybe, maybe had him even try the product.
Cynthia Ficara: That brings out a good point. That's a great opportunity when you, when you as the representative have an emotional tie. I know we're. We're kind of talking on the flip side of how doctors make decisions based on their emotions, but it's important to recognize your own. And in that instance, if you had a co worker, a clinical, maybe a specialist in that area, or even your manager to come in and listen as well, when they are a little removed, they can hear things that you don't hear.
And I love that you said, you know, I hope anybody listening, well, no, we've all been in situations where we're just so tied up. We don't even hear it, but that doesn't mean we still can't change this. No. Do we? Yes. And we still can't uncover what we're trying to accomplish, and it's never too late to ask for help.
That was such a good
Anneliese Rhodes: point. Sorry, but it is. Don't.
Cynthia Ficara: I just, I just think it's true. Your, your story. Is an excellent example and I'm sure there are people that relate to that.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, I felt so deflated. I think you hit the nail on the head with that. I was so excited about this new company and this new opportunity for me and what I was going to get to do and how closely I get to work with the surgeons that I didn't even like I got such a gut punch And so deflated so quickly that I didn't, I think I was like blinded by the light type thing, you know?
And then again, like I said, shame on me. I didn't go back and I didn't dig any deeper. So anyhow, I don't want to keep going down that path, but I do think that that's something that I definitely would have done differently today, just based on this emotional time, knowing that that is a major factor. And so honestly, let's talk about the flip side.
What about the positive experience with the products? Right? So I know we mentioned this here and there, but every single one of our surgeons and every single one of your doctors will have been a fellow or an understudy at some point in their career path of becoming a doctor or a surgeon. They get to experience products in their fellowship or their training prior to coming out into private practice or going into their own university practice.
They too are going to have positive or negative experiences with products that you may sell prior to ever meeting you. So, let's just flip it, and now they have a fantastic experience with your product. Well, guess what that does? There's brand loyalty right there for you. There is basically a customer being given to you on a silver platter.
Now it's your turn to continue that positive emotional experience with the product by your service, your loyalty, your credibility, like we talked about last week. It's really important that you continue that, continuing to say, keep them saying yes and never let them say no when you're working with them.
Cynthia Ficara: That is one of my favorite parts, is when you have a new, young, excited fellow. I mean, it is contagious when they are excited about what they've done in their fellowship. They're new. They get to come out and use this product. There is nothing better than supporting them, and that is such a great point, and so, you know, a little tip of information for anybody out there, reach out to your counterparts in different parts of the country, and know that if there's a fellow moving in to your state, and a hospital that you cover, discuss what the experience was like at the hospital they're coming from, and then meet with that doctor, partner with them at the beginning, get to know them, that is one of the Most amazing things when it comes to loyalty that you can do.
And if it's a positive situation, ride that awesome emotional factor of their decision to make your product. It's very exciting. And that's, that is truly one of my favorite things is working with fellows. They're new and it's just a, an awesome, awesome time. For you to show your partnership.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. And you make a great point, reach out to your colleagues, reach out to those mentors that already have those physicians, you know, in their area and use that to your advantage. Go meet with the doctor, take the time. You know, doctors are very busy all the time. Even the fellows that are getting ready to graduate and move, they've got a family, they've got all sorts of things going on.
You go to them and continue that brand, you know, loyalty, they're going to buy into it if they trust you. That's a great point. You know, sometimes it may take a little bit, but lucky for you, they already believe in the product. So you're already halfway there, which is fantastic. And you know, on that note, I think we're probably kind of talking about experience as well.
I was going to say, before we dive into experience, I have another quick example. So talking about, you know, fellows and what their, their brand loyalty, where it starts with their heads, their chiefs, their attendings. I had a physician who the hospital was telling him, absolutely not. You cannot bring the product in.
It is too expensive. You know, the cost it's prohibitive, yada, yada, yada. We were getting pushback. And then he found out that one of my colleagues. And the attending who is her customer, he used to be under, he was talking with her at a meeting or something. And she basically just said, yeah, you know, Dr. So and so is using this product.
And he's like, wait, what? So my old chief is using this product and I'm not. And Cindy. Man, it was like a flip of a switch. Phone was picked up on the cell phone, called the CFO, Hey, buddy, we're using this product. We're gonna figure out how to make it work pricing wise, but I want to use this product. And it was such a huge, I think, credibility factor.
You know, here he is, he trained under this guy, Well, if his attending is using it, he sure as heck better be using it, type thing. And that was his drive. That was his driver. It wasn't necessarily even the product's features and benefits. He knew that the product would bring him better outcomes, better results, potentially more patience.
And that was part of what he was going to use to fight it. But man, when he finally heard that his old attending was using it. It was literally a flip of a switch, and the hospital opened up, product got brought in, and he's using it. Sometimes, you just gotta dive a little deeper to figure out that driver, and I think that's both experience, but also emotional, in his training.
Cynthia Ficara: You bring up such a great point, the peer to peer even, okay, so clearly that was, A name so he already respects this person. He knows hands down what this person does. One other angle you can take is actually just peer to peer when a doctor's unsure. So again, you're in that decision making mode. Is it a no?
Is it a yes? We're in a no. We're trying to get to a yes. I had a experience that was slightly different where new product launched. And the physician used it and it went okay. And you know that can happen anytime something's new. It's different. It's a different pace. And I feel like, and I may have said this before in previous podcasts, that medicine kind of has a gray area.
Not everything is black and white. We were at a conference and I was able to have this doctor that had an okay experience about the product just to sit down and talk with the doctor. Who had a ton of experience, who really just had a conversation at a level that's above what I can deliver. And it was amazing.
He was able to just ask certain questions, see where some of that gap was on. Do I really use this again? Is this where I'm going? That next week, there were three cases by that doctor, went into their committee and brought in product to be on the shelf. And that was because it was peer to peer. The experience of leaning on someone with more expertise was what decided for him.
That was his driving factor, is the confidence and the questions answered at a level that he needed.
Anneliese Rhodes: You bring up a really great point. That is a great example. And I think all of our listeners, I hope they heard that, you know, you said something that at the end of the day, we need to remember, we can only have a certain level of conversation with our physicians, but when we bring in another expert, especially someone that either they look up to, they trained under, or they just know personally, and they're also, they're also a surgeon, their level of communication and data delivery and.
products, you know, the way that it's used in different ways that it could even be used. That's a level that honestly, most of us here and medical devices, if not all cannot get to, even if we can, it doesn't carry the weight like it does when it's a peer to peer. So you bring up a fantastic point. I think that's really important when your doctor says no, or it's that gray area, which again, you're right.
There's a lot of gray areas. You used it. It was, it was great. How do you get them to do it again? Right. How do you repeat that process? That is a fantastic key that you just uncovered with regards to driving that either no or maybe to a full on yes.
Cynthia Ficara: Absolutely. I mean, you can work in it and if Bill Gates tells you something, you would listen, you know, but it's true for all professions, law, real estate, et cetera.
And you know, then again, let's talk about experience. And on this podcast, we talk about what can we do? What we can provide. Our best positive experience. We show up being our best. We show up prepared. We show up knowledgeable and give them a memorable experience that they can remember positively from us.
Maybe emotionally, they can be very happy to work with us. And then we bring them the functional factors to tie in of a product that they need and a product that will help their patient outcomes. And there you have it. You can drive that no to a yes. Does it take multiple times? Sometimes, absolutely. Can it happen with the flip of a switch?
Absolutely. You never know until you ask. You gotta keep asking these questions and not assuming. Absolutely don't assume. And this may really be just a very simple thing that we all can contribute to our plan of work this year. In summary, we hope that this episode has been valuable in not only uncovering but understanding what motivates your customers by asking pertinent questions that touch upon those functional, emotional, and experiential aspects, you can effectively turn a no into a resounding yes.
Anneliese Rhodes: So our call to action is simple. Go to our website right now and click on book now for our two for one consulting sessions. Cindy and I are excited to help all of you out there and it's very simple to do. All you do, again, is click on book now and book a 30 minute session with us. Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of secrets and medical device sales brought to you by the girls of grit.
We are so happy you joined us today. We hope you have a wonderful week, a wonderful month and a great year. Take care. Bye bye. Bye bye.
