By Brad Romney & Greg Stafford
Successful hearing aid centers plan and execute best practices continuously. We know that most of what you do to manage patient care is smart and efficient. Our objective is to shed light on some of the most common selling mistakes we see dispensing professionals make that limit the business’s total growth potential.
1) Inconsistent Structure & Order
Signs of Weakness:
- Failing to identify the patient’s true motivation.
- Failing to create mutual trust.
- Failing to ask for permission to move forward.
- Applying the needs assessment before the hearing test.
- Demoing hearing devices at the wrong time.
- Failing to ask the right questions to develop an explicit need.
- Failing to review the needs/lifestyle assessment & hearing test results together.
Optimally Structured Sales process
1) Establish Rapport & Trust
2) Gain Patient Commitment
3) Hearing Test (objective exam)
4) Hearing Device Demo
5) Needs/Lifestyle Assessment (subjective exam)
6) Review Test Results
7) Prescribe Hearing Device
8) Close
2) Failure To Develop Rapport, Trust , & Emotional Need
Signs of Weakness:
- Not devoting adequate time to develop rapport/trust.
- Failing to understand the patient’s motivation and desires.
- Not explaining your consultation process adequately.
- Not asking for the patient’s permission to move forward.
- Not asking the right needs assessment questions in the right order.
- Failing to identify emotional need(s) for the patient. (ammunition required to close for treatment)
Smart Techniques for Developing Rapport, Trust, & Emotional Need
- Ask great rapport-building questions.
– Tell me about your struggles.
– What do you hope to accomplish today? - Introduce yourself and your practice to the patient.
– Define who you are and how you improve the lives of patients you serve. - Identify commonality with the patient to make yourself likeable.
- Conduct a thorough needs assessment with the patient using S.P.I.N. questioning.
3) Feature Dumping
Signs of Weakness:
- Tendency to jump into technology prematurely.
- Habitually explaining every feature & benefit.
- Adding fear by making technology seem too advanced and complicated.
Presenting Features Effectively
- Describe the feature(s) in simple terms of patient benefit and overall outcome.
- Only describe the feature(s) that apply to the patient’s explicit needs.
- Pick up on buying signals to know when and how to present features effectively.
- Demo the hearing device to add conclusive evidence.
4) Failure To Overcome Objections & Close With Impact
Signs of Weakness:
- Tendency to close prematurely.
- Lacking confidence in hearing device performance capabilities and worth.
- Failing to clearly communicate your expectations.
- Failing to summarize patient requirements.
- Failing to cover value-added service benefits.
- Discomfort with asking for payment.
Overcoming Objections
- Understand the real underlying objection(s).
“I need to go home and think about it. à I need to shop around and make sure I’m getting the best price for these hearing aids.”
Or
“I need to make sure my spouse supports me in this major purchase.” - Use the right tools needed for the situation.
– service guarantee (reluctance)
– financing, discounting, or down-selling (price) - Relate – Focus – Check. “Seek first to understand.”
Effective Closing Techniques
- Explain your total value-added service package before presenting product & price.
- Summarize the patient’s explicit needs before presenting product & price.
- Be positive and confident in your recommendation.
- Be assumptive as you ask for the order.
- Present the price in a written format.
- Congratulate the patient for taking action to purchase.