Optimizing Your Selling System

By Greg Stafford and Brad Romney

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 to the Selling Process

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

• Establish Rapport & Trust.
• Gain Patient Commitment.
• Hearing Test (objective exam)
• Hearing Device Demo
• Needs/Lifestyle Assessment (subjective exam)
• Review Test Results
• Prescribe Hearing Device
• Close

2) Failure to Develop Rapport & Emotional Need for the Patient

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

• 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.

Check back on Friday, May 11 for Part 2 of this blog post, where we will discuss the remaining 2 common mistakes made in the selling process.