I'm amazed whenever a medical device representative bungles a presentation. The sales presentation – that shining moment when those of us who have chosen this profession get to demonstrate our skills and ability – becomes a display of incompetence. In my opinion, this occurrence is due to two things:

1. Lack of proper preparation, or
2. Not being ready for "prime time"

Let’s take number 1 – Lack of proper preparation. Here is what I have found to be the truth. Most sales people, especially the more seasoned ones, don’t put the time in to prepare for a presentation like they should. Too many of them “think” they already know all there is to know about the product or service that they are presenting. There seems to be a sense that one can assemble the presentation on the fly, after all, we’re professionals, right?

Wrong! The doctors you are presenting to can sense on both a conscious and subconscious level whether or not you have prepared. It shows in every part of the presentation – how you begin, how you transition from segment to segment, the visual aids and samples you use, and how well the entire presentation is choreographed. Let’s stop and consider for a moment what this means to a doctor who is considering your company’s products or services for one of his patients.

My experience was mainly selling surgical implants and equipment. If a doctor was considering my product, he was assessing at some level, how well prepared I was going to be when I went into the operating room with him. Let’s face it; the surgeon has much to worry about just performing the procedure. He is going to do business with sales people he knows and trusts to be prepared. If you don’t convey good preparation during your sales presentation, how much confidence do you expect a doctor to have in your abilities to perform where it really counts?

I know how a lot of the “pros” think – “I excel when I am under pressure. I have years of experience. If this guy is smart enough to do business with me, I can get him through just about any situation he will encounter while using my product.” While you might be aware of your abilities, why would you expect your customers to know any more about your preparation than what you display when you are in their presence?

This is especially true when your company releases new products. You may have a great history with a doctor, but when you present a new product, he may be wondering how familiar you truly are with it. Have you ever had the question, “how many of these have you been involved with in the operating room?” I remember many times having to reply, “well, to be honest sir, you will be the first!” Now, I can tell him how well-trained I am with the new product and that I have practiced with the instruments, read all the materials, etc., but regardless of what I say, he’ll know by the way I present it all to him.

The bottom line is this:
• If you have been over the material so many times that you know the words on the paper before you read them…
• If you have organized the flow of the presentation that you sequence into “what’s next” without thinking about it…
• If you have practiced with whatever visual aids you will use so many times that the print is discoloring your fingertips…
• If you are sick of hearing yourself do the presentation…

…Then you are probably ready for the presentation!

You see, I believe that you have to know the presentation so well that you can observe and process any subtle clues that your customer may be sending. If you are thinking about what you are going to say in the next sentence, you miss a lot. And what you miss might be the key to the sale!

If you are going to sell medical devices, you have to get this. There are big stakes in this game – patients’ lives, hospitals’ and physicians’ reputations and the trust they place in you and your company. You may have heard it from me before, but it’s too important not to say it again – What we do as medical device sales people is just too important to not be thoroughly prepared every time we engage a customer! Would you fly with a pilot who is not prepared for the flight? Guess what? Your customers are dealing with people's lives and will only do business with you if they believe that you are prepared to help them in their efforts. That makes the stakes pretty high for you as well.

Now let’s consider reason number 2 – you, the sales rep, are not ready for prime time. Prime time is the precious time that your customers allow you to present to them and service them. You are either up to the task, or you’re just not there yet. Companies want their representatives out selling, and many managers believe that their reps will only learn by doing. There is some truth in that, but the failure is often in the company not providing the right training and then letting the new rep “solo” too soon.

Consider how a student pilot trains. The training is done either in a flight simulator, or in a real airplane with a flight instructor at the student’s side who will keep him out of trouble. Give the student the airplane to fly on his own too soon and three things can happen. One, you lose a lot of pilots because they crash and burn. Two, you waste valuable resources like airplanes (or in your company’s case training because it is consumed in the loss of number one). Three, you lose your current customers or you fail to acquire any new ones because they are too scared to “fly” with you!

When you demonstrate consistent competency based on good training and professional habits, you are ready for “prime time.” Head out to the “flight line” before then and all you are doing is showing your customers and your competitors that you are not ready.

Once you make it to the big leagues, the training isn't over. In fact, training is an ongoing program and it may take more training – not less – to advance from where you are to where you want to go. Realize that your skills will get rusty over time, and only you can do something to get them back up to speed. Airline captains fly an average of 80 hours each month, but every 6 months they are required to undergo intensive recurrent training. Does it seem like this might be a good policy for you as well?

Nothing takes the place of good preparation, and nothing can hurt your company’s reputation more than rolling out sales reps that are not ready or are losing their edge. Plan on maintaining your skills as a medical sales professional and you can plan on big success in your career.