O CC U PAT I O N A L M E D I C I N E Emphasizing the Positive Gets Results in Occ Med Sales ■ FRANK H. LEONE, MBA, MPH A successful occupational health sales professional should de- velop a mechanism to monitor his or her choice of words and commit to using the English language to the mutual advantage of both the provider and the sales prospects. However, sales professionals often make poor word choices at critical moments. Negative words abound in our daily vocabulary. Fre- quently used negative words include bad, poor, problem, complication, unacceptable, and difficult. When calling on an occupational medicine prospect, these words should be replaced with positive words such as opportunity, success, im- provement, progress, etc. Inappropriate words tend to fall into two categories: call- ing attention to a negative and exhibiting uncertainty. Both tendencies can be overcome by proactively focusing on pos- itive, active words. A common error is to assume the other party is already aware of a negative. For example, one might point out that “our parking problems have now been resolved,” when the prospect had no idea there was ever a parking problem in the first place. “Exhibiting uncertainty” may be exemplified by treading too lightly with overly passive statements, such as: “Is it possible that…?” “Perhaps….” “Can we…?” “Is it okay if…?” “Do you think…?” Instead, a firm, positive demeanor should reign. For exam- ple, “Is it possible for me to meet with your CFO to get a bet- Frank Leone is president and CEO of RYAN Associates and executive director of the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals. Mr. Leone is the author of numerous sales and marketing texts and periodicals, and has considerable experience training medical profes- sionals on sales and marketing techniques. E-mail him at fleone@naohp.com. w w w. j u c m . c o m ter handle on your real costs?” is better posed as “We find that meeting with a company’s CFO provides us with an opportu- nity to better focus on your unique experience.” Several other basic rules will help keep interactions positive: Ⅲ Respect your prospect. There is a narrow line be- tween criticizing a company and calling attention to its shortcomings in a graceful manner. Rather than “your injury rate exceeds the national norm,” advise that “it appears there is a real opportunity to make a difference in your workers’ comp expenses.” Never tell a prospect that they should do some- thing; rather, suggest that they do something. While you are at it, look for and tell the prospect what they are do- ing right. To quote Dale Carnegie, “Offer honest and sincere appreciation whenever possible.” Finally, get to the point and respect a prospect’s time. At the outset, confirm how much time the prospect has for you and stick to their preferred time frame. Ⅲ Qualify your suggestions. Qualify anything that is not a fact with phrases such as “in my opinion,” or “from my perspective.” You cover yourself should you be wrong, and offer an appreciated dose of humility. Ⅲ Nothing is guaranteed. Do not “guarantee” anything. You are better off telling the prospect “although we cannot guarantee that we will lower your lost work time, we believe our focus will provide your company with the greatest likelihood of making a difference.” Ⅲ Develop a standard opening. You have only a few seconds to generate a good first impression. Those sec- onds should be carefully crafted and made into a rou- tine. Be firm, confident, respectful, and to the point. Ⅲ Develop a standard summary statement. The most important thing someone says is invariably what they say as they are “walking out the door.” The statement should reflect your competitive advantage and desire to work with your prospect’s company. JUCM T h e J o u r n a l o f U r g e n t C a r e M e d i c i n e | N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 43