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We were enjoying pool time with friends recently (because what the heck else are you supposed to do in Texas in July?), and the topic turned to sales.

The question: Is “sales” a skill that can be taught, or is sales an innate gift that some people are just born with (and the rest of us are out of luck?)

A couple of our friends – both sales people in different fields – were certain that sales is NOT a teachable skill. People either have that sales “talent” or they don’t, and there’s not much changing them.

Of course Susan and I giggled at this notion. Because every day, we work with teams full of folks you would not describe as “natural” salespeople. And they CERTAINLY wouldn’t describe themselves that way.

People who’ve never had a sales job, never thought about selling anything. And many of whom were repulsed by the “S” word (sales) before encountering our coaching programs.

(Which is fine, btw. We don’t care what you call it.)

But in short order (usually 4-6 weeks, sometimes less), they find themselves confidently asking for – and receiving – $5k, $10k, $15k or more for high-ticket procedures at their respective practices.

Sounds suspiciously like something a salesperson could do… 🤔

BUT as I said, these aren’t salespeople in the traditional sense. So according to my friends, these “sales skill transformations” we see happening on a weekly basis are simply… impossible.

Well call me Tom Cruise, because we and our amazing clients continue accomplishing Mission: Impossible… and man is it fun!

(Not riding-a-high-performance-motorcycle-off-a-cliff fun, but pretty darn fun nonetheless…)

Back to the convo…

A big part of our friends’ opinion was rooted in the fact that they themselves had never seen it happen. They’ve worked with good sales people, and what you would consider “bad” sales people, and no one have ever made the transformation.

Now there are plenty of reasons someone might be “bad” at sales. Several of which can’t be helped by anyone but that individual (bad attitude, unwillingness to learn, thinking they know it all, etc.). We’re not miracle workers over here.

But Susan explained the way we go about coaching our clients. And how it centers around helping THEM understand their OWN communication styles first.

To be clear, we’re not trying to change anyone. That actually IS darn near impossible. We help those we coach to understand themselves – their own biases, strengths, growth areas, tendencies. And then showing them how to use their unique qualities to communicate and connect with others… to lead prospective patients where they need to go.

Truth is, if you have folks who are coachable, have good attitudes, and believe in the mission of your practice… we can usually implant the skills they need to convert leads into consults and surgeries.

So… can sales be taught? Short answer is yes, as long as you have people who believe in your practice and are willing to learn.

Stay cool,

Troy and Susan

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​PS – Not sure if you have the right people? Or maybe you have a few of the right people… and you’re in the process of finding more? Hit ‘reply’ and let’s have a brief convo about where you are, and at what point (if any) coaching may benefit your team…

 

I was coaching a new client last week on the need for speed in his growing practice.

He was faced with a software decision that should have been made weeks prior, and we discussed the options and why he was delaying.

Ultimately we landed on the facts that A. either option was better than what he was doing now, and B. the decision could be easily reversed in a few months if he chose. So he made a decision, and we moved on.

Speed is a core element of a successful practice (or any business really).

If you’re not making the headway and growth you want, it may be in part because you simply aren’t moving fast enough.

Money loves speed. I’ve written about this.

And HBR has data to show the faster you contact a new lead, you are orders-of-magnitude more likely to connect with them.

But I’m not just talking about speed in our lead outreach. I’m talking being speedy in general.

The practices that make consistent progress are the ones that move decisively and quickly.

For example, I work with a bustling practice that introduced a new service line we took from concept to launch in 90 days. Literally from an idea in a brainstorm session to marketing materials, sales flow and fulfillment process in just 3 months.

But then you’ll see other practices taking weeks/months to launch a basic social campaign. Or snap a handful of happy patient pics to use in a new campaign. Or add a simple button on their website.

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This creates a few big problems:

1. It creates a lethargic culture. The nature of your practice should be fast-paced – let’s get folks in the door, find out if we can help, get them on the surgery schedule, do a fast cutting-edge procedure with a quick recovery, and get them back on their way.

You want people moving quickly along down that pathway. But if you keep talking / thinking / pondering changes in your practice… and they never come to fruition… you’re creating a lethargic culture that’s not in alignment with the actions you want your patients to take.
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2. You lose pace with the market. We live in a fast-paced world. News stories, memes, entertainment – they’re all around us and moving at break-neck speed. So if we aren’t moving fast, making decisions, doing what we need to do – we fall behind the market (and often times to other practices too).
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3. You attract slow-moving patients. I don’t know how this works, but we tend to attract what we put out into the world. I’ve even seen first-hand in my business the faster I move, the more I’m trying various attack angles, the more success seems to find me.

If you have a “think about it, think about it, think about it” habit, don’t be surprised when you have many fence-sitting patients who “just wanna think about it” and refuse to make the choice.

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So move faster. On the practice level AND on an individual level.

Whatever role you play in the practice – if you know you need to do a thing, or change a process, or give feedback to your team lead, or suggest a process change to help the practice be more effective – do it.

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You are like a boat. Your moves create a wake.

Slow, timid, crawling moves = no wake. Bold, fast moves = you’re making waves across the lake, waves in the marketplace.

“Who the #*&$ is that guy hauling ass in his speed boat?” Needs to be you, friend.

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Make moves. They don’t have to be perfect moves. Save perfection for the laser suite.

Perfect text. Perfect pic. Perfect angle. Perfect ad. Perfect script. None of it is necessary.

What about perfect time? OOOOH that’s a big one. Waiting for that perfect time. There’s never a perfect time.

You know what you need to do.

Need to launch that campaign? Do it. Need to let that toxic team member go? Do it.

Need to get your booking team coached up, so they have the skills to get more consults and surgeries on the books for you? Don’t wait. Make it happen.

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Doesn’t mean you should knee-jerk every decision without considering the implications. That would be silly.

As I like to say, “We’re not talking about a face tattoo here.” Decisions can be changed. Campaigns can be adjusted or even canceled. Team members can be moved or cross-trained. You can create a new offer or kill an old offer.

And regardless of what happens, you’re always learning so you can make better decisions in the future.

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Make sound bets on specific areas of the practice. Do that to identify areas of opportunity and leverage. Double-down on your winners. And grow.

But it won’t happen by tiptoeing around and overthinking every decision and opportunity.

Move fast and dominate.

– Troy “Take Action” Cole
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PS – If you’re an Action Taker who would like to book more premium cataract patients, I’ve got a new opportunity that may be right up your alley. Hit reply if you want more details…