Lessons from the Field: Ten Tips for Healthcare Vendor Sales to Use LinkedIn Proficiently

 

Image by Gerd Altmann ffrom Pixabay

I could have written a rant about how healthcare vendor sales executives are using LinkedIn to prospect. It doesn't matter if it's revenue cycle management, medical device, pharma, information technology, analytics, or any other vendor segment.

But I didn't as that would have been too easy. 

Unfortunately, there are some common characteristics in prospecting using LinkedIn, causing wasted time, effort, and rejection. But in thinking it over, I decided to provide some helpful tips for using LinkedIn for becoming more sales productive.  And maybe in the process, stop getting useless, poorly targeted, as well as disjointed sales emails and calls. Oh, and this goes for their employing companies too.

Now that being said, I get that currency for being on LinkedIn is relationships, connections, networking, and the ability to prospect. I am good with that.  What I am not okay with is the seemingly increased amount of inappropriate prospecting that is going on from sales execs.

I am a marketing guy that is a Miller Heiman alumnus and Huthwaite SPIN trained. I also pride myself on integrating sales and marketing in healthcare vendors and starting sales teams in hospitals. The results were that marketing improved, sales improved, revenue and market share grew. Sales and marketing teams went from "if the feet-on-the-street would just sell aswe said" and "marketing just makes things look pretty" to highly collaborative, productive, and successfully integrated operations.

Let's get to the ten tips for improved LinkedIn prospecting and performance.

Image by wiredsmartio from Pixabay

Tip 1: Pay attention to the profile. Carefully read what is posted in the person about me. Clearly understand their current employment status by reviewing the work history and industry. Review the group memberships. What companies are they following? Review their recent activity. The above will provide you with the clues to decide if that person is even a viable prospect.

Tip 2: With all due respect to Richard Ogilvie, think the man in the chair to understand who we are.  Answer those questions beforehand, and you will be more successful on LinkedIn and stop wasting so much of your time and mine. It may be old, but it's still true today.

Tip 3: When contacting someone, please write in English that is spell-checked and grammatically correct.  Enough said.

Tip 4: When requesting me to introduce, how about a compelling reason for me to take the time out of my day to help you?  Why should I risk my reputation and credibility on you and your product or service? Again, it's a simple request. I am not looking for payment or a quid pro quo—just a rock-solid reason on why I should take that action.

Tip 5: Don't tell me what to do. Now that's an easy one.  Emails that request immediate action or provide only information on your features without mentioning the benefits to me go to the recycle bin. I especially like the cold calls and emails from the data list sellers. Please tell me where you see that I need to buy an email or mail list of anything?

Tip 6:  Make it about me. It doesn't have to be War and Peace, but it has to acknowledge in some form what's important to me and how you can solve my business challenge. If you paid attention to my profile and the attendant activity, you could figure out what is important to me and the issues keeping me up at night.  Make your introduction along with these points of interest.  Not about what you are selling.

Tip 7:  Go to marketing to learn from and become proficient in social selling using LinkedIn and social media. Learn from them on how to use LinkedIn properly for prospecting and outreach.  Using LinkedIn to find prospects is an activity. I do have to admit that it looks excellent on your management reports. But using LinkedIn is not an outcome; it is an activity. Don't confuse the two. To all vendor sales leadership, pleasehelp your teams out. Bad LinkedIn usage reflects negatively on the vendor brand.

Tip 8: Please don't argue with me!  I don't particularly appreciate the email or phone call starting with "Hello Michael, we are connected" on LinkedIn and then tells me what they need.  Then the argument begins when I ask the simple question: Did they read my LinkedIn profile and understand what made them think that I was interested in whatever? On the other hand, I don't mind emails or calls when some have paid attention and what they have or want is relevant.

Tip 9:  Could you respond to me?   I understand sales compensation and the hard work it takes to be a successful salesperson. Cold prospecting is not easy. Know that I try to be courteous and respectful of your time and efforts so that you don't waste your time on a prospect that will bring little economic value for your efforts at this time. When I respond to your email that I am not interested in or their offer isn't relevant to me, please do yourself a big favor and respond with thank you for letting me know. Today's no interest no sale may be tomorrow's client as things change. 

Tip 10: Pay attention and act accordingly.  Now is that so hard?

Just one more request, and it's not a tip, but a plea from marketing for you to document in your sales CRM your LinkedIn activity. When Marketing/Sales Operations run the reports, it will keep you out of the doghouse.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Best of luck.

Michael is a healthcare business, marketing, communications strategist, and thought leader. As an internationally followed healthcare strategy blogger, his blog, Healthcare Marketing Matters, is read in 52 countries and is listed on the 100 Top Healthcare Marketing Blogs & Websites ranked at No. 3 on Feedspot.com. Michael is a Life Fellow American College of Healthcare Executives. An influencer in healthcare marketing strategy, communications, digital marketing, and social media, Michael is in the top 10 percent of social media experts nationwide. For inquiries regarding strategic consulting engagements, you can email me at michael@themichaeljgroup.com. 

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The opinions expressed are my own.