Making the Offer CHUC K WEST UW MADISON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS EXECUTIVE EDUCATION Call in number: Passcode: # Partnering with New Payers – Level III April 5 th, 2012

Planning Effective Sales Calls

Buying and Selling BUYING PROCESS 1. Relationship 50% 2. Motivation 35% 3. Selection 10% 4. Decision 5% SELLING SKILLS Call Preparation, Clarity of Purpose, Build Trust, Positive Intent Question, Listen to Understand the Client’s Key Goals, Summarize Select Minimum Required Information, Present Your Recommendation Handle Objections and Gain a Commitment to Action

1. Relationships: Start with a Call Plan Payer’s business name _________________________ Person’s name and title_________________________ History & starting position _____________________ ____________________________________________ Your reason for the call ________________________ Possible resistance ____________________________ Resistance handling strategy _____________________ Your introductory statement & question____________ _____________________________________________ Desired result or desired next step ________________

The Time & Tension Model T Relationship ETask N S I O N TI ME What will you do to reduce relationship tension?

Delivering Your Introduction Introduce yourself and your…Purpose and Agenda End with engaging question Your intro statement: (your value statement) ____________________________________ Question: _________________________________ _________________________________________

Intro Example We start 95% of our treatment programs within three days of initial service request because our data shows it’s critical to successful patient outcomes. How does your organization measure which variables are most important in achieving successful outcomes? What variables have you identified as most critical?

Handling Initial Resistance “We’re happy with our current provider” 1.Test the extremes or “There must be one thing…” 2.Research their goals and connect with one.. A population 3.Research the competitor’s weakness and offer an advantage they aren’t getting.. A triple relapse program 4.Offer a benefit too strong to ignore.. 98% positive outcomes with population x 5.Use a “neutral response” and move forward 6.Make a humble request…minimize their risk

Be Ready for Resistance Resistance you expect: Your answer:

Polling Question Give us an example of resistance you expect.

2. Motivation: what it means to them! Question Listen Summarize

Questioning 1. Prepare written questions before the call 2. Be prepared to take notes 3. Reasons for questioning: To qualify them To demonstrates your expertise in the industry To further develop the relationship To understanding of their key goals or needs “Judge a man not by what he says but by what he asks.” Socrates

Write Your Questions 1________________________________________ 2________________________________________ 3________________________________________ 4________________________________________ 5________________________________________ 6________________________________________ Note: your questions should qualify the customer’s attractiveness.

Polling Question Write in 1 of your questions in the chat box

Example Questions What percent of your programs deal with vets? Women? In what counties? Tell me about a recent new program offering? How many patients would we be serving monthly under this contract? Turnover rate? How many denials do you experience monthly? What is the greatest cause of these denials?

Listening “Intelligent listening is more persuasive than talking” Drs. Russell and Black “Listening demonstrates genuine interest” Dr. Nichols “Listening seems simple but it’s not easy. Every head is a world.” Cuban Proverb

Listening Skills Quantity should be 50% of the time or more Preparation assign importance, de-clutter first, focus Be Active & Patient “listen without the intent to reply” Selectivity the information to which you assign value Reinforcement what you respond to Empathy feeling what they feel

Questioning and Listening Your profession leads the way in this form of counseling…use those same well refined skills when selling!

Summary of Customer’s Motivation A prioritized summary of the customer’s key motivation (facts, feelings, priorities and desired action) Example: “So you are running a variety of new SA programs for vets. You’re seeing a lot of different outcomes and it’s hard for you to track your overall effectiveness. You’d like to pull it together and improve outcomes. Is that a good description of where you are right now?”

Polling Question Tell us what you think is a motivator for a third party payer you are planning to call on? Type your answer in the chat box

3. Selection Presentation Preparation Select Information: One or Two Key Points Present to the Decision Maker Plan participation, involve them

Delivering Your Presentation BIV$Business CaseGreek Narrative Benefit Current stateIntroduction Involve Desired state Narrative Visual Changes requiredArgument Payoff Investment Refutation ReturnConclusion FactualBusiness orientedStory telling

Presentation Tips Let your belief show “Finish the frame” on each point Conclude to action

4. Decision Objections Commitment

Objections Are: An Emotional Shock to You Creative Problem Solver Maintenance or Defensive An Indication of Customer Interest A Symptom of the Underlying Problem

Handling Objections 1.Recognize and compose yourself, don’t react 2.Make a passive acknowledging response “I’m sorry to hear that, please tell me more about it” or “Wow, that sounds bad, let’s figure out what happened.” 3.Clarify the underlying concern with questions Probe to find the immediacy, size, seriousness and cause of their concern. 4.Present an answer/solution Three possibilities: I, We or Delay 5.Ask for their agreement

An Application Select a common objection from your job: “You don’t have service x and y.” Acknowledgement_______________________ Questions (soft then solving)_______________ ______________________________________ Solution_______________________________ ______________________________________ Ask for agreement_______________________

An Example: Acknowledging Objection: “You don’t have services for vets in Oakland county?” Acknowledging response: “That’s a really good point. Tell me a little more about your vets in Oakland county and their program needs?”

Example Continued: Questions Soft: How are you working with them now? How’s that working? Is that an increasing population? Solving: How many patients will you have in 6 months? How are you planning on helping them? If we add a vet treatment center in Oakland county in the next three months, would that help? What do you think would work best right now?

Example Continued: Solution and Ask Solution: “So, if we work together for 3 months of remote service the Oakland county vets and then open a center for the expanding population, it would work.” Answer: “What do you think?”

Asking for the Order 1. Ask for their agreement with your proposal “What do you think?” “Do you think this plan will work with your population?” OR 2. Suggest the next action steps “I suggest we do 5 cases to check process flow with your staff and tracking systems.”

Selling Skills Review 1. Preparation 2. Call Introduction 3. Questioning 4. Listening 5. Summary of their motivation 6. Presenting your recommendation 7. Handled Objections 8. Closed to Next Step or Order

Using Your Skills in the “Right” Place Get Appt #1#2 #3 Rel. Mot. Sel. Dec.

Conclusion I now know … 1. My competitive value 2. Which payers to call on 3. How to get the initial appointment 4. The sales skills to use on each sales call

Polling Question Which one of the ideas from the presentation appeal to you? Type your answer in the chat box

Chuck West