In this article, we will look at five ways to boost medical device sales in 2021.
The healthcare field completely transformed during COVID-19. Now medical device sales teams must change their reliable marketing methods to meet the new challenges in healthcare sales today.
Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
- Medical needs in 2021 are vastly different than a year ago, and sales tactics should adjust accordingly.
- New technology allows reps to promote and sell products through AR, VR, and social media.
- Additional sales and medical training will help your reps understand the new market.
What Changed in Healthcare Sales in 2021?
In 2020, hospitals mainly focused on COVID-specific equipment. Meanwhile, patients with other conditions often avoided hospitals because of higher infection rates. This avoidance resulted in a decreased demand for many devices unrelated to COVID.
Now that vaccines are available and people feel comfortable going out, the medical field is changing again. Those who didn’t get treatment during the pandemic will need treatment now, along with new patients. In addition, because of the increase in chronic illnesses from sedentary lifestyles, medical devices are in high demand.
Since people are restarting their regular healthcare visits and recovery financially, doctors will need to restock on non-COVID-related devices. You can help doctors meet this new shift in demand by providing medical devices that are relevant and convenient in 2021.
5 Ways to Boost Medical Device Sales
Here are five ways you can boost your sales in 2021.
1. Appeal to Current Medical Needs
Hospitals don’t function the same way they did before COVID-19. For example, telehealth is 38 times more prevalent than pre-COVID-19. So, sales reps need to adjust to doctors’ new needs.
One current sales challenge in 2021 is keeping equipment sterilized to meet current standards. If your device is easier to clean, focus on those details in the product value proposition to differentiate your product.
That differentiation factor is key to sales. Since most doctors have basic equipment, your sales reps need to identify why the new product is an improvement or solves a new need.
2. Adjust to Your Customers’ New Work Style
Doctors have also changed during the pandemic, so your customer data from 2020 is already outdated. If you want to boost your sales, then spend time getting to know physicians. Physicians are in a high-stress job. Over 75% of doctors know a colleague who feels burnt out. The stress of the pandemic has made burnout and mental illness even more prevalent in the healthcare industry.
Some of the effects of COVID that healthcare workers now face include:
- Higher hospital infection rates
- More financially struggling patients
- Increased stress levels
- An unknown future in healthcare
Doctors who were challenging to reach before the pandemic are nearly impossible to speak to now with the added workload. As a result, sales reps could explore alternative ways of reaching doctors, such as remote pitches. In addition, researching a hospital’s budget beforehand can save them both valuable time as they can get an idea of who can afford your devices.
In some cases, your sales rep may address someone other than the physician, like a board room of hospital leadership. When this happens, they should research who will be in the room and what each person cares about. For example, if someone from the finance committee is in the room, discuss how your device saves money.
3. Creatively Showcase Your Products
Alternative sales demonstration methods using technology alleviate the stress of hauling around equipment and streamline the demonstration process. As you just learned, a faster demonstration is preferable for time-strapped doctors. Sales reps can also visit more leads in a day if they have less to bring from hospital to hospital.
Because of the introduction of 5G, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two growing sales trends in 2021. VR uses headphones and a screen to place someone into an alternative situation. On the other hand, AR allows users to interact with items through a screen. Ecommerce stores use AR to enable customers to explore products and view them in their houses. However, healthcare has also found ways to use it in sales, training, and patient education.
Through AR, healthcare providers can interact with your products using their tablets or phones. They can also use the same AR to teach others how to use the products. So, sales reps can demonstrate products quickly and more conveniently, even remotely.
In addition to AR, other medical sales trend examples include showcasing your products and reaching customers through social media platforms and your website using blog posts, social media promotions, and networking in medical groups.
4. Offer Remote Communication Options
The pandemic opened a world of remote options, like Zoom meetings with 467,100 business customers and 3.3 trillion meeting minutes each year. Sales reps can take advantage of new advances in remote communication and use those lines to talk with medical professionals. Because they don’t have to travel in person for every meeting with a lead, they can use the extra time to meet with additional leads.
In addition, leads will have an easier way to get in contact with a sales rep. For example, they may put off an in-person meeting due to time constraints. However, they may be more willing to agree to a video conference to discuss a product.
Open lines of communication also keep the sales rep and lead connected and engaged through the whole sales process, which reduces the chance of the lead forgetting or losing interest.
5. Train and Educate Your Sales Reps
Doctors don’t have the time to research a medical device on their own time. So instead, sales reps should have all the answers or know how to find the answer. If they can’t give an excellent response to a doctor’s inquiry, they risk losing the sale.
However, if your sales reps have a thorough understanding of the product and medical issues it helps, they can give insightful data that will appeal to a highly trained medical professional. Extensive training helps prepare sales reps for every situation. Some of the best sales reps are previous nurses and doctors because they have already received training and understand their customers.
Boost Your Medical Device Sales with Our Content Team
Medical sales in 2021 bring a whole new era of possibility if you are willing to change your sales tactics. When you make a change, you will stand out from your competition who are still using their methods from years ago. You can also offer your leads relevance and a customized experience that fits with their current needs.
Are you ready to build customized content for your 2021 sales strategy?
Speak with an experienced team of healthcare content creators and start boosting your sales today.