Exam Info

Getting More Business

A reader writes:

I recently went into paramed exams full time and on my own. Previously, I was doing this parttime and now have talked to a good number of agents promting my new company. Unfortunately, they aren' t calling me. Is it the time of year or maybe the agents are concentrating on medicare as the window of opportunity is now? Give me advice as to how to increase my business. I have developed some information sheets that the agents can share with their clients as to how prepare them for their paramed exams. The response has been positive from the agents so far but again I have yet to receive calls. What can I do or how did you go about promoting and getting calls for paramed exams.

Getting customers is the hard part. When we promote our business, we're asking the agent to take a risk. Will this examiner alienate a hard-won client? Will this person be rude, unprofessional, or whatever? And will the examiner be hard to deal with?

Ironically, part of any good sales is not appearing desparate. Even when you really, truly ARE desparate. Because people can smell desparate a block away. And when we seem desparate, the agent starts to wonder why, why we're desparate, and why we don't have any more business. Even crazier, you'll find that the busier you get, the more your services will be in demand.

These are my suggestions for getting agents to call. I go in at times when they will be there (mid-morning is often good for this). Of course, if the agent is not there, I leave some cards with a secretary, but speaking to the agent individually is the best.

I want to seem professional, but approachable. I don't dress in a full business suit, but in what I call business casual. I try to be genuinely friendly (I tend to like most people, and this is not a difficult thing to do for me) and introduce myself, and explain that I do paramedical exams. If the agent seems uninterested, I ask if I can leave a couple of my cards, and leave it at that.

If on the other hand, the agent is friendly, interested, or whatever, I explain a bit more, telling them what area I cover, that I can do exams at the client's home or work, that sort of thing.

If the agent says, "Well, Joan Doe already does all of my exams," then I respond, "Well, that's cool, but" -- and here's the important part -- "if Joan's ever unable to do one for you, I'll be happy to pinch hit for her." If I know Joan, and know her to be a good examiner, I might say so: "Yeah, she does a good job." The important thing is to get a foot in the door. And if the agent later calls and says, "Joan is going to be out of town this weekend -- could you do an exam for me on Saturday morning?," I just respond, "I'd be happy to." Never, ever say something like, "I wish you'd call me more often," or something like that. If you are friendly, approachable, and willing to be of service, agents will call.

Remember, too, that examiners often go in and out of this business. If you make a steady effort to introduce yourself, hand out cards, even stop in the office just to say hello, agents will remember when their faithful long-term examiner decides to do something else.

It's important to remember that hard selling doesn't work in this business. If you're a hard-ass with them, they assume you'll be a hard-ass with their clients.

posted by Jim Huffman @ 10:48 AM