Effective Planning Simplified

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

Effective PlanningThere’s a great quote from Woody Allen: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”  There are many good reasons why plans don’t work out.  One issue is that many people don’t plan effectively; an illustration of this can occur when someone wants to lose weight. The plan may look like this: “The first thing I need to do is eat less, and secondly, I need to work out more.” This looks like a plan and has steps, but it doesn’t spell out how, when, where, and what. 

In the ‘90s, a well-known motivation psychologist, Peter Gollwitzer, wrote a paper on an experiment he did with college students.  Shortly before Christmas break, he asked two groups of students to participate in a study on how people spend their holidays in modern times.  The two groups were told to write a paper over the holidays, and the paper had to be mailed within the 48 hours after Christmas day.  One group was given additional instructions about when and where they would write the paper.  A few days after Christmas, the papers started arriving.  Gollwitzer found that only 32% of the students that were given just the instructions to write the paper sent their essays in.  In contrast, 71% of the students that were given specific instructions regarding when and where sent in their essays. This is one of many studies in the psychology of motivation demonstrating that effective planning increases our chances of success.

I recently wrote a blog post that was influenced by a book I read by Heidi Halvorson.  I would like to share another effective concept with you that I learned from her and have implemented during my marathon training.  This is my last post before I run the race! 

One of the greatest challenges I had in training as a non-runner for my marathon was to get from five miles to my longest run to date, 20 miles.  The training program I subscribe to insists on completing a “Saturday Long Run” every week and adding one mile to that run each week.  The intent was to increase my stamina and simulate the “wall” that I would inevitably hit while conditioning myself to push through.  A method I used to push through this weekly challenge was the “If-Then” strategy I learned from Halvorson.

The beauty of the “If-Then” strategy lies in its simplicity of implementation.  You take a goal you want to achieve, and then you spell out how, when, where, and what.  For example, deciding to eat less becomes “I will eat no more than 2,000 calories a day.”  And, purposing to work out more often becomes “I will work out three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before work.”  Gollwitzer refers to this type of planning as forming implementation intentions.  The “If-Then” strategy takes the method above and makes it even simpler—but just as effective. 

One of the reasons many people don’t achieve their goals is found in their failure to take action when opportunities present themselves.  To achieve our goals, we need to learn to take advantage of the moment when opportunities arise.  Halvorson tells us that this is the time when the “If-Then” strategy works extremely well. The act of planning creates the “If,” which links to the “Then,” which is the action required to achieve our goals. 

As an example, let’s say you have a goal to read more, yet you continuously forget to read daily.  As an alternate strategy, you make an “If-Then” plan: “If it’s 10 p.m., before I go to bed, I will read 20 pages.”  So now you have wired your brain to get into action and read your pages before going to sleep.  What happens by using the “If-Then” strategy is that the situation or cue (10 p.m.) makes you highly motivated to read 20 pages.  Even though the cue is below your awareness, this prompt in your brain will spur you into action.  Finally, once the “If” part of your plan happens, the “Then” part follows automatically without conscious intent.  In his studies, Gollwitzer describes “If-Then” plans as creating “instant habits.” 

Another benefit of “If-Then” plans is that they are great for kicking bad habits or negative self-talk that can hinder the pursuit of your goals.  For example, you can create an “If-Then” strategy when dealing with fear.  One the greatest inhibitors to success I have witnessed in sales is the inability of salespeople to deal with their fears.  When we experience fear, it’s an indicator to take action, and the best way to overcome fear is to run towards it instead of away from it.  If you were to create an “If-Then” statement to deal with fear, such as “If I experience fear, I will then acknowledge it and head towards it,” you’ll create an automatic response to effectively deal with your fear.

In another Gollwitzer study, competitive tennis players wanting to learn how to deal with anxiety that could impact their play during a tournament were given “If-Then” instructions: “If I am feeling anxious, then I will calm myself down and pretend it’s just practice.” Those who made these plans played significantly better (according to evaluations made from their coaches) compared with the tennis players who didn’t plan a way to deal with their anxious feelings.

For my marathon training, I used this “If-Then” strategy to push through the toughest part of my training—the last two miles of each “Saturday Long Run.”  My route for my long runs always added distance every week and always ended with running the last two miles uphill.  Every Saturday, when I hit this homestretch—my last two miles of pure misery—I had an “If-Then” statement previously prepared: “If I get too tired and feel like I can’t run, I will then concentrate on my breathing and footwork and will focus on just finishing.”  It is inevitable when I run my 26.2-mile race this weekend that I will hit the wall—and I will again use my “If-Then” plan to complete my marathon!

We all have goals to meet and obstacles to overcome.  I rarely meet a salesperson who doesn’t have a goal—such as winning an annual sales award.  So when you hit obstacles, how will you deal with them?  I encourage you to make an “If-Then” plan.  This will allow you to make good decisions, will keep you focused, and most importantly, will keep you on track to succeed no matter what comes your way!

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A Picture of Inspiration

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

picture inspirationIn recent months, I wrote a series of posts spotlighting some of our great sales leaders at ConMed. These posts have been so well-received that I would like to do several more in the weeks ahead. Whether you are interested in working at ConMed, looking to improve your medical sales record, or simply hoping for new ideas on how to become more successful in general, my hope is that you will glean insights and helpful tips from reading about these hardworking and successful colleagues of mine. After all, we are on the journey to success together. Enjoy!

This leader at ConMed was hired in October of 2012, and he understood that he was entering a territory that had little activity for his new product.  He took that challenge head on. If you observe this manager for any length of time, you can tell how much he values relationships. He did what many TMs overlook in their first few months of employment: he reached out to his counterparts in other divisions.

For example, this employee sat down for lunch to pick the brain of his endosurgery counterpart. He came away from this lunch with a solid target.  From there, he worked the plan we preach at ConMed Electrosurgery: pitch your prospects and have them fight for you.  The surgeons were sold on the idea after this industrious manager pitched them; they made a few phone calls, and we were working procedures in no time.  In addition, my colleague also made sure not to leave out anybody when introducing himself in the operating room.  So not only has he built relationships with the surgeons, but members of the staff also love him too.

This stellar TM worked the plan, building relationships internally and externally to put himself in the successful position he is in today. He is most certainly on the path to continued success!

Here are some additional insights into his strategies for medical sales:

What do you need to love in order to sell Altrus or be in medical sales? What would be an indication that someone would not fit well into the medical sales culture?

If you love clinical selling, you will love selling Altrus. If you hate selling clinical benefits and just want to sell on cost, you will hate medical sales and selling Altrus.

Have you ever had a surgeon that, at the beginning, was completely disinterested in your product but is now a big believer? What changed that surgeon’s mind? How did you get through to him or her?  

I had a gynecologist that was not using energy in her hysterectomies but that evaluated Altrus for the first time. I pitched her on the ease of use and speed of Altrus.  She operates with her practice partners, and the one who showed up for the first evaluation said he had no desire to use energy; he preferred using suture because “(he) wanted to sleep at night.”  At the outset of the case, he kept saying he could tie faster than the Altrus.  Since I had fully prepared the original surgeon during the meat demo the day before, she was able to coach him and sell Altrus for me throughout the case, thus giving the message more credence.  By the end of the case, they had both gotten the hang of it and were able to see the benefits of using Altrus.  I got both of them to agree to continue evaluating Altrus, and the doubting surgeon went on to become the biggest advocate in the facility and actually closed the hospital on signing the placement agreement.

What has been your most exciting moment in the OR?  

Seeing the aforementioned reluctant surgeon go from doubting the benefits of Altrus to not wanting to operate without it!

What has been your most challenging moment in the OR? 

The most challenging moment was when I had two surgeons wanting to evaluate Altrus at the same time.  I had a scheduled case, and I pitched another surgeon before the case started, so he wanted to use it at the same time.  It’s hard to pass up a case—but you have to do what is best for the long-term success of the account. I didn’t want to ruin two evaluations for an additional PO and cancel out the future opportunities at that account.  The surgeon understood, and we scheduled another case for the following week. Both have agreed to continue evaluating Altrus because they see the clinical benefits over their current device. 

How important is goal setting to your success? How do you go about determining your goals and achieving them? 

I think goal setting is paramount to success.  If you don’t have a plan, it is highly unlikely you will have success.  I try to always challenge myself beyond the company’s expectations. Along with the help of my manager and teammates, I push myself to attain this stretch goal by putting in that extra effort.

How do you handle adversity in the field when things don’t go your way? 

This is our biggest challenge as sales reps.  It is so easy to get down and become negative, but you must keep a good attitude in order to achieve success.  This is why goal setting and planning are so important.  You must have a solid pipeline so that when an opportunity goes south, you have additional opportunities to fall back on.  It is also important to talk to your peers and share best practices so that you can encourage one another.

How do you plan your day?  How far in advance do you plan?  

Ideally, I try to have cases scheduled out two weeks or more in advance—but as we all know, plans can change quickly in this line of work.  I plan my weeks using my quarterly targets from my P&R. To be sure I am attaining my goals, I schedule meat demos, meetings, and evaluations in accordance with the upcoming weeks. Coming from a different medical device company where all our reporting was done retroactively, I appreciate ConMed’s proactive strategy of submitting our plan for the following week in advance.  It forces you to make sure that you have a solid, productive upcoming week planned before the end of the previous week. 

What is your best advice for a brand new salesperson? 

Study, study, study.  I cannot express enough the importance of product knowledge, anatomical knowledge, sales skills, and OR etiquette in your success as a medical device rep.  Having that knowledge will give you the confidence to pitch doctors and close OR managers/materials managers while uncovering other opportunities with surgeons that the average rep may not notice.

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From Marathons to Sales

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 2 Comments

marathon runner businessThis past weekend, I finished my last “Long Run” of my training regiment, pushing myself to complete 20 miles!  Over the next two weeks, I will taper down my training as I finish preparing for the big race on May 19.  I started reflecting on how training for an athletic event like a marathon has many similarities to the way some of ConMed’s sales reps are approaching their success with Altrus.  Success with Altrus (much like running a marathon) is not a sprint—but it is the ability to achieve extraordinary results by stringing together powerful accomplishments, one after the other. 

Here are a few observations from my marathon training that relate to selling Altrus:

Preparation

I didn’t just get up one day and decide that I was ready to run a marathon.  I have been training five days a week since the middle of December.  When talking to successful Altrus sales reps, they too discuss how important it is to prepare.  These reps are continuously training themselves on our products, our competitive products, clinical anatomy, and surgical procedures.  These reps did not just complete our three-week training program and then stop learning. Instead, they continuously push themselves to learn everything they can to better position Altrus and themselves for success.

Patience

When I decided to run a marathon, I knew it was going to be a long haul in front of me, and I had to have a game plan.  I knew there would be ups and downs with my training, and I needed to be patient and follow the plan.  Sales reps that are having success with Altrus are able to get up every day and exhibit the standard behaviors that push for model results as outlined in ConMed’s “Standard/Model Day” sales process.  These reps don’t get discouraged when every day doesn’t happen the way they would like it to go.  They are patient and trust the process, as they realize success is about consistently stringing together good behaviors that will eventually lead to model outcomes.

Perseverance

Before I decided to run a marathon, the longest distance I had ever run was five miles. During my training, I had to deal with injuries, bad weather, and other setbacks. After completing my 20-mile run, I realized that what got me to this point was the ability to keep going and push forward.  Many of us can relate to setbacks in our sales careers and with Altrus.  One of our top-producing Altrus reps faced tremendous setbacks when she first started selling Altrus.  Her unwavering belief in her manager and her commitment to keep working the plan allowed her to string together small daily successes that led to great results.   She truly demonstrated what it takes to persevere to the top of the Altrus rankings.

Vision

One thing that has helped me through my training has been the ability to visualize the training regimen in front of me.  The only way I was able to get from five miles to 20 miles was my ability to visualize that every new “Saturday Long Run” was only one mile longer than the previous week’s run.  I had a plan and envisioned successfully completing the plan in front of me.  Successful Altrus reps tell me that every activity in their day has a visualized successful business outcome.  When they are scrubbing an Altrus procedure, there is a specific outcome they are envisioning, such as changing a preference card, obtaining a procedure, or gaining a commitment to bring Altrus to another facility that the surgeon may work at.  These successful Altrus TMs are always thinking a few steps ahead of themselves with the goal of growing their business.

Coaching

Successfully completing a marathon as a previous non-runner could not happen without coaching.  In my situation, the coaching I sought out was from other marathon runners, marathon training books, and other media sources such as marathon bloggers.   Interestingly enough, many of our top-producing Altrus reps credit their successes to what they learned from other successful Altrus reps and to the mentoring they received from their managers.  These reps are always on the phone talking to other top-producing Altrus reps, and they’re always reaching out to their managers, brainstorming ways to grow their business.

As a soon to be “marathoner,” I am very familiar with the difficulties and the challenges of this race and am looking forward to the satisfaction of finishing.  As a future top-producing Altrus sales rep, you also will be tested many times.  Most importantly, you will never really cross the “finish line” because you’ll always have new goals you’ll be working towards.  That said, by emulating the traits it takes to complete a marathon, you can continue working towards your sales and financial goals.  I hope all of you will continue to push yourselves for the remainder of 2013 and will run your way to President’s Club in Punta Cana!

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Getting After It: A Study in Success

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

In recent months, I wrote a series of posts spotlighting some of our great sales leaders at ConMed. These posts have been so well-received that I would like to do several more in the weeks ahead. Whether you are interested in working at ConMed, looking to improve your medical sales record, or simply hoping for new ideas on how to become more successful in general, my hope is that you will glean insights and helpful tips from reading about these hardworking and successful colleagues of mine. After all, we are on the journey to success together. Enjoy!

This particular colleague hit the ground running and made an immediate impact on his territory by achieving Altrus quota in his first quarter. His ability to cultivate, develop, and leverage relationships along with his untiring work ethic are keys to his success. He does an excellent job of not only digging his roots in deep within each account, but also with each surgeon.  This innovative leader’s ability to sell the whole bag gives him multiple reasons to get into the operating room daily, which is where he focuses on developing his relationships, finding more reasons to work with his champion and target surgeons, pitching new surgeons, and always leaving with a reason to come back. He is well-organized, always has a plan, and sets himself apart from his competition with his strategic and constant followup activities.

I asked my colleague some questions regarding his secrets to success in medical sales:

What do you need to love in order to sell Altrus or be in medical sales? What would be an indication that someone would not fit well into the medical sales culture?

There are a lot of answers to this question, but I feel that if you love daily challenges and every day being different and if you are always trying to push business forward while building and maintaining relationships, you will love selling Altrus and being in medical sales. What excites me each and every day is actually not knowing what challenge lies ahead. You never know what type of doctor you are going to encounter or if his day is good or bad.  

But, you also have to decide how you are going to push business forward while building a better relationship. If you hate being challenged every day and dealing with many different types of personalities, then this is not for you. If you don’t know how to adjust your personality to fit the person you are talking to (I call it situational awareness), you will not like selling Altrus or being in medical sales.  

Have you ever had a surgeon that, at the beginning, was completely disinterested in your product but is now a big believer? What changed that surgeon’s mind? How did you get through to him or her?  

Relationships and the ability to leverage relationships are key factors for this scenario. Half the battle is getting physicians to not just listen but to “hear” what you are saying and believe in the product. A good relationship when leveraged properly gives you this.

I had a physician when I first came on board who was to be my only Altrus user in my territory. I went to speak with him about Altrus and to try to observe my first case. Come to find out, he hated Altrus and wasn’t even using it any longer. Great, I thought; well, he has to give me a case since I’m new. Nope—not at all. Instead, I learned he had issues with the product.

I had to think of a way to get him believing again. I had to think outside the box. I observed a competitive case with him, and this time I observed some pain but also pitched two of our other products. He agreed to try one of them, which helped me get more comfortable with him and build that relationship.

I also went to a couple of other physicians, pitched Altrus, and was able to get cases on the books in the same hospital.  When my new Altrus target started getting comfortable, I was then able to offer a case observation to the physician that didn’t believe in Altrus at the time. This was easy to do because I was already in the operating room and building the relationship while sharing the other doctor’s (the one who had agreed to try Altrus) success. This unbelieving doctor could not believe that someone else was having success that he didn’t. I feel this is what the doctor thought, and since I had a strong relationship with him, it was easier to get a commitment to do his next case with Altrus. From there, it was on me.  I was very vocal in the case and have been going forward. He now does anywhere from 2 – 3 cases a week and doesn’t really need me any longer, but I show up when I can to keep that relationship strong.

What has been your most exciting moment in the OR?  

The most exciting moment in the OR for me is when a new evaluation with a champion doctor or potential champion doctor goes great. A difficult case in which the doctor expresses his feeling that another modality could not have achieved success but that Altrus did provides a great feeling as well.

What has been your most challenging moment in the OR? 

The most challenging moment in the OR comes when you have a big evaluation going on with a big doctor, the case goes horribly, and you are brand new and don’t know what to say in a tough situation. The doctor pulls out a competitive product and gets the case done. Working around that is a true challenge.

How important is goal setting to your success? How do you go about determining your goals and achieving them? 

Goal setting is extremely important. If a S.M.A.R.T. goal is not set, it will be very difficult for a person to evaluate his or her progress. A goal is a personal target separate from the company; it should exceed your current responsibilities and is likely even more robust than a top-producing and exceeding plan. What does the company expect from you—and what do you expect from yourself?

If your personal goals are higher, then company goals should be easily attainable. I also set my goals in such a way that I am always looking for wins. Every situation you are in and goal you set is a way to push business forward. If the goal that day was to complete a case with Dr. So-and-So and was canceled, how do you turn that goal into a new goal and push business forward? Instead of leaving the OR, find a reason to be there and push business forward.  

How do you handle adversity in the field when things don’t go your way? 

Adversity is a necessary evil that causes you to continuously get better; re-tool, think outside the box, and develop resources to overcome challenges. Adversity can be instrumental in keeping you on your toes, thinking, and developing professionally. Having a short memory with regard to adversity can also help as you continuously move on to the next target. Don’t take things personally; it comes with the business. You need to get kicked in the teeth in order to grow.

How do you plan your day?  How far in advance do you plan?  

I plan a week in advance based on goals, territory needs, and company initiatives. My plan is always subject to change based on priority of needs and where the most impact can be made. Larger-scale deals and more influential targets might need planning weeks in advance. This way, you can come up with the proper strategy to dig deep into your bag and attack all business. If my calendar for the following week is not full by Friday, I wasn’t making a big enough impact even as far back as two weeks ago. If you are out there daily getting after it, filling your calendar for the month should not be difficult.

What is your best advice for a brand new salesperson? 

If there is any advice I can give to a new salesperson, it is to get in the OR. If you don’t have a reason to be there, make one. Since I have come on board with ConMed, I have made it a goal to spend the first 3 – 5 hours of each working day in the OR—whether I have cases or not. If I don’t have a reason to be there, I make one. Being in the OR can only bring success. Always think of ways to drive business forward even when things don’t go as planned. All negative situations can bring positive outcomes if you find the angle that needs to be worked. Our bag is huge—use it for all it’s worth!

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Is Your Mindset Holding You Back?

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 1 Comment

When setting a goal, many would agree on the importance of positive thinking. Believe in yourself, believe you will achieve your goal, and you will succeed.  I have an entire bookshelf in my office filled with books that promote the simple idea of positive thinking. 

When I talk to people about their life goals, most feel confident that they are likely to have good things happen to them, make a lot of money, get married, have kids, and live a good life.  In contrast, we are also less likely to believe that bad things will happen to us, such as severe illness, a financial crisis, or any other major setbacks in life.  I read a book by Heidi Halvorson, who is Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School.   Halvorson distinguishes two types of positive thinking for maximum success.

Halvorson uses the example of losing weight, since it is a goal many of us can relate to.  There are two types of positive thinking towards the goal of losing weight.  One is that you believe you will lose the weight—you just know you will reach your goal.  In other words, you think positively about reaching your goal.  The other type of positive thinking results when you believe you will be able to avoid the temptation to cheat on your diet or skip a workout on a rainy day. In other words, you think positively about overcoming the obstacles standing in the way of your goal. Halvorson believes that most positive thinking self-help books lump both of these approaches together. She feels that this is not the most effective method for pursuing our goals, and I agree.

Let’s start with a universally-accepted theory in the study of motivation called the “Expectancy Value Theory.”  It states that people are motivated to do things as a function of how likely they are to be successful and also by the benefit they will receive from doing those things. Alternately stated, believing you will succeed will make you more likely to succeed. Halvorson points to a recent study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine that examined home gym equipment.  At some point, most adults purchase home exercise equipment with the premise that, because the equipment is in their homes, they are more likely to use it.  The study concludes that people were three times more likely to use the equipment if they thought positively than if they doubted they would be using their equipment a year later.  Obviously, it’s a good thing to believe we will succeed.  Therefore, it also must be a good thing to imagine that we will succeed easily. But that second statement is actually very wrong and will even get in the way of your achievement! Keep reading to find out why.

Halvorson also points to a behavioral psychologist, Gabriele Ottingen, who has done extensive studies on people who believe they will succeed versus people who believe they will succeed easily.  These studies included people desiring weight loss, college students looking for work after graduation, and patients recovering from surgery.  Time and time again, Ottingen found that, no matter who the people were and what goals they had, successful people not only had the confidence that they would eventually succeed but also had equal confidence that they would have a difficult time getting there.

Why is anticipating difficulties on the path to success important for achieving our goals?

Creating negative emotions like anxiety and worry can be useful, as these emotions can be powerful motivators. Ottingen’s studies show that people who believe they will encounter obstacles in the pursuit of their goals plan more, try harder, and make the extra effort.  These types of people expect that they will have to work very hard in order to achieve their goals, so that’s what they do—they work extremely hard!  Conversely, people who think that reaching their goals will be easy aren’t prepared to deal with the obstacles and challenges they inevitably encounter.

The best strategy when setting goals is thinking positively about what things will look like when you achieve your goals while also realistically exploring what it will take to get there.

Ottingen refers to this strategy as “mental contrasting.”  This type of thinking results when you imagine reaching your goals and then reflect on the obstacles that stand in your way.  When I decided to run a marathon, I pictured myself crossing the finish line with my wife and kids cheering me on and imagined conquering a great physical challenge that not many people undertake. 

When I created this goal, I wasn’t kidding myself—I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.  I imagined all the obstacles I might face such as illness, injury, and bad weather.  For example, training for a marathon in Denver during the winter months can be challenging, especially when a snowstorm comes to the “Mile-High City.”

As mentioned before, my most important run in training for this marathon is the “Saturday Long Run.”  A few weeks ago, we received 12 inches of snow. Running 15 miles outside was not going to happen!  However, I had already thought about this potential obstacle when establishing my goal and had prepared myself that I would probably need to complete a long run or two on a treadmill at the gym.  I don’t know about you, but to me, running 2.5 plus hours on a treadmill is mind-numbing and is not a whole lot of fun! But since I had imagined that bad weather might happen, I had a plan and was able to put in the extra effort to stay on track with my training.

Mental contrasting will not only help you make good decisions when obstacles come your way, but it will also engage your motivational systems and maximize your commitment to your goals.   This type of thinking pushes you into a sense of urgency and creates the necessity to act.  Dream, plan, work hard, and don’t give up!

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