Simple, easy selling

Two of my siblings are in sales. They are “naturals.” They find it easy to call on clients, determine needs, show products, and ask for orders.

Not me. Several times, while I was in high school, I ventured into the sales arena, albeit on the retail level. Each time, five minutes after I showed up the first day, a manager assigned me to a department and left me on my own.

On the “outside,” I was cool, calm, and collected as I talked with customers who wanted help with their purchase. But on the “inside,” I was trembling in my boots. I didn’t know anything about the products I was selling, and I barely knew how to ring up a sale.

Selling was not a pleasant experience, and I resolved that I would never do it for a living.

It took me many years to discover that selling didn’t have to be a gut-wrenching experience, provided I had training about the products I was selling, and I focused on helping the customer solve a problem.

In this issue, which focuses on rehabilitation therapy, one of the articles deals with retailing products. The writer says, “Retailing is easy.” And he’s right.

Retailing products, especially rehab products, to your patients can be as easy as maintaining a simple display. You don’t have to “hard sell” them. As you go over treatment protocols with your patients and explain in-home exercises that will help them get well faster, patients will ask, “Where can I get exercise bands?” “What kind of exercise ball should I use?”

Your answer: “You can get them here, if you prefer. Ask my front-desk clerk to help you pick them out.”

Simple. Easy. Your patients get what they need, and you, by helping them, also improve your revenues.

This issue addresses a number of rehab topics, starting with our cover story, “Decompression therapy: Is it right for your patients?” We have also included a number of other articles focusing on rehab, including an extensive roundup of rehab products. Plus, you’ll find insights on “feeding your head,” building trust to improve your marketing, and planning a “tax-favored’ retirement.

We hope you enjoy the issue.

Until next time,

Linda Segall, Editor-in-Chief